1. Bible Study on Sunday
We will be having Bible Study this coming Sunday (4/1). We'll be covering lesson 5 in the book. It's about divorce and oaths. Both might seem somewhat irrelevant, but truth is never irrelevant, especially when Jesus is talking about it. But to make it applicable in the lives of our kids, then talk about marriage, premarital sex, what marriage really is. In line with that you can also talk about the oath we take when we get married, how that oath is not just a personal commitment, but a commitment we make before God himself. And bring up the topic of lying, exaggerating, etc. Once again, to become a true Christian is about the heart overflowing into action, so be sure to talk about the Gospel, that none of this is possible apart from truly trusting in God and being empowered by the Spirit.

And do the lesson 6 for next week! We're not going to have Bible Study on Easter Sunday (4/8), so next week's Berean will be for 4/15.

2. FiCY
We're having FiCY this Friday, and we're planning to watch a movie based off of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life. The movie's titled Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace. I've seen it before, but I'm hoping it's not too boring for the kids. I'll watch it sometime this week to get a feel for it. If not, I'll decide on something else. Please come to FICY. I've been hearing from the officers and the students that they want more interaction with the teachers. I think they like us. =)

FiCY for the first week of April (4/6) will be us joining the EM Good Friday service. I encourage that you fast that day, at least from sun up until sun down, so that you could encourage your kids to also fast at least a meal. The purpose of fasting is to relate our spiritual hunger for God with a physical hunger, basically making our hunger for God clearer. It's also good for us to recognize our sins better. When we're hungering for food, who do we turn to? Do we pray out to God, or do we try to find other distractions? Do we focus on the pain, or do we focus on the grace of Christ?

3. Officers
I've began meeting with the officers since last week, and am trying to have discipleship with them after our staff meetings. It's been good so far, just hearing them talk about things, relevant and both seemingly irrelevant. Victoria has strange stories about her dad. haha. But I'm hoping that this could be a good time to help the leaders of our ministry to grow. I'm not as strict as I should be, but pray that I'll be more disciplined and more focused on God in my own life so that I could train and lead them well.

4. Summer Retreat
We're looking for a location for summer retreat, and also will be trying to recruit teachers for this event. Start scoping out who might be here over the summer, and look for people who would be good mentors for the students. Retreat is probably the best time where we can get potential staff to fall in love with the kids. The dates will be either July 5-7, or 6-8... i think. I'll confirm and get back to you on that.

5. Birfdays
Gina Ho, (4/1)
Gina, turning 16, is the girl who seems older than she really is. She grew up in New York, but moved out here a few years ago. She's got an older sister, Naomi, who's graduated from college and lives at home. Her parents run a dry cleaners, and she lives in SF. She's really good with taking charge of things and making things happen, but she's still a little girl who cries when her mom goes crazy on her. Pray that she'd come to rely fully on God and that in all that she does she would be out of a love for God that corresponds to a love for others.

Andy Ko, (3/29).
Andy, turning 13, is no longer with us, but I've taught him in AWANA when he was in sixth grade, and I like the guy. He's an only child, and has moved out to North Carolina after spending his childhood growing up in the Bay Area. In a recent IM conversation, he's said that the kids at the church he goes to now are "too good" and that they don't mess around with him like our guys do. Moving far far away from home is never an easy transition, but through it all, let's hope that Andy would get a clearer sense of home, and grow to understand and appreciate the Gospel.

6. Prayer
Pray for these things. This is a prayer list as much as it is an announcement list. I know that some of the teachers are going through some tough times. So feel free to share them with the rest of us. My own prayer request would be for financial issues. I've got a good amount of debt, and I actually started working this past week. I'm in need of motivation and courage in dealing with this problem. It's easy to focus on the pain and the regret, but that I'll trust God with all those things and work hard at faithfully following him.