What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word "Rwanda"? Genocide, right? But Rwanda has come a long way since the masssace of 800,000 in 1994. It is now considered a model for developing countries having achieved stability, economic growth and international integration (source: Wikipedia). But there are still scars....

Our 2010 GAP team will be in Rwanda July 13  - August 3, living at the YWAM base in Kigali. They will be using the arts to share the love of Jesus in orphanages and schools, working with orphans, widows, street kids and prostitutes and completing various work projects. Follow their journey on their blog.

... what's your part? Your influence for Christ can be global with Venture Teams International and the Friends & Followers program. It's a nine month program starting September 7 for ages 18 and up and includes 4 months of missions overseas. We will train you in ministry and performing arts before you go. This program is eligible for up to three semesters of academic transfer credits or internships with partnering Bible colleges. It's more than stage performance... it's about personal growth, building relationships and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus in a unique way. For more information, click on Teams, Friends & Followers. Click here for an application form (deadline is July 31).

39 team members have just returned from 12 days of ministry in Costa Rica. One team of 28 was from Heritage Christian Academy, Calgary. This is the 11th year we have taken an HCA team overseas. Mark Sorell reports: "It has been an honor and privilege to work with them. The theme of the trip was Impact with a cross over a heart. We saw God impact lives in a number of ways. It was impacting to see about 40 people make decisions to follow the Lord." To see video check out this link.
The second team was made up of 11 from Cornerstone Christian Academy, Kingman, AB. They were based out of Fortuna (Guanacaste) and Campamento Roblealto. They did physical labour and presented the gospel using the spoken word and the arts. This was the second time we have trained and helped to lead a team from CCA. Mark says, "It was a pleasure and a privilege to work with them. They had some amazing opportunities and we will hear some stories from them shortly."

We have a new issue of Pathways available! After a hiatus of two years, we are pleased to start publishing our Pathways newsletter again in a two-page format. With this shorter format, we will be able to publish it more often (four to five times a year) to help keep you better informed. Our Pathways newsletter contains news about our teams, staff and alumni, upcoming events, etc.

In this issue, read about our Friends & Followers' ministry in India, an update on our well, Jill Hagen's new CD, and our GAP team ministry last summer. Photo: Cayla Schlamp in front of 2,700 students at a high school in Mumbai.

To subscribe to Pathways (or unsubscribe) click on the Publications link to the left, or click here: Pathways Subscription.