Lefever Family Missions Update & Report from Cape Town, South Africa Trip

Hello from the Lefever Family! Wow, has it really been almost four months since our last post?  So much has been happening, I'll start with a few updates on our family and highlights of our ministry involvement and then provide some detail on our most recent missions adventure to Cape Town, South Africa! Family Update In our March newsletter I mentioned that I was beginning to develop a consulting practice.  Since that time, God has provided enough steady clients and jobs that we have decided to make it a full time endeavor!  Amy and the girls have wrapped up home school for the year and are already preparing for next year.  Amy is continuing to help out at Cavod through the summer, but will try to find some time for a break as the fall is already shaping up to be pretty busy!  Bente will continue to be involved in various programs at Cavod over the summer and will be working at Refreshing Mountain.  Ascher just finished a theater camp called "Camp Will" that concluded with a production of "Taming the Shrew".  Soren attended an Art Camp and she and Ascher will both be involved in the Summer Theater camp at Cavod and their production of Beauty & the Beast.  Mala is tagging along with it all and provides lots of entertainment for our friends at Cavod! Cavod Academy Classes have wrapped up for the year and concluded with Spring Dance concert.  The Dance Company is continuing through the summer, and has several events including dance camps and the missions trip to Cape Town (see below for more detail).  Ascher and Soren have parts in the upcoming Beauty & the Beast production and Bente has a role on the production team.  Amy is helping out with various items through the summer, including helping to coordinate preparations for Cavod's role in the launching a new learning center that will be located beside Cavod and will have more than 40 students from Cavod attending, including our Soren and Ascher.  I will also continue to work with Cavod on organization and strategic planning as they prepare for growth. Immerge Internship We completed our internship in June and celebrated with a time of prayer and a meal at the Heckman's house.  It was a great time of sharing our experiences, speaking words of encouragement and praying for God's direction in the respective ministries of each student/couple and the Immerge team.  We held a picnic in Manheim Community Park on June 21st and invited all of our immigrant/refugee friends.  We also invited the missions team going to South Africa as a way to give them some experience with interacting with people from other cultures (many of the people on the team had not previously traveled outside of the states).  We had a great time of food and fellowship and met several new families in the area. Reach Training School As part of the outreach preparation, we ran a three-week training school for the team that went to Cape Town, South Africa.  Merle Shenk, a Lancaster native and missionary in Cape Town, South Africa, directed the school and taught several sessions.  We had speakers from many different ministry streams including Brian Sauder (DOVE), Kevin Kazemi (YWAM), Dave Hess (Christ Community Church), Barry Wissler (ECC), Jimmy Nimon (ECC), Bruce Heckman (Immerge) and several others.  We receiving teaching and personal ministry on the weekday evenings and then had practical application via outreaches on Saturday's.  The students received a lot of input, personal ministry and had ample opportunities for practical application between the classes and outreach time. Cape Town, South Africa Mission Trip We had a very exciting and intense 10 days of outreach in Cape Town, South Africa.  We spent our first few days in Woodstock, two days in Capricorn and then two days in Athlone, all of which are surrounding towns around Cape Town.  Each day involved street outreach or prayer walks in the morning, street outreach in the afternoon and public meetings in the evenings. Woodstock is very close to Cape Town and is also the town where House of Praise, the church that Merle and Cheree Shenk pastor, is situated.  The team at House of Praise is very welcoming and already engaged in outreach in their community which made it very easy for us to join in with what they are already doing.  We started with a prayer walk to get the know the city and then held a dance performance in a nearby park.  We passed out flyers for the evening meeting and prayed with people who wanted it or had obvious needs.  On the second day, the team that I was with visited a home where there were about 6 men who where out of work and living in destitute conditions. We had the opportunity to share with them and pray for healing.  It was a very significant time and several of the men committed their lives to Jesus and the man who introduced us to the family will be following up with them over the coming weeks.  In the afternoon we had the opportunity to minister in a small squatter village that is located right in the city. The evening meeting was fantastic - worship was powerful, the dance performance and testimonies were well received and the message spoke to hearts.  Many responded and we saw many healings and commitments to follow Jesus.  On the third day we ministered in area parks and God was moving mightily.  We had the opportunity to pray for person after person, with many committing their lives to Jesus and several healings, one girl received a complete restoration of her healing and a muslim man who was addicted to heroin knelt on the grass in the middle of the park and prayed to Jesus!  Click here to see some pictures from our time in Woodstock.   The next town we worked in is called Capricorn, which is a township outside of Cape Town.  The environment in Capricorn is very different than Woodstock - it is an "informal settlement" where homes are basically shacks of various shapes and materials.  Most homes have electric and running water, but the living conditions are very poor.  It is a very tight knit community, but drugs, gangs and violence are rampant.  We spent most of our time on outreach on the streets and in people's homes, praying and sharing the gospel.  We did have one dance performance in a park, where the team taught the kids to dance and played for some time.  We had the opportunity to practice the "Luke 10" model of ministry in Capricorn, with God revealing "persons of peace" that led us to home after home where we were able to minister. We joined in with a ministry there called "116" that works to make disciples in Capricorn. We also had help from the local YWAM base, which had a role in starting a discovery bible study three years ago that led to the "116" ministry.  It was great to come alongside these ministries and see many people respond.  We look forward to hearing more about what God is doing in Capricorn!  Click here to see some pictures from our time in Capricorn.   The last town we are working in is called Athlone, which is a suburb of Cape Town.  This is an area that a team from House of Praise is working in to plant a new church, so our team is helping with those efforts by meeting and praying with families and inviting them to evening meetings that are being held in the Community Hall.  The atmosphere in Athlon is very different from Woodstock and Capricorn.  Drug abuse is much more prevalent and there is a higher concentration of Muslims than the other towns we've been in.  Similar to the other towns, most everyone we meet is very open to prayer and several have either invited us into their homes or helped introduce us to other families to pray for.  On the second day, we stumbled upon a groups of apartment buildings during our prayer walk and were invited to pray with a man who has been working to build up the community and take at risk people under his wing.  There were a lot of kids running around, so we came back in the afternoon and did some dancing and were able to attract a large crowd.   The evening meeting was full of people from House of Praise and the community and God ministered with many healings and commitments. Click here to see some pictures from our time in Athlone.   On our last Sunday, the team performed in another local church and then spent the afternoon with the House of Praise team, fellowshipping and saying our goodbyes.  We developed deep connections over our time working with them and it was great to just hang out and get to know one another on a personal level. In the evening we went back to our guest house and hung out as a team, packing and recording video testimonies of our time together.  On the morning of our departure, we were treated to breakfast by one of the families that we had prayed for in our meetings in Woodstock,  which turned out to be yet another divine appointment as their estranged daughter came and was able to be ministered to by several of the ladies on our team.  We took a cable car up to visit Table Mountain for a few hours and then hurried to the airport to begin our journey home.  Click here to see some photos of our team and the various places we visited.   This trip has been very fruitful and the team has grown a great deal in working together and learning to minister in different ways.  On a personal level it was great to be involved with street ministry again and to have the opportunity to be in more of a leadership role.  I really enjoyed the opportunity to practice what we learned in the Reach School, particularly the idea of finding the "person of peace" in a given neighborhood and letting them lead us to other people that open to receive.  It was also really cool to see Bente dancing and ministering to people on the streets!  We got to pray for several people together which was very special. Thank you so much to those of you that made it possible for Bente and I to be on this trip by contributing financially and to all of those who were and are praying for us as we go.  We definitely felt the prayer cover and the time was unforgettable!  If you are interested in hearing more about our trip, let us know, we'd be happy to visit! Thank you so much for taking the time to read our newsletter and for joining us in our adventures.  As always, we welcome your feedback and also invite you to get involved in any of the following ways:   Prayer:  We are looking for prayer partners that will stand with our family and developing ministry.  Click here to join our prayer email list.   Finances: We are raising funds for local ministry as well as continued overseas missions work.  If you want to give, see below to donate.  Volunteers: If you feel the call to help others but haven't yet found an outlet, contact us.  We'd love to help you get connected! Please feel free to share our updates and if you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to one or more of our communication vehicles, use the links below.  Blessings, Carl & Amy Lefever "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

Stay connected with our family and receive our updates (click links to subscribe) If you prefer to receive a hard copy via mail, please let us know Facebook Website Email LinkedIn Share our adventures with your friends (click links to share) Forward to Friend Financial Support Tax deductible donations may be made in the name of "Lefever Family Missions" to Ephrata Community Church.  Click the Donate button below to give online via credit card, please be sure to include "Lefever Family Missions" in the special notes field.  Checks may be made out and mailed to Ephrata Community Church, 70 Clay School Road, Ephrata, PA 17522.  To ensure donations are directed to our ministry, please note "Lefever Family Missions" on the memo line.  Donate

Reaching People thru Dance, Music & Drama

Hello from the Lefever Family! Happy New Year!  Time has gone so quickly, it's hard to believe that it's been a year since we returned to Lancaster.  It was an exciting, but challenging year as we learned how to best serve God as a family in missions.  We are in a very different place than we first expected yet as we reflect on the year, we realize how blessed we are to be involved in reaching out to people through not only our work in the immigrant community with Immerge, but also in serving hundreds of different groups that come to Refreshing Mountain each year and reaching the community thru the work of Cavod Academy. This month we want to share more about what we're doing with Cavod Academy of the Arts.  Cavod trains students of all ages in dance, drama and music with a goal of "raising the standard of godly artistic expression".   Our girls have been involved in classes there for several years while we have volunteered in various ways.  This year each of the girls are taking classes (even Mala) and Amy and I work in their cafe.  Bente is a member of Cavod Dance Company (CDC) which performs for schools, churches and other groups.  CDC is one of the primary ways that Cavod reaches out to the community and also serves as a deeper level of training and mentoring for company members.  Check out the trailer of their current production, "Not of this World":    cavod academy infusion trailer from Lavon Films on Vimeo.  You can learn more about Cavod and the dance company on their website: http://cavodacademy.com This year CDC is going international, with a missions trip to Capetown, Africa in June. Bente and I (Carl) will be a part of the team.  The focus of the trip will be on supporting the church planting efforts of an existing team led by Merle Shenk.  Our team will be doing street ministry and praying for people in evangelistic meetings that will be held in the evenings.  The mission team is in the process of raising the funds for the trip, which are approx. $2,600 per person.  We'll be doing some fundraising projects as well as raising personal support. If you are interested in donating towards our Africa trip, you can use the "Donate" button on the right to contribute online or see the info below to mail a check.  Please be sure to designate that the funds are for the Lefever Family - Africa Trip" As we look forward to all that 2014 has to offer, we are thankful for each of you.  It is such a comfort to know that others are interested in our journey.  Would you consider partnering with us in our ministry?  Here are some ways you can get involved: Prayer:  We are looking for prayer partners that will stand with our family and developing ministry.  Click here to join our weekly prayer email list.   Finances: We are raising funds for local ministry as well overseas mission such as the Africa trip.  If you feel led to support us, see below to donate.  Volunteers: If you feel the call to help others but haven't yet found an outlet, contact us.  We'd love to help you get connected! Thank you so much for taking the time to read our newsletter and for joining us in our adventures.  We will continue to send out updates via email and our blog on roughly a monthly basis.  Please feel free to share our updates with anyone you think is interested and if you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to one or more of our communication vehicles, use the links below.  Blessings, Carl & Amy Lefever "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

Stay connected with our family and receive our updates (click links to subscribe) If you prefer to receive a hard copy via mail, please let us know Facebook Website Email LinkedIn Share our adventures with your friends (click links to share) Forward to Friend Financial Support Tax deductible donations may be made in the name of "Lefever Family Missions" to Ephrata Community Church.  Click the Donate button below to give online via credit card, please be sure to include "Lefever Family Missions" in the special notes field.  Checks may be made out and mailed to Ephrata Community Church, 70 Clay School Road, Ephrata, PA 17522.  To ensure donations are directed to our ministry, please note "Lefever Family Missions" on the memo line.  Donate

God is Moving within the Immigrant Community

Hello from the Lefever Family! In our last update, we discussed our calling as Christians to minister to the poor and needy, especially the orphans, widows and foreigners among us (Deuteronomy 10:18-19).  For our part, it seems the Lord leading our family to work with immigrants and refugees in Lancaster County.  Lancaster has become a center for immigration through increased placements by organizations such as Church World Services.  Many seeking refuge here come with little resources and have great physical, emotional and spiritual needs.  We are working as interns with an organization called Immerge, who coordinates and trains workers to reach out to this community. This is an exciting time to be working in the immigrant and refugee community.  Each week we hear stories of the significant impact this ministry is having. Immerge sponsored a thanksgiving party for the immigrants we are connected with and those who work with them.  We had close to 200 people attend this event with many new connections! One of our team members provides transportation to a refugee who requires frequent medical procedures due to an injury.  On a recent trip, this man mentioned how even though he has many friends, it is his Christian friends that are helping him in his time of need. Another Immerge team member and I have had the opportunity to have a weekly bible study with an immigrant friend.  We have been reading bible stories and having great discussions. Amy has had the opportunity to get involved with the family we shared about in our last newsletter (click here for the story).  She and another Immerge team member are helping the wife learn english, which will be a big help for this family. These are just a few examples of the things that God is doing within the immigrant community here in Lancaster.  We are blessed to be able to join in and are happy to be part of a team that encourages and spurs one another on in this work.  Would you consider partnering with us as we work to meet the needs of immigrant and refugee families?  Here are some ways you can get involved: Prayer:  We are looking for prayer partners that will stand with our family and developing ministry.  Click here to join our weekly prayer email list.   Finances: We are raising support to dedicate 20+ hours per week to ministry.  If you feel led to support us, see the info below or click here to give. Volunteers: If you feel the call to help others but haven't yet found an outlet, contact us.  We'd love to help you get connected! Thank you so much for taking the time to read our newsletter and for joining us in our adventures.  We will continue to send out updates via email and our blog on roughly a monthly basis.  Please feel free to share our updates with anyone you think is interested and if you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to one or more of our communication vehicles, use the links below.  Blessings, Carl & Amy Lefever "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10 Stay connected with our family and receive our updates (click links to subscribe) If you prefer to receive a hard copy via mail, please let us know Facebook Website Email Share our adventures with your friends (click Forward link below to share email) Forward to Friend Financial Support Tax deductible donations may be made in the name of "Lefever Family Missions" to Ephrata Community Church.  Click the Donate button below to give online via credit card, please be sure to include "Lefever Family Missions" in the special notes field.  Checks may be made out and mailed to Ephrata Community Church, 70 Clay School Road, Ephrata, PA 17522.  To ensure donations are directed to our ministry, please note "Lefever Family Missions" on the memo line.  Donate

Love the Foreigners Among You

Hello from the Lefever Family! For those that missed our last update, we are working as interns with a local organization called Immerge that focuses on reaching out to immigrants and refugees.  Our outreach consists of developing relationships with immigrant and refugee families in the Lancaster County area,  finding practical ways to help them get established in the community. Before getting involved with Immerge, I was pretty much oblivious to the growth of immigration in our area.  I was particularly unaware of the large number of refugees and the great difficulties they face.  As we learn more through our training and interactions with our new friends, my eyes are opening to their needs and our role in meeting them.  Through this and future updates, I'd like to share some of our experiences with you in the hopes that you will see the needs and want to help too.   One experience came early in our internship when we were introduced to a young refugee family.  The husband and wife come from different religious sects and after marrying, faced significant opposition in their home country.  They fled to the US with the hopes of starting a new life free from persecution.  They are blessed to be receiving aid and housing from local church groups, however with little money, no transportation and poor english skills, they find themselves isolated and completely dependent upon the mercy of others.  After meeting them, I realized how important the work of Immerge and similar organizations is to meeting the needs of this community. Jesus taught us to care for others and showed us the way by his life example.  He made it clear that by serving those in need, we are serving him, when he said "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40).  With so many needs and ways to get involved, it can be difficult to figure out where to fit in. Jesus showed us the way by his example when he said, "the Son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what he sees his Father doing" (John 5:19).  In other words, we simply need to see what God is already doing, and join in!  As we get acquainted with our new friends and learn more about what God is doing among them, we see that God's heart is for the foreigner in our land.  In fact, foreigners are one of three people people groups who God specifically cares for and asks us to care for.  "He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing amount you, giving them food and clothing.  And you are to love those who are foreigners...(Deuteronomy 10:18-19, emphasis added).     We are so blessed to be a part of this team.  Each week there are stories of relationships leading to not only opportunities to help in practical ways, but opening the door to discuss spiritual matters, share the gospel, and study the bible.  Would you consider joining in with us as we meet the physical and spiritual needs of immigrant and refugee families?   Here are some ways you can get involved: Prayer: Please partner with us by praying for us and our ministry to immigrant families.  Pray that doors would continue to open and that our work would be fruitful. Finances: As we make more connections, the time we could spend in ministry grows.  We are hoping to dedicate 20+ hours per week to ministry.  If you are interested in helping support us, see the info below for how you can give.   Volunteers: If you feel the call to help others but haven't yet found an outlet, contact us.  We'd love to help you get connected! Thank you so much for taking the time to read our newsletter and for joining us in our adventures.  We will continue to send out updates via email and our blog on roughly a monthly basis.  Please feel free to share our updates with anyone you think is interested and if you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to one or more of our communication vehicles,  use the links below.  Blessings, Carl & Amy Lefever "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10 Financial Support Tax deductible donations may be made in the name of "Lefever Family Missions" to Ephrata Community Church.  Click the Donate button below to give online via credit card, please be sure to include "Lefever Family Missions" in the special notes field.  Checks may be made out and mailed to Ephrata Community Church, 70 Clay School Road, Ephrata, PA 17522.  To ensure donations are directed to our ministry, please note "Lefever Family Missions" on the memo line.  Donate Stay connected with our family and receive our updates (click links to subscribe) If you prefer to receive a hard copy via mail, please let us know Facebook Website Email Share our adventures with your friends (click links to share) Share Tweet Forward to Friend