The Atlantic Team

We praise God for a wonderful summer

We praise God for an absolutely wonderful summer of ministry on Operation Barnabas. We started out with 90 teens and 16 adult leaders on three teams and I am thankful to report that we returned with that exact same number!

Being a part of ob is one of the most challenging summers a student is ever going to face, also, it is typically the best summer of that young person’s life. The opportunity to learn from God’s Word, apply it every day–with Christ followers and those who are not yet Christ followers-- is an exciting way to live!

I’ve heard some cynics say, “Yeah, that’s fine for a while—but ob is an artificial world and you can’t really live your life that way all the time except on a tour like this.” Really? Who says you can’t? Personally, I think those who say these kinds of comments don’t live with the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives. And they usually have no desire to verbalize their faith and that’s a lousy way to live the Christian life.

I know that it isn’t reasonable that you live with 35 other people and keep up the same pace during the rest of the year that ob goes during the summer, but the rest of it? I beg their pardon, but I think one can. And should. And that is the only reason that the adult leadership and vision casting team at CE National spends so much time preparing and investing in teens through ob.

To live to share Christ and encourage others and to serve anyone who needs it? That’s not a goal of CE National or Operation Barnabas for just a summer—but rather for a lifetime.

Thank you for your interest in an ob 2007 team. It was an incredible experience and we trust these 90 teens are never the same. If you know of any high school student who loves Jesus, has leadership potential, and is active in their youth ministry/church, encourage them to consider Operation Barnabas in 2008 or in the future by checking out www.cenational.org and clicking on the ob logo.

Serving Together,

TK
Timothy Kurtaneck
Director of Operation Barnabas
CE National

Permalink

A Message from the Director of Operation Barnabas…

Thank you so much for looking at the ob 2007 reports and photos. I so appreciate the Operation Barnabas leaders taking the time and energy to keep us all informed and sharing prayer requests for the teams. Of course, the major focus of these adults has been upon the ministry training of the 30 teens entrusted in their care and ministry in the churches and communities where they visited. I publicly commend them for doing an outstanding job this summer. When a report or photos were not able to be posted, it was not because of the leaders lack of effort, but rather the inability to connect the computer with the internet due to circumstances beyond their control.

All of the teams are now in “the South”. They have had incredible ministry starting in Lancaster County, PA, throughout their travels on the east coast, and have finished up by doing ministry in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. All three teams will be converging on the University of Southern Mississippi campus on Friday afternoon, July 20, to begin their final debriefing meetings and to prepare for Momentum 2007. We thank the Lord for providing safety, incredible ministry opportunities, and the spiritual growth of each student. We are thankful that God will continue to complete the work that He has begun in each of these young people (Philippians 1:6).

We thank you for your interest and your prayers for these special teens and appreciate your support of them as they return home.

Serving Together,

TK

Timothy Kurtaneck

Operation Barnabas

CE National

Permalink

Monday, July 16th...

Marietta, GA, Welcome to the humidity. We had the Fremont youth group with us last night and this morning. They stopped on their way back to Ohio and we had a time of worship last night and then a time of sharing this morning over breakfast. It is cool to see how God is using youth all over the country this summer.

Off to the neighborhoods we went to pass out fliers for our park program that evening.... then to lunch.... the kids met some really cool people at Wendy's today and had some opportunities to share.

We then booked it over to a trailer park where we rounded up some kids to do a local park program. Drew and Trevor and Trenton had a chance to share with some boys today and they made decisions for CHRIST! How awesome is that?

We made our way back to the church's air conditioning and cooled off a bit... set up for the park program and prayed for the rain to stay away. Our God is almighty and good... The rain didn't even sprinkle us! Drew shared his testimony this evening.. Kelsey, Nikole, Beth and a few others were sitting with a family and the oldest daughter made a decision for Christ! We were so pumped and excited... God wanted us to have that program! and now we know the reason!

Tomorrow we are doing some projects around the church here, then taking off for Mississippi around 11. Please pray for travel mercies and also for the Potomac team as they are traveling right now and late into the evening! All 3 teams will be making their way down there in the next day. Please pray for the buses, for patience, and for cooler weather to travel in.

Thank you again.... Our debriefing begins......

ATLANTIC.... leaving our last stop.