Tales of a Missionary

Dear JSAW family, The new year is starting off incredibly! God is with us and it shows in the people at Help Boardshop. A cool story that has been playing out lately surrounds two guys. One is a 13 year old skater with autism, while the other is a 27 year old skater with a love for kids with autism. The older skater is an icon here at the skate park because of his tremendous skills on a skateboard. He dedicates his day job to working one on one as a Para with a kid with autism at a local school. These two guys instantly noticed each other and became friends. Obviously, JSAW would not be able to afford the assistance of this qualified Para, but he has generously decided on his own to skate on the same days the younger skater typically comes to Help Boardshop. I believe deeply that this was a connection God established. The chances of finding an amazing skater with that type of heart and professional background is slim to none.

Another cool thing taking place at Help Boardshop is our Monday Night Bible Studies. I created this new Bible study to provide kids with the opportunity to not just to hear the Gospel, but to learn how to read and study the Bible on their own. We were given a wonderful donation of ESV study Bibles from Crossway Publisher. Although this sounds awesome on the outside it is not always easy to get 5-8 ADHD kids to focus on a scripture passage, but I have faith that this skill will benefit their faith walks in the long run.

Also, a little shout out to one of our riders, Zach Shuster. Zach is a phenomenal skier and just won 1st place in a local contest called Nyboras Nightshine Competition this past weekend at Hyland Hills.

Upcoming events you will not want to miss! 1) Costa Rica Mission Trip                                                                    (February 2-5) – Pray for Jonny and Josh as they share the Gospel 2) Parent Waffle Series                                                                           (February 11) 3)  Feed Hyland.                                                                                       (February 11) – This is a service project we do annually. Currently, I am in need of food. If anyone has any connections with local restaurants please pass them by me. 4) Minute to kill it video contest premier                                           (March 10) 5) Day trip to Chesley Skatepark.                                                         (March 18) 6) All Night Lock In                                                                                (April 14-15) 7) Skate Camp                                                                                          (June 12-16 & 19-23) – Sign up now before spots are gone!

Ministry Needs 1) Food for Bible Study (email jake for scheduling) 2) A team of 3-5 people for maintenance projects – Examples: deep clean, paint, knock down a wall, install a drinking fountain 3) Donate

Blessings,

Jake Tastad

jaketastad@jsaw.org