He had ignored previous warnings for his bad behavior, but on January

11, 2010, Blake faced a wake-up call he couldn’t escape—an arrest on nine counts of criminal activity.

Blake hadn’t always made poor choices. Until 8th grade he was enrolled at a Seventh-day Adventist school; however, when he began attending a public high school, he faced new pressures. Blake started smoking, and by his sophomore year, he was drinking and skipping classes.

At 16, Blake was arrested for underage drinking, yet it was just the beginning of many disregarded warnings. During his junior year, Blake’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. He couldn’t handle his mother’s terminal condition and turned to heavy drugs.

Soon Blake landed in jail, where he spent three months. Eleven days after his arrest, his mother died. More than 1,500 people attended her funeral. Blake felt horrible that he could not.

After his release from jail, Blake’s grandmother enrolled him in online courses at Advent Home Learning Center, which is based in Tennessee. With help from dedicated teachers, Blake earned his high school diploma with a 3.4 grade point average. When Blake graduated in August, he was also rebaptized along with his two sisters. He

The Wake-Up Call

ConneCtionyour

t o M i s s i o n s W o r l d w i d e

Left: Proud family members surround Blake on graduation day. Below: Blake and his two sisters were rebaptized in August.

Outpost Centers International F Monthly Newsletter 5.1 F January 2011

is thankful for the impact Advent Home had on his life and is planning to attend the University of Southern Maine.

Blake believes God allowed trials in his life to help him get back on track and to help others through his testimony. p

Advent Home Learning Center provides counseling and remedial schooling to boys ages 12 to 18. $35,000 will help construct new staff housing.adventhome.org

New Year, New Needs

Sticky notes are fantastic.

They make excellent to-do

lists, and the bright colors

liven up the winter months.

When the festive holidays

end and January begins,

sometimes I wallow in winter

worries. I’ve never been a

fan of making New Year’s

resolutions, mostly because

they are quickly discarded.

It’s easy to lose sight

of our goals or to become

discouraged when we

encounter obstacles.

Thankfully we serve a God

who is the Master Planner.

“Being confident of this

very thing, that He who has

begun a good work in you

will complete it until the day

of Jesus Christ” Philippians

1:6 (NKJV).

I don’t have a list of

goals for 2011, but I have

begun posting sticky notes

on my computer with Bible

promises. The promises are

a constant reminder of God’s

love and plan for my life.

Do you have a list of New

Year’s resolutions? Let God

encourage you with His

Word—your resolutions will

go from sticky to concrete.

thoughtsEDITOR’S

Your Connection to Missions Worldwide newsletter is published monthly by Outpost Centers International. Please send all changes of address to: Your Connection, 5340 Layton Lane, Apison, TN 37302. Please include the old address along with the new. Tel: 423-236-5600. Fax: 423-236-5650. E-mail: connection@outpostcenters.org

ConneCtionyour

Markus JaudasHannah Kuntz

Janell HullquistDebbie HicksCollege Press

Executive EditorEditor & LayoutSupporting Editor Copy Editor Printer

OCI members welcome a new year with new goals for their projects and ministries. You can help them through your monetary gifts and by uplifting them in prayer. Find more involvement opportunities at outpostcenters.org

StayCONNECTEDocinotes.wordpress.com

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Sticky Resolutions

Amazon Lifesavers Ministry, Brazil 2011 Goal: Keep all three boats running and staffed with Bible and health workers Funds: $2,000/mo. amazonlifesavers.org

Cedarvale Health & Lifestyle Retreat, Australia 2011 Goal: Increase ministry outreach and establish a training program for health evangelists Prayer needed cedarvaleretreat.com.au

Center of Health & Preventive Medicine, Moldova 2011 Goal: Finish construction on the school and present health expos with the Moldova Ministry of Public Health Funds: $2,500 outpostcenters.org

Congo Frontline Missions, Democratic Republic of Congo 2011 Goal: Launch five trained lay people into unentered areas of northern Congo Funds: $3,000 outpostcenters.org

Country Life Prague, Czech Republic 2011 Goal: Increase enrollment in NEWSTART® health weeks and attract more viewers to their lifestyle website and magazine Funds: $8,000 outpostcenters.org

Health Education Resources, USA 2011 Goal: Furnish health expo banners in the three most common languages native to India: Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil Funds: $5,000 donates 25 banner sets healthexpobanners.com

The Heartgood Foundation, Norway 2011 Goal: Package classes and seminars into marketable online education Prayer needed europeanbibleschool.com

The Hope of Survivors, USA 2011 Goal: Conduct a Hope & Healing conference in Indiana to educate and support those who have been abused by clergy Funds: $2,500 thehopeofsurvivors.com

Vida Internacional, Honduras 2011 Goal: Train 12 young people in the Central American Bible School and become 100 percent self-supporting through agricultural industries Funds: $20,000 vidaprojects.org

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