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

Lefever Family Missions Adventures Fall 2013 Update

Hello from the Lefever Family! We are embarking on our next missions adventure and wanted to share what we are doing.  Since returning from our last adventure (check out our blog if you missed those updates or are new to our list), we've been making preparations to work in missions on a longer term basis. We have sold our house and have been working with our church missions board to develop a plan for further training and ministry. While we are still considering working overseas in the future, our next adventure will be right here at home! We've been accepted into a nine-month missions apprenticeship program through an organization called Immerge. Immerge focuses on serving the growing immigrant/refugee population here in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Many immigrants arrive seeking refuge from oppression, only to find themselves isolated due to language barriers, cultural differences and the lack of a relational network. Our outreach will consist of developing relationships with refugee families and finding practical ways to helping them get established, including language coaching, transportation and job assistance.   In addition to working with Immerge, I (Carl) am working in sales operations at Refreshing Mountain, a christian retreat center, Amy is homeschooling the girls, we are serving on the outreach team at our church and helping run the cafe at the dance academy where the girls are taking dance and drama classes this year. Bente has been invited to be a member of their dance company, which will give her the opportunity to travel and perform. There may even be an opportunity for their team to travel to Africa! We are not certain where we will go when our apprenticeship ends, but we hope to do more work overseas. The apprenticeship with Immerge will give us great experience in working with foreign cultures and we will have weekly training and coaching from leadership team, each of whom have spent a great deal of time working in missions both here and abroad. The completion of our apprenticeship will coincide with the end of the school year and the expiration of our apartment lease, so we will be ready to go should the opportunity arise. We are so blessed to be a part of this team that  is serving the immigrant population in Lancaster and helping those in great need.  We would love for you to be a part of what we are doing.  Here are some ways that you can join in: Prayer: Please partner with us by praying for our family and immigrant ministry.  Pray that all barriers would be removed and that our work would be fruitful. Finances: Would you like to support us financially as we minister to immigrants here in Lancaster?  See below for info on how 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 newsletters periodically, check out our blog and facebook pages for more frequent updates, prayer requests and stories (see info below to subscribe). Please feel free to share our update with your network via the links below. We are so grateful to those that have already been praying for us and for those that have supported us financially – it has made all the difference in terms of us continuing on this journey. We would love to hear from you and what is going on your lives too. Contact us anytime, 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 links to share) Share Tweet 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

When one door closes, another opens...

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand." 

-- Solomon, Proverbs 19:21

Wow, so much has happened since our last family update, it’s hard to know where to begin! In our last update (Feb 2013), we were less than two months away from our planned move to Florida to continue our missions training with YWAM Orlando. While in the final stages, we had some major details that needed to fall into place to make the move, including the sale of our house. As our departure date drew closer without an offer, it became clear that we needed a "Plan B".

Being fully convinced of our plan to work with YWAM, we hadn't really spent much developing a backup plan. Our assumption was that if things didn’t come together in April, we'd just head down there for the next semester. However, after that open door apparently closed, we decided to take time to reconsider some core questions: Were we really called to serve in missions long-term? If so, was our place overseas or here in the US? Was it best to continue working with YWAM or should we work thru our home church network?

As we wrestled with these questions, we realized that while our desire to continue working in missions was certain, the specifics on where, what and when, were still open to evaluation. For instance, our experience with YWAM was awesome and we would love to continue working with them, but our home church network (http://harvestnetinc.com) also has an expanding missions program where we could serve. YWAM has outstanding training programs, but there are other training programs that might actually be a better fit for our family. We’ve enjoyed working overseas, but we also see the great needs right here in the US.

Given these uncertainties, we decided it would be best to stay here in Lancaster, take advantage of the extra time to prepare and search things out further. Believing that selling our home was key to being free to follow whatever path opens, we decided to keep searching for a buyer, while also seeking out continued employment and opportunities to gain more training and experience in missions. In a very short time, several major items came together and our path for the next year or so is already clearly mapped out! Our house has sold, we found a nearby apartment, I have the opportunity to continue working at Refreshing Mountain (www.refreshingmountain.com) and Amy and I have been invited to join a nine-month missions apprenticeship program, called Immerge (http://www.immergecca.org), that will provide exactly the kind of practical training and mentoring we've been looking for and is based right here in Lancaster!

We are very excited to tell you more about Immerge, but we are going to save that for a future post. For now, we wanted to give everyone a long overdue update on our adventure. Before I close, here's a quick run down on what we are up to this summer, as well a some prayer requests.

• I will be working on several interesting projects at Refreshing Mountain. In my free time, I'll be hanging with the girls, honing my meat smoking skills and will be attending the upcoming Circuit Riders School in Lancaster.(http://thecircuitrider.com/school-of-the-circuit-rider/lancaster/)
• Amy just completed an intense training program at YWAM Lebanon (http://www.ywampa.org), earning a certificate to teach English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). After a short rest, she's busy organizing our new apartment, preparing for homeschooling in the fall and preparing for all the other things we are doing in the fall. In addition to Immerge, Amy will be volunteering at the Cavod Academy of the Arts (http://cavodacademy.com/), where the girls are taking dance classes.
• Bente recently served as a a youth counselor at Kids Camp with our church and is now working in the kitchen at Refreshing Mountain. She will be attending the Circuit Riders School with me in August and then will be take a full load of dance classes in the fall.
• Ascher is busy with all sorts of creations, from the plays she and her friends develop, to stop motion movies and short stories. She will be taking some acting classes and piano classes in the fall.
• Soren continues in her aspirations to be a veterinarian one day by absorbing herself in every episode of shows like "Dog Whisperer". She's been spending a lot of time at the pool and has been a great play mate to Mala. She'll also be taking some classes in the fall including Hip Hop and Piano.
• Our little Miss Mala just turned three and she's got all of the spunk and energy to prove it. She won't be taking any classes just yet, but she's busy learning more everyday and enjoys keeping us on our toes from morning to night!

Our journey has had some unexpected twists and turns, but it's a fulfilling adventure and we're learning more everyday! As you think about us, consider partnering with us in prayer in the following areas:

• Increased grace as we learn to walk on this next leg of our journey
• Clear direction over this next year as we seek out our future in missions
• Praise the Lord with us that we have already received about half of the monthly support we will need during our apprenticeship (I will be transitioning to part-time hours at work) and for continued wisdom and provision as we work out a strategy for additional fundraising.

Bente, Carl, Mala, Soren & Ascher

Amy & her TESOL class

Mala & Ascher on Mala's Birthday