Winter 2016

Dear Friends,
We are so thankful to all of you who make our outreach work to the children possible. The 12th annual Touchdown Camp was held in August at Verbo Church in Redwood City, with 140 children and 60 volunteers, including many teens who were past campers.

Patty Cardona, president of Project Lost Sheep and director of the camp, said that Touchdown Camp is changing the lives of many people, not only the kids, but of all who were there as they were so blessed. “This ministry is very unique, powerful, and active for winning the lost and building up Christians to become mature spiritually. 46 kids received the Lord during the daily Bible teaching classes, but the last day we made a [altar] call, and more than 100 kids came to the Lord.”

Camp is wrapped in love, and in each camp there is Bible teaching (this year about Noah’s ark and also Peter walking on the water), arts and crafts, sports, missionary stories dramatized, and speakers who represent various career paths to encourage the children to stay in school and to work toward a fulfilling goal. At the end of the week, each child receives a back pack containing a Bible and school supplies which has become a camp tradition.

Camp this year also had visitors from Verbo Church in Spain. Sophia Monterroso from Madrid was leader of volunteers and teaching.

Project Lost Sheep plans and prays all year as a group to launch camps. We are looking for more volunteers to join us in the Bay Area. Please contact secretary Elaine Biser, ebiser7@earthlink.net for further details.

The impact of camp goes beyond the children, as noted by Patty Cardona, “two entire families from camp are now attending Verbo Church and sitting in the front row.”

I can say from my heart that if you give a bit of time and resources, you will discover JOY.

Working to expand,

Joyce Dueker
Founder of Project Lost Sheep

Spring 2016

Dear Friends,

We are in a time of expansion in Project Lost Sheep. It is a time of Asking, Seeking, and Knocking.

First, we have been asking God for new cities. More than 7 people prayed for 40 days for the great city of Chicago, and we asked for many things for the work ahead. Thank you to those who helped Ask! We also are continuing to pray for the San Bernardino area.

Second, we have been seeking cities where we can share the models started in California. When you read this letter, we expect the opening of a tutoring program, to be held in a church, for a school in Nampa, Idaho. This state has great needs, among them the suicide rate is sixth in the nation.

We are knocking on doors for the opening of a camp in Idaho next year, and we also anticipate work in Chicago to begin in 2017. Meanwhile, back in Redwood City we expect the 12th Touchdown Camp to continue to bless and change lives.

We ask, we seek, and we knock and keep on knocking. We thank you for joining us in this transforming work. We praise our risen Lord that He continues to do more than we ask or think!

Sincerely,
Joyce Dueker
Founder of Project Lost Sheep

Winter 2015

Dear Friends,

As we celebrate the end of this year serving children and expanding programs, I want to address a question that has been asked me a number of times over the year. Here it is:

CAN ONE WEEK OF CAMP REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN A LIFE?

I will let you read the response of Daniel Casillas (pictured) who went to Camp and is now our first scholarship recipient.

My name is Daniel Casillas. I am currently attending College of San Mateo, a local community college. This is my first semester in College of San Mateo. I am majoring in Administration of Justice. There are many reasons why I chose this field. The main component of this decision was to empower and help guide the “at-risk” youth in their journey of discovery. My goal is to obtain an AA degree and transfer to a private college. After I have reached this, I plan to give back to the community I grew up in. 

Daniel Casillas and Catherine Parlanti

Camp Touchdown was an amazing experience in many ways. It helped guide and educate me about the world as we know it, and it also planted the tools I never knew I would need when I lost myself in my teenage years. 

This scholarship is an amazing gift from God, as everything he has put in my path has been. Thank you for all the dedication you have put in our communities.

Sincerely,

Daniel Casillas

P.S. If there is anything I can help with, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I can always work around my schedule and find time to help out. Thank you for all your help, support and prayers.”

May you and your family be blessed in this sacred season of miracles.

Sincerely,
Joyce Dueker
Founder of Project Lost Sheep

Summer 2015

Dear Friends,
This year Project Lost Sheep is celebrating 20 years of serving children in camps and tutoring programs. Our main focus has been California where over 1000 children, by the grace of God, have received a one week day camp involving sports, food, crafts, drama and values instruction.

Patty Cardona and family again head up the camp at Verbo Church in Redwood City. This model camp will have visitors flying in to get trained in camp from Vancouver, Canada and other cities.

I was able to visit San Jose, California and meet with Glen Inn and others. The Tutoring program at a Korean Churcn there is going strong we moved to Idaho a year ago and with a year of listening and meeting with people here I see the need for programs here. Another on going effort is enlisting people for foundation work in prayer.

My heart breaks when I read of gang related shootings like the seven year old slaughtered on 4th of July in Chicago.

Thanks to all of you on the team who give of your time and talents. Over 50 volunteers will help at camp, including Tracy, California this year. We all have diverse gifts given to us by God. Let's invest in the children for their future and the future of America!

"Whatever you do, do it heartily unto The Lord.."

Sincerely,
Joyce Dueker
Founder of Project Lost Sheep

Summer 2014

Dear Friends,

Children look forward to celebrations. They can tell you about their next birthday or what they hope for Christmas. Children love picnics, parades and times that are different because they celebrate something. It can be small or it can be large, but celebrations are important markings for them and adults, too. We need to mark anniversaries, changes, new births, and, yes, death of loved ones too.

In Project Lost Sheep, we have learned to celebrate. We celebrate each camp that comes along in Redwood City by number. We celebrate as a core group each other’s birthdays. We also know each other well enough to celebrate when someone gets a job or recovers from illness.

Jesus, although he was close to dying on the cross and knew what was ahead, said: “With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:” – Luke 22:15.

Why? Because this was a time of celebrating God’s passing over the children of Israel with the angel of death. They were spared. I am sure that the Lord enjoyed the meal even though he told them it would be the last before eating again with them in the kingdom of heaven.

Camp number 10 is about to happen in Redwood City, August 4th to 8th, 2014. Children will be calling and asking about the camp. Last summer, no flyers went out because Touchdown Kids Camp had become so well known in the community.

Thanks for your continued support and help as we keep celebrating lives changed by the grace of God.

Sincerely,
Joyce Dueker
Founder of Project Lost Sheep

Spring 2014

Dear Friends,

San Jose is my home town, and a little over three years ago, because of some unforeseen circumstances, my husband and I relocated here. San Jose has changed so much in diversity that I could hardly get used to hearing Chinese and other languages at a local health club. It was at this health club that I met a wonderful young Korean woman who was interested in Project Lost Sheep. She and a few other Christians started having coffee and some prayer for a number of months. My friend, Sue Thompson, a seasoned missionary, joined us. Then the Korean woman connected us with her church, which had a desire to reach out to the Hispanic community just outside their property.

Things happened very quickly when we met Glenn Inn, a deacon, and some of his friends as well as the pastor. Glenn Inn had a mission-oriented heart and had done outreach work in Mexico, and so I suggested that he and an elder and some of the women come up to Redwood City to visit the tutoring program at Verbo Church. They came, and in one afternoon session saw the work, met with the pastor, met with Patty Cardona and with the leader of the tutoring program, collected forms, and before I could blink they had an opening date for their tutoring program all set.

Glenn trained the tutors, mainly high school students in the church, how to tutor the elementary students, and a few months later the program opened in a once a week format. This program is now in its third school year with 24 students getting helped. Several families are now involved in Onurri Church, and they have hired a Spanish pastor.

What an easy job here in San Jose. Pray, connect with a missions-oriented church, and there is a pattern to be repeated again and again. There are over 100 Korean churches in San Jose. The tutoring program has had visitors from some of them and other visitors sent by me. We are now encouraging another tutoring program to open.

God is at work in California’s third largest city. Thanks for your continued help and support as we serve those who have no helper and who struggle without hope of change except we be Christ’s hands and feet.

Sincerely,
Joyce Dueker
Founder of Project Lost Sheep

Winter 2013

Dear Friends,

We are encouraged to be faithful in seeding. If we do not seed, we will not reap. This is an ongoing principle and so we soldier on in our work for children in California and elsewhere.

Milestone #1
Redwood City, California
This summer marked our 9th Touchdown Camp. This is a day camp that appeals to unchurched children but plants the Word of God effectively, too. For the first time no flyers went out as this program and Verbo Church is so well known in the community.

We had over 175 children in camp with teen volunteers from Verbo, 50% of them former campers. The camp model is one that can be duplicated in any community where people want to make a difference to keep kids out of gangs and bring them into the church.

Milestone #2
We initiated, as part of our strong educational emphasis, a "LEG UP SCHOLARSHIP FUND". So that one camper per year will have funds to go to junior college. At this writing our first fund: THE DANIEL FUND is one quarter funded. We will start fund #2 soon. Education makes a difference for the future of these children and their families. A former teacher, over 100 years old, sent in a check because she knew how important this "help" was for these children. "I am happy to support the Daniel Fund," she wrote.

Milestone #3
We initiated a Pick your Favorite City in America and pray for 40 day program. We encourage you to join this effort and let us know you are praying and for which city. Prayer is home base and we will not expand unless the prayer foundation is laid. To date these cities have been prayed for: Hollywood, Pasadena, West Covina, Chicago, two cities in Orange County, El Segundo, and more. This is an extremely important program. For more information contact: Elaine Biser: Ebiser7@earthlink.net.

We are expanding, and with expansion we have continued to look for cars to be donated to us through CARS 4 Causes. We also have a travel fund open and are looking for funds and donated miles.

All of this is because God doesn't want one of these little ones to perish. May you have a wonderful Christmas as you consider the babe in the manger who gave up everything to come down and save each one of us.

Sincerely,
Joyce Dueker
Founder of Project Lost Sheep