Summer 2020

Dear Friends,

We proudly celebrate Jocelyn’s Graduation. She has done an amazing job with dedication to her studies and her well deserved degree!

Message of Thanks
Becoming a student at San Jose State University has been one of my greatest accomplishments. I strived for academic excellence and achieved this each semester, making it onto the Dean’s Scholars List.

I have faced several obstacles during my time at SJSU seeing as I had to leave my job in order to be a full-time student. Project Lost Sheep so generously decided to make me the candidate for the scholarship in 2018 when I first transferred. Their financial assistance and moral support have relieved me of much stress. Their continued financial support in my second year was unexpected but so appreciated.

Our graduate, Jocelyn Pantoja

I volunteered at Verbo church as a Sunday school teacher for many years. Working with children became my passion, and it pushed me to dive into The Word of God more deeply because the children asked a lot of questions. Volunteering for Touchdown Camp was a different experience as I was working with many children who did not know The Lord. Answering questions and seeing these children learn about The Lord was an indescribable experience.

What encouraged me to pursue my studies was really about leading from example. In my church, with my family, and with my friends. If I could do it, so can they. I can encourage those around me and tell from experience that it is possible.

I have had the opportunity to experience Touchdown Camp both as a camper and as a volunteer. I had the honor of being a guest speaker at Touchdown Camp, the summer of 2018, where I shared my experience in transferring with the campers. I encouraged the campers to believe in themselves, not to be afraid to ask for help, and to pursue their education with diligence.It is a huge honor to have been the recipient of the Project Lost Sheep scholarship. I feel extremely blessed not only to have received the financial support but to also be encouraged by the board members.

San Jose State University, CA

I am excited to say I have graduated from San Jose State University with a BA in Child and Adolescent Development with a focus on Early Childhood Education. An accomplishment that at one point seemed impossible but with the help and support from the community that surrounds me, was possible.

Sincerely,
 Jocelyn Pantoja

Spring 2020

Left to Right: Jocelyn Pantoja, Susan Stevick, Patty Cardona, and
Pastor Orlando Cardona, at Verbo Church, Redwood City, CA

Jocelyn Pantoja’s Appreciation

It is a huge honor to be the recipient of the Project Lost Sheep scholarship. I feel extremely blessed to not only receive this financial support but to also be encouraged by the board members. I started as a camper for Touchdown and later became a camp counselor. I have since then been able to go back and be a guest speaker to encourage the campers to pursue academic excellence and motivate them to believe they are more than capable of achieving their dreams as I am currently doing.

I am excited to be graduating from San Jose State University this coming May 2020. An accomplishment that at one point seemed impossible but with the help and support from the community that surrounds me, is possible. To God be the glory!

Winter 2019

Dear Friends,

What is anticipation? It involves looking forward to something, such as a person, a present, an event or a season. We anticipate the holidays. We anticipate people visiting and spending special celebrations at home and church.

Anticipation has an element of emotion. We may feel choked up because we finally get to see someone we have missed. Or, we may feel anxious at family gatherings.

Every year we anticipate communications from people via email, cards etc. We anticipate seeing new faces of babies and saying goodbye to older people.

As I look ahead to the future for Project Lost Sheep, I am anticipating new camps and new tutoring programs. However, beyond that, the people that God will tap, as He did the founding group, to sign up to help children.

Here in Idaho, we are working to form a core group and to see the change that God wants. There are gangs and drugs here. Poverty is real in parts of Idaho. There is an urgent need for our free tuitoring and mentoring programs that bless the families and bring hope. We soon expect to have a strong church base which I have been anticipating for some time.

Anticipation always involves waiting. We wait in hope, for what we do not yet see, because God always come through. It is in the fullness of time that he sent his son, Jesus Christ, in the flesh so we could experience and depend not on our efforts or resources, but on his GREAT LOVE AND MERCY for us all.

Merry Christmas!

Sincerely,

Joyce Dueker

Founder of Project Lost Sheep

Autumn 2019

Dear Friends,

Behind the scenes of every camp, there is a lot of preparation of work. One of the major needs each year is finding the right people and filling all the necessary volunteer positions.

This year there was a major problem because most of the teenagers were working two or more jobs and Patty Cardona, director, needed full time teaching leaders plus a complete kitchen staff for preparing food for 125 campers plus 50 volunteers.

We flew in two full time leaders into Redwood City, California, from San Antonio, Texas. However, there was no staff for food service. So Patty asked a group of ladies outside the church who were getting help with food each week from a program run by Verbo.

Ladies in Orange T-Shirts helped in the preparation of the food.

“We really need help in the kitchen,” she told them, and they responded by saying they would come and help out at Camp.

The Ladies in Orange T-shirts took charge in the kitchen. As camp progressed, the ladies got to see and hear many good things. It is hard to miss good news when it is all around you for five days.

Thank the Lord for the good hearted Orange Ladies to help out in the kitchen for our kids.

Often, when we report on camp, it is about the children. This 15th Camp touched kids as well as adults. More families than ever came to the Sunday service and about 15 adults came to faith because of camp. Pastor Orlando Cardona gave a clear message to all the adults.

Ladies in Orange T-Shirts led in the games of the kids.

God is also at work in the kitchen at camp. “I became a Christian, so now I pray,” said one of the ladies in orange as she announced to the others!

Hallelujah! 
Praise our Heavenly Father!
Miracles do happen after all!

Sincerely,

Joyce Dueker

Founder of Project Lost Sheep

Summer 2019

Dear Supporters,
God is always doing works of grace. Sometimes they come, and we are surprised and delighted.
In response to parents’ request for more help for children, Patty Cardona, our president, has opened a new camp!

Academic Kids Camp in July
Academic Kids Camp ran for five weeks, from Monday to Thursday, 8 am to 12 noon, at the church.

Academic Kids Camp, Redwood City, CA

Under the experienced tutoring leaders, this camp sprang up as a model for future works of grace. Without help, children lose interest in school. None of these in the camp had access to people who can provide basic skills. That is why the parents went to Patty Cardona. Twenty children now have been helped to have a chance at success.

Touchdown Camp Coming in August
Summer is a busy time for Verbo Family Services with the 15th Touchdown Camp in August! 100 children again are expected, and I urge many of you in the area to come and see what it is about.
Dates: August 5th to 9th, 2019. Help is needed!

God never runs out of grace for blessing the children. Jesus said, “As you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto Me.” Thanks for rejoicing with us as we continue to be a part of His work. He is faithful always.

Sincerely,
Joyce Dueker
Founder of Project Lost Sheep

Spring 2019

Dear Friends,

Chicago Report
It was exciting to be in Chicago for a week in July, 2018. The board of Project Lost Sheep funded my attending a conference at Moody Bible Institute. This included Monday to Friday living in a dorm in the downtown area. The meetings were sponsored by CDCA, an established non-profit that works to promote inner city Christian work.

Attendees were from America and beyond, under 100 participants, but a small enough group in which to get acquainted and to plant seeds.

The first day, I walked across campus to a classroom where we had a full program of talks about community development. It was like being in college, but what a wonderful group of people - ministers and other leaders in one room together with the presence of the Lord felt.

The next day was the same with more lectures and getting to know others.

Wednesday, we got on a bus for a field trip across Chicago to their Chinatown for lunch and to visit a Christian church. After that, we went by bus to another area where a huge health center had been built in response to the felt needs of the community of Lawndale.

After that, the program changed for me. While walking on very uneven pavement, I fell and was bleeding so much that it was decided I should go via ambulance to ER at nearby Mt. Sinai Hospital. Being whisked away by ambulance was an unnerving experience.

I was hurting, but nothing compared to what I saw and heard while in ER for about 3 hours. A man robbed and beaten in his own home, a shooting victim, and cries all around. I kept waiting for x-rays and scan for my face which was bleeding profusely. During those hours, a sympathetic leader was with me. What a comfort to have a Christian there with me in my pain.

Thursday came with hurting, a closed black eye, painful wrist and knee, and a shaken feeling. Meals were brought to me. For many hours I was alone in the dorm room with ice packs and my thoughts, which were surprisingly unafraid. I knew that I had been called to Chicago with a mission of hope building. I had not expected this accident, but I did not feel that God had left me. The group was off on another tour, but I was dorm-ound.

At the end of the day, a leader came with a book of messages for me. I could hardly read them for the emotion that overcame me. Here are a few:

“I am so sorry to hear about your fall. I feel blessed to have been with you on the trip to Lawndale, and I value our friendship. I pray that you will have a speedy recovery and just know that we all love you.”

“Hey, Joyce! Everyone on the bus is thinking of your amazing spirit and caring that is with us as we move throughout the day. Praying for a quick recovery.”

“I am so grateful that you were the first person I met when I got here. I love hearing your heart for the kids you work with and know you have God’s heart, ears and eyes. I pray God heals you quickly so you can get back in the trenches with us! I love you.”

“Sweet Joyce, I have been praying for you. So thankful you have no broken bones.”

There were many more encouragements and notes. I can tell you that the Lord even woke up one of my Chicago intercessors to pray for me in the night. She had no idea what had happened. So, I rested and received all the prayers.

Friday, the last day of the conference, I was back with my black eye and bruised body to attend the final sessions. There was a line of people to greet me and rejoice that I was back in action.

So what was Chicago all about?

I was there where I was called to be, and God used me to influence others. But just as important, God showed me His love and care in difficult circumstances.

Friday night I went with hat and dark glasses to a dinner meeting with a pastor and team, not part of the conference, who were interested in camp. Not sure at this writing what will happen out of that, but I was sent to Chicago, and Chicago has permanent marks on not only my body, but also my heart.

The Lord showed me His goodness in a strong city. He let me feel the pain and hurt of Chicago and allowed some of my blood to be shed on the streets. I thank God for the many good Christians and works inside Chicago and grieve for the blood shed on the streets, the violence, the sickness in families, and the deep gulf between what is happening and what must happen to bring change from the roots up.

As it would happen, the day I left there was an organized prayer march in the Southside. My Uber driver, a Muslim, told me he had seen the religious people out marching. “The good people need to be visible.”, he said. “They need to inform on people selling drugs.” I thought, truth is truth, and my driver had underlined some of what had been said in the conference.

It is not enough to put a bandaid on a grievous wound or a bleeding city. We must care enough to get involved and be part of the healing process. Salt and light. We need to be salt and light.

Sincerely,
Joyce Dueker
Founder of Project Lost Sheep

Fall 2018

Dear Friends,
Summer was packed with travel as expected, culminating in spending a week at Touchdown Camp, held at Verbo Church in Redwood City.

Highlights from camp:
Strong Bible seeding in children using the Shipwrecked Series from VBS on the big screen with the theme JESUS RESCUES. Cynthia Cardona was lead teacher, and the average attendance was 110 children with 60 volunteers. 

On the last day, most children came forward to receive the Lord and were encouraged to share with their families. Sue Stevick, our chair for the college scholarship, was able to interview Jocelyn Pantaga, a former camper and active volunteer at camp. “She deserves this scholarship,” president Patty Cardona commented.

Jocelyn Pantaga, a former camper and active volunteer at camp, receives scholarship.

It was great for me to see a whole group of youth with the pastor and his wife from Rancho Cucamunga. They were enabled to come by a generous gift from a business man. And most of the group was there all week getting “on the job training” so they can start camp next year at Verbo Church, Rancho Cucamunga. Generous seed money, and your prayers, will make this camp happen. I am wishing all of you joy and peace as you receive this, and may we all continue to bless the children of America.

Sincerely,
Joyce Dueker
Founder of Project Lost Sheep