My latest newsletter... 

June 2009

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”

~ Ephesians 2:8

This verse has been one of my favourite verses, since I was a young girl. Recently, I was preparing a talk on God’s character, to present to our Friday night Blast Off kids. I focused on a series of five “God is…” characteristics, one of which was gracious. As I thought about God’s grace, I was immediately transported back to my days in the AWANA program – a little girl feverishly trying to memorise her verses and finish her Sparks book. It was at that time that the word “grace” was forever etched into my memory. I still remember the definition that was given me for the word – grace is God giving me a free gift I do not deserve. Since coming to understand what grace is, Ephesians 2:8 has been a verse I have always loved. It is so amazing to think about God and His grace. What an amazing gift He has given us in sending His Son to die for our sins and offering us eternal life! And, I love how the verse says – “… And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” We were lost and without hope – we were incapable of saving ourselves. Most certainly, we did not deserve this awesome gift of salvation – but, we have a God of grace!

Having already made mention of the Blast Off youth program, let me continue on along those lines. I cannot even explain how much I am enjoying being involved in the Blast Off ministry. When I joined the team at the beginning of the year, I was excited about the new opportunity to be involved in children’s ministry. However, I had no idea that my involvement would be such that I would have the opportunity to do something I am extremely passionate about – using creativity to step beyond the “what’s required” to make learning fun for kids. Each week, Blast Off has a different theme, and we have games & a talk that correspond to that theme. We have had such evenings as: Fear is Not a Factor, Chocolate Hands, Talking Donkey, & You’re Invited – just to name a few. Blast Off has been such a wonderful fit for what I love to do; God knew and He brought me into this ministry for a reason.

The month of March brought us a small mission team from Pine Island, Minnesota. It was an enjoyable time having them with us for nearly three weeks. They were able to participate in many different ministries, and Kevin made sure to keep their schedule full of life and activity. Cortney especially enjoyed the time because one of her good friends, Mackenzie, was part of the group – it is always special to have an extra girl around this house of boys… While the team was here, our first school term also came to an end, thus allowing us a 2.5 week holiday. Holiday time is always much anticipated and enjoyed around our house, and we did our best to make the most of it. An added bonus was that there were quite a few public holidays during the month of April, so the kids and I really appreciated the fact that we follow the South African school calendar – having a few scattered days off throughout the month was a wonderful treat.

Just a few weeks after the Pine Island crew returned home, we welcomed two from our home church in Prior Lake, Minnesota – Pastor Ron Groschel and Dr. Pat Casey. It is always exciting to have guests, but it is even more special when they come from “home”. Once again, Kevin made sure to keep their schedule packed with ministry and activity, so we actually saw very little of them on the home front. But, the time we were able to spend with them was a great blessing and encouragement.

All year long, excitement builds in the Zak house, in anticipation of the month of May. “What happens in May?” you may ask. Well, the answer is Central’s Church Getaway. The Zak’s have always been avid fans of church family camp – they have attended many camps over the years. However, I have had very little exposure to church camps, throughout my lifetime. In fact, my first exposure to church camp came last year, when I attended Central’s Getaway. Last year was a great experience, and I quickly understood why the kids were so excited from January all the way through to camp time. They will be the first to tell you that I was just as energetic and excited about camp this year as they were. Once again, it did not disappoint – it was a wonderful weekend. Sure, there are the fun and crazy camp games and the late nights of talking and playing games with friends; but, the highlights for me were the praise & worship times. The first night, we enjoyed an amazing time of praise & worship under the stars – simply singing praises to our great and awesome God. The following night was a similar experience, simply a change in location and some added instruments. In my book, those nights could have gone on forever and the awesomeness would have never faded.

Well, the month of May vanished almost as quickly as it arrived, and we have welcomed the month of June. But, that isn’t the only thing we are welcoming. All of us here in the Zak household are anxiously anticipating the arrival of two special guests from the States. On 3 June, Grandma Miller (Sarah’s mom) and Paulette Quiring (a long-time friend of my family, and a member of the Zak’s/my home church) will be flying into Johannesburg to spend two weeks with us. We are all very excited to have them here for a visit. As I said, we love having guests, but friends & family from home are even more special.

It seems that there is always more to write; but, let me just quickly summarise a few more things. I am still involved with the worship team at Central Baptist Church and greatly enjoying it… I have recently stepped back from my involvement in the Sunday School ministry, so as to give others more of an upfront role; I do, however, still play the piano for opening exercises… Nathan & I recently went with Kevin to Kodumela Primary School (just down the road from our house), where we gave a volleyball demonstration and spoke with the principal about coming to teach the kids volleyball – this will be a really great ministry opportunity, and we are looking forward to pursuing it further… I am still doing quite a bit of running – a race nearly every Saturday, as well as running at the gym. In March, I accomplished a major feat in finishing a 20km race. After training and working toward that race, it felt really great to be able to finish and meet the goals I had set for myself… In a couple weeks, we will all be attending the wedding of a close family friend, Mary – it will be an exciting day… Another school holiday is coming up in a few short weeks, and many of us are looking forward to attending camps or being part of mission teams… And, in case anyone is wondering, Sydney (my pet snake) is still doing very well and growing very nicely.

With all of that, I will close. Thank you all for your interest in my ministry. Your prayers, support, and encouragement mean so much to me. I feel so blessed and encouraged when I get messages saying I am being prayed for – wow, that is an amazing feeling – so, thank you. May God abundantly bless you all, during these summer (for those in the States) / winter (for those in South Africa) months.