connection
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spring
15 Sharing news and light with friends of GEMS
Executive Director’s letter Dear friends in Christ, While driving in to work a few days ago a brilliant ray of sun shone down in a beam of orange, gold, and red hues. It was so magnificent I had to focus on my primary task . . . driving! Now, to any unbeliever they would have said, “Oh how pretty that is.” But to me it was an incredible, personal love note from God. You see, earlier that same morning, reading of the Israelites leaving Egypt, I distinctly picked up on the words from Exodus 13:21-22. By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. The pillar of cloud and pillar of fire were God’s presence—showing His people the best path to take! This ray of sun was God saying to me, “It’s okay; I’ve got this. Follow Me. Obey Me. I will never leave you nor forsake you. Lean on Me for everything today. Tell Me all that’s on your mind—worries, fears, and challenges. I love you and will make your day one of fulfillment and you will
accomplish what I need to have done for building My Kingdom. Just follow Me!”
GEMS Girls’ Clubs Executive Board Shirley Batts – Portage, Michigan Cheryl Boer – Chandler, Arizona
It was exactly what I needed. Coming into a ministry with big shoes to fill can be overwhelming. And with the big vision I believe God has planted in my heart, it was the exact reassurance and peace I needed.
Linda Hermen – Beecher, Illinois
This year we are continuing to reach out to different populations, train GEMS leaders, start more clubs, expand The Esther School, and update curriculum.
Amy VandenBerg – Grand Rapids, Michigan
I hope you are as excited to see where God’s pillar of fire and pillar of cloud will take us this year and in the future. Continue praying for our counselors, girls, and the staff at GEMS. Pray for us to listen, obey, and to have the resources necessary to build His Kingdom!
GEMS Girls’ Clubs Staff
In His service,
Executive Director – Kristine Palosaari
Judy Kapteyn – Sarnia, Ontario Mary Klingenberg – Mount Hope, Ontario Debra Liccar – Crete, Illinois Andrea Mulder – Norwich, Ontario Mary Jo Vis – Riverside, California Cindy Visser – Zeeland, Michigan
Training Manager – Lenae Bulthuis Operations Director – Michele DeHaan Managing Editor – Kelli Gilmore Graphic & Web Designer – Lisa Hunter Customer Relations – Hannah Noorman International Ministries Director – Jill Postma Conference Coordinator – Alecia VanHulzen Senior Editor – Amy White
Kristine Palosaari Executive Director
Choose Truth God’s Word is a light. It’s one of the ways He guides us. Psalm 119:105 says, Your Word is a lamp for my feet, and a light on my path. And when we let the Bible help direct our steps, we begin to soak in the story of redemption God has been telling since the very beginning. We begin to soak in the reality of His saving grace through His Son. And throughout the 2015/16 GEMS season, that’s going to be our focus—to Choose Truth. Every summer, women from North America gather together to learn the new Annual Theme, partake in worship, attend workshops that prepare them for their roles as counselors and offer personal development, and hear dynamic speakers. And this year, when women gather at Messiah College in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, these things will all come to fruition.
GEMS LEADERSHIP TRAINING CONFERENCE
“YourGEMS word LEADERSHIP is a lamp for TRAINING my feet, and a light on my GEMS path.” LOCAL WORKSHOPS
LEADERSHIP TRAINING SPRING SEMINAR
But the GEMS Leadership Conference is more than that. It’s a place for women to gain a deeper sense of the impact they can have as they mentor girls and pour into the next generation. It’s a place for them to feel refreshed, encouraged, and equipped. Women leave feeling prepared and inspired to share the importance of God’s Truth with their girls. We train women so they can impact the girls in their club and beyond. And because of your continued support, we are able to make events that focus on this essential leadership training possible. Encourage the women in your club to join us this summer—it will make a noticeable difference in their clubs! Thank you again for making this event possible year after year.
Overflowing with Service If you give the GEMS from Pella Faith Christian Reformed Church in Pella, Iowa a service challenge, they will take it seriously! In the 2014 September issue of SHINE brightly Magazine we challenged readers to collect dimes to support The Esther School music program, and these GEMS immediately got to work! “We had each GEM in our club decorate a jar,” said Jean DeWaard, a counselor for the Pella club. “[On each jar] the girls put a note that said, “Change for Change” and they took it home with them to collect money for the music program. We also decorated a gallon size jar and put it out at our church and put an announcement in our bulletin [to bring awareness to the challenge].”
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“They wanted to do something to help others, so they arranged a night where they could babysit for people in our church who wanted to go on a date night. ”
THE esther school
FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS
THE ESTHER SCHOOL Building a community of faithful and skillful servant leaders
Following a very wet rainy season, Chongwe, Zambia is turning green and new life is springing up! The Esther School, a school for orphaned and underresourced children, continues to grow, too! And there is a lot to be thankful for. Recently progress has been made on the Grade 1-3 building and a new playground has been put in place—all with the help of generous donors. And there are lots of new opportunities to partner with us! Work teams are a hands-on way you can serve The Esther School. We are currently organizing work teams to travel during 2015 and would love to have you for a visit! Work teams serve through construction, agriculture development, and interacting with children in the village. Does this sound like something you’d like to be part of? Visit estherschool.org for more info! We’d love to use your specific talents and gifts to benefit the school and surrounding community.
New Staff Openings We are blessed to have an amazing staff at The Esther School. The teachers have a passion for the mission of the school and have developed a great love for each student in their classes and the administrators are diligent in making sure the day-to-day needs of the school are met. Does this sound like something you want to be part of? Or do you know someone who would be a perfect fit for our staff? For the fall of 2015 we are in need of two elementary teachers, a director of operations and finance, and an administrator/principal. For more information or if you have any questions about these positions, email kristine@gemsgc.org.
A new group of student sponsors are also needed. With the addition of a grade 3 class in September, there will be opportunities to enrich each student’s life by becoming a sponsor. Look for more details on the website (estherschool.org).
But the sixth grade class didn’t stop their efforts at jars and change to bring music to The Esther School. “They wanted to do something to help others,” Jean said, “so they arranged a night where they could babysit for people in our church who wanted to go on a date night. They did a freewill donation and split it between The Esther School music program and a local organization that helps people in need in our community.”
Have the GEMS counselors or girls in your life done something to bless others or an organization in your community? We want to hear about it! Share your stories by sending them to amy@gemsgc. org.
After adding up the donations, the club donated over $200 to the music program! “[Everyone was excited] about this project! We all love music and think it’s great for all children to have it in their lives,” Jean said.
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2015 GEMS Open
Registration Form (or register online at gemsgc.org)
Name Address Telephone Email
Other Golfers in my Foursome Name Address Telephone Email Name Address Telephone Email Name Address Telephone Email
Sponsorship Opportunities mEVENT SPONSOR - $2,500 On Thursday, May 14 we will be hosting our GEMS Open at Quail Ridge Golf Club in Ada, Michigan. And we need your help! This annual event underwrites Get Connected! Camp—a summer camp for early teen girls—while also supporting the overall ministry, helping us keep curriculum costs down, offering valuable leadership training, and continuing to reach girls around the world. Don’t live in Michigan? This still applies to you! We need sponsorships, golfers, and donations from across North America for this event to be a success. And we have a golfat-a-distance option for people who still want to play but can’t make it to Michigan! Simply register with us, choose a golf course near you to play, and we will send you a goodybag and recognize you at our event. Whether you enjoy a day on the greens or not, there is a place for you to partner with us at this event. We hope you will join us!
GEMS 2 0 1 5
Thursday, May 14 Quail Ridge Golf Club Ada, Michigan
mLUNCH SPONSOR - $1,500 mCART SPONSOR - $750 mHOLE SPONSOR - $500 mTEE SPONSOR - $250 mCONTRIBUTOR - (In-kind or monetary) Sponsor Name Company Name Address Telephone Email Amount Enclosed
Individual Registration Golf and Lunch — $135
x $135 = ____________
Golf at a distance
x $95 =
c I will be unable to golf with you this year but I would like to make a donation or in-kind contribution of . You can fax this form with credit card information to the number below or send it with checks payable to GEMS Girls’ Clubs 1333 Alger St SE • Grand Rapids, MI • 49507 Phone 616-241-5616 ext. 3032 • Fax 616-241-5558
Visa Mastercard Discover Expires __ __ / __ __ Card Number __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Name on account ______________________________________ Address on account _____________________________________ City, State/Province, ZIP/Postal code____________________________ __________________________________________________________