November 2018
Dear friends of 3/20,
We praise God for your faithfulness in supporting the ministry of 3/20. We had a full summer with 3 Lake Days, 3 Team Building Days, and weekly meetings with six girls who served on the Summer Wake Crew. This was our largest number of interns ever and it has been exciting to see how God is using 3/20 to equip students to be Godly, courageous leaders. And so, I asked Emily to share her story with you.
“My name is Emily. I’m 19 years old and I just graduated from high school this past May. I have been volunteering with 3/20 for about six years now and this summer was my third year being an intern under Chris and Kathy. 3/20 has made a huge impact on my life and on my family’s life over the years and I am so blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of this amazing ministry. Being an intern has helped me step out of my comfort zone for the Lord in many ways…one being in the area of leadership. After my first year of internship, Kathy asked if me and one other returning intern would like to help lead our weekly Bible studies on the lake. I was definitely tentative at first because I thought there was this high standard of teaching I had to live up to…especially having Kathy as our mentor (she’s a great leader and teacher), but I quickly realized that everyone has a different way of teaching/leading and I just had to figure out the best way for me to interact with the girls and teach them what I had learned from Scripture. One key factor was that I had to give it to God and let Him take control, because I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it on my own. Kathy still led some of our Bible studies and when we led, she was there to help us out if we found ourselves getting stuck, but towards the end of the third summer, it was mainly me and the other intern that were leading.
This past summer, we also had the privilege of leading the Bible study again and Kathy asked us to invite girls who we thought would enjoy being a part of 3/20 and who wanted to grow in their faith. Our Bible study this summer was called “The Power of Knowing God” by Kay Arthur. This study helped us “gain a true understanding of God’s character and His ways.” Being a follower of Christ involves having a deep and personal relationship with Him. In order to have this, we must dive into His Word, grow in our knowledge of the Lord, and understand how sovereign and powerful He really is. Having this type of relationship with the Lord helps you to stand in confidence. It helps you have a strong anchor in times of desperation, and it gets you through the hardships that life may throw at you. Personally, this study has been key in my faith, and for the other interns, it has been very important in their walk with the Lord as well. We all gained meaningful friendships from being part of the Summer Wake Crew. We learned to challenge one another, pray for one another, and laugh and have fun together on the water.
We then take what we have learned in our Bible study time, along with the training Chris and Kathy give us on the water… things such as knee boarding, wake boarding, wake skating, and wake surfing, and we get to apply it at lake day events. We are able to equip other youth, teens, and kids from difficult backgrounds how to have faith in God and to step out of the boat. Seeing the true joy on the kids faces when they finally realize that they can do it too is priceless. It’s something I look forward to every summer. Not only that, but the trust that you build with the other students leads to some great conversation about God. Sometimes, they even open up about their lives, challenges they have faced, and we get to hear a little bit about their story.
At our lake day with Corral this past summer, I was asked to share part of my story with the girls. I chose to talk about our family’s adoption of my sister, Aija, and how adoption is a perfect picture of what God did for us. Little did I know that many of the girls from Corral were adopted or had been in foster family situations. Some came up to me afterwards and said how much they could relate to what I had said. God truly can use anything – even a 19-year-old girl like me, on a boat, in the water, teaching students how to kneeboard. It is what I love to do, it is my passion, and I am amazed to see how God uses watersports to further His kingdom.”
What an awesome God we serve!
Your support enables 3/20 to equip students year round. We challenge them to get off the boat for they serve a God who can do anything. (Eph. 3:20) To be courageous leaders at their schools. To build meaningful relationships and challenge one another to step out of their comfort zone. To laugh, have fun and pray for one another.
Please pray about supporting 3/20 monthly and help us equip more student leaders, like Emily, to make a wake in our world.
Making an eternal wake.