The Royal Review

SIERRA LEONE, WEST AFRICA

2009-11-06T10:31:00.003-06:00

Preparing for Royal Servants Mission Teams—2010

By Matt Halseth

In our 4 years leading mission teams with Royal Servants, I have completed different levels of training. My experience level has now reached the point of being able to pursue a wide variety of team locations. This is very exciting!

Next summer, I will be leading a missions team to Sierra Leone, Africa! Sierra Leone is located in West Africa and has huge physical and spiritual needs. About 70% of the people are Muslim and it is the 7th poorest country in the world (out of 194 countries). We are honored and humbled to be able to minister to those in deep spiritual and physical poverty.

Though Jenni and I have been to Africa several times, Sierra Leone will be a place that holds new challenges, and tons of awesome ministry opportunities! This February, I’m planning to take a research/vision trip to Sierra Leone in order to secure the team ministry and logistical details. Please pray for us as we recruit a team of students/ staff and prepare for this new exciting location!

A FATHER TO THE FATHERLESS

2009-11-06T10:09:00.004-06:00

Adopting a Baby Girl From Ethiopia!
By Matt Halseth

“God is a father to the fatherless… He sets the lonely in families and gives the desolate a home in which to dwell.” Psalms 68:5-6

Over 10 years ago I was deeply impacted by an article I read on adopting orphans. The article was titled, “A Father to the Fatherless.”

Though I did not know it at the time, God was planting the seed in my heart—to one day adopt an orphan baby. That article and title have always stuck with me as I have had the opportunity to minister amongst orphans around the word.

Jenni first remembers the desire to adopt while serving in a Haitian orphanage at the young age of 14. For the next several years Jenni served on numerous mission trips having many opportunities to serve in orphanages and among children living on the streets.

Together we have come to believe that God is indeed calling us to provide a loving home for one of these precious children. And we are thrilled how God is opening the doors for us to adopt a baby girl from Ethiopia!

Please join with us in prayer as we are in the process of finalizing the paperwork.

OUR AWESOME GOD

2009-11-06T10:04:00.005-06:00

Trusting in God, Not in Our Understanding

By Jenni Halseth

This year, God has been working in particularly dramatic ways in our lives. We practically just stand back in amazement and watch to see what He will do next! He is an awesome God who is filled with mystery, wisdom and power. He owes us nothing, yet He gives us everything we need.

There was the day we received notice about discontinued financial support from a significant long standing church donor. Then there was the day we realized God was calling us to look into becoming missionaries in the UK. And then came the day He made it clear we are not now to move to the UK, but instead to be found faithful right exactly where He has us. Mixed in with it all has been our heart to start an adoption and how all these things have played into that decision. It has by no means been a dull year of ministry for the Halseth family! We want to end by sharing a quote we recently read from Desiring God Ministries which has spoken to us:

“Much of the Christian life is spent trusting Jesus now and understanding him later. Jesus typically does not feel it necessary to explain on the front-end why he is doing something the way he is doing it… Our understanding his purposes in a particular providence tends to be not as important to God as our trust in his character. So together let’s continue to “trust in the Lord with all our heart, and… not lean on our own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5). Because one day we will understand. And we will, with great joy, proclaim, “The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.” (Psalms 145:17)

Thanks for praying and hanging in there with us through thick and thin. We are so incredibly grateful for all your love and encouragement!

REACHING THE WORLD FROM HERE

2009-11-06T10:01:00.001-06:00

By Jenni Halseth

After much prayer it has become clear that at this point in time, God is not leading us to serve in the UK. We definitely had excitement about the possibility to serve full-time overseas. However, we are EVEN MORE excited about the way the Lord has CLEARLY answered us!

He has shown us and given us a heart to continue WHOLE-HEARTEDLY in the ministry He already has us in! For a long time it was not a clear or simple choice; we feel it really could have gone either way. But eventually God was so faithful to make it clear that He wants us right where we are.

We are not moving overseas right now, but we do know that God had his purposes in our pursuit of this possibility. He has revealed to us on a deeper level the heart He has for ALL the peoples on the earth. We are also more deeply united as a couple in our continued growing desire to serve in whatever role He calls us to – here or anywhere.

Moving overseas at a future date is not out of the question, but not in the immediate future. Our vision to reach the world for Christ through our current position with Royal Servants has been confirmed and affirmed via friends, colleagues and prayer partners. Thank you so much for praying for us as we considered this move!

November Prayer & Praises

2009-11-06T09:59:00.000-06:00

Please pray for us as we prepare for our mission to Sierra Leone. Pray God would be drawing students to join us in reaching out to this country for Jesus.

Thanks for praying for us as we considered a move overseas. We are thankful for a clear answer from the Lord—to remain faithful where he has us in MN!

Pray for us as we are finalizing adoption paperwork. Pray God would meet us throughout the process this next year.

CHURCH SUPPORT—Thank you to many of you who have been praying for us in regards to a major supporting church who discontinued their support due to some changes in the church. While we are still official missionaries receiving prayer support, we currently do not receive financial support from them. Please pray as you feel led, and also join us in trusting prayer to see God re-raise up these funds.

RAISING UP WORKERS FOR THE HARVEST Changed-lives on our ministry team to Northern Ireland & London

2009-09-01T09:02:00.000-05:00

"Then he [Jesus] said to his disciples. “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:37-38

I confess! I love my job!

This summer, 53 students and staff left family and familiarity to embark on a 5 to 6 week, life-changing journey to central Illinois, Northern Ireland and England. Though I have been in missions now for 10 years, I never tire of:

* Seeing the raw faith and enthusiasm of young people on the mission field
* Helping them grow in truth and deeping their calling through Gods word
* Giving them opportunities to live out their faith through actively reaching others for Christ

One of my most encouraging times of the year is to read about “changed-lives” in the student reports from my team. Here are a few quotes I wanted to share with you:

“I have had the time of my life on Royal Servants this summer. From the teachings we received, to learning about God in our Quiet times to the many successes our team experienced in planting so many seeds in peoples’ hearts. I stopped worrying about rejection and I saw that God was faithful. Learning to have faith in God has been a huge step forward in my walk with him and I couldn’t have learned it in such a powerful and permanent way without having dedicated this past 5 weeks to a Royal Servants mission trip!” Ashley Shellenberger

“The theme of this summer for me was, “Learning to live and serve fully for others benefit and completely for God’s glory.” God helped me to see that I can’t do it all and that he uses each member of the body of Christ. I learned to love and appreciate the body of Christ so much more through seeing God work through others on this trip. He has developed in me an ever more selfless attitude in leading others to glorify Him. It has been a great summer and a brilliant first step into foreign missions.” Andrew Zulker

“This summer has impacted me in so many ways. But now that the mission trip is over, that doesn’t mean that the ministry or the growing stops. I plan to continue memorizing scripture, and re-igniting my youth group with a passion for Christ. I am going to live out my faith boldly and have Christ be at the center of everything I do!” Kaila Yim

“My mission trip with Royal Servants to Ireland and England has opened my eyes so much to the world’s need for Christ. I am so grateful to God for all the many blessings we received, and for the people we planted seeds in and led to Christ. This summer has been the most impacting and amazing summer of my life!” Austin Carlin

Now many students like Ashley, Andrew, Kaila and Austin are back home actively involved in ministry through their local church and reaching others for Christ in their own schools and communities. Our desire is to see these disciples sent out into his harvest fields, whether in their own communities or around the world. Please pray!

And now, thanks to you. We could not be in this ministry without the encouragement of praying friends and praying financial partners. We are grateful.

Matt & Jenni

What a Summer... What a Team... What a MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE!!

2009-08-01T08:52:00.000-05:00

“O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are MIGHTY… and your faithfulness surrounds you.” Psalm 89:8

Hey Friends… After a long and rewarding summer Matt is finally home from leading a Royal Servants team of 50 students/staff to Ireland and London! Next month we’ll share a more detailed report on the summer but for now we wanted to send out a quick report to rejoice over what our mighty God has done through our team:

* 7 local church services we were involved in leading
* 45 street performances or creative outreach teams
* 80+ children involved in the Holiday Bible Club (VBS)
* 34 Bible study and team teaching sessions
* 36 Bible verses memorized by each individual
* Hundreds of individuals hearing the gospel message

Wow! We praise God for his faithfulness and mighty hand in all that our team accomplished this summer. Thanks for being a part through your prayers and gifts to our ministry!

Matt, Jenni, Nathan, Abby & Josh

“COME OVER AND HELP US!”

2009-06-01T19:13:00.003-05:00

Matt Leading a Team of 50 Students to Impact Ireland and England

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. – Acts 16:9-10

Do you believe God can still give people visions today? I believe God is still alive and active among his church today and he is still calling people to come join him in ways just as he did during the early church.

A couple of months ago I picked up a book titled “St. Patrick: Pioneer Missionary to Ireland.” And can you believe that the Lord gave Patrick a vision to go to Ireland similar to the one Paul received to go to Macedonia in the book of Acts?

Yes, that is right! Several months after Patrick had escaped his slave life in Ireland he had a vision in the night that changed his life… “I saw a man named Victoricus, coming from Ireland with countless letters. He gave me one of them, and I read the opening words which were: ‘The voice of the Irish…’ I thought at the same moment I heard their voice: ‘We beg you holy youth, come and walk among us once more.’”

From that time on Patrick prepared for the ministry and eventually made it back to Ireland to fulfill Gods call in bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to Ireland!

Ok, so I did not receive a specific vision from the Lord to go to Northern Ireland or England this summer, but I have received several emails from our Irish and British brothers and sisters in Christ to “Come over and help us!”

The need for the gospel to be proclaimed in Northern Ireland and England today is just as great as it was when St. Patrick received his call. So we have responded to their cry for help!

Please pray for Matt in July as he leads a team of 50 students and staff to serve and partner with churches in Londonderry, Northern Ireland and Tottenham, England for the sake of the gospel. Thank you for coming alongside us and helping us in the work he has called us to!

Highlights of our Trip to the UK

2009-06-01T13:37:00.002-05:00

Last month Matt and I went to England for a week to visit with our Reign UK staff team and to explore the possibilities of a long-term UK missions/ministry position.

Here are some highlights:

We sensed the power of people praying for us - throughout the trip. On four different occasions we had British ministry leaders express to us a specific prayer, word, verse, or vision that God put on their heart specifically regarding us.

We were encouraged by how many open doors were shown to us regarding how He has specifically equipped us in the ministry to train up new youth and youth leaders to reach the UK.

We sensed continuous confirmation along the way that He is leading us to be exploring this possibility.

We were able to clearly see the great need and unique circumstances that make reaching youth in the UK especially strategic.

We were excited to see the heart of the ministry which our colleagues there are involved with – to reach teens in the UK for Christ. There is an entire generation missing from the local church and less than 1% of teens attend church.

What now? We are taking several months to “soak in prayer” the decision of whether the Lord is in fact leading our whole family to move to another continent!!
Please join us in praying for this rather large decision. Pray we will be really in tune with Him. Pray we will be able to hear clearly and consistently if this is His will for our family. Please pray also that if we are to go that placement details would become more clear.

We hope to make a decision sometime this fall. Before leaving we would have to raise additional financial support. Should we move, it would be sometime in 2010 or 2011.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

2009-03-17T13:14:00.006-05:00

This year I am celebrating St. Patrick’s Day a bit different. Well to be honest with you, I have not done much to celebrate it in the past other than eat something green. But never the less, this year is different for me. Why? Well, even though this will be my second year leading the Royal Servants Ireland team (and third time to Ireland), I’m a bit embarrassed to say this but I knew very little about the real St. Patrick. Then again, I bet you or your friends can’t tell me too much about him either!

So here is the quiz!... Who was St. Patrick?
a. An Irishman who really liked the color green
b. The cartoon figure on a box of lucky charms
c. A legend about a Leprechaun with a pot of gold
d. A guy who loved God and was called to bring the gospel to Ireland

Ok, hopefully I made that easy for you… if you picked “d” you passed the quiz!

About a month ago I picked up a book titled “St. Patrick: Pioneer Missionary to Ireland.” While reading this book I have been totally encouraged and inspired by this man of God who left everything comfortable and risked his life to bring the gospel to the people of Ireland.

The amazing thing about his story is that his first journey to Ireland was not even as a Christian but as a 16 year old British slave to Irish raiders! At that time Ireland was a place of unspeakable demonic stronghold. Druid priests made child sacrifices to their gods and the people worshiped false idols. Patrick was sold as a slave into the service of a local Irish king. As a slave tending pigs and sheep he met the Lord and his faith was nurtured through prayer and fasting over several months and years.

He described his prayer life as a slave in this way: “Many times a day I prayed. The love of God and His fear came to me more and more, and my faith was strengthened. In a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many in the night. I used to get up for prayer before daylight whatever the weather – snow, frost, rain – without suffering any ill effects. The spirit within me was fervent.”

For six years Patrick had lived under harsh extremes as a slave. When he had the opportunity he spoke to his captors about the love of Christ but they did not respond. In all his years of captivity, pain and rejection, he did not loose his faith and trust in Christ but clung to him all the more. Then one night he heard a voice: “Soon you will go to your own country.” The voice came again. “See, your ship is ready.”

Patrick left in the middle of the night with little supplies and walked for 200 miles before finding a ship on the coast making ready for sail. Through some miraculous events and answered prayer he was able to board the ship and escape his slave life in Ireland.

After a serious of event on his journey Patrick finally reached home in Britain. He settled in with his parents and began living a normal comfortable life. Though he desired to stay with his parents and take over the family farm one day it was not to be. Late one night he had a vision that changed his life: “I saw a man named Victoricus, coming from Ireland with countless letters. He gave me on of them, and I read the opening words which were: ‘The voice of the Irish…’ I thought at the same moment I heard their voice: ‘We beg you holy youth, come and walk among us once more.’” From that time on Patrick prepared for the ministry and eventually made it back to Ireland to fulfill Gods call on his life.

For thirty years Patrick faced the strongholds in Ireland and continued to preach the gospel from village to village, seeing many come to faith in Christ. By the time of his death he had baptized tens of thousands and helped establish hundreds of churches throughout the land. Within a century this once pagan land became predominately Christian, and began sending out missionaries into Europe.

St. Patrick died in his beloved Ireland, March 17th about 460 A.D. The land which once enslaved him, he had set free!

The true St. Patrick has quickly become one of my hero’s of the Christian faith. In many ways, he was like the apostle Paul. He preached the good news of Jesus to a pagan people who worshiped false gods and false idols, was imprisoned for months at a time, was faced with many trials and hardships and planted churches through out his missionary journeys.

I believe we can learn a lot from St. Patrick’s life in how we to can live our lives for Jesus. You may wonder how you can even relate to such a man of God. After all, I’m sure most of you did not receive a dramatic vision from the Lord telling you to leave your friends and country for the sake of the gospel. However, God has put a deep desire in the hearts of our students to do just that, and they have responded in faith!

I know the Lord has big plans for us this summer, not only in Northern Ireland but also in London. I just read a staggering statistic saying that less than 1% of teenagers go to church in the United Kingdom. And you can only imagine how few teenagers in that 1% who even have a real relationship with Christ.

May our hearts be broken for those in N. Ireland and London, who do not yet know the God who created them, the God who loves them and the God who gave his life for them!

I pray that you too will be able to celebrate St. Patrick’s day in a different way this year as you remember the God who transformed his life and called him to leave his comfortable life. May Jesus also do a work in you as you live your life for Him and for His glory!

THE HALSETH FAMILY PRAYER GUIDE FOR 2009

2009-02-01T12:48:00.000-06:00

LOVE

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it; Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments. --Matthew 22:37-40
Our goal this year is to put together a family mission statement that includes this verse. Please pray that we will not only memorize this important verse but that we will live it out in loving God and others in ALL that we do.

DEVOTION

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” --Psalms 1:1,2
Unless we spend time daily with the Lord in prayer and meditating on his word, the pressures of this life can overpower His voice. Please pray we would not neglect our time with God. Pray that we would hunger and thirst for righteousness. Pray also that God would meet us, fill us and satisfy us through His Spirit and by His Word.

MARRIAGE

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” --Colossians 3:12
As we approach our 8th Anniversary we remain thankful for the gift of our marriage. Please join with us in praying that we continue to give our marriage the healthy priority we want it to have. We don’t want to take each other for granted. We want to continue to “spur each other on” in whatever God has. Pray we won’t allow pride to get in the way.

CHILDREN

“…These commands that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” –Deuteronomy 6:6,7
DADDY: Sometimes it is easier to make time for ministry outside the home then inside the home. Please pray that I would develop the discipline to “Impress” the truths of God on our children now. Pray that I would continue to make them a priority!
MOMMY: Ohhh – they are SO Cute! How can I NOT treasure every minute with these precious little charges?!! Yet somehow I can become discouraged by the endless dishes, laundry, cleaning, organizing, and sibling disputes. Pray that I will keep my vision above the daily mundane tasks to honor the calling, and the privilege to be a Mommy to Nathan, Abby and Joshua.

ADOPTION

Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.” –James 1:27
Over the past year we have had many mixed emotions about pursuing another pregnancy. In light of our past medical problems and our hearts desire for adoption, we sense God is now leading us to pursue adoption! Pray that God would direct us and lead us throughout the process. Pray also for us to have patience. Pray that we are connected to the right adoption organization (international or domestic) or the right person who knows someone. And pray that God provides for the finances to adopt.

ACCOUNTABILITY

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. –James 5:16
In a culture that values independence, pray we will pursue opportunities to be held accountable in our pursuit of personal spiritual growth. We have witnessed a few close friends in ministry struggle in their integrity. Pray for the Lord to protect us and keep us accountable through a few specific authentic and transparent friendships. Pray we would value a prayer partner and/or a mentor.

PROVISION

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. –Philippians 4:19
MEDICAL: In the last month, we have been to the ER or the doctor maybe a dozen times! (Josh-croupe, RSV, pneumonia; Abby-pneumonia, ear infection, tooth ache; Jenni-stitches, optical migraine.) Please pray for health for our family. Pray also for us to identify a more economical health insurance strategy for our family—as this is something we pay for entirely out-of-pocket.
FINANCIAL: With the economy as it is, we have found ourselves in a place where we need to focus on building up our support base. In recent months our regular monthly giving has been down at least 20%. Though this could be burdensome, amazingly—our call to long-term ministry seems to be strengthening

THE HALSETH MINISTRY PRAYER GUIDE FOR 2009

2009-02-01T12:45:00.000-06:00

CALLING

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. –Ephesians 2:10

Believe me when I say there has been numerous times when we have thought about leaving ministry, getting regular jobs and having a “normal” life. But whenever we entertain that thought there is never a peace about leaving but instead a constant drive from the Holy Spirit to “stay the course.” Pray that God would continue to lead us and direct us in our calling in ministry. Pray that we would continuing to pursue the “good works” he has prepared in advance for us to do.

FOCUS

Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. –Ephesians 5:15-16

In order to continue to build my focus, pray for wisdom as I periodically set defined, measurable goals in my work. Also pray against a tendency for “my task” to become more important than my focus on the one who called me to it. I pray my focus is first and foremost fixed on Jesus, as my top priority. And then secondly, the task He is calling me to. Pray for discernment to dive into the tasks He calls me to, and also the self-control to not over-commit myself.

UNITY

“...May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” –John 17:23b

If our relationships with co-workers and those on the mission field become strained we need to be honest and open with each other, show real repentance, and allow God to break our stubborn pride. It is NO easier for us to admit we are wrong than for anyone else! Pray that we will surrender “our” plans to God, be unified with our fellow Christian workers with agape love and seek the highest good rather than claiming our rights.

BOLDNESS

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. –Ephesians 6:19-20

Some of you may think that people in ministry don’t fear sharing the gospel. But even the apostle Paul, bold as he was, still struggled with fear in proclaiming the gospel. That should not only encourage us to know that we are not alone in our fear but to pray that we too would follow in Paul’s example and be a bold witness for Jesus. I want to be like Paul, please pray that God would give me the boldness to open my mouth and proclaim his message fearlessly!

VICTORY

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. –1 Corinthians 15: 57

Though there is not much talk these days about Satan, he is very real and desires to destroy us and our work for the living God! Please pray that we would have victory over his schemes. Pray also that we would personally have victory over our own worldly and sinful desires. And pray that we would be in a constant state of thankfulness for our Victor, the Lord Jesus Christ!

WORKERS

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” –Matthew 9:37-38

Ultimately our work is to disciple the next generation of missionaries. Some may ask, “Are short-terms missions worth it?” And my response is always, YES! Statistics show that MANY, MANY missionaries receive their calling to missions or ministry through a short-term mission trip (including Jenni and I.) Please fervently pray with us that God would do a mighty work among the next generation and send forth workers into his harvest field!

LASTING FRUIT

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the father will give you whatever you ask in my name. –John 15:16

I believe it is impossible for Christians to mature in their walk with Christ if they are not willing to speak for him. Unless we share our faith with others, we may never see any lasting fruit in our lives or in the lives of others. This is a top priority for our Royal Servants team as we travel abroad and the reason we are seeing lasting fruit in the lives of the students and in the lives we serve overseas. Please pray that we will continue to make this our “top priority” in the work he has called us to. Pray that God will continue to work through us to “bear fruit” and “fruit that will last!”

The Halseth Family Highlights of 2008

2008-12-09T16:10:00.005-06:00

Joshua: (11/9/07) We can’t believe that our sweet baby boy has already turned one! After a few health concerns as a newborn, Joshua is healthy as can be. He loves to walk and climb. He watches if anyone should happen to leave the gate open and then he takes off up the stairs – just to scare Mommy perhaps… His favorite activity is playing “What drawer or cupboard can I get into next?” Honestly though, a toilet works just fine to play in as well! He is good natured and finds great glee in being entertained by his older brother and sister.

Abby: (6/3/04) Adorable ABBY is sweet as can be. She is in her second year of preschool two mornings a week and loves it. Mommy sometimes needs to protect baby Josh from all of Abby’s nurturing love because she really loves babies. She had a Princess “Cinderella” 4th birthday party, and dressed up as Princess “Belle” for Halloween. She spends a lot of time making artistic pictures of princesses, dressing her babies like princesses, wearing princess jewelry, and twirling in princess costumes. If she could have it her way—the whole world would be pink! Abby loves to sing and is full of animated stories!

Nathan: (10/18/02) NATHAN enjoys kindergarten and seems to thrive in anything academic. He is full of questions, and we sometimes need to do our own research in order find answers to his good questions. He is a very verbal child and even performed in the teenagers talent show on Daddy’s summer team as a teller of “knock-knock” jokes! He can climb a tree much higher than Mommy is comfortable with and enjoys exploring in the woods. He knows Friday is allowance day and also earns extra dimes by helping all the chores. He remains very social and loves to have friends over to play.

Jenni: Jenni spent a lot of time this year trying to “settle” the house - maybe it is her new hobby?! After spending much time the past few years having babies, and moving – a bit of accumulation has built up! We have happily become strong supporters of the local charity donation bin. Jenni enjoys being involved with a community Bible study called Moms In-Depth. If free time can be found, Jenni loves going on walks, going on dates with Matt, reading, and hot bubble baths. She loved a fall weekend away at a Mom’s conference, “Hearts at Home.”

Matt: Matt gained the admiration of many and became a regular Winter Super Hero in February. He and his friend cross-country skied deep into the northern Minnesota wilderness for an winter camping/ice fishing trip. (Jenni is glad he has someone else to go with him). Matt enjoys being involved with the youth group, meeting with men in a weekly bible study, listening to sermons/books on his MP3 player and spending his free time in the outdoors. This fall Matt went hunting for the first time in several years and bagged a 6 point buck to fill the Halseth freezer with venison! Way to go Matt!

Vacation: Mommy declined a week of fun camping in August in order to clean the house! She must be getting too old to have so much fun anymore :-) But we did manage to take two short overnight trips to a great mid-week deal in a Duluth, MN water-park hotel. We also joined Matt’s family camping over Labor Day Weekend which was tons of fun!

The Animals: Our dog Bailey is still with us, and always great with the kids...though getting less robust in her old age. This year we also gained two new cats, affectionately named Daisy and Tiger (not pictured). Their primary job is to help ward off the garage mice who had built a nest in Matt’s rain boot and under the hood of the van!

Growing Deeper with Moms In-Depth

2008-11-09T15:30:00.005-06:00

Developing authentic friendships with Moms, through small group Bible study and Prayer By Jenni Halseth

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength… and love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31

Two years ago I invited some women in our community to join me in a Bible Study. My original hope was to find five interested Moms, but to my amazement twelve signed up. As I got to know these women I was excited to learn that several had never before had the opportunity to study the Bible. Some were not involved with a church. The Moms who attended church were from five different local churches, bringing a true interdenominational flavor to our group.

MOMS LIVES BEING CHANGED BY GOD
There have been times in my life when I felt “strong enough” to be an “effective leader”. This was not one of those times…! I was in the middle of a number of challenging personal health issues (miscarriages, heart problems, etc.) and yet somehow the Lord saw fit to give me this inspiring opportunity to serve. Often, I am aware of how little I have to offer, but (of course!) God remains so obviously bigger than my weaknesses! He is so faithful to show up and move in powerful ways. Moms are genuinely deepening their commitment to Christ, true friendships are being built, and families are being changed. Not only have I seen Moms grow incredibly in their own faith journey, but the Lord continually uses these women to bless me in countless ways. My biggest prayer request has been that somehow I will be in tune with the Lord enough to not get in the way of all that He may be wanting to do.

Last year we had new people join and this year our group has grown to 25 Moms. Numbers are not important, but each changed life is. Once again the Lord continues to bring new Moms who have little previous exposure to Christianity or the Bible. Words cannot express how incredible it is to be able to witness the Lord bringing women to Himself, and some for the first time ever.

“MIDZ KIDZ” CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
We now call ourselves “Moms In-Depth”, and have split into two small groups instead of one. Five of the Moms faithfully serve with me on the Servant Leadership Team, to keep us all afloat. I am totally thankful to be mentored as I serve - by a dear and wise friend named Marion. In order to care for the 50+ children involved, we have nine staff working in our children’s ministry called “MIDZ KIDZ.” MIDZ KIDZ is an answer to prayer as the children’s program has grown from a struggling childcare scenario into a blossoming Children’s Ministry. Caring for our 50+ children is such a vital challenge as we organize, organize, organize – and as we search for qualified staff, and the money to pay them! (Should you ever sense a leading to financially support the Moms In-Depth ministry directly, please make checks payable to North Brook Fellowship - our local North Branch, MN church.)

A MOM’S PRIORITY IN A MINISTRY CALLING
Over time, Matt and I have felt compelled to share with you this testimony of how the Lord is at work in the lives of these Moms. We hope you understand how much we appreciate your role in this. Your prayers and financial support allow us to not only serve full-time with Reign Ministries, but also to serve in our local community, as the Lord leads. Many of you are so faithful in your prayers; for our ministry with students, for our international mission trips, for our personal walks with Christ, and for our family. Here is one more area we appreciate your prayer support; for continued wisdom with my role in the lives of these Moms. For several, the Lord is bringing His healing into (the sometimes messy) backgrounds of brokenness.

I love seeing God change women’s hearts and lives through prayer and exposure to His Word. I love being a stay-at-home Mom with Nathan, Abby and Joshua. And I love that my husband is so receptive to the Lord’s clear and continual call to serve in long-term ministry with International Missions and Students. Yes, I admit that I may whine a little about living in a tent with lots of huge ants for several weeks at training camp…! But despite the challenges J God has given me a strong desire to support my husband in his ministry calling.

I know my commitment is first of all to my Savior, and then to my husband and children. Please join me in praying for wisdom beyond that. Many of us Moms seem to have a similar prayer request. Lord, show me how to keep my priorities your priorities. Grant me wisdom and discernment to balance all the valid possible things you may be calling me to invest in (and yes – that does include diapers, dishes and laundry :-)!

In Christ,
Jenni

Blessed Beyond Imagination

2008-09-24T12:26:00.011-05:00

A Royal Servants report on our ministry team to Northern Ireland & London
By Matt Halseth

Early on during our time in Northern Ireland I reminded the team of a verse about “blessing” from the Old Testament that has been important to me over the years:

"If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all His commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country..." Duet. 28:1-3

This summer our team was constantly blessed by our loving and gracious God. What blessings did we encounter? Where do I begin? To start with, I felt every day was a gift where God specifically blessed us with one of those "WOW!" moments.

Here are a few more "blessings" that I personally felt or witnessed as our team followed God in obedience over the summer:

· Divine appointments with hearts that were ripe for the Gospel

· A timely word from the Lord for an individual or situation

· Godly relationships formed that are sure to last a life-time

· Our teams needs being met through generous givers

· A "calling" confirmed in the hearts of a numerous students

· An encouraging word from the Lord when the team needed it

· Seeing students grasp and understand truth from God's Word

· Having just the right amount of strength for each day

· Good weather when we needed it for our ministry in the city

I could mention countless more blessings that each individual on the team experienced as we all had the privilege of serving Him this summer. God is so faithful and worthy to be praised and worthy to be trusted! This summer and all its blessings had once again brought that to the forefront of my mind.

THE BLESSINGS OF STEWARDSHIP

I know that it’s NOT about the numbers but I’m always amazed to see what God can accomplish through our lives in just a few short, ministry-packed weeks. As I looked back over my trip journal, from the start of training camp to the flight home, I reflected on what we accomplished with our time and resources:

· 7 local church services we were involved in leading

· 21 street or drama performances

· 80 children involved in the Holiday Bible Club

· 18 creative evangelism team outreaches

· 11 servant evangelism team outreaches

· 12 youth clubs or outreach programs

· 6 community school summer schemes participated in

· 34 bible study and small group sessions for each individual

· 32 team teaching sessions

· 31 bible verses memorized by each individual

· 102 team meals prepared and shared together (3 times a day!)

THE BLESSINGS OF PARTNERSHIP

Recently I was asked by a friend to share just one encouraging moment in ministry from the summer. I thought, wow, how can I share just one, there are too many to count? But if I were to narrow it down to one thing that stood above the rest, it was this; the blessing of our partnerships with churches in Northern Ireland and in London.

Why? In all my ministry years working with churches overseas, I would have to say that this summer was one of the best, in terms of partnership with the local church we go to serve.

Not only did Ebrington Presbyterian and Miller Memorial Methodist let us use their facilities to do ministry… they partnered along side us to do ministry and several within the congregation were involved in the work each and every day. So it was NOT about Royal Servants or about their church, it was about the Kingdom!

Together, we were able to do more than we could have done by ourselves. At Ebrington we brought young Catholics and Protestants together, something that had not been done at the church in over 100 years! And at Miller we broke new ground by reaching out to local youth and exposing our students to poor and ethnically diverse communities!

THE BLESSINGS OF FREINDSHIP

As you can imagine there were lots of tears shed the mornings we departed from each church. Several church members showed up at our early morning departure to give final hugs and say their goodbyes. Here is one of the letters I received from David Baxter, one of the church members that I became close friends with….

Dear Matt,

I just wanted to write this note to you and really to all the Royal Servants to thank you all for the joy you have brought to our church. Not in my time here have I seen so close fellowship and the Holy Spirit working in so many people. I know the Lord will bless you all in his work when the team splits up to go to their own homes. I don’t feel this is goodbye between us, “just a break,” because with the Lords help this relationship between Ebrington and the Royal Servants will grow, all for His glory and I find real encouragement in that… I will be praying for you all regularly, especially for you Matt and your family. Have a safe journey and may Jesus be with you all.

Your Brother Forever in Christ,

David

And finally, we thank God for blessing us with friends like you. Thanks for hanging in there with us. Your prayer and financial support is invaluable. We pray that you, too, will be immeasurably blessed beyond your imagination!

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more that all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen

Ephesians 3:20

A Familiar Foreign Land

2008-03-18T16:32:00.007-05:00

Another Summer to Disciple Students, Impacting Ireland and the UK.

Leading the ‘08 Ireland Team

Many of you remember the amazing summer Jenni and I had in Ireland back in ’06. Well, I have some exciting news to share, I have been asked to be the senior team leader for the Royal Servants ’08 Ireland team! I am so excited to be leading this team! I can’t wait to see the team God will raise up to join us in making a lasting impact.

This year, our Ireland team will be unique from previous years. Why? Because God has placed an opportunity in our path that we just couldn’t pass up! In addition to working in Northern Ireland, we will also be serving in one of the poorest boroughs on the outskirts of London.

Partnering with Local Churches and Reaching Diverse Communities

The first part of the summer will be spent in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. In Londonderry we will be working hand-in-hand with a church youth group to reach out to the community through a variety of ministry opportunities.

For the second part of the summer our team will fly over to London, England to partner with a church in the Tottenham borough.

Tottenham is rich in ethnic diversity. It has some of London’s highest concentrations of people from the Caribbean islands, Ghana (West Africa), and Eastern Europe. We will be reaching out to a racially diverse community with big needs.

“Real” Spiritual Growth

Though one of our main purposes of our summer is to reach people for Christ in these communities, we also have the privilege to see God work in the hearts of the students on our American team. Real spiritual growth takes place in a God centered, discipleship oriented, summer mission experience! Listen to how God worked in David’s life, a young man on the Nepal team last summer.

In a recent email David said in part:

“I just wanted you to know that God really used Royal Servants this summer to change my life. You helped me to get to the point where I was on my knees, offering my heart up to God. My WHOLE heart.

Before the trip, my sin had been separating me from having an awesome incredible relationship with the God who created the universe, but thanks to Royal Servants I now feel like all those walls have been torn down and I can finally meet with God face to face and experience His presence in ways I have never felt before.

So again, my life has truly been changed by God this summer, and I am forever in your debt for letting God use you as His instrument to shape and mold the lives of us students.” David—Nepal ‘07

Pray for the Harvest… Pray for Workers!

It’s our desire to see more students like David be equipped to make a difference and be impacted for Jesus’ sake.

Currently, I’m actively recruiting students to join Royal Servants this summer. I’m not looking for students who are perfect, only students who have a heart for Jesus and desire to grow more in their faith - like David (above).

Do you know a teenager or college student who desires to be shaped by Christ and wants to make a difference for him in this world? If so, simply send me their name, email and/or phone number (with their permission) so I can contact them. It would be great to have them join our team!

Please pray for all the preparation, planning and for our time in Ireland and the United Kingdom this summer. I anticipate with great joy what God is going to do in the hearts of the students and in the lives Jesus will touch through them!

From One Extreme to the Other

2008-03-18T16:05:00.009-05:00

The Secret to a Balanced Christian Life - Contentment

It was one of those arctic cold January mornings in Minnesota… 20 below with a wind-chill factor of -45!

I waddled my way to the car and slowly sat down on the frozen driver’s seat. To my amazement the car turned over and fired right up. In a couple of minutes I was on my way to work.

I looked into my rearview mirror and noticed that it was a little out of whack so I place my hand on it and gave it a slight tweaking. Next thing I know I’m freely holding the mirror in my hand! “So much for that,” I said to myself as I laid it on the passenger seat and headed down the road.

Then it dawned on me, this was not the first time my rear view mirror had fallen off. I racked my brain to recall the last time it happened... Oh yes, it was a scorching summer day in central Florida. The inside of my car had to have been 115 degrees. “Talk about one extreme to the other,” I thought.

My rear view mirror had experienced both extreme climates. In each situation the glue that held it to the window had failed under these intense conditions. The Lord brought to mind how sometimes I fail to keep my relationship with him under the proper balance.

One minute I’m hot – seeking Him with all my heart and the next thing I know, I’m cold – and it has been days since I have seriously prayed or spent time with Him.

I have to admit I have spent much of my Christian life in the ups and downs, counting on the future and believing my life in Christ would be more satisfying, if only…

If only I didn’t have to deal with this situation right now… If only I didn’t have this struggle… If only God would have given me "that" gift. You get the idea—fill in the blank.

Lately the Lord has convinced me of the secret to a balanced Christian life. Though I’m not totally consistent, I have found that the secret is being content in Christ – not in my circumstances - whether I’m up or down or somewhere in the middle.

Does this sound familiar? The Apostle Paul figured this out and wrote to the Philippians about it.

“…I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:12-13

It is interesting to me that Paul uses the word “secret” when talking about contentment. A secret is something hidden, concealed or unknown to others. Being content in all our circumstances therefore is not something that we can figure out on our own. True contentment is a secret that only Christ himself can reveal to us.

It’s not hard to realize this, just look around at our culture today and observe if any others have found the secret of being content. Sadly, many driven people today, including Christians, continue to go back and forth in search for true peace and contentment.

I feel I no longer need to search for contentment. I don't have to count on the future to reveal a better circumstance.

God's love is the only thing that gives me strength and brings me true contentment. I just need to allow Him to lead me through each moment of each day - whether good or bad, hot or cold... or from one extreme to the other!