Dear JSAW family,
I am so pumped for Thanksgiving, because there are so many things to be thankful for at JSAW! This past weekend I had the privilege of traveling to New Hampshire for the annual Skiers and Snowboarders for Christ (SFC) North American Conference. I had the ability to meet and glean knowledge from legendary ski and snowboard ministers, as well as connect with people all over the world that love Jesus and desire to reach riders on the slopes. I was so impressed by our host, Loon Mountain Ministry (LMM). LMM is a local church that has infiltrated their ski resort with the Gospel. The church’s mission and vision is to see skiers and snowboarders come to Christ. Thus, many of the church members and leaders are on the payroll at the resort in hopes of bridging the gap between the shred culture and the local church. Their model of ministry and sacrifice for Christ was inspiring and noteworthy. Our local ski resort, Hyland Hills, is opening at the end of this week. Please pray for JSAW as we reach out to our local shred culture for the purpose of sharing the transforming message of the Gospel.
I am also pumped to share that my mentee and I have finished reading the book of James. He may only be 11 years old, but I have learned so much from him by going through this study the past 13 weeks. We are now moving onto reading the book of Ecclesiastes and watching a video series designed for youth on the power of making godly decisions. I know that may sound kind of drab, but in his own words he said, “I want to learn how to make better decisions for God.” How cool is that to hear come out of a young guy!
Also, last week was the first week starting up a new Bible study group for Monday evenings. Typically, Bible study has always been on Wednesday nights, but with the rising number of people attending our Bible study on Wednesday we had to open up a new day. This is a great problem to have because it means that Jesus is alive and working in the hearts of youth in action sports. Please pray for our leaders as we work to minister to all the kids that step foot inside Help Boardshop, as well as for new leaders to emerge to help us manage the continued growth of the ministry.
Upcoming Events Small Business Saturday (11/26/2016) Giving Tuesday (11/29/2016) Christmas party (12/21/2016) Ski and Snowboard trip (1/13-16/2017)
Ways to Help/Get Involved Pray/Organize a prayer event for JSAW Provide food for kids at Bible study Donate (we are $71,000 behind budget) Parents of rider: attend scheduled parent meetings Ask for a tour of our facility (just show up) Refer us to people that can help us further our mission financially or spiritually
Thanks for reading and all of your continual support towards JSAW.
Blessings,
Jake Tastad