MVI 0001 from MCMINTL on Vimeo.

The guys are hard at work tearing down playground #2!  We have a meeting next week to discuss a possible future home for it.  Thank you to the City of Conroe for partnering with us,  to all the men who donate their hard work in dismantling, restoring, and rebuilding, and to all who give so that these playgrounds can provide hours of fun to kids throughout the world!

Thank you, Conroe City Council!

Along with our home church, we're reading on a Bible reading plan called Project 345.  Recently we read Acts 15, and afterwards I carried this verse with me all day long. 

Paul was a missionary, evangelist, church planter, and teacher.  His mission statement for one of his trips was to "establish and strengthen the churches."    This is what we as Maximizing Children's Ministries want to be for churches and children's programs throughout the world.  Our goal is that because of our efforts in training and sending resources, churches will be established and strengthened.  We saw this happen as a result of 2012's Project Playground in which we built a playground which resulted in establishing a church.  

As Christians, we are all called to establish and strengthen the body of Christ.  Isn't it awesome that we get to be a part of carrying on the vision that Paul received from the Lord so long ago?  If you're not involved in serving in your church, today is a great day to start.  Get involved in helping establish and strengthen your local church - and then we welcome you to get involved in helping us establish and strengthen churches thorughout the world ;).  

We are excited because we (Maximizing Children's Ministries) have begun taking steps to fulfill a vision that has been in our hearts for quite some time that specifically falls under strengthening children's ministries.  It began back in Botswana and was quickly dubbed "Children's Church in a Box" by the Pastor we served under there.  We're putting together the first of many of these boxes which will house all a children's ministry will need to function well and serve children for one year.  It will contain 1 year of curriculum lessons & activity sheets, puppets, costumes, craft materials, and game supplies.

Let's establish and strengthen churches together!

We are excited that the state of Texas has caught the passion of Project Playground.  To learn more about Project Playground, visit About: Project Playground.  

To learn more about the story of Project Playground 2012 which led up to this recognition, visit our blog beginning with the post: The Story of the Playground.

1. The opportunity to be a part of seeing people come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

2. That God provides for us in abundance!

3. For each of you who work together with us in this great vision that kids may know Him!

4. For the many great things Maximizing Children's Ministries has been able to accomplish through the Lord's grace.

5. For continuing opportunities to learn, grow and change.

6. The great churches which we partner with and the ways they influence children's lives for good.

7. That God gives vision, inspires us, and grants us creativity.

8. That God listens to and answers prayer, and that there is nothing too hard for Him.

9. For the opportunity to office out of an awesome church in Texas!

10. For the Word which grounds us, never changing and yet coming anew to us every morning.

Thank you for the part you played in a great 2012 for Maximizing Children's Ministries!  It has been a year of much movement and good changes.

MCMINTL exists to assist churches in the developing world to provide innovative children's ministries tailored to meet the needs of their communities.  We do this through developing curriculum, donating resources, and training leaders.  Here is an overview of all Maximizing Children's Ministries accomplished in 2012.

Curriculum: continued expanding

* completed Spanish language school

* grew Spanish and English curriculums

* translated 3 months of Ark Kids’ curriculum into Spanish

Resources: donated many

* preschool playground equipment to Wings of Faith church in the mountains of Bolivia

* full sized playground to a church plant in the jungles of Bolivia

* sound system to the children’s church in Peru

* two 20’ shipping containers to be used as radio relay stations in Bolivia 

* computer to a children’s leader in Botswana

* vehicle to the pastor in Bolivia’s wife

* over $5000 to Tons of Love outreach project in Peru (raised by Kids Camp at The Ark!)

Training: shared invaluable experience with international children’s leaders

* Lupe (children’s director from Peru) experienced Kids Camp at The Ark Church

* Nompendulo (children’s leader from Botswana) visited during an outreach and enjoyed experiencing The Ark’s Sunday morning services

* led training for the children’s leaders in Peru

Project playground: hosted our first in conjunction with The Ark Church

* shipped a community & church playground to the jungles of Bolivia

* successful playground construction trip to Bolivia (lives changed forever)

* hosted a ground breaking ceremony for 300+ kids and 150+ adults

* a church has launched in the location

Future: plans are in the works to 

* continue adding to curriculum & expand to at least one more language group

* host project playground 2013

* post our curriculum to a webpage for free download

* lots of new open doors including opportunities for language expansion and several available playgrounds

Thank you for the part you played in touching children's lives throughout the world.  To God be the glory!

That kids may know Him,

Matt & Kelly Clayton

*PROJECT PLAYGROUND*

In September Maximizing Children's Ministries led a team to the jungles of Bolivia where we installed a beautiful playground at the site of a church launch.  We estimate that 350 children and 150 adults, including the mayor of the town, attended the ribbon cutting ceremony.  The playground set the stage for a vibrant church, which celebrates seven couples who have volunteered to help with children's ministry.

We have already identified 3 locations that could use playgrounds within the next 2 years.  One is a church, one is a Christian school, and one is an orphanage.  We want to invite you to be a part of what God is doing that kids may know Him!  Each Project Playground costs around $50,000.  This cost includes the purchase of the containers for shipment, shipment costs, and installation costs.  If you would like to give to this project, just mark your donations 'Project Playground'.

*CURRICULUM*

Maximizing Children's Ministries continues to produce interactive, Bible based children's curriculum in Spanish and English.  We now have around 600 pages of curriuclum centering on the characteristics of God, defining our enemy, who we are as humans, and the character of Jesus.  

Maximizing Children's Ministries is looking into expanding into other languages as well.  Translation of this "Essentials" packet into a brand new language can cost between $3500 and $5000.  If you would like to give to this project, please mark your donations "Translation".

MCMINTL has also been serving The Ark Church by translating their 2011 children's curriculum into Spanish.  So far we have 13 lessons along with all their graphic elements completed.

*INVALUABLE TRAINING*

Maximizing Children's Ministries hosted two international leaders this year.  Lupe, the children's director of one of our partner churches in Peru, experienced Kid's Camp at The Ark Church.  Lupe served in all areas at camp, from small group to food preparation and was able to gain new vision and ideas of how to reach children and conduct a great kids camp. Nompendulo, one of our best children's leaders in Botswana, visited during an outreach program at The Ark and enjoyed experiencing The Ark's Sunday morning children's services.

Maximizing Children's Ministries helps our guests from visa application to processing what they've seen and determining how it will affect the way they do ministry back home.  Hosting a visitor can cost between $2000 and $3000.  If you would like to give toward this project, please mark your donations "Training".

We are so grateful to get to partner with you.  Thank you for all you do that kids may know Him!

Matt & Kelly Clayton   

We just returned from a week spent in the rainforest of Bolivia where we built a playground in the small town of San Buenaventura.  The trip was full of the goodness of the Lord, and the best part, agreed upon by all, was the playground inauguration service attended by 350 children and 150 adults!  We are so grateful for The Ark Church and all of the generous givers and pray-ers that made this trip possible!

Talks of sending a playground to Bolivia began a year and a half ago.  Before the end of that year, a contact of ours discovered that a local playground was up for replacement.  The Lord went before us and gave us favor and we were able to purchase the $60,000 playground from the municipality for $10!  Not too long thereafter we purchased two containers, loaded them up with some supplies for the construction of the playground, and contracted an oceanliner to ship them down to South America.

Much patience and persistence later, the playground containers arrived in Arica, Chile and super quickly transitioned to Bolivia where they were expedited out of customs and rode down "Death Road", featured on the 2nd season of Ice Road Truckers: Deadliest Roads, to the rainforest and then crossed a river via tiny river barge and outboard motor to San Buenaventura.  

Six weeks later a team of 10 met the playground in the rainforest.  They endured an 8 hour (extended) layover in El Alto, Bolivia at 13,600 feet before descending to 900 feet during a 35 minute flight on a very old 19-seater twin turboprop.  In the rainforest, it had been raining for three days.  The Lord softened the ground in preparation for the construction of the playground.

The team was able to complete the construction of the playground in 3 days!  Through all of them, the sun shone strong.  Due to the early finish, the team enjoyed a tour of the rainforest, during which we enjoyed cloudy skies which brought cool temperatures and an awesome rainy ambiance.  

On our last day in San Buenaventura, we passed out invitations in all the elementary schools for all the kids in town (a town of only about 2000 people) to come to the Playground Inauguration ceremony and play on the playground.  We finished cleaning it all up and waited to see who would come... and they came, and they came!  Before we allowed them to play, we greeted all and told them about the church which would soon start on the property.  Matt and Kelly did a short skit about David & Goliath and how God can help us, Pastor Ben and the mayor dedicated the playground and cut the ribbon, and we all said a prayer over it.  

Then the head contractor climbed up and gave the kids a big smile before he jumped in the slide.  You could see the look of concern on all the faces as he disappeared.  A moment later he exited the slide, triumphant!  All the kids' faces lit up and the crowd erupted in applause.  Most of the kids had never seen a slide before.  They were exstatic to see how it worked.  Seconds later we opened the park to them and all 350 kids ran onto it.  There were smiles and tears of joy all over.  We all thanked God for the priviledge that we had to be a part of this experience and a part of bringing the Gospel to a small Bolivian jungle town.

God is good.

Near the end of the year, as 2011 came to a close, Maximizing Children's Ministries received a phone call.  The man on the other line asked if we could find a home for a slightly used playground.  I'm sure this is no surprise, but we answered with a resounding YES!  Maximinzing Children's Ministries exists to assist churches in providing innovative children's ministries tailored to fit the needs of their communities.  In many cities and countries throughout the world, children, due to their circumstances, have very truncated childhoods.  Many have never seen a playground.  For this reason, Project Playground is one of our most passionate projects.  We love ushering in new avenues in which children can enjoy their childhood.

Back in April we loaded up this awesome playground into two twenty foot containers and handed them over to a freight forwarder, entrusting them with the safe and tiemly delivery of the containers to their next stopoff in El Alto, Bolivia.  Four months and lots of prayer later, we received confirmation that the containers were released from customs in Bolivia.  During the past three weeks we have been praying them down "Death Road" (featured on iceroad truckers) and just this morning we got news that both containers are safely awaiting our arrival in the jungle.  

On September 21 a team of 8 guys will travel from Conroe, TX to the rainforest of Bolivia to construct a playground in a state that has seen nothing like it ever before.  Check back in a couple days to find out the fruit that will be produced as a result of the playground construction.  God is doing great things!

God is so good and we thank Him for the opportunity to partner with you that kids may know Him.  

A quick look back

In May we concluded eighteen months spent living and working in Arequipa, Peru.  That time was fruitful and productive.  While there we... 

* developed a relationship with a strong church in Arequipa,

* completed 11 months of Spanish language study between the two of us,

* wrote over 220,000 words (= 5 months) of curriculum (Spanish and English),

* created over 110 graphics to accompany the curriculum,

* donated preschool playground equipment to Alas de Fe church in Bolivia, and 

* hosted teacher training sessions.  

Currently about 600 children grow in God’s Word as they study Maximizing Children’s Ministries’ curriculum each week.

Summer 2012

We praise the Lord for the smooth transition He’s given us back to the US.  Matt loves his new role as associate children’s pastor at The Ark Church in Conroe and continues to contribute to MCM.  Kelly is officially working full time for Maximizing Children’s Ministries communicating with children’s pastors and leaders and advancing in curriculum writing, translation, illustration and website development.

In June we participated in The Ark Church’s Heroes summer Kid’s Camp.  Around 600 kids attended along with over 200 volunteers.  Matt spoke each day at the chapel service and participated in many dramas and skits.  MCMINTL invited Lupe, the children’s director from our partner church in Arequipa, Peru, to participate.  Lupe served in all areas at camp and was able to gain new vision and ideas of how to reach children and conduct a great kids camp.  The children raised over $5000 to donate to Lupe’s church for their Christmas outreach, Tons of Love.

Looking forward

In the next few months Maximizing Children’s Ministries will be posting all of our curriculum on the web.  Churches throughout the world will have easy access to download and print the curriculum for use in their children’s programs.  Be on the lookout for the coming resources tab on the MCMINTL website.

In the fall we will travel to Bolivia with a group of men from The Ark Church to construct a playground in the remote jungle town of San Buenaventura.  We look forward to blessing the children with a playground and aiding in the launch of a new church in the area.

Thank you for your prayers and support which allow us to continue assisting churches and enabling them to provide innovative children’s ministries tailored to meet the needs of their communities.  The Lord is doing great things!  Please visit us at www.mcmintl.com or find us on Facebook at Maximizing Children’s Ministries International or on twitter @MCMINTL.

That kids may know Him,

Matt & Kelly Clayton

The video below is a humorous presentation of why we moved to South America and learned Spanish.  I've actually seen this happen in person.  I felt so bad for the translator.  Curriculum that works wonderfully for us here in America can turn out as jumbled as the presentation below if we just send it as is to South America and ask them to translate it.  

That's why translation is such an important part of the process!  Maximizing Children's Ministries' curriculum is translated by a person.  That in itself makes it different!  Not only that, but the personal translation is by a person who has four and a half years of experience living and working in South America.  After translation the curriculum is edited so that the final product is something that is understandable and culturally relevant.

Summer 2012 Matt participated as the chapel speaker for The Ark Church's Heroes Kid's Camp.  Around 600 children attended and over 200 volunteers made it all happen.  Here is a short recap.

Know what is typical behavior for children and guide the children toward desirable behavior.  (Children are not always able to see how their actions affect others.)

This helps diffuse unrealistic expectations.  Recognize that children have an attention span equivalent to their age.  For example, a seven year old can focus on one thing for seven minutes.  Your job is to train the children.  When a child acts out, recognize that he or she is not yet trained and see it as an opportunity.

Remember how easily children absorb our attitudes and how watchful they are of our actions and reactions.  (Our attitudes and actions will either affirm or deny the truth of our words!)

This is true with children and adults.  Actions speak louder than words.  We all mess up, so when your actions or attitudes don't line up with your words, be quick to admit it and ask forgiveness.  Even this is a great model and integral part in training the children.  Do your best to live so that you could tell your students to imitate you and if they did, they would be steps closer to living like Christ.

Be quick to see, describe, and thank a child for right actions.  

We were just talking about this last night - how beneficial it is when a teacher is willing to stick with rewarding positive behavior instead of giving attention to disobedience or negative behavior.  At the core, children want your love, approval, and attention.  They'll look for it and seek to get it in whatever way they can.  When you pay attention to those who act out or give compliments to those who do well, all the kids notice.  They'll imitate what is successful in grabbing your attention.

When you describe for a child what they did well, it helps them to conceptualize and comprehend what you mean when you say they were kind or nice.

Remember that children learn by doing and provide active ways to learn.

Along these lines, reach out to several learning types.  Provide at least a kinesthetic, visual, and auditory option for the kids to plug into as they enter the classroom. (There are other learning styles besides these, but this will cover the basics.)  Using all of the learning styles at some point in the day or even throughout the month will allow you to eventually connect with all of the children. 

Give acceptable choices and set reasonable limits; stick to them and keep your word when you make a promise.  

Limits grow a child's sense of security.  Boundaries are such a good, good thing.

As a parent your example in letting your 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no' be 'no' sets the foundation for integrity in your child's life.  A child in your class or church group may not have an example of integrity that they can follow.  You may be their only one.  Watch your words and keep your word when you give it.  Children notice and this and subconsciously end up adopting the examples they see before them into their own lives.

Realize that even when children are absorbed in activity, your interaction matters.  Stay nearby to guide the conversation: listen, show love, and ask open ended questions to help the children understand and apply Bible truths in their lives.

Especially children (but really us adults too!) need help in understanding how the Bible impacts their life.  This is why we are so thankful for the Holy Spirit and all need to be a part of a Bible centered church.  Children must learn how to listen to the Holy Spirit and learn from the Bible.  Help them by breaking the truth down as simply as possible and guiding the children so that they can realize how their lives must change based on the truths they learn each time you see them.

Make suggestions more often than you give commands.  Phrase directions positively (telling them what they can instead of what they can't do).

It is easy for an adult to say no, but often we assume the child knows the alternative.  Never assume with children.  Lovingly explain what you would like them to do.  Don't spend all of your energy explaining what the child cannot do.

Be a teacher of great vision: see the most active, most difficult, or most withdrawn child not as a problem, but as a person to be loved into God's family.  (Remember and repeat often that God has good plans for each one.)

Look for the best in each kid.  Try to narrow your focus in on one problem kid each session and look for something positive you can tell his or her parents when they come to pick up the child.  Speak the truth over them!  You may be the only person in their life that does this.  Teach the child to declare the promises of God over themselves.  Correct a child if he or she says something negative and give the child a Scripture which says what is really true about them.  Teach them to use their words well.

Understand that teaching children is a holy calling of eternal value; pray for each child and ask for loving wisdom as you prepare.  (Being prepared says you care.)

When you are involved in childrens' lives, investing your own time and effort in prayer and preparation speaks volumes and influences you and them more than you know.  I don't know who said it first, but it's true: preparation time is never wasted time.  

Get down at the child's eye level; show love and welcome by your touch, words, and smile.  Teach respect by showing respect.  (Your actions will teach far more than your words.)

If you have ever seen this in action, it is an awesome thing to observe.  There was a pastor my family got really close to growing up.  My little sisters were about 6 at the time we met him.  He was a very tall man but he would squat down and open his arms to give them big hugs and they would just run in.  He would talk to children eye to eye and they just felt like they were the most important people in the world.  Everyone always left smiling.  He knew how to transform a child's day.

The simplist gestures can make a world of difference in a child's life - eye contact, a smile, or a hug can go a long way.  You can transform a child's day today!

Our theme this year was HEROES: we can all be true superheroes and live lives that are useful and meaningful.

Our camp verse was 2 Peter 1:8 - If you keep growing, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful.  

Matt taught chapel each day centered on 2 Peter 1: 5-7.  Monday we talked about goodness & understanding.  Tuesday we talked about self control & patience.  On Wednesday we talked about devotion to God and on Thursday we talked about concern for others & love.  

The kids were challenged by the stories of Ruth as she was good to Naomi, David as he patiently waited for the kingship, Daniel as he did what God had called him to in spite of his circumstances, and Jesus as he became the ultimate superhero by loving us & dying for us.

For kids camp, we had a special visitor!  Lupe, the children's director at Community Christian Church in Arequipa, Peru came to spend the week with us.  She served in all areas at camp, helping out in administration, attending head counsellor meetings, greeting campers & their parents, bonding with 1st and 2nd graders by spending a day with campers, and even helping out in food preparation.  Lupe was able to gain a new understanding of what we mean when we talk about Kids Camp at The Ark.  She returns to Peru with new vision and ideas of how to reach children and conduct a great kids camp.  Thank you to all who invested in Lupe and her experience with us as camp!

Frequently Asked Questions… about our transition

We are now back in Texas and working hard getting ready for Kid's Camp at The Ark Church!  As we've been chatting with people, we've encountered various frequently asked questions about our transition.  Here they are along with the answers for those of you who are interested in more information on what lies ahead for us and Maximizing Children's Ministries.  

1. How does moving to the US change what MCMINTL is doing?

It doesn’t!  Our vision continue to be to assist churches to provide innovative children’s ministries tailored to meet the needs of their communities.  Maximizing Children’s Ministries will continue writing and translating curriculum, sending resources, and hosting training seminars for churches throughout the world.  The only thing that is changing is the location of our base of operations.

2. Is MCMINTL still raising support?

Yes.  Maximizing Children’s Ministries is still raising support.  Kelly will take over day to day work for MCMINTL and we will continue writing and translating curriculum, sending resources, and hosting training seminars for churches throughout the world.  

3. Are you excited to be moving back to the US?

Yes!  We are excited because this move means growth for MCMINTL.  By moving back to the US, we have greater access to resources, we are better accessible to help many churches at once, and we have the opportunity to work together with a team of people to produce awesome curriculum.  

4. What will Matt be doing?

Matt will be working as Associate Children’s Pastor for The Ark Church.  Matt will work together with a team to produce elementary children’s curriculum that will be used both at The Ark and by MCMINTL.

5. What will Kelly be doing?

Kelly will be working full time for Maximizing Children’s Ministries.  Kelly will be translating The Ark’s children’s curriculum from English into Spanish.  Kelly will also be working with a web developer to get MCMINTL curriculum onto a website and available for free.  She will maintain communication with those churches who are using MCMINTL curriculum and continue to organize and send resources to churches throughout the world. 

6. What lies ahead for you?

Next week we will participate in The Ark Church's Kid's Camp.  Matt will speak daily at the chapel services and be involved in variety show at the afternoon assembly.  Kelly will host the children's director from Comunidad Cristiana de Arequipa in Arequipa, Perú, showing her around, introducing her to the children's ministry team at The Ark, and letting her see in person how The Ark does ministry. 

In July Maximizing Children's Ministries will lead a construction team to the jungles of Bolivia to construct a playground in a town that has never had one.  This playground will be the launch point for a new church that will begin services soon thereafter.

In the coming months, we will be working to construct a website where we can display all of the curriculum we have developed thus far for free download.  We will continue adding to that curriculum and sending resources to churches all over.

And now...

If you have any additional questions, please send them our way and we'll continue updating this list.  Thank you for your support and for continuing to parter with us that kids may know Him!

We are excited about our upcoming move, new positions, and the opportunity to expand and reach more churches and children.  As of May 2012, around 600 children every weekend will be learning from the materials we have written.  Groups of these are playing on MCMINTL gifted playgrounds and receiving MCMINTL donated meals each week.

Thank you for continuing to support Maximizing Children's Ministries as we launch into this new phase of ministry. 

April 21 - May 2: We will be in Houston working with The Ark Church doing prep for the upcoming summer Kid's Camp!  Please pray for a productive trip.

May 5: We will be hosting a training session for about 70 children's and nursery workers at Comunidad Cristiana de Arequipa in Peru and prepping them to launch the MCMINTL curriculum following the training.  Pray for receptive hearts.

Early May: A quick trip to talk with Pastors Ben & Erny in Bolivia and deliver resources.  Pray for God to confirm timing for this trip and for safety as we travel.

June 11 - 14: Kid's Camp at The Ark Church.  Pray for Matt as he prepares lessons.  We may be bringing a surprise visitor to the camp!  Pray for doors to open for that to happen.

July 6 - 15: We will lead 'Operation Disney World Bolivia' or project playground to Bolivia and build a playground in the jungles in a town that has none.  Pray ahead for God to clear the path in front of us and for His hand in all the details.

And that's just the next few months!  Great things are happening with MCMINTL and some big changes are upcoming, so please stay tuned to the website and sign up using the 'contact us' tab if you have not yet so that you stay in the loop.  Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well.  Thank you for praying with us and partnering with us that kids may know Him!

In the month of March, we have continued working hard and moving forward.  We now have 4 months of new curriculum complete with object lessons, applications, and illustrations which is also translated into Spanish.  We continue meeting with the children's leader of Alas de Fe church in El Alto, Bolivia via Skype (thank you, technology!) and the children love being fed physically and spiritually every weekend.  The curriculum has seen big success in Bolivia.

MCMINTL is also moving forward with our church in Peru.  We are currently preparing for two training sessions for the children's leaders at Comunidad Cristiana de Arequipa church in Peru.  These trainngs which will take place just before and just after Easter. Following the training sessions, the children's ministry will begin using the MCMINTL children's curriculum.  The children's leaders are very excited about using our curriculum!

This Sunday is a special invite your friends day at Comunidad Crisitana de Arequipa.  It will be a full and fun filled day at the church.  We're prepping a huge celebration service for the kids.  Matt and I will be working from 6:30 in the morning until 10:30 and we're praying that the owners of our house will visit the church with us later in the day.

Thank you for your patience as we neglected the blog a bit in the last month.  More blogs to come soon!  Check in the next few days to find out about our recent visitors and the crazy trek we completed.

So two Sundays ago we jumped into the trusty Toyota and headed up to church with little idea of what awaited us at the Comunidad Cristiana de Arequipa Kids Camp 2012.  We came equipped with sunscreen, bug spray, swimsuits, toothbrushes, pillows, and lots of energy for the week ahead.  

We attended the morning church service and then helped with this and that as we waited for the bus to arrive which would shuttle the kids 2 hours west to the beach town of Mejia where we would stay.  We waited… and waited… and finally the bus did show up.  We squished potatoes and onions and ALL the food for the week plus children and sleeping bags and all their luggage into a tiny bus which barely held the 60 kids plus 30 volunteers. 

What couldn’t fit in the bus was crammed into our Toyota.  We all thanked God for the big, reliable car He gave us!  It was put to use again.

Here is a pic of the leaders.  

Matt designed the shirts we are wearing.  Below is a close-up.

We took off toward the beach, traveling quite slowly due to the overloaded bus.  About a mile out from the camp, from behind the bus, we see it reel and swerve!  The driver struggles to regain control and parks it off to the side.  It had blown the back tire!  Thank you, Lord, for being our protector.  Since it would take awhile to fix, Matt and I shuttled kids the last one mile in loads of 12 or 13, crammed into the back of our car.  Thank God again for a trusty, big vehicle!  He knew what we needed!

We arrived at the camp.  It was beautiful!  They had better facilities than Matt & I had expected.  There were cabins with 12ish bunk beds.  We were divided up with our girls/boys and helped them make their beds.  We ate a hearty dinner, formed our teams, created team cheers and made our team flags.  

Then Matt and I prepped for our big show.  Matt and I were in charge of the puppets and dramas for the week.  We wrote 3 intro & outtro skits to go along with the stories & themes of each day of the camp.  These skits helped the children understand how the Bible stories we were studying applied to them in their lives.  The first night, Matt and I were in charge of the whole teaching.  Two puppets helped us teach about sacrificing for our friends through the story of David and Jonathan.  We had great fun and the kids loved it!

During camp, the kids walked on the beach and shared the Gospel with those they encountered.  Matt was able to capture one interaction.

We also played lots of games!

Can you spot the differences between this picture and the one before it?

This was their favorite game.  We also had a special dress up night.

Notice the 'soldiers' in the background!

It was a week filled with fun, creativity, beach, teaching, growing, and building relationships with leaders and children. 

Some interesting things we learned:

The children here are P R E C I O U S!

Cold showers even at the beach are still cold.

Matt has some hidden volleyball skills!

Notice the celebration!

Puppets are a huge hit with all ages here.

It’s always a good thing to build a great relationship with the kitchen ladies! (Hot water to make instant coffee in the mornings - thank you!)

Many of the children here have dealt with very difficult things at very young ages.

We were expected to bring our own toilet paper for the week - good thing we always keep a roll in the car!

Peruvians believe canned tuna fish makes a great breakfast sandwich.

It takes us a week to recover from getting up at 5 and staying up until 11 or 12.

The sun IS strong here.  Matt can and did get sunburned.

The ocean water in Mejia is C O L D, very cold.

The 1st - 3rd grade age group is our favorite. 

Overall, we had a great time and are so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of what God is doing in the lives of children through Comunidad Cristiana de Arequipa. 

Two gals who worked with Kelly during the week are joining our Sunday morning team as teachers/helpers!  We’re grateful for the extra help and smiling faces on Sundays.

Julio and Claudia and their four awesome girls lit up our house with great fun. They are a really loving and kind family and some of the first people to befriend us here in Arequipa. It was so fun hosting them! 

This sweet family was one of the 3, yes three! families to invite us for Christmas dinner and as they were the first, we got to spend Christmas eve with them.  We arrived at 9 pm and chatted, ate, and exchanged gifts until the wee hours of the morning.  This sweet family has just showered us with kindness. We love these guys. 

Kelly and I cooked a classic Italian meal for them: macaroni with meatballs, salad and garlic bread. It was very well received, but I think I made it a little bit too spicy :). My taste buds are pretty much scar tissue by now. Me love the spicy food. 

The Wii took the prize as the highlight of the afternoon.

You see, I received some awesome cash for my birthday... and I decided to spend it on something that not only would I enjoy, but everyone who comes over can enjoy it with us.  I bought a Wii.

It is one of the best investments I have ever made. It was an incredible hit! Everybody was playing, laughing, screaming, cheering and crying.

Ok, so I may have been the only one crying, but still it was automatic connection for the everyone. 

It was an epic battle. Kelly and I didn’t fare too well against the girls, but it was still awesome. Did I mention we love this family?  They are great. 

So what’s the lesson we have learned today? Wii’s are just the best. Get one. Anyone can play and they bring automatic connection and interaction. Just too much fun. Once you’ve got it, invite people over to your house to eat. It’s very rad (read: great). 

There are also a couple pictures of our precious preschoolers!

By Christmas day, the church had surpassed their goal of over 250,000 pounds of donations!  It was an awesome outreach to be a part of.

Lots of red onions!

And many, many potatoes.  My head is in there... can you spot it?  **Look for the different colored hair :).

Tomatos.

After bagging everything up, we drove to the outskirts of town to distribute the gifts.

Waiting in line to receive clothing.

Notice the looks of hope and expectancy that develop as the distribution begins.

Halfway through the distribution, a young man from the church talked about the real reason why we celebrate Christmas and shared the Gospel message.

There were many smiles.

Children and families were blessed by Tons of Love.  Thank you for giving!

One of the things we are most passionate about is training children's ministry leaders and teahers so that they can reach children in their own language and culture.  Here we are in our weekly Skype meeting with one of the children's leaders at Alas de Fe church in El Alto, Bolivia.

The week before Christmas, we loaded up the car with Christmas presents and headed to Bolivia.  It is a 7 hour drive to the border. 

In the first hour and a half, you climb from 7500 to over 13,000 feet and for the rest of the drive, you remain above 13,000 feet, reaching altitudes up to 15,000 feet. 

The people who live in what they call the ‘altiplano’, or high plain, are a tough people.  They live in harsh conditions.  We drove through fog, rain, wind, and even hail.  We thank God for providing us with a 4 wheel drive vehicle which handled the road conditions like a pro!

Pastor Ben and Pastor Ernie from Bolivia met us at the border, we transferred all of the gifts, ate a quick lunch, and drove the 2 hours back to Alas de Fe church.  Alas de Fe Church is in El Alto which looks over the big city of La Paz.

We were able to bring special gifts this trip for the preschool children.  When Matt lived in Bolivia in 2007/2008, he built an awesome playground that the kids play on every week, rain or shine. 

The playground has always been great for the older kids, but a bit out of the preschoolers’ age range. To take care of that, this trip we purchased a plastic mini-playground that fit in the preschool classroom so that the preschoolers can safely play inside. 

The preschoolers loved it!  The slid and slid and slid down the slide.  They just couldn’t get enough!  We also bought them legos and blocks with which they can express their creativity and engage their minds. 

They had so much fun with their age-appropriate toys!

The children’s ministry in Bolivia just keeps growing and growing. 

For Christmas, Matt and I wrote a drama which was performed during the Christmas Eve children’s outreach.  All week while we were in Bolivia, Matt and I helped direct the practices as the children’s team prepared for the big day.  We gave tips here and there and helped pack hundreds of goodie bags for the kids to take home. 

MCMINTL was able to give so that the children’s ministry could reach more children.  Thank you for your giving and prayers that allow us to pour into the lives of children around the world.

It was a great trip and God gave us favor and went ahead of us every step of the way. 

We are grateful that we’ve always had favor as we’ve moved in and out of countries in South America.  Please continue to partner with us in prayer for more leaders to work in the children’s ministry at Alas de Fe Church as they reach out to many children in one of the poorest regions of the country.

I love this space! Way cool chairs.  But, the best part about the whole room? Two words: gigantic chalkboard!I am a huge fan of chalkboards, especially when they are painted onto a wall that allows kids to draw and write all over them. In fact, it’s been on my heart for a long time to put gigantic chalkboards in all the churches we work with. I think they hold such huge potential. Teachers can use them to draw scenes from the Bible when they are telling a story or utilize them to create games to play with the kids. They can also be used as a medium to help kids express their thoughts and ideas or creatively draw out stories and lessons. Chalkboards invite children to express their imagination and they open a door to help us minister better to children. 

Our home church here in Arequipa, Peru collects donations of clothing, non perishable food items, basic housewares, and toys throughout the month of December and on Christmas day, we all travel together to the shanty towns on the outskirts of the city, high up in the mountains and distribute these gifts.  This year, MCMINTL is participating!  

Children receive bikes for the first time!  Mothers walk away with bags of rice, beans, and potatoes with which to feed their families.  We come together to live out the love and compassion of Christ.  This year our goal is over 250,000 pounds (120 metric tons) of donations!  

See more by viewing last year’s video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNsbOeRWeIM.

Please be a part!  Mark your donations for ‘Tons of Love’ and you can join us in bringing Christmas gifts to those who would otherwise have none.

 One of our goals as we help churches do children's ministry better is to bring in resources that can help them more effectively reach kids in their communities. We have seen what a huge difference it can make to connect children’s ministries with simple but awesome resources. 

Each week we will be posting a super cool playground, kids room, classroom or park that inspires creative, awesome kids spaces. We hope that you to will be inspired to create awesome spaces for the kids in your realm of influence too. 

I really love this space. I love how they use color, but not in a way that’s crazy and over-stimulating. Hanging ropes from the ceiling? Genius! And so easy to do. I love how they are close together so that kids can swing or climb and talk at the same time. I also love the nooks and cut-outs. Simple, modern and very kid friendly. I would love to create a space like this for kids here in South America!

We've been praising God for the consistent positive reports we've received since launching our curriculum at Alas de Fe church in Bolivia.  God is doing great things!  Since September, their children's ministry has grown by 40%!  Above is a picture of a gang (yes, real gang) of boys who hang out in the El Alto area and who have recently become regulars at the children's program (in Bolivia, the children's program includes youth up to 15 years old).  Praise the Lord that they are attending!  We're praying for receptive hearts and changed lives.

Photos courtesy of Gladys Salazar.  This is the next generation of El Alto, Bolivia talking to their Heavenly Father.  Please pray along with us for solid foundations in the Word for these kids, for teachable hearts, and that leaders may arise out of this group to lead Bolivia toward a great future of obedience to the Lord! 

So this blog has been a long time coming… and it’s finally here! As some of you may or may not know, Kelly and I were Bolivia the last weeks of September. One of the reasons that we chose the great city of Arequipa as our base is that MCMINTL is partnered with Alas de Fe church in La Paz, Bolivia and living in Arequipa allows us to freely and easily travel to visit La Paz and continue investing in Alas de Fe church.

While in Bolivia, we reorganized their Saturday children’s program.  Alas de Fe has a wonderful Saturday children’s program at the church in which they feed 150 children a great, nutritious breakfast, train them in the Word of God, and give them an opportunity to be kids by allowing them to play on the playground that Matt helped build when he was in Bolivia in 2007.

When we arrived in Bolivia, the children’s ministry leader shared with us that Saturdays were a challenge chiefly because of disorganization.  We observed how they were doing, confirmed what she was saying and made some changes.  Throughout that week, we met with the children’s leaders and talked about a new way of doing children’s church.  We discussed the importance of small group and large group instruction and how incorporating both of them can actually relieve the teachers and make ministry easier for them if they each do their part.

It was great fun.  Kelly and I had a blast working with local Bolivian leaders and kids. 

During this process we decided to do a soft launch of our shiny new curriculum. The curriculum is definitely not finalized, but Pastor Ben and the Alas de Fe leaders are super forgiving and willing to let us make some mistakes with the end goal of making their Saturdays more effective.  This is a huge opportunity for us!  Giving the curriculum a test run in Bolivia has given us the opportunity to make adjustments and additions in real time. It also has allowed us to better pinpoint the needs of children’s programs and leaders in South America.

Our new curriculum is a bit radical when it comes to traditional mainstream South American children’s ministry. We utilize multiple, fun and engaging methods and activities to teach the strong truths of the Bible. 

So far its been a bit of a rocky start (as expected) but last week we just heard the good news. It took! The teachers have been patient to allow the big changes we implemented to take root and are now enjoying the benefits.  Last week the kids were attentive and participatory and the lesson was a huge hit! The best thing about children’s ministry is seeing the kids truly understanding and absorbing the concepts of the Bible and rejoicing with the teachers when they get to be a part of effective ministry. Needless to say, Kelly and I could not be more happy. 

We are so excited to see things moving forward in Bolivia because this is a big leap in  making the tweaks to our curriculum that will help South American churches do children’s ministry better. 

Thank you for all of your prayer and support. We believe this is a great step along the road to transformed children’s ministries and churches all over South America. 

So Kelly and I have had a very awesome past couple of weeks. The best part is a new partnership between MCMINTL and Comunidad Cristiana. We could not be more thrilled!  Comunidad Cristiana is a powerful and growing church that has a huge vision for reaching Arequipa (the department, not just the city) with the message of the gospel.  Pastors Daniel and Lesli Santos have been pastors here in Arequipa for over 25 years and they have a huge heart for the lost and for children. 

We have been in and out of meetings with both of them in the past few weeks, and they are an absolute pleasure to work with. They express God’s love and humility in a very real way and the best part is that they believe in the import of awesome children’s ministry. 

Our primary focus will be to help Comunidad Cristiana in children’s ministry. We have the potential to reach so many kids through involvement in their 5, yes you read that right - FIVE Sunday services and one Wednesday evening service. This church also offers a lot of opportunities for us to get involved down the road in the three public schools they administrate, their private christian school, and their various church plants in small towns throughout the department (think of it as a state) of Arequipa.

We continue to work diligently on curriculum editing, writing, and translation to be able to offer Comunidad Christiana the beginnings of a children’s curriculum in Spanish asap. We are currently working to define goals for the coming year with Pastor Santos and the leadership of the children’s ministry.

As you can imagine, we are beyond thrilled. This gives us a huge opportunity to reach hundreds of kids all over the city and the department of Arequipa. Thank you all for your prayers and support. We are so grateful to have you in our lives. 

That kids may know Him, 

Matt 

We are doing well in Arequipa and have had a great summer.  Here are some of the things we've been a part of.

In June, we helped at The Ark Church's Cruise Control Kid's Camp.  Our theme this year was I can honor God through my actions, words, love, and faith.  Matt played a role in the daily dramas and hosted the afternoon game show.  Kelly shadowed the Camp Director, serving as her assistant and learning how to run the administrative side of a children's camp.  Together, we taught the Tuesday midday chapel, dressing up in baby Moses costumes and talking about choosing to honor God with our actions.  

In July, we were back to Peru and back to work.  We've seen so many answered prayers and are so thankful.  There are several projects in process including: 

We've seen the Lord's favor as we've returned to Peru and are so thankful.  Thank you for partnering with us to see this vision through!  May the Lord multiply the seed you have sown into Maximizing Children's Ministries International.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That kids may know Him,

Matt & Kelly Clayton

wisdom
continued vision for the way forward
great partnerships
continued grace & favor (specifically with churches & government)
continued opportunities & open doors in Arequipa
smooth transition to Peru & strong new marriage for Travis & Emily
continued funding
creative wisdom as we write
supernatural strength
provision of a vehicle
funding to ship a playground to Bolivia

Thank you for praying with us!

There were dramas aboard a cruise ship...

Matt played Mr. Pepe.

Then there was the cast for Tuesday's chapel involving baby Moses.

Then there were the stunning game show hosts...

Thanks to Andrea Miles for capturing these moments!

This past Sunday, we arrived early to our home church - before the 2nd (out of 5!) service began - with plans to talk to whoever was teaching in the children's sunday school classroom and ask him/her how we can get hooked up with helping them out in children's church.  Well, we arrived and teaching was still happening, so we waited and after most of the parents picked up their kids, we met the 1st service children's church coordinator.  She was super nice and excited that we wanted to help, but bummed we wouldn't be helping her in the 6:30 am service :).  She told us to come back after the 2nd service to meet the 2nd service coordinator, Vilma, who we'd be working with.

We attended a great, encouraging service and returned to meet Vilma.  While we were waiting, a young lady came up and asked us if we were wanting to help out with children's church.  When we said yes, she turned and introduced us to their children's ministries director, Lupe!  Talk about God timing!  Lupe was very friendly and super excited about us helping them out.  She also teaches at a school in town and immediately invited us to speak at an elementary chapel for them! She is very open to us learning about Peruvian culture and church culture from them and emphasized several times that she wants us to feel free to share our ideas with them as to how they could bring their ministry to the next level.  This church and children's program is all we were looking for and more in our home church.  Partnering with them will open up so many opportunities for MCMINTL.  We are excited!

We continued to chat with the director for quite awhile, learning she has grown kids and is looking for more opportunities to minister to children since hers are now out of the house.  Oh - and for the curriculum they are currently using, she and a few other ladies translated it themselves... so, they could be the Peruvian teammates we've been praying for who could partner with us to make sure the curriculum is translated well and culturally appropriate.  We will see.

We're headed up there at 8:15 am next Sunday to help out!  Who knows what we'll be doing, but whatever it is, we are excited.

We had so many God annointed moments on Sunday.  We walked home encouraged, with expanded vision, and just glowing from how He had gone before us.  Thank you, Lord.  You are good.

These are the beautiful mountains surrounding Arequipa, our home!

Quote from Charles Swindoll.  I don't know much about Mr. Swindoll, but I like this quote.  I like the responsibility it puts on us and the fact that it is our choice how we react to life.  My attitude is my call.  The responsibility falls to me to choose to be positive and look for ways to thank God in all situations.

So much is affected by your perspective in life.  If you are a Christian, you are among the most blessed people on Earth!  Let our attitudes reflect it. 

Communidad Cristiana is a very fun and lively church, filled with people from all walks of life. The church is conveniently located in the middle of town and Pastor Santos has been the head pastor there for over 25 years. One of the things that greatly influenced our decision to partner with Communidad Cristiana is their heart for children’s ministry. We were able to spend a of bit of time with Pastor Santos, and he is a very wise and compassionate man with a desire to reach the children of Arequipa. 

In the past few weeks, we have felt the Lord strongly directing us to work alongside Pastor Santos and Communidad Crisitiana, and we look forward to partnering with them to reach the children of Arequipa.  Thank you for your prayers and support in all of this!  God hears your prayers and we are thankful for your partnership in ministry with us. 

It began with a 16 hour bus trip.  Yes, you read that right.  I guess Matt and I are seasoned travelers when we don't think anything of a 16 hour bus trip.  It was overnight, so most of it involved sleeping (at least ideally).  While en route, we realized that it was just under the time we spent in a plane on the way from the US to Africa.  It was definitely much more comfortable.  It was the equivalent of travelling first class on an airplane - with seats that lean way back and lots of leg space... just for longer than you would ever want to spend on a plane.  We actually both slept really well on the way to Lima despite the abrupt turns around the mountains as we decended the 7,000+ ft to sea level.

(by the way, these are not photos I took)

We arrived in Lima at 10 am and headed out to shop.  We successfully found a printer and office chairs - trip successful!!

We also got to enjoy some coastal ceviche which we had been missing severely.  One of my favorites is ceviche nikkei.  It is a Japanese style ceviche with avocado slices, sesame sees, nori, and a soy sauce base.  It basically tastes like those really good asian salads some restaurants have just with a tuna base.  Mmmmmm, good.

Friday we were surprised by how Catholic this country is.  Everything - all department stores, everything were closed on Good Friday.  I consider it a good thing.  So, we sat and had coffee and browsed through an evening market before we took off again that evening to head back home.

It is good to be back home, in our own bed, with our own space.  Traveling makes you appreciate being home.  Ahhhh...

The lady we talked with has been serving as a missionary in Arequipa for 11 years.  She and her husband pastor a church here and her passion is children's ministry.  She was so encouraging.  In telling us about the changing culture of the city, she affirmed our presence here in Peru, saying we are here at just the right time.  The city is going through a big change as 2 new malls have come in during the past year and several major shopping centers in the past 5 years.  The internet is beginning to have a big influence in the lives of the young people.  Technology and civilization is changing the city.  Change is here with all its good and bad.  It's a great time to come in and embrace the change for good, as the young people especially are open to change and expecting it.

As we were meeting, our contact expressed a big interest and need for training of children's teachers and leaders within the church.  We also discussed the importance of parents being involved in children's lives, especially their spiritual lives.  There is a great need for training of parents, especially in the area of discipline.  We discussed curriculum options available to children's leaders here and aspects of how it could be improved.

It was an invigorating meeting for us.  We're thankful for the connections God's been orchestrating for us lately - He is good!

On Friday, the language institute we're attending hosted a tour of the outskirts of the city we're studying in, Arequipa.  We visited some parts that don't exist on Google maps and got a little closer to the beautiful landscape that surrounds Arequipa.  We also visited an old sawmill and drove by some very poor parts of the city.  We ate fresh trout riverside and saw the mansion of the founder of the city before returning to the city we've begun to call home.

On Saturday, we visited an orphanage just down the road from us that houses 25 children, many with mental or learning disabilities.  It was a really sweet time.  Matt and another guy who accompanied us played soccer and games with the little boys and I hung with the girls, helping with homework, drawing, and coloring. Saturday night we had a night of Espanol!  We joined some friends of ours at their house along with 4 non-Christian Peruvians, ate some good food, laughed together, and just hung out.  It was a good time had by all and the first, I'm sure, of many more to come.  We are excited about living out Christ before those who have never before understood the greatness of His majesty and the touching nature of His mercy. 

Sunday here was election day!  These elections are big for Peru.  Thus, as election day, churches are not allowed to meet.  However, a couple from Serving in Mission (SIM) decided to host a Sunday morning gathering for the missionaries.  We were invited through a couple of friends of ours who work with Pioneers.  It was a great time of making connections and chatting with those who have been in Arequipa much longer than we have.  This week is filled with following up on those new connections and learning from some ministries already in existence.

We are thankful for a weekend filled with learning, great connections, and fun.  God is good.

**Photo courtesy of Sharon Jones - thank you!

Matt & I and the beautiful Arequipa landscape.

Emily & Travis on their second to last day here eating dinner with us at Zig Zag restaurant.

Emily & Travis in front of the river on a hike with us their last day here.

Us chillin by the river - enjoying a little down time after a long hike.

The boys - they don't sit down long before they're up and at it again.

It was a great week and we're excited about all that God has planned for us ahead.

We recently enjoyed the visit of Travis Gasper and Emily Maddock to the Maximizing Children's Ministries International base in Arequipa, Peru.  They came to Peru on a scouting trip, and now we are pleased to announce they are moving forward in preparing to join MCMINTL for a one year term in Arequipa.

Travis and Emily are currently engaged to be married in June.  Their goal is to join MCMINTL in Arequipa by the end of August.  Travis grew up in Wisconsin and has his masters in creative writing, experience working with Gospel for Asia, and experience teaching high school students.  Emily grew up in New York, studied International Studies & Spanish at Texas A&M, has served as a missionary in Lima, Peru, and has experience teaching junior high students.  Their teaching experience, Emily's Spanish ability, and Travis' creative writing background will be put to great use in helping in the curriculum writing, editing, and translation process.  They will be great assets to MCM.  Look for their full bios soon under the About tab on the MCMINTL website.

Maximizing Children's Ministries is excited to welcome Emily & Travis on board.

Emily and Travis their last night here at Zig Zag restaurant with us!

Enjoy! 

Matt 

Things are moving at the speed of light, and life couldn’t be better. Kelly and I are really enjoying living here in Arequipa. In fact, it’s strange - we miss our friends and family, but at the same time this feels like home to us. We have been consistently working 15 hour days, balancing language school, homework, setting up the MCMINTL base, working on general MCMINTL stuff and handling all the other things that just pop up. But we won’t complain at all - in fact, despite the busyness, we are loving it. 

Things are clipping along for MCMINTL, and we hope to be updating you with great news on a regular basis. We have already experienced the favor of God, as He’s given us great connections and is opening many doors for us. Stay tuned as we watch God do some awesome things. Thank you for checking us out and reading our blogs. It means a lot to us. 

Here are a few things we’d ask you to believe God for with us: 

The right transportation (a well maintained and spacious 4x4 and a used motorcycle)

• Godly connections with people to help us fulfill the plan of God for MCMINTL
• Favor with the government for our nonprofit to be officially recognized in Peru 
• Creative wisdom to put out the best and most creative curriculum 

Thank you all for your prayer and support!

Matt 

P.S. Below I have posted some photos of Arequipa. Enjoy. 

1. A big thing in developing nations is security.  We asked for a gated home and/or neighborhood with a watchman.  This makes a big difference.

2. We wanted a base of operations with plenty of rooms in order to accommodate future missionaries and nationals working with us.  *BIG NEWS: These extra rooms will be used as early as two weeks from now!  We have a couple from the US who are coming on a scouting trip as they consider working with MCMINTL to accomplish the vision God has given us.

3. A office area.  We asked God to provide a house with an area we can office out of.  This adds security to our home as we won't be gone during the day all day everyday. 

4. We asked God to give us a house within our limited price range. 

...And God more than provided.  We found this house through Matt's language school teacher.  The owner of the house is his fiancee's former boss.  They're a really nice couple and live directly across the street from us.  One awesome thing about this house is that we didn't have to trade off security for cost - we got them both!  The house is in a well guarded neighborhood AND the most affordable option we could find.  Matt and I are actually paying just a tad over what we did for our one bedroom apartment in Conroe.  It's a God thing; what can we say?   The house also is even more than we could have asked for.  The extra bedroom on the upper floor that is just next to the large office area will be used as a library and resource room, available to the pastors and children's leaders we'll be working with.  The other rooms will be guest bedrooms for nationals and missionaries we'll be working with and will allow for expansion of our family in the future.  This will allow the ministry to expand and grow over the next few years.

It truly will serve (even in the coming weeks) as a base and not just our home.  The provision of this base is truly a God thing.  He had it hand picked for us and we praise Him for it.  Thank you for praying along with us.  He is good - better than we could ask or imagine!

 Blessings, 

Matt

This was the view outside our window this morning. 

Our friendly neighbor, dormant volcano Misti.

We're just settling in our new home. We love it here.  We snapped some pictures that we thought you might like to see. They are of our home, the city, the joys of the market, and a couple things that we love.

There are plenty more to come. 

Enjoy! 

6:00     wake up, breakfast, Bible reading, showers

8:00     out the door, walking to school

8:30     classes begin

10:00   short break

10:20   classes resume

11:50   released from class, walk home

12:20   start cooking lunch

1:00     eat lunch

2:00     run errands/solve issues that pop up

4:00     begin homework

6:00     hopefully done with homework, grab a snack/dinner

8:00     email/skype/keep the blog up/finances/etc

9:00     watch a top chef :)

10:00   off to bed

In Africa, we served as children’s pastors at All Nations Village Church in Maun.   In addition to administrating the children’s ministry on Sunday mornings, in 2010, MCMINTL donated a nursery facility for the church.  We bought tarps and tables and organized toys, crayons, and cleaning equipment for the nursery.  MCMINTL also built a fence around the preschool area at Village Church.  While in charge of the Village Church children’s program, we saw the attendance triple in size.

As children’s pastors for Village Church, we were also involved in an offsite emergency children’s shelter, Lorato House of Love.  MCMINTL wrote an operations manual for Lorato House and built an outdoor playground for the children.

MCMINTL also hosted several outreaches to the children of Maun.  We rented inflatables, played at the park, and handed out goodie bags of candy and verses.  These events were open to the public.  In 2010, God led MCMINTL into the conclusion of one phase of ministry and opened up the door for the development of new ministry in South America.  The ministry in Botswana continues under the leadership of a South African woman with a passion for children’s ministry.  Village Church continues to use the curriculum that MCMINTL scripted as their lesson material on Sunday mornings.  MCMINTL continues to support Village Church through sending toys for the positive behavior reward system.  After a successful handover, in June 2010, we transitioned to the US.

While in the US, we visited friends, prayer warriors, and supporters.  We also wrote a curriculum for use at The Ark Church for Missions Month in Children’s Church.  The curriculum is highly media driven and included take home sheets, video introductions and wrap-ups, Bible stories, and leader preparation studies.

2011 is going to be a great year!  On the 31st of January, we move to Arequipa, Peru in South America to begin assisting churches to provide innovative children’s ministries tailored to meet the needs of their communities.  We will be working with children’s ministry leaders to fully equip, train and encourage them that they may engage in sustainable, effective and relevant children’s ministry in their churches and communities.  A big part of our mission is to further the development of our curriculum and translate it into Spanish.

Thank you for partnering with us as we are determined to make a difference in the lives of young people across the globe.

That children may know Him,

Matt & Kelly Clayton

Greetings friends and family,

Kelly and I have just returned from a scouting trip in South America that was fantastic for us and Maximizing Children’s Ministries International (MCMINTL). We traveled to Bolivia, Peru and Columbia to talk with and visit ministries, pastors and children’s workers.

A great outcome of this trip was the confirmation that the vision and ministry God has put on our hearts is needed and wanted. As you may be aware, MCMINTL has taken a new direction and adopted a more focused mission. Our vision is to assist churches in the developing world to provide innovative children’s ministries tailored to meet the needs of their communities.

During this trip, as we spoke with ministry and children’s leaders in South America.  They expressed genuine needs for training, curriculum, and children’s programming. Our mission is to provide assistance in these areas.

While in South America, Kelly and I conducted our first children’s ministry leaders’ training at Alas de Fe church.  We talked about why we do children’s ministry, preparing yourself spiritually for ministry, the importance of prayer, effective classroom management, and effective storytelling.  The children’s leaders were eager to learn and encouraged as we taught our first children’s leader seminar.

A great need in South America is for applicable and affordable children’s curriculum. There seem to be very few options available that provide for to the needs of the growing South American church. Now, more than ever, adding to and editing the MCMINTL children’s curriculum will constitute the core of what we do. Our desire is to compile a comprehensive curriculum with branches both to teach children and develop the teachers.  

Don’t forget to check out our blogs and website updates at www.mcmintl.com/blog, join us on facebook (search Maximizing Children’s Ministries International), and on twitter, find us @MCMINTL.

Thank you for being a part of what Maximizing Children’s Ministries International is doing and for partnering with us in prayer, encouragement, and support.  Much work and a great future await!

That children may know Him,
Matt & Kelly Clayton

Why Arequipa?

- Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru with a population of almost 1 million people.

- Arequipa has good infrastructure, easy access to paved roads, and an international airport.

- Arequipa is the economic center of the region.  This means we have access to services and   products which will enable us run MCMINTL from Arequipa efficiently.

- Arequipa is a great location, positioned approximately 600 miles to Lima. The best part is that Arequipa is only ~ 300 miles to La Paz, Bolivia.  It is drivable and takes about 7 hours.

- Peru is US friendly nation (a rarity in South America right now) and a stable, democratic country. This will make it easier for us to operate as an international nonprofit and as expatriate pastors. We don’t have to worry about getting kicked out again (i.e. Botswana) or the government being overthrown multiple times (i.e. Bolivia).

We came to the decision to base out of Arequipa after our scouting trip (from mid October to the end of November) and much prayer. Arequipa will serve as the base of operations for Maximizing Children’s Ministries International as we reach out to churches and children throughout South America.

A great bonus of establishing ourselves in Arequipa is that it is also the home of a great language school (in fact, more than one). Having a language school in the same city we’re planning to stay in means that as soon as we begin studying Spanish in February, we can also begin the paperwork necessary to open a Peruvian branch of MCMINTL. This also gives us access to a plethora of professional Spanish and English teachers, which we will utilize as we translate and edit our children’s curriculum.

Our plan is to be in Arequipa by the first of February and to begin language school soon after. We don’t have a house yet. We are going to spend a few weeks living with a family in Arequipa, and during this time plan to seek out a comfortable apartment in a safe area, which we will make our home.

During language school, we will spend our time studying, finding and putting together a home, and filling out paperwork to become permanent residents of Peru and establish a Peruvian branch of MCMINTL. We will also continue to add to and improve our curriculum as well as work to translate it into Spanish. In other words we have a lot of work ahead of us, and we are eager to begin!

We could not be more excited about what God is doing with MCMINTL right now. Thank you for all your prayer and support!

Matt & Kelly

P.S. - Arequipa is a beautiful city right in the middle of the Andes. Enjoy the attached photos below!

Currently we are back in Texas and will be in the US for another two months. If you want to get together with us, please let us know. We would love to meet with you!

I am posting some pictures from South America and will be posting many more in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned - a bunch of stuff is coming!

Thanks for all your support.

Mateo

I will say altitude medicine is SO worth it!  I’m not big on taking medicine, but I’m so glad I succumbed to this one.  We’ve had no problems since arriving from sea level, gracias a Dios.

The environment here is stunning.  It is stark but stunning.  It just makes you want to be outside, but when you go outside, you are surprised by the dry cold.  It seems like it should be warmer.  The sun has come out for a bit at least every day we’ve been here and this weather makes you treasure the sun!  I’ve never appreciated it so much. 

The people are reserved, but kind.  Matt and Pastor Ben tell me it takes a bit to get into their hearts, but once you’re in, they’re fiercely loyal.  I like it here.  We’re definitely not done in Bolivia yet.  We’ll be back.

All of our bags made it without incident except that the top came off of one of the coffee containers and we now have a bag that smells deliciously like Folgers :).  I’m glad we like coffee.  It doesn’t bother us at all.

We’re looking forward to two training sessions this weekend for the leaders of the children’s ministry here at Alas de Fe Church.  We’re going to talk about why children’s ministry is so important and some of the important ‘hows’ of children’s ministry we’ve learned over the years.  We’re expecting around 60 attendees.  This is the first of what will become the bulk of our ministry: training children’s ministry leaders.  It’s going to be good.

We’re thankful to get to see and be a part of what God is doing in Bolivia!

Our theme was ‘love your neighbor as yourself’. Our motto was ‘everyone is our neighbor,’ and our weekly lessons walked through loving our neighbors by praying for them, giving to them, befriending them and serving them.

We studied four countries: Peru, Egypt, Russia and Nepal.  Each week the kids “traveled” to these countries, learned about the culture and people and then listened to or acted out a Bible story. They played games that related to each country and were activated to live out loving their neighbors in their own lives.

Adventures in Missions is a media driven program which allowed The Ark Church to reach kids on multiple levels. The star of the show is Dirk Cameron. The series follows him as he travels and informs about different countries and cultures.  Coloring sheets, games, lessons and videos integrate to form a cohesive curriculum teaching children how missions affects their lives.

This is a MCMINTL original series.  Watch this video to see Maximizing Children’s Ministries’ curriculum in action.

We’re thankful for the partnership of The Ark Church in Conroe, TX and appreciate all the support we received from the Ark Kids staff.

Thank you so much for investing in MCM International.  Much has been happening in the past few months.  Spending a bit of time in the United States has proved to be very beneficial for us.  We’ve gotten to touch base with churches and supporters, conduct a board meeting, make some wonderful contacts, and communicate where we’re headed next.

Since its inception, Matt Clayton Ministries International has been about children: that every child feels loved, every child has the chance to enjoy childhood, and each one has the chance to live a life for God.  For this reason, at our last board meeting, Matt Clayton Ministries International decided to change our name to…

Maximizing Children’s Ministries International (MCMINTL). 

This won’t change anything for now with how you write checks or how we process donations or distribute tax deductible receipts, but you’ll notice a change down the road.  We’ll be sure to keep you informed throughout this process.

Check out our website: www.mcmintl.com to read further about our honed-in vision and strategies.

We’re about to embark on a 35 day scouting trip to Bolivia, Peru, and Columbia.  Please pray with us for God’s continued leading and confirmation.  We are looking to partner with existing churches, working with their children’s ministry departments to maximize their impact.  We’ll be training leaders, bringing in resources, and helping reorganize and restructure the services to best meet the needs of the children.  Our plan is to head down to Peru in early February to attend language school for a refresher course and then begin work with a national pastor. 

Some current projects you can be involved with include:

Language School Tuition: $7,500
Room & Board for Language School: $4,500
Vehicle Fund: $16,000

We plan to attend language school until we are able to preach and teach effectively and intelligently in Spanish.  We expect this will take between 4 and 6 months.  We would also like to purchase a reliable 4x4 vehicle to securely transport us on the rocky, untamed South American roads.

If you would like to give specifically to one of these projects, simply make your check payable to MCMINTL and in the memo write tuition, room & board, or vehicle.  Please send contributions to the address below.

We are so grateful for your partnership as we maximize children’s ministry throughout the world.

Matt & Kelly Clayton
MCMINTL
PO Box 1744
Conroe, TX 77305-1744

We studied the story of Jacob and Esau.  There was dress up and acting and a little guy playing an old old man.  It was fun.  We talked about God’s sovereignty and His goodness. 

The one thing I had to really adjust on was getting used to only having the kids for 55 minutes instead of the 2 hours to 2 1/2 hours we had in Africa!  Time is precious here in the US and no moment can be wasted.  We stuffed a lot into those 55 minutes.  The fact that kids here can transition so quickly helps a lot.

Working with kids is so rewarding!  If you’ve never tried it, you should.  Step out on a limb.  Volunteer with your children’s ministry.  Give it a year.  You’ll form some friendships.  You will.  You’ll see.

We’ve been working out of an office at The Ark Church in Conroe, TX and were provided an apartment just across the street.  We were also offered a great deal on a Scion xB - these little boxes have awesome gas mileage!  It’s the perfect setup for us.  We’re so thankful; God is good.

We’ve been spending most of our time writing a curriculum for the Ark Kids program for use in their Sunday morning classes in October during their Missions Month.  It’s been fun.  Matt and I love writing.  We’ve written video scripts, Bible lessons, country profiles, and games to reinforce the lesson.

We’re also continuing to work on our nearly finished developing nation children’s curriculum we were working on in Africa.  We have all but 3 months completely written and translated into Setswana.  Our goal is to finish this and copywrite it before we head back down to South America at the beginning of February.

We’re also preparing for a trip to South America from mid-October to mid-November.  We’ll be visiting El Alto and Rurrenebaque in Boliva, Pucallpa and Tarapoto in Peru, and Bogota, Columbia.  It’s a dual informative and scouting trip for us. 

Our plan is to return to Peru in February to attend a bit of language school to sharpen our Spanish.  After we ‘graduate’, we’ll be working with a national Pastor/church planter to develop children’s programs for his churches.  We’ll also continue to work with both the church in Bolivia and the church in Botswana.

While in the US, we’re also enjoying getting to touch base with supporters and friends.  If you would like to meet up with us, please fill out the contact form here on our website or email or call us. 

Thank you for being a part of making a difference in the lives of children throughout the world.

Here are some pictures of our last horrah at the park.

It came as a surprise to us.  Our plan was to remain in Botswana until October, take a quick trip down to South America, and then a short furlough in the US.  But, here we are.  And here is the short version of why we’re here.

About two (or maybe three) months back now, the Botswana government revoked the immigration paperwork of all expatriate pastors.  We had been cleared on visas to live in the country and work as pastors, but along with all the others, we were given only 30 days to remain in the country.  We tried to apply for extensions, but were denied.

So, looking at our options, our last preference was to return to the US without a very specific purpose in our visit.  But, as we prayed and sought the Lord, he provided that specific purpose turned our hearts.  We realized it was the right thing.

An opportunity opened up at our home church, The Ark Church, to assist them in children’s ministry.  A car became available.  An apartment was provided.  All of our ministry came to a close in Botswana.  The Lord reconfirmed and reconfirmed that this was the right thing.

So, here we are.  We will be in the US for a 6 month stint.  We’ll leave mid-January 2011.  So, all that said, please contact us if you would like us to stop by or meet up for coffee or even just to chat. 

In January, we’ll be heading down to Peru.  Keep checking the blog for more updates!

Thank you for your prayers and friendship.
Determined to make a difference in the lives of children,
Matt & Kelly Clayton

Praise the Lord!  He is doing great things.  We are so thankful to get to do what we love.  Our lives recently have been full of good things.  We continue working on the childrens Bible stories and lessons and translating them into Setswana.  Very soon we will have a full 2 year curriculum supplemented by many video lessons in Setswana.

It has been awesome to see our childrens workers at All Nations Village Church step up the past month.  We held training sessions and have slowly been releasing all responsibility into their hands.  We’ve allowed the team of childrens church workers to oversee everything for the past few weeks and they’re doing an awesome job!

We have begun training a woman to take over as childrens director when we leave.  Her name is Theresa.  She has actually been working as our preschool leader for quite some time and is great at it. 

We’d been praying and praying for the Lord to reveal just the right person to step in when we leave, and she ended up being right under our noses!  We praise the Lord for her and her enthusiasm and organizational abilities.

We are working on a temporary playground for the Lorato House of Love (a child rescue center and home for babies in need of care run by Love Botswana).  We are utilizing used tires to build swings and an obstacle course for the children to play on.  It is fun combining creativity and practicality to bless the children.

We also recently launched the new Love Botswana website.  Praise the Lord, this is a huge accomplishment!  Check it out at www.lovebotswana.org.  We also helped build a website for Royal Tree Lodge, a tourism lodge whose profits benefit Love Botswana Outreach Mission.  You can find their website at www.royaltreelodge.com. 

World Cup is intense and contagious here!  We cannot escape it.  Any of you who have been watching know the power of the vuvuzellas!  We continue rooting for the USA.

We are so thankful for our time here at Love Botswana Outreach Mission.  We continue learning a lot and love being with the kids. 

Thank you for being a part of MCM International.  We are so grateful for your prayers, friendship, encouragement, and support.

Determined to make a difference,
Matt & Kelly Clayton

One of the way cool things that is God is teaching us and clarifying in our hearts is what it means to be a children’s pastor. The funny thing is, we came here to be children’s pastors, but I think I am only beginning to see what that fully means. My idea of a children’s pastor before was someone who oversaw the Sunday and Wednesday night goings-on of the children’s ministry. I saw a children’s pastor as someone who organizes, encourages and sees that the curriculum is followed through and kids are happy. I was content to fulfill that role, but Africa wouldn’t let me stay content in that position for long.

Just living here and observing life, I began to see things like children growing up without any education, in families which fail to see the value in or don’t have the ability to send their children to even basic primary school. I see the kids who cross a river and walk almost 5 miles early in the morning to come to church before half the adults even drive in. I observe the startling difference between the haves and the have nots, the parents that can afford to send their kids to preschool and the child who does not see any formal education until the age of 6 or 8. Africa speaks and makes me rethink my entire philosophy of what it means to be a children’s pastor.  I realize that I cannot just be a Sunday morning organizer, that I need to take children’s ministry beyond the boxes of Sunday morning.

Kelly and I are seeing that the children’s pastor can be so much more in the lives of kids, that children’s ministry can happen all week long, at any time, anywhere. We continue brainstorming on how we can translate this into practical ministry opportunities. We are beginning a new phase focusing on house visits to children’s families in the church in order to assess their needs and find ways to meet them, bringing ministry to them where they are and helping them more than solely on a spiritual level. It shouldn’t be, but it is a bit of a revelation for us.

As our time here in Africa comes to close, I am more and more sure of our calling to the children of the world. I believe more strongly than ever that children are the way for change in the developing world.  If children grow up with the powerful Word of God in their life, a relationship with Jesus and people who believe in them and love them, they can grow up and reach their nations for Christ and break the generational cycles that have kept communities and nations in poverty and darkness.

I cannot express my gratitude enough to Love Botswana Outreach Mission and Jerry and Jana Lackey for giving us the opportunity to work with children in Africa. We have grown so much and are grateful for all we’ve learned about children, pastoring children and our roles and calls in general.

We drove, engaging four wheel drive as we plowed through some deep water holes and around others.  We passed the Love Botswana plot and headed down the Boro.  We kept going, and going, and going, ...  And eventually the thick brush opened up into a gorgeous rolling plain.  And yet, we kept going. 

Knowing that these kids walk to church, we thought surely we made a wrong turn and they don’t live this far back, but after over 4 miles of driving, we hit the river.  Here they said stop.  There weren’t any houses around, but we let them out since they persisted.  They hopped out of the car and the youngest started undressing.  The elder children told her to wait.

They let us pull out and then stripped down in order to swim across the river and continue walking to their house.

We began asking questions about the family.  It turns out they don’t speak English at home.  They don’t even speak Setswana.  They speak Mbukushu, a language spoken more in the north of Botswana and northern Namibia.

Also, the family has 13 children!  We have met 4 or 5 of them, but there are 13 total.  They live with their father, who is in his 60s, and their mother.  They live across the river and walk over 4 miles to church each Sunday.

All Nations Village Church is serving as an advocate for this family to get them on a government sponsored food basket program to ensure that the family has enough food.  Currently they eat only what fish they find in the river.

We’re also going to look into what it would take for the children to begin going to school.  None of the 13 children are currently in school.

This family gives the most, sacrifices the most, works the hardest in order to get to church on Sunday.  They are the cutest kids too…  This is when I love my job - getting to look after families like this one.  They’re gonna get to see the great love and provision of Christ.

Nompz is our translation and video intern.  She is half Motswana (from Botswana) and half Zulu (from South Africa).  She grew up most of her life in South Africa, but concluded her high school here in Botswana.  She is fluent in Zulu, Setswana, Afrikkans, English, and knows a bit of Swati.  She grew up in church and values the power of the Bible in kids lives… and even more since she began partnering with us as a children’s church leader a few months ago.

She is a dedicated children’s world lesson leader, has been through (and invested invaluable input into) the youth leadership team, recently got baptized, is currently taking discipleship classes at church, and has an awesome future ahead of her.

We are soooooooooooo thankful for her.

Nompz works part time for us in the office, translating our curriculum into Setswana and video taping Setswana Bible lessons.  On her own time, at her house or in town she continues studying lessons and translating. 

We currently have a year and a half of English curriculum and six months translated into Setswana.  We’ve completed 7 lessons filmed in Setswana and are continuing filming 2 lessons per week.

Nompz also assists us as we write curriculum.  Her multicultural experience within Africa allows her to give great input.  With her on board, we can pump out a month’s worth of curriculum in 1 or 2 days (since we write curriculum one afternoon per week, this translates to a month every week or 2). 

She’s a great answer to prayer and we thank the Lord for each day we have her before she’s off to university and looking toward the great things the Lord has ahead for her.

2009 has been a great year for MCMINTL.  It has been a year of growth and a year of vision.  This year, God has shown us that His plans are so much bigger than ours! 

CHILDRENS WORLD

One of our primary responsibilities is serving as childrens pastors at All Nations Village Church (ANVC) in Maun.  In February, we launched an entirely new curriculum and organizational structure at All Nations Village Church.  This program works in conjunction with MCMINTLs own curriculum including praise and worship, fun and games, coloring sheets and memory verses to reinforce the lesson, and a small snack.

Most of the children who attend ANVCs kids program walk to church (sometimes hours) on their own.  The kids love being in the house of the Lord.  In 2009, we saw the children’s program at ANVC double in size.  We grew from a regular Sunday morning attendance of 100 kids to 200 kids.  Due to this growth, we invested in infrastructure to accommodate the new children.  MCMINTL donated a quality sound system which is used every Sunday morning as well as for many of our events.

To wrap up the year, we celebrated Christmas, Africa style.  We told the story of the birth of Christ and distributed Samaritans Purse boxes to all of our faithful childrens church kids as well as a few friends, about 300 children.

CURRICULUM

We believe in the incomparable power of the Word of God and the absolute necessity of it in childrens lives.  MCMINTL seeks to meet a specific need in authoring a childrens curriculum aimed specifically to connect with children growing up in developing nations.  This is one of our favorite parts of what we do!  Each month, we focus on a theme of the Word that is highly applicable to young kids lives.  Memory verses, shouted phrases and concepts, coloring sheets, and object lessons allow the kids to experience the truths they learn and not just hear it.  Currently, we have a total of 18 months of childrens curriculum.

There is also a big translation project underway.  Setswana is the primary language here in Botswana and the mother tongue of the children.  We are working to translate our entire childrens program into Setswana.  There is no program like this in print!  We are plowing new ground in developing a Setswana childrens curriculum.

As part of our curriculum development, MCMINTL is pursuing new ways to create cutting edge childrens programs, incorporating new media. We know that creatively engaging children involves constantly exploring new ways to bring them the powerful Word of God.  We seek to open the Bible to them in a form that it is appealing and edifying to their spirits.  Currently we are experimenting with putting Sunday school lessons on video in the local language, subtitled in English. This will allow children to receive consistently strong messages each week from gifted teachers, engaging them every time.  We are also in the beginning stages of developing story books, coloring pages and visual elements to supplement our curriculum, all designed and produced in house.  This will enable us to reinforce lessons and stories and bring cohesion to the MCMINTL childrens program. 

YOUTH

In 2009, we served as the interim youth pastors of the All Nations Village Church. Our responsibilities included organizing Fire By Night, the weekly youth service held on Friday evenings, teaching the youth Sunday school, and leading the youth leadership team Bible study. We learned more than we could have imagined, grew in our relationships with the Lord, and came to really love the youth program.

During the last term of Fire By Night, we engaged in multiple “theme” nights, each with a special purpose and message. These included: Wacky Dress Night, Praise & Worship Night, Project 3:45 Go Green Night, Talent Show Night and Youth-Run Night.  The last theme nights and Fire By Night events saw a marked increase in attendance. It encouraged our hearts to see youth coming in hungry for the Lord. When we began the year, Fire by Night had a regular attendance of around 100 youth. During the last couple Fire By Nights, this increased to 150-200.

One of the best things during the year was watching God at work moving within the youth group and calling out young leaders to rise up in ministry.  During the third semester, we kicked off the Youth Leadership Team. Along with our colleague, we prayerfully handpicked 11 students in whom we saw leadership potential. The program involved six 2-3 hour discipleship meetings, personal counseling, and much serving. By the end of the program, the team was strong in the Lord, confident in God’s work within them, and had taken a strong leadership role in the youth. It was an absolutely fantastic time of ministry for all parties involved.

MEDIA CONSULTING

One of the positions Matt was asked to fulfill this year was acting as media consultant for Love Botswana Outreach Mission.  One of the projects that he is currently overseeing is the construction of a new website for LBOM. MCMINTL has also donated to see this project through.

In addition to consulting, Matt personally tackles many projects on his own.  Some of his contributions include a new logo for All Nations Village Church; a logo, flyer and posters for the annual Camp Meeting; weekly church bulletins; and various other logos and promotional items. Moreover, MCMINTL has participated in multiple video and photography projects promoting LBOM capturing major events for LBOM with the video camera and/or photo camera.

OKAVANGO INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

MCMINTL volunteered at Okavango International School in 2009.  Matt Clayton was involved teaching Life Skills to all the secondary students and served on the discipline committee.  Kelly Clayton taught grade 11 and grade 12 mathematics.

MCMINTL BOLIVIA
MCMINTL continues to invest in the childrens program at Alas de Fe Church financially, on a monthly basis.  The childrens ministry in El Alto remains strong with a weekly attendance of 300 kids hearing the Word of God & receiving nutritious snacks.  In 2009, MCMINTL donated a website to Alas de Fe Ministries, found at www.wingsoffaithministries.org.  MCMINTL was also blessed with the donation of a moonwalk, which we shipped to Bolivia to be enjoyed by the children in the El Alto region.

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, it was a great year for MCMINTL and we look forward with anticipation to all God has put on our hearts for the coming year.  Thank you for partnering with us to see this vision through as we are determined to make a difference in the lives of children throughout the world.

Matt & Kelly Clayton
MCMINTL
www.mcmintl.com

It was a different Christmas this year; a Christmas to remember. 

On Sunday, December 20, we began the week with a Christmas celebration with the kiddos at church.  We spent the morning playing at the park and then brought all the kids back and distributed Samaritan’s Purse gift boxes.  It’s fun getting to bless the kids through this.

Sunday afternoon, we grabbed some food in town and headed out to the first community.  Etsha 6 is the only village of the three we visited that can be found on a map.  And this is only if you find the map on a detailed webpage or purchase it in Africa.  The villagers say there are probably 5,000 who live in all of Etsha.  Matt and I stayed at what used to be a Lutheran Mission Plot.  It had several cement cabins and an abandoned church.  It was the first time since I’ve been in Africa that I really felt like I was out in the bush.  We cooked over coals and using our camp stove.  On a walk through town, we got educated by the locals on how to slaughter a cow - a smelly, eye opening experience!  In the morning, we met with three leaders from the church to talk about children’s church and what it would look like in their community.

In & around Etsha 6

The church “building”

On Monday, we continued on to a tiny village outside of Shakawe.  To get to Xakao, you must take a ferry across the Okavango River and then travel 13 km down a dirt road.  The people of Xakao are mostly farmers and since it is harvest time, they were out working in the fields when we arrived.  About 1,900 people live in the village.  The church in Xakao meets in a building that the members built themselves.  They gathered the reed and built a beautiful church.  Xakao hopes to have electricity in the village by the end of 2010.

The road to Xakao

the church

the village

trusty Juan Carlos

Matt and Pastor Mmeke

From Xakao, we crossed the border to Namibia and visited the church in Popa Falls.  Popa Falls has about 2,000 people.  The village is situated beside the Okavango River.  The church property is up on a hill, looking down upon the village and the river.  (We spent two days fishing at a nearby lodge.)  Then, on Thursday, we hosted a children’s program in the morning and Matt preached at the Christmas eve service that evening.  Christmas was fun!  We participated in singing and dancing Namibian style.

the road into Namibia

a Namibian homestead

Pastor Kwamanga

the children’s program and the church in the background

the kids loved it!

Friday morning, Christmas day, Matt and I drove back to Maun to celebrate with the missionaries American style.  We had a big meal together and listened to Christmas music.  These rural churches have grabbed a big part of our hearts.  One of our big projects right now is the transcribing of our children’s curriculum into the native tongues of the little ones who live in these communities.  The translations in progress are Setswana (Botswana), Simbakushu (Northern Botswana and Namibia), and Spanish (South America).  We also have a couple lessons in Zulu (South Africa).  The Lord’s doing a bigger work than we ever imagined!

Matt and I were sitting at a local restaurant drinking coffee and writing curriculum with our newly hired translator and video teacher guru, Nompendulo. We’re doing our thing with our Bibles and computers out, brainstorming and then typing away.

This guy walks up to us and asks what we do here. We explain we work with kids at one of the local churches.  He says, “You see, I am wanting to start a hot air ballooning business up here in Maun. Tomorrow morning we’ll take a test flight. I saw your Bibles ...and thought you might be missionaries. Would you be interested in accompanying us?”

We were all googley eyed!  Are you kidding?!?  Would we like to join you??  Of course!  So exciting!  How cool is that?!? Matt and I had actually considered going on a ballooning ride in Namibia when we visited, but it was so expensive we decided against it.  God heard… and hooked us up! I took photos and Matt got video.  It was a very cool experience.

Here are a few photos.

The balloon

The church property from above

Maun

The playpark near the church that we take the kids to

With nearly 500 guests in attendance, we enjoyed a skit put on by a team of youth from Baylor Medical Hospital in Gaberone, performance by a tribal dance group, singing and puppets by our very own Village Church children’s Sound Off group, an engaging Christmas story by Pastor Matt, and the distribution of Samaritan’s Purse boxes.

All of the children in attendance are either orphans or affected with HIV/AIDS or their parents are severely affected with HIV/AIDS.  For many, this will be the only Christmas celebration they will attend.

We also distributed 500 meals at the conclusion of the service.  We are grateful to the safari companies in and around Maun who sponsored the event and assisted greatly in planning and setup. 

We even had kids running up to us after the service had ended, so proud of the toys they received.  Precious.  We are grateful for the opportunity to bless these little ones.

**all photos courtesy of Ashley Maldonado**

Matt and I, along with a gal named Andrea who works with us, started a discipleship program for 11 youth leaders that we handpicked this term.  God layed each one on our hearts - it is made of 6 girls, 5 boys, 6 students who board at the school, and 5 who live in Maun.  The ages range from 8th grade to post-high school.  It is a fantastic group.  The reason I am so proud of them is that they have soaked up all the leadership training and Biblical challenges we have given them and it has been a joy to watch them grow.  As the conclusion to the 10 week program, the kids were in charge of planning and running a Fire by Night service (our Friday night youth group program). 

They planned and were so eager to participate.  We had a worship team, a great welcome, testimonies from the youth, and 2 strong messages.  We even saw students from the team step up to corral their fellow students who were wandering and talking during messages and help them back to the tent and to focus on what God was doing.  The absolute best part of the evening was prayer time.  We had 8 youth available at the front to pray with their peers and after a 1 minute lull, nearly the whole crowd got up for prayer.  My eyes began to water as I saw students embracing other students and going before the Father.  Our leadership team preached truth to their peers and grabbed their hands in prayer and for the first time I really understood why my dad would say he was popping his buttons over us.  My eyes welled up and all I could do was praise the Lord.

God is doing a great work here.  We truly believe that Friday night was a big night of turnaround.  Matt and I even got to pray during the conclusion of the service with a couple key students who we have been praying would surrender to God.  We’re so excited about what God is doing!  Keep praying!  God is good.

On Friday, we held our weekly youth service, called Fire by Night, and this week was the best one we have had yet! We had the most kids (150) that we have ever had, and they chose a great time to come. During the service, three of the youth shared testimonies of what God has been teaching them, and shared verses that have impacted their lives.  We had an awesome time of worship, with youth also newly involved in a praise & worship team with Kelly.  Then, I followed up with a message and story in line with what they said. I felt impressed to do an alter call and 10-15 youth accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, including a couple of “tough hearted” kids that we have been diligently praying for! It was awesome.  Youth ministry is hard but the rewards can be amazing.

We followed that up with Children’s Sunday yesterday at the church.

We had somewhere between 260 and 270 kids show up, again our largest showing! Each age group performed a song and a memory verse before the whole church.

The kids did great (and over 100 showed up for practice on their own on Saturday, ie. walked to church for it). 

It was one of the largest Sundays the church has had in a long time with over 500 total in attendance!

The kids performed, I preached a short message, and told a story, and then we handed out certificates to all the children.

I once again felt in my heart that timing was right and did an alter call.  Again, a bunch of hands went up - pretty much all the kid’s hands and some adults as well!

Numerous people have commented on how much they enjoyed it. We give the glory to God!  He’s doing a great work in the lives of those kids.  Children’s Sunday was a bunch of work, but it was well worth it.

In the last 24 hours, several people have come up to us with encouraging words about the Jesus they see in us and the future God has for us. Needless to say, Kelly and I are on cloud 9, loving the joy of the work God has entrusted to us, and looking forward to all that God has in store.

Thank you for partnering with us to make a difference in the lives of children throughout the world!

Matt

Matt and I celebrated one year of marriage August 14th.  God has been so good to us this year.  We are thankful for the opportunity He gave us to learn marriage in the place our hearts thrive: on the mission field.  We have learned SO much this year!

The children’s church is growing and growing!  We are beyond capacity in our little tents.  It is a great challenge to face and we are adding more and more tented areas to accommodate the little ones.

As September came, so did additional responsibilities and fresh ideas.  The youth at church embraced “Project 3:45,” an initiative to get them in their Bibles daily.  We had a go green party to kick it off, complete with an eating competition, a best dressed competition, testimonies from within the youth group, and the distribution of reading plans and bracelets.  Since that time, preteens have joined along with several adults and youth, even who do not attend church!  Praise the Lord! 

The Lord had been stirring in our hearts for quite some time to pour into some of the youth that we have identified as being leaders within the group.  God put 11 specifically on our hearts and we have met 3 times so far to challenge them to take their faith to the next level, live as servant leaders, and reach out to those who are hurting around them.  It has been a great success as well as a wonderful encouragement to us.  We love seeing them step up.

We’ve also had it on our hearts to get the kids here involved in serving the community.  We discovered the perfect candidate for our service in a church member who is a single mother with 12 children under her care.  A group of 14 of us went to aid her in picking up trash on her plot and leveling it out.  We were there no more than 3 hours and by the end, her land looked great!  We even (under the inspiration of Matt) built a little play area for the kids using some old tires lying around.  They loved it!

Thank you for joining in his ministry to affect the lives of young people throughout the world.  The Lord is doing great things!

Please visit our website, www.mcmintl.com, for more stories and updates.

Determined to make a difference,
Matt & Kelly Clayton

I hear often from people that they want to pray for missionaries but don’t really know what to pray or where to start.  I own this wonderful devotional book by Rick Renner, a missionary in Russia, and the devo I was reading the other day was just on this topic.  So, I thought I’d share it with you.

He summarizes it like this:

* Pray for the missionaries and preachers themselves. 
* Pray for the things that concern them, ie, their families, their finances, their health, etc. 
* Pray for the Lord’s message to spread without hindrance from hostile forces. 
* Pray for the missionaries and preachers to win the race for souls. 
* Pray for them to be protected as they dash through enemy territory. 
* Pray constantly, around the clock, for those who are laboring on the front lines!

In the devotional book, Rick Renner takes apart 1 Thessalonians 3:1 to convey the many ideas the Greek words signify.  He tells that 2 Thess. 3:1 says this:

“Finally, brothers, pray for us and for those things that concern us.  Pray that the word of the Lord will spread quickly and without resistance.  Pray that we will be able to keep up the pace that is required for us to get this message out!

“To fulfill this task, we have to be like runners whose eyes are fixed on the goal before us!  We must be like brave, bold, daring, and courageous messengers, whose job is to carry vital information across enemy lines.  We have to move promptly and swiftly to get the message of the Gospel to the other side where people are desperately waiting.

“Since the Lord has dispatched us to carry this message, and since this task requires us to run speedily through dangerous territory, we request prayer that we will be able to make it through every skirmish, clash, confrontation, and struggle that we might come across as we run to the other side to deliver the word of the Lord.  I request that your prayers be unbroken, uninterrupted, and never-ending.  As you pray, remember to specifically stipulate that the word of the Lord would usher in a triumphant and glorious new day in the lives of those who hear it, as it has done among you.”

Amen!

Matt designed the posters and flyers for the meeting.

The theme was transformation.  (The color scheme is taken directly from the Botswana flag.)

We had some awesome speakers join us for conference.

Dr. David Molapo, a South African currently living in Jackson, Mississippi, and a well known speaker here in Africa and successful business man, encouraged us as a staff and really spoke to both Matt and I where we were at.  We’re thankful for the opportunity to learn under him.

Rev. Pearl Kupe also attended and gave a special message to the women on Saturday morning, and addressed the congregation on Sunday morning.  She is a highly successful native of Botswana who loves Jesus and loves to share about it!

Our final speaker came all the way from Australia!  Pastor Steve Janes leads one of the many C3 churches which are popping up all over the world.  He shared on the final day of conference, challenging all of us to change our mindset about the church.  He reminded us that our pastors are not there to entertain us, but to empower us to be the ministers to those near us (at our jobs, our neighbors, etc.) throughout the week.  He challenged us to be the ones who bring the Gospel outside the church.  It was a great note to end on.

Our head pastors and the founders of Love Botswana Outreach Mission are Jerry and Jana Lackey.  If you don’t know them, they are a couple with very big hearts and a big vision for the country of Botswana.  We’re thankful for the platform they’ve given us here to make a difference in the lives of the young people of Maun.

The children even had their part in the conference.  They did a puppet presentation and sang some songs.  Thank you to Ms. Pat Lackey for the many days of dedicated practice she put in with them!

It was so nice to sit in the service together.  The praise and worship team did a great job.  If you’ve never experienced the excitement and energy of African praise, you really should make it a life goal.  It’s awesome!

The tent was full with people from The Village Church’s church plants all the way up to Namibia.

Even the littlest praised the Lord!!

(photo taken by Sarah Witt)

First off, Victoria Falls is a well known, beautiful waterfall that flows just 7 hours (Yay! The newly graveled road saves a lot of time.) north-east of us on the boarder of Zambia and Zimbabwe.  The pictures really don’t even do it justice.

Matt and I had planned this trip previously, but due to vehicle complications, our neighboring country’s political turmoil, and the expense, it hadn’t happened… I guess this is why!  God knew this team would need an extra driver and that we would enjoy it with them all the more.

The team was from Ft. Worth, and as fellow Texans, we connected right away.  A 7 hour drive with them was no big deal. 

We were treated to nice hotel rooms overlooking the beauty of the Zimbabwean countryside.  The food was great, the people were friendly, and the service was impeccable. 

This is the sunrise off our hotel room balcony.  Waking up at 6 am was definitely worth it.

After a quick night’s rest, we were out early to raft the Zambezi River.  It reminded me so much of the Rio Grande.  My family (Brashares family) and I took a canoe trip down the Rio Grande where we canoed 100 miles in 10 days.  Yup!  I beat Matt on back-to-back showerless days :).  They offer a similar trip in Zimbabwe.  It is a 5 day rafting trip in which you cover 98 kilometers.  You camp on the shores of the river each night…  We want to go back so badly!! 

Actually, ever since Africa has become “home,” I’ve wanted to go to Zimbabwe.  There’s a draw for me there.  I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I know it’s the same thing that draws us to Bolivia. 

On the way out of Botswana, we ran across something rare even here in Safari country.  We saw a LION, yes, a LION, in fact, a pride of lions just crossing the road we were traveling on.  There were 7 or 8 of them, including two males.  We have seen so much wildlife just driving!  Elephants, giraffes, baboons, lions, zebra, cows :), ... 

After rafting, a nearly all day trip, Matt took the plunge and did something called a gorge swing.  Now, when I think of swing, I picture leisurely sitting and enjoying a nice ride.  This was nothing like that!  Here’s the gist of the gorge swing: you climb up on a platform overlooking the African Grand Canyon.  Then, you’re given the choice of 1. jumping, 2. being pushed off backwards, or 3. handstanding and diving off of the platform, head first into the gorge.  Following a 200 foot freefall, a wire pulls you out over the base of the gorge and you swing out over the river where you swing back and forth a couple times over the river.  It freaked me out, but Matt wanted to conquer it and climbed up to the top and flew on down.

(pic to come)

That night, we got to dine at a place called the Boma.  Their motto is an eating experience, and it truly is that.  At the Boma, you can try all sorts of wild game like impala, wart hog, and even mompati worms!  I highly, highly recommend the wart hog.  Mmmmm, tasty.  The Boma also provides each diner with their own drum.  You learn some African rhythms and then are given a chance to strut your stuff to the African beat.  By this time in the day, we were so exhausted that we didn’t make it to the dance floor.  Maybe next time ;).

Saturday morning, we hauled ourselves out of bed, fighting fatigue, but yearning to beat the sun over the falls.  We made it there by 6:15 and got some gorgeous shots of the sun cresting over the falls.  It was so picturesque.

I have to give some credit to Juan Carlos, our trusty Mitsubishi Pajero, for making the trip.  It has yet to make a trip successfully since we bought it, so we’re proud of him for serving us well this time.  With a new radiator and brand new hoses, he seems to be a much happier 4x4.

We praise God for a great summer! He has given us so much to be
thankful for.

In June, we were able to spend a few fun, productive, and renewing weeks in the US. We enjoyed special moments with family, the encouragement of friends, and the superb fun of Kids Camp. We were able to return to Botswana with renewed focus, encouraged and challenged to embrace the task ahead.

The Lord has been blessing MCMINTL with resources we couldnʼt have imagined up or asked for. In the month of June, MCMINTL received two large donations: a professional grade camera and an inflatable moonwalk! We also purchased a high grade video camera which is already being used to create media presentations for Love Botswana and its missionaries.

July has been full as Love Botswana is hosting visiting teams from throughout the world and all are involved in ministry amongst the children and youth of Maun. On Saturday, July 25th, MCMINTL in coordination with Athletes in Action of the Netherlands hosted a childrenʼs outreach open to all Maun children at the local playground. There were sports, puppets, games, songs, candy, and fun for all. We saw many new faces and several appeared again on Sunday morning at church.

In the months to come, we ask you to partner with us in prayer for the following:

- wisdom & creative insight,
- continued financial favor,
- local leaders to parter with us, &
- moldable hearts amongst the youth.

December ends our stint as interim youth pastors. Our desire during this remaining time is to foster in them the practice of daily time with the Lord and to prepare the adolescents well for the return of their pastor.

The Lord has done and is doing great things in our midst. Thank you for your partnership with us.

Determined to make a difference,
Matt & Kelly Clayton

photos courtesy of Sarah Adams

The photos below are courtesy of our friend Sarah Adams.  Together with her, we tried to capture a typical Sunday morning.

Welcome to All Nation’s Village Church Maun.  These are our stomping grounds!  Don’t miss the enourmousness of the sky.  Somehow in Africa, it’s that much huge-er.

This picture is of our opening assembly.  We have fun!

Interactively praising the Lord!  (Remember the song Hallelu, Hallelu, Halleu, Hallelujah; Praise ye the Lord???)

Hard at work on wordsearches in the snack tent.

Isn’t this one a cutie pie!?!

Tent transitions

Listening and attentive in the lesson tent

Don’t they make you want to come to Africa?

Two of our awesome leaders!

**Thank you, Sarah, for providing the photos!**

On the way back to Africa, we split up our trip by laying over in London for 9 hours during the day on Sunday.  Ok, London is CRAZY on the weekend during the summer!  There were tourists everywhere! 

It was actually a very nice day.  The sun was out when we arrived and our friends Sarah and Camilla took us around town to see the sights and then we ended a great day with a nice cup of tea in a quaint coffee shop.

By the time we arrived in Maun, we were exhausted!  Our neighbor & coworker, Kevin, who met us at the airport, asked if we wanted to get groceries before hitting the house and all we could get out was - water!.?.  :)  He decided he should drive us home.

We are glad to be back and hitting the ground running.  There’s a lot of work ahead and God’s equipping us for all He’s called us to.  Thank you for your support!

Although we haven’t been able to achieve fluency in Setswana, the local language, we do know some of the basics :).  Dumelang is the local greeting.

The past two months for us have been action packed!  In April, we were able to participate in a kids camp for kids from all over the Maun area.  Kelly became “Pastor Kelly, the storyteller” and shared Biblical tales of the power of prayer.  Matt starred as Rugby Bob, an overly ambitious,  highly competitive, big kid who incited zeal and challenged the children to be the best, brightest, and fastest.

Prayer has been a topic that the Lord keeps surfacing lately.  He began by asking us to start a prayer group in our home.  As we opened our small, African hut as a gathering place, He poured out His blessing on our prayer time.  We’ve seen transformation in ministry and healing in relationships as a result.  Praise the Lord!

God has given us a vision for putting awesome children’s church programs in place throughout the world.  We’ve come upon a new challenge here in Botswana: super frequent turnover of help.  The Lord gave us a creative solution for this: put training in video format.  These videos would provide the means to easily train new workers to plug into the thriving children’s ministry.  As a result of your generous giving, God gave us the means to purchase the audio/visual equipment to make this happen!  This hardware will also enable us to post video updates to our website as well as sending them to supporting churches.  We have plans to use the equipment to help ministries we partner with to better connect with American churches as well.  This is a big step!

Matt has been spending his days off brushing up on media courses.  He has put these skills to work immediately, designing logos for Love Botswana Outreach Mission and helping them with design and content for a thirty page magazine they will publish in the near future.

We still enjoy writing curriculum and to date have six months of children’s church curriculum specifically designed for children living in developing nations.  We hit on such topics as faith, courage, obedience, prayer, and praise.  It is a joy to write.

We look forward to a quick trip to the US in June and participating in the kids camp at The Ark Church in Conroe, TX.  Thank you to each of you who parters in ministry with us as we invest in the lives of forgotten ones in the far corners of the world.  It is a delight to represent you to the world.  Thank you for the part you play.

Determined to make a difference,
Matt & Kelly Clayton

We are thrilled to get to take a few days and treasure some time with our families.  Combined, our families have seen us for 10 days since we were married!  Wow!  They are troopers.

We are also returning to the US to help with kids camp at The Ark Church, one of our supporting churches in Texas.  We wish that we could see all of you, but this trip may not allow for it since it is so short.  If we don’t get to see you this year, we’ll make time next time we are back.

To each of our supporters, family, pray-ers, and friends, we love you and are so thankful for you!

Here is the before…

And in this picture, you’ll see that our closet was actually a part of our room when we got there.  It was a beautiful sight to wake up to :), and it was one of the first things to move.

We’ve had so much fun redecorating and it’s a blessing that we’ll be able to leave this behind for someone else to enjoy.  Our bedroom photographs well (or else there’s a talented photographer behind that old school PowerShot A510 ;)!

If you look back at that closet picture, you’ll see the ladder.  This is a picture of that nook now.  Hmm - this picture makes our TV look big!

We are blessed.

So, we packed up our tent and sleeping bags, threw some snack food into the car, and immediately after church ended, headed out of town.  It was a chilly Sunday, great for a road trip.  Winter is just headed into Botswana, but uncharacteristically for April, it had rained all weekend.  We’re supposed to be entering dry season, but we saw the sky downpouring like we hadn’t seen it since our arrival here.

We didn’t mind the rain, though.  It made for a pleasant road trip.

About halfway there, the rain had blown over, and we turned North and encountered literally the worst road I have ever, EVER experienced.  Now, I’ve been down some crazy third world nation pothole littered roads, but nothing like this. 

We tried to capture the majesty of it…  I don’t know if this quite does it justice.  Needless to say, the “road”, or perhaps better termed pile of oversized cement blocks, had man-eating, car swallowing pot holes.

We hurdled the worst of the road in about an hour and continued on soon thereafter to spot our first elephant!!!

Yeah, it was quite disturbing to find it rotting just off of the side of the road.

Continuing on the path to our destination, we spotted two more elephants, one (which unfortunately we weren’t able to capture on film) was enormous!!  Honestly, when I spotted it no more than 15 feet from our window, I thought I was in Jumanji or that someone was playing a practical joke on us and had some humongous remote control somewhere and this was a scary robot elephant of some sort.

The reality of our living in Africa finally donned on me as we spotted giraffes, baboons, and another elephant (this one less scary).

We drove along the border between Botswana and Zimbabwe until we reached the cute little town of Kasane.  Our lodging was not hard to find as we were renting out a campsite in a park owned by a very nice hotel.  It was such a good deal!  For about $14 US, we were enabled to enjoy the amenities of a very nice hotel. 

So, we popped up our tent and walked over enjoy a nice buffet dinner on a dock overlooking the Chobe River.  There was a variety of crazy meats to try: kudu chops, Kingklip river fish, ox kidneys, and roasted springbok to mention a few.

Then, we sat in some benches overlooking the river and watched as a thunderstorm made its way closer and closer to us, lighting up all the surrounding land and illuminating the river.  It was beautiful.

That night, we hit the sack early knowing that the morning would start just after the stroke of 5.  (Now, I know several of you reading this regularly get up at that hour, but we are NOT used to it!)  So, we retired as the thunderstorm hit us with its full furry. 

It literally rained, lightninged, and thundered on us ALL NIGHT LONG.  Thankfully, we had warm sleeping bags, because the lining in my nearly 10 year old tent didn’t hold up well under the beating.  Our tent, inside and out, was soaked. 

We drug ourselves out of bed to begin our 6 am safari drive.  It was freezing!!!  Our African-eezed bodies couldn’t handle the frigidness.  We jumped on the back of an open safari truck bundled in jackets, blankets, and ponchos and shivered together as we got a personalized drive through Chobe National Park!  Sounds luxurious, right?  Not quite.  Turns out that on our 3 hour drive, we learned that a warm, dry evening is the best time to see animals… oops.  We saw hundreds of implala (a regular sighting for us), about 6 jackals (ok, something new), and a few birds.  That’s it!  We were so grateful we’d seen some animals on the drive up, because we saw nothing to distinguish this drive from a journey through a national park in our home country!!

Wet and cold and a bit disappointed, we gobbled down some breakfast at the hotel (a very good breakfast, I might add), and hit the road once again to ensure we make Maun before nightfall.

On the way back, we were greeted by quite a few more animals to remind us of our vulnerability as we tackled the roads of the African wilderness. 

Now comes the fun.  We conquered the potholes and were well on our way back to Maun when our car decided to take matters into its own hands.  Before we knew it, the temperature gauge plummeted and we were on the side of the road on the phone with our mechanic (who knows us well, oh yes, too well).  Now, we’ve had issues with this car ever since we bought it.  The most major repair we’ve done had to do with water flow and temperature.  Just months ago, we paid to install a new radiator.  A month after installation, the same thing happened.  It turned out we’d been issued a faulty radiator cap.  Now, we’d had it.  We literally wanted to leave the car on the side of the road and walk away.

But, (fortunately or unfortunately), we didn’t have to.  Thankfully we had cell phone reception in the place we were stopped and our mechanic helped us get assistance from a lodge not too far away where we waited for our boss to fetch us.  Our neighbor, Kevin, who is also our boss, is a great crisis manager and gutsy leader.  Thankfully, that’s what we needed at the moment.

He convinced us not to stay the night in Gweta, where we were stranded, but that he didn’t mind towing us back the 2 hours to Maun that evening.  The crazy thing about it was that by the time he got to us, the sun had already set.  You US dwellers are spoiled by fences and highways, but in Africa, YOU DON’T DRIVE AT NIGHT.  This lesson has been hammered home in our brains by multiple people.  But, in frustration at our car and exhaustion from our night under the angry sky, we braved it and set out to dodge zebras, elephant, and whatever else might jump out into the road in the dark.  Ends up, the scariest things we had to dodge were black cows, ahhh!, and a herd of zebra. 

We made it back alive - a miracle in itself! (Thank you to our cautious driver Kevin!)

Turns out our car wrestling episode was merely caused by a busted radiator hose… 

Memories, eh? 
Looking back on “vacations” I had as a child, most all of them had an experience (or 2!) of this sort thrown in there :).

It was a good trip, and we learned a lot!  It was an experience and an adventure to say the least. 

2009 has already been a great year!  We praise the Lord for all He is doing.  Thank you for your generous and cheerful giving; we are seeing the goodness of God directly.  Thanks for letting Him bless us through you.

We have had a very good first term here in Maun, Botswana.  All Nations Village Church entrusted us with their children’s ministry at the turn of the year and since that time, we have enjoyed watching God do marvelous things in our midst.  In February, we launched MCMINTL’s own hand scripted children’s curriculum and it has been great fun to watch the concepts take root in kids’ hearts.  We have seen children remembering stories and memory verses even three weeks after they studied them!

We also recently hosted an outreach with the church kids.  Our typical attendance on Sunday mornings is 130 children.  More than 250 showed up at the outreach!  We had a lot of fun together.  We swung on swings, spun on tires, slid down slides, enjoyed lollipops, watched a puppet show, and invited all in attendance to church on Sunday.  The following week, our church attendance skyrocketed 50%!  God is doing great things.

In addition to children’s church, we also head up the youth department.  The teenagers we get to interact with here overflow with zeal for the Lord.  They are passionate about experiencing God and anxiously desire more of Him.  Taking over a booming, successful ministry is a challenge!  Just this month, we have begun to connect with the youth.  Matt was given a vision of what to teach on Sunday morning and the curriculum is coming together.  We also got to lead a student to Christ a few weeks ago, praise the Lord!

Your generosity has allowed us to adequately outfit our African base and purchased two reliable sound systems for the church: one for the youth and one for the children’s ministry.  These have been a major blessing!  We also continue to invest in the children of El Alto, Bolivia.

Kelly is hosting her first of what hopes to be many baking days with the ladies and youth of the community and Matt has begun to single some students out to invest in one on one. 

The ground work has been laid and God is doing great things.  Thank you for investing in children and in us! 

We love you!
Determined to make a difference,
Matt & Kelly Clayton

We had a great time playing together.

We even saw a 50% increase in the number of children at church this morning!  That’s over 200 kids!!

It is a country of only 2 million total inhabitants, colonized by the Germans and just recently given independence from South Africa.  So, as you can imagine, it’s very clean.  The roads, shopping, and scenery are all very good.

Day 1
Our time off started off a bit shaky with what we found out later to be a busted radiator cap on the radiator we had just (not even a month ago) had rebuilt.  Thankfully, God arranged circumstances that we could continue our trip even without our car.  LBOM let traded us for their mission owned Corolla which brought us safely and securely to Namibia and back, even saving us money in fuel costs; thank you, Love Botswana!

The drive over from Maun took about 10 hours total.  On the way there we broke it up and stopped in a tiny town called Witvlei.  We stayed over at a tiny boutique hotel called Ziegie’s.  If you’re ever in the area :), I highly suggest it.  Ask about the outdoor tub.  They may have the most amazing bathroom I have ever seen.

Day 2
We woke up late and continued our drive.  The views on the way to Swakop were beautiful. 

The mountains practically cried out to you to forget your final destination and spend a week enjoying them.  I loved the greenness of everything.  The Namibians said that they had never seen it this green!  It’s been a wet rainy season and the vegetation reflected it.  There were no fences, and with a huge sky all around us and picturesque surroundings, I honestly wanted to forget our plans and spend our few days wandering through the beauty of the mountains.  However, I’m glad I let Matt led and we continued on to the beach.  I had no idea all that awaited us.

We arrived to our great hotel with a view of the ocean, dropped our bags, and went exploring.  With a great exchange rate and the lower cost of living in Namibia, we were tempted to buy everything!  Almost everything was priced 75% or lower than they would be in Botswana.  However, we held off purchasing and browsed our first afternoon.

That evening we had reservations at The Tug, a seafood!!! restaurant overlooking the ocean view sunset.  Needless to say, it was a fantastic evening.  It reminded me a bit of the dinner we had the night Matt asked me to marry him.  He’s good at planning romantic evenings for us in places that would cost your inheritance in the US, but are surprisingly reasonable around the world.  Mmmmmm… it was a good night and a great start to a wonderful birthday celebration.

Day 3
After bearing with a very warm night (they don’t even have AC in Swakop because it is very very rare that it gets above 70 degrees!), we awoke early to begin the first of our adventurous activities in Namib! 

We went sandboarding!!!  Now, I have to admit I have seen snowboarders before and I was quite intimidated by the whole idea.  I didn’t know if I had what it would take to conquer the dune.  However, I strapped on the boots and headed up the hill.

Actually, the tallest dunes in the world are just south of where we sandboarded.  From the top, it was quite a distance down!  We were just given a bit of instruction and then off we went!

It was so much fun!  In the 4 hours we were on the dune, we were able to fit in 6 runs upright and even had the chance to join the lie down sandboarders for their fastest run, reaching speeds of 35-45 mph!

Matt was a pro from the start.  His fearlessness was a good thing…

...ha, ha!  And then also left him with some war wounds.

That afternoon, we scouted out some of the shops in town and enjoyed gelato!, something we can’t get here in Botswana.  Matt found some miracle shoes that after constant use for a week still don’t stink!  :)  The trick is kudu leather.  For some reason it breathes really well.  So, thank you to the kudu.  They’ve given me a great bday present in non-stinky shoes!

Swakopmund itself is a quaint town.  It has a very German feel and everyone we met was super friendly.  We ate dinner at another joint overlooking the ocean, this night at a restaurant called The Lighthouse.

Day 4
I wish I had more photos of how this morning began, but I was only able to snap a few on Matt’s final run.  We began the fourth day of our incredible birthday adventure by doing something I’ve only dreamed of… learning… to… SOLO… paraglide!!!!

Oh my goodness, it was such a unique experience and an amazing sensation!  Matt and I had enjoyed tandem paragliding while in Switzerland on our honeymoon, but I had never heard before of a place offering lessons to teach you how to guide your own chute.  It was great fun!

Our guide was a hilarious Swiss man who had been paragliding for 20 years.  Paragliding in itself is so simple!  With good instruction, it is such an enjoyment.  We climbed up a dune with our harnesses secure and our chutes strapped to our backs… and climbed… and climbed… and once we reached the top, you arrange the chute just so and waited for the right gust of wind… and you were up, up, and away, sailing toward the ocean and enjoying flying - just like you dreamed of when you were a kid!

We managed 4 successful flights each and by the end, our instructor was insisting that we return to complete the week long course to obtain our gliding licenses so that we can paraglide throughout the world!  Now, he didn’t have to insist too hard to convince us…  we would love to return and enjoy more!!  You never know what lies ahead ;).

After paragliding, we enjoyed a quick lunch at a small Italian kitchen in town and (phew!), exhausted by now, returned for our last adventure activity.

I came so close to sitting this one out, but I’m so so so glad I didn’t.  Quadbiking was so much fun!

We ended up essentially getting a private tour of the dunes (there was only one other guy with us) and our guide was crazy!!  We went speeding up the dunes and careening back down!  You would head up a dune and he would slow down and you’re thinking hmm… what’s up that would make him slow… aaaaaaaaaah!  And then you’re over a cliff and headed straight down on your bike! It was awesome and yielded some amazing views.

Matt felt right at home on his quadbike :).

And I somehow managed to keep up with those crazy guys!

The ocean was gorgeous and we’re so grateful for the unusual weather we encountered because the heat allowed us to enjoy what is usually a very frigid Atlantic coast.  We ran back home and enjoyed a last dip in the water before concluding our trip with one more awesome dinner at The Tug.  That evening, we walked the beach and zonked out as soon as we hit the bed!

Day 5
Our last morning, we awoke early and scarfed down some breakfast before heading out of town.

the drive out, desolate, but beautiful

We stopped over in the beautiful capital city of Namibia, Windhoek, on our way out.  We were ecstatic to find an awesome mall there and took the opportunity to purchase some things for our house.  What really put the icing on the cake of our birthday adventure was that we found in the mall an awesome toy store!  It had bouncy balls and bracelets and toy cars; it was the toy store Botswana doesn’t have!  We were so excited because we were able to stock our children’s church toy stock for our positive reinforcement program for a few months!  Just to know that there is a toy store in driving distance gives us joy enough to jump up and down!  We’ve started this program at church where the kids can earn ‘kids bucks’ for good behavior, cooperation, participation, knowing the memory verse, helping out, etc.  At the end of the month, they can trade in these kids bucks for prizes.  We’ve been having trouble finding the kind of prizes we’d like to stock in bulk for this.  You know, things like dollar store items: bouncy balls, tiny GI Joes, small toy cars, stickers, etc.  It’s hard in Botswana because literally in all of Maun (I don’t even know if there is one in Gabs, the capital), there is not one toy store.  You just can’t find these items!  So, we wiped out all of this store’s stock and returned home happy campers :).

It was a great and needed break and now we are back and going again full force.  It’s busy and good and we’re so thankful to be here.