MK Office says Goodbye to Brianne

The MK Office sadly says goodbye to Brianne Smythia on Wednesday, March 14th. If you are in the Springfield area, stop by the MK Office this Friday, March 9th between 2-4:30 PM.
Brianne has been with the MK office since July of 2009 and has left a happy smile on the program that will not be forgotten. In her time here, she has served as the Resource Assistant and has been the primary point person for all college-age MK ministry. She also invested countless hours to bring the ISMK a brand-new fresh and updated look.
She leaves us to return to her home state of Ohio and pursue further education towards her masters degree.
Brianne, we wish you many blessings and days filled with "sunshine on your shoulders." Thank you for your contribution to MKs around the world!

Beginning 2012

The month of January went by so quickly! It is hard to believe that we are in the second week of February.  So much has happened. January started off with a retreat in South Africa. We were honored to have Steve Pulis preach to our youth, Jay Risner lead our elementary MKs and dynamic ladies from Texas and Kansas head up the younger programs.  Thanks to their hard work the retreat was a true success!

The last few weeks in January were filled with packing and unpacking boxes. We moved the MK Office down the street! Even though we still have the same mailing address, the MK Office has relocated to the corner of N. Campbell and W. Lynn in Springfield, MO. It was a lot of work, but well worth it.

Summer program preparation has begun. We are having a design contest for our summer t-shirt! Click here if you would like details on how to enter. The deadline is March 1. There are so many talented MKs; we are excited to see what they come up with.

Please keep us in your prayers. The season ahead is exhilarating! We have various college visits, an MK caregivers conference, a Task Force to Costa Rica and so much more coming up.

The Clock Keeps Ticking

Time has been flying by. It seems like only a few days ago we were in the middle of Thanksgiving Retreat! In reality, that was a month ago. The memories of retreat are still fresh in our minds. Jon Susa did an amazing job of sharing the Word of God.  His encouragement to follow the dreams God has given us was invigorating. The facilities were incredible. The campus layout was perfect for our MKs to enjoy themselves and the meals were delicious. We were even told by one MK that the meals were the best she had had in her life. Overall, it was a phenomenal retreat! We are very grateful to those who helped make it possible. 

One of our greatest delights is spending time with the MKs. The new year is shaping up to be quite exciting in this regard. We will be at the South Africa Retreat in early January. After that, we are off to visit MKs across the United States. If you are ever in Springfield, MO, please feel free to stop by our office. We love it when MKs visit us! 

Christmas is just 4 days away and the start of 2012 is only 10 days away. We pray that your holidays are filled with family, new memories and tasty meals. Enjoy a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

October

October has come and is almost gone. This month has been a full one. It started off with a trip to Costa Rica to visit MKs and teach those attending Cincel, a Spanish language school, about ministering to MKs. Next was Fall Candidate Orientation. We had the privilege to meet with future missionaries. It was incredible to see families start the steps towards missions. Plus, we were lucky to meet a new baby MK! As the month comes to a close, we look back to reflect on how much we have accomplished for our upcoming Thanksgiving Retreat. The MKs are registered, tickets are purchased, rooms are assigned, handbooks are ordered, and the volunteer staff is ready to go. All we have left is a few office duties, packing, shopping, and heading out to Colorado for yet another amazing retreat. We cannot to wait!

Please be praying with us as we enter the next month. Thanksgiving Retreat is our main focus. Our prayer is that our college age MKs will have an awesome time at retreat, walking away with a solid Christ identity.

Changes

As autumn is right around the corner, temperatures are cooling down and the trees are about to show their fall colors. The turn of seasons bring about change. The MK Office is no exception to this rule. After 5 years of dedicated service to ISMK, we must bid farewell to Kristi Arnold as she departs for a new adventure in Texas. She and her husband, Joe, will be serving in the administration offices of the Parkcrest Children’s Home in Fairfield, TX. She has been a valuable asset to the ISMK team and we will miss her more than she knows.

iDiscipleship is well underway and growing every day. Our MKs are reading the Bible and communicating with MKs from other mission agencies and youth groups around the globe. It is exciting!

ISMK has various upcoming events, including dinners, fun activities and impacting retreats. We are excited to be interacting face-to-face with our MKs. It is always such a delight to see them.

Please pray for Kristi as she takes this next step and for us as we are ministering to our MKs!