Lantern and Compass Project

Clarity and Direction

Events

Prayer Answered Because of Food

Food is a basic need for everyone and we have been blessed to be able to serve alongside The Good Shepherd Ministries to give a little food encouragement to the community through Drive-thru Food Box blessings. Over the 4 months we have been blessing people with food boxes we have seen how God is using that physical food encouragement to also provide spiritual encouragement.

During each event our team has opportunity to pray with every car that comes through to receive a food box. During one of those prayer times a young woman requested prayer that she would find a job. She returned the following month and shared that God had answered her prayer from last month and had provided her with a job. God’s answers to prayer are not always so obvious but we must remember that just because we don’t see how God has answered our prayers doesn’t mean He hasn’t. God ALWAYS answers prayer.

As we continue to provide opportunity for people to touch the lives of those in their community it is our prayer that everyone would be more open to receiving the message of God’s perfect and boundless love for us as He faithfully provides our every need.

We will continue to encourage people through our Community Food Box Blessing events and continue to hear how God is touching lives.

Making Connections

The box was filled!!! I gave one to a family down the street who asked about churches in the area. I have invited and sent online service links for their 5 year old. In God’s time. I’m already thinking about families for the next time.
Beth Reyes
TGSM family member

Blessings by the Mouthful

Over the past three months we have partnered with a local church to provide “Food Encouragement” to 412 families by providing large 35-40 pound boxes of food to people who signed up to participate in our Drive-thru Community Food Blessing events. We had people from Ohio to Pennsylvania sponsor the cost of boxes and numerous local people who picked up the boxes to deliver to families who could be encouraged by food, friendship or a meaningful connection. There were also families that signed up to receive a box and came to our Drive-thru event to pick up the box themselves. Volunteers took the time to pray with each family, putting God front and center in all of it. Please continue to pray God uses these boxes and food blessings to reach the lost and encourage families as we continue to expand and provide food encouragement in the upcoming months!

Virtual Camp Awakens

To say that 2020 brought change is perhaps an understatement but what didn’t change was the excitement of coming together for a week of camp. For the past 4 years we have taken a team as part of the staff for Ability Camp, a physical camp for individuals with special needs, 18 years and up. This year was the first online camp, launching AT Station, an online gathering space for Ability Tree events geared for individuals with and without special needs. 

Despite transitioning from a physical to virtual experience this year, campers were still able to interact with one another, take part in art classes, play bingo, exercise, participate in all camp activities and hear God’s word through dynamic speakers and it was all done online through video. Sure, it looked different but it didn’t change the fact that relationships grew between campers, chaperones and most importantly with Christ.

If I could use one word to describe the Ability tree camp experience I would say, ‘Heaven’. What a joy to be part of a camp where everyone is so encouraging, accepting, gracious, excited and full of love. I would encourage anyone to take advantage of the opportunity and serve at Ability Camp or be part of AT Station events. If you’d like to be part of the next camp experience, complete our Volunteer form and a real person will get back with you. In the meantime a picture is worth a thousand words. Take a look at just a few.

  • BINGO!!
  • Art Class
  • Art Class
  • Photo scavenger hunt
  • Art class
  • Abilities Got Talent Night
  • Photo scavenger hunt
  • Theme Night Party
  • Official AWAKEN t-shirt
  • Photo Scavenger Hunt
  • Theme Night Party
  • Organized exercise
  • s’more night
  • BINGO!!
  • Photo Scavenger Hunt
  • Photo Scavenger Hunt

Carrizo Apache AG Playground project

FB Post August 9, 2019 by Carrizo Apache AG

We just had a wonderful week with US Missionary Terry Williams, her husband Rusty, Katorah and Richard Griffith and members of Victory Church in Tipp City Ohio.

There was a 4 day after school sports camp at Dischii’bikoh Community Elementary School, and they started our new church playground by installing a fence and assembling one of two playground pieces they purchased (pictured behind team), the second hasn’t arrived yet. The children of Carrizo will love the playground. During day 2 of camp, 40 of the 72 to 82 children who attended made 1st time decisions to follow Jesus.

FB Post August 19, 2019 by Carrizo Apache AG

This is the 2nd Sunday kids have played on the new playground at the church. The sandbox was the new attraction this week and was quite popular. Thanks again Terry Williams of Lantern and Compass and the team from Victory Church.

The second piece of equipment purchased by Lantern and Compass, a GeoDome for climbing, finally arrived. Thanks to Rock Church’s outreach weekend, work on the playground continued as they assembled the GeoDome and added mulch underneath.

Summer Student Take 2016

caleb_tn

There are many things that I can share with you about this year’s summer as a team member with Lantern and Compass Project, but for the benefit of the reader I will “briefly” summarize. To start off I will begin by stating that before diving headfirst into the vigorous, previously planned schedule, I was spiritually, physically and mentally prepared to give all I had to whatever God had in store. Being a recent graduate from Regent University majoring in Biblical and Theological studies, I was able to reflect what I was taught by my professors to all the kids, counselors and adults that I encountered. By all means I was still nervous to stand before kids teaching and preaching the gospel, but I felt in my soul that this year was going to be different than the previous year. The first reason is that instead of two students in the house, there were now four. Not only did this mean less food to enjoy and more testosterone, this meant that each person was responsible for their own weight and for helping to lessen the weight if another person was slacking or just was not able due to illness and work. In my case there was a lot of work to take on, including occasional trips to the Ernst farm stacking hay and straw to earn gas money. Then there was Cedar Ridge Adventures which gave me the opportunity to reach more kids by facilitating and encouraging them to conquer their fears and to truly value themselves and other people. The second reason is that on our agenda 5 camps were planned and the last reason is that God was going to stretch me in areas that I prayed I could grow.

caleb_group

This growth included a lot of trust and faith, not in me, in God. The trust that God was going to put me in a place and surround me with people that could allow that to happen. He did just that and more. God gave me confidence to help lead a worship team, to teach kids and answer their thought provoking questions such as, “Can God stop time and where in the Bible does God’s word say so?” or “What happens if someone dies, like your Dad and you do not know if your Dad is in heaven or hell?” He gave me the strength when I was weak and the knowledge to answer the questions. This summer God moved in my life to tell me that the future is not worth worrying about. I am 24 years old, single, still wondering where I can use the gifts that God has given. But if I worry too much about the future I would miss that God is and has been using me and my gifts all along in the present. God may be giving you a chance to reach someone now but you could be too worried about God’s future plan for your life to realize where He is calling you in the present. You do not need a stage to do what God has called you to do. All you need is an open heart and a willingness to do God’s work. You may not think that your church or ministry is big enough to reach many, but it is not about the size of your ministry or the number of people you reach. If God can use four students to reach kids in the small places such as Hagerstown and Clear Spring, MD, God can use you to reach someone in need of the love of Christ.

By Caleb Joshua Lambert (Golden Child)