4/29/2024 FriendSpeak Week of April 29th – Have a great Summer Break!
Dear FriendSpeak worker,
Picnic:
We are blessed to have over 150+ people attended our FriendSpeak Picnic at Grace this past weekend. We had a good time of fellowship with everyone and got to sample mouthwatering BBQ and many international cuisines! Susan Verzani did a remarkable job emceeing for the event. Special thanks to Mike Farr, Sandy Baldwin, DJ, and their amazing team of volunteers who did an impressive work decorating the place up for the event and making all our guests felt so welcome and loved. We enjoyed amazing performance by Ben/Maria Chai and Sarah’s ESL class! Another highlight of the event was to hear from the following workers and readers who did an outstanding job sharing about their FriendSpeak experience:
- Ronda Parker, our FriendSpeak worker
- Linda George, our FriendSpeak worker
- Susan Williams, our FriendSpeak worker
- Liang Yu (Joann Hopkins’ reader) from Taiwan
- Lorena Tapias (Susan William’s reader) from Colombia
- Akiko Matsukawa (Susan Verzani’s reader) from Japan
Video & Photos:
Photos of the Picnic: https://friendspeak.net/fs-picnic2024/
FriendSpeak Fall semester begins September 2nd:
Last week marks the end of our of Spring semester for FriendSpeak. However, I know some of you started late in the Spring and you are welcome to continue your session with your readers. A few of you also informed me of your plan to continue meeting with your readers through the summer which is a great idea. For everyone else who will be taking a summer break, we will see you back in the Fall semester which begins September 2nd.
Thank you for your servant’s heart!
Have a blessed week and a great summer break!
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4/22/2024 FriendSpeak Picnic Celebration this Saturday April 27th
Dear FriendSpeak worker,
This week marks the final week of our FriendSpeak Spring semester. Thank you for loving our international friends well. As Pastor Jim encourages us to “RestoreTheTable” through meals with our friends and family, we hope to see many of you at the FriendSpeak Picnic Celebration this Saturday as we “RestoreTheTable” with the nations.
FriendSpeak Picnic
Date/Time: Saturday, April 27, 2024, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Place: Grace Fellowship Campus Porch, 2655 South Mason Rd., Katy 77450
Registration Link: https://friendspeak.net/picnic2024/
Have a blessed week!
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4/15/2024 FriendSpeak Week of April 15th
Dear FriendSpeak worker,
Praying Psalm 23 over you that the Lord will refresh your soul as you meet with your reader this week. We are only a couple of weeks away before the end of our Spring semester and our FriendSpeak Picnic Celebration. Please bring your family and friends to come enjoy mouthwatering BBQ and food from different countries, live music, fun art/craft/inflatables for children, and heartwarming testimonies from FriendSpeak readers and teachers. Please RSVP so we can get a head count and plan according. Please spread the word.
FriendSpeak Picnic
Date/Time: Saturday, April 27, 2024, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Place: Grace Fellowship Campus Porch, 2655 South Mason Rd., Katy 77450
Registration Link: https://friendspeak.net/picnic2024/
Have a blessed week!
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4/8/2024 FriendSpeak Week of April 8th
Dear FriendSpeak worker,
Praying for the Lord to refresh and renew you as you bless your reader this week. We are excited as things are coming together for our FriendSpeak picnic celebration. Here are a few highlights for the event:
- Mouthwatering BBQ and international food
- Inspiring sharing from our FriendSpeak volunteers and readers
- Song presentation by our ESL class
- Inflatable/arts/craft fun for the children
Please help us spread the word.
FriendSpeak Picnic
Date/Time: Saturday, April 27, 2024, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Place: Grace Fellowship Campus Porch, 2655 South Mason Rd., Katy 77450
Registration Link: https://friendspeak.net/picnic2024/
Have a blessed week!
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4/1/2024 FriendSpeak Week of April 1st
Dear FriendSpeak worker,
Hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend. It was an amazing sight to see quite a few FriendSpeak readers singing and worshipping in the choir at the Easter services. It allowed me a little glimpse of the nations coming together to worship King Jesus at the throne in Revelation 7:9-10.
May the Lord bless your time with your reader and continue to use you to draw nations to Himself. Please invite your readers and your friends to come celebrate with us with food/fun/fellowship at our FriendSpeak Picnic:
FriendSpeak Picnic
You are invited to our FRIENDSPEAK PICNIC. Please help us spread the word.
Date/Time: Saturday, April 27, 2024, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Place: Grace Fellowship Campus Porch, 2655 South Mason Rd., Katy 77450
Registration Link: https://friendspeak.net/picnic2024/
Have a blessed week!
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3/25/2024 FriendSpeak Week of March 25th
Dear FriendSpeak worker,
Hope you had a wonderful Palm Sunday. Entering Passion week, my heart is filled with gratitude of how our Lord Jesus pursues us with His everlasting love all the way to Calvary and gives us the eternal hope we found in His resurrection. May the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ fill your heart with hope and purpose as you spend time with your FriendSpeak reader this week.
Easter Service
We would love for you to invite your readers to come join us (online or in person) for Easter Service:
Grace Fellowship Easter Service:
- Saturday, March 30th@5pm
- Sunday, March 31th@9am or 11am.
For more info: https://www.whatisgrace.org/easter
FriendSpeak Picnic
You are invited to our FRIENDSPEAK PICNIC. Please help us spread the word.
Date/Time: Saturday, April 27, 2024, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Place: Grace Fellowship Campus Porch, 2655 South Mason Rd., Katy 77450
Registration Link: https://friendspeak.net/picnic2024/
Have a blessed week!
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3/18/2024 FriendSpeak Week of March 18th
Dear FriendSpeak worker,
Hope you had a wonderful Spring Break. Praying that God will renew and refresh you as we begin a new week and that you will be a blessing to others by loving others well out of His overflow.
Easter Service
We would love for you to invite your readers to come join us (online or in person) for Easter Service:
Grace Fellowship Easter Service:
- Saturday, March 30th@5pm
- Sunday, March 31th@9am or 11am.
For more info: https://www.whatisgrace.org/easter
FriendSpeak Picnic
You are invited to our FRIENDSPEAK PICNIC. Please help us spread the word.
Date/Time: Saturday, April 27, 2024, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Place: Grace Fellowship Campus Porch, 2655 South Mason Rd., Katy 77450
Registration Link: https://friendspeak.net/picnic2024/
Have a blessed week!
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3/11/2024 FriendSpeak Week of March 11th – Happy Spring Break!
Dear FriendSpeak workers,
Praying that God will renew and refresh you as we enjoy Spring Break this week. Would like to share with you about one of our recent FriendSpeak family baptisms. When Jing Yan and her husband Louis came from China to the US, their family experienced a lot of difficulties as they tried to adjust to their new lives here. They started coming to Grace and signed up for FriendSpeak to better their English and got paired up with Marta and Gregg Bergersen.
Marta and Gregg’s friendship with Jing Yan and Louis led them to start reading God’s words, attending Sunday worship and Alpha, and learning more about Jesus. Their son Felix also began attending Grace Children’s Sunday School. Every night, Felix would ask his mom to pray with him before bed. One night, Felix revealed that he believes in Jesus and hopes that his parents will too, so they can be together with him in heaven with Jesus.
A few weeks later, Jing Yan, Louis, and Felix publicly declared their faith through baptisms on March 3rd at Grace Fellowship Church! It was such a beautiful sight to witness Gregg and Marta Bergersen in the pool baptizing them alongside Pastor Tyler. Praise God for the wonderful works He is doing in FriendSpeak in bringing home Jing Yan (Marta Bergersen’s reader), Louis (Gregg Bergersen’s reader), and their son Felix into the family of God and changing these lives for eternity.
❤️Welcome home Jing Yan, Louis and Felix!❤️
Have a blessed week and Happy Spring Break!
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3/4/2024 FriendSpeak Week of March 4th (FriendSpeak Picnic on April 27th)
Dear FriendSpeak workers,
What a blessing to witness 53 people gave their lives to Christ and publicly declared their faith through baptisms this past Sunday at Grace Fellowship Church!
Praising God for the wonderful works He is doing in FriendSpeak in bringing home Emily Liu (Hillary Kaessner’s reader), Jing Yan (Marta Bergersen’s reader), Louis (Gregg Bergersen’s reader), their son Felix, and Hui Ling (our ESL student Wendy’s mom) into the family of God and changing these lives for eternity.
❤️Welcome home Emily, Jing Yan, Louis, Felix, and Hui Ling!❤️
May God continue to draw nations to Himself through the good work each one of you are doing that is impacting your readers for eternity. May God bless the fruit of your labor.
You are invited to our FRIENDSPEAK PICNIC. Please help us spread the word.
Date/Time: Saturday, April 27, 2024, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Place: Grace Fellowship Campus Porch, 2655 South Mason Rd., Katy 77450
Registration Link: https://friendspeak.net/picnic2024/
Have a blessed week!
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2/26/2024 FriendSpeak Week of Feb 26th
Dear FriendSpeak workers,
Thank you for your encouragements as quite a few of you have reached out after seeing our video during service this past Sunday. We are so blessed to have each of you play a special part in advancing God’s kingdom through FriendSpeak ministry at Grace. Thank you for your love and support as God continues to bless the labor of your hands and we will be celebrating baptisms for several of our FriendSpeak readers this coming Sunday. We invite you to stay back after service (around 12:30pm) to witness these FriendSpeak baptisms. May the Lord continue to bless your time with your readers.
Have a blessed week!
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2/19/2024 FriendSpeak Week of Feb 19th
Dear FriendSpeak workers,
Praying that God will prepare the hearts of our readers to receive the love each one of you are going to pour into them. May God bless you and grant you overwhelming joy and love as you share God’s Word with your readers this week.
Here is a list of tips and techniques used by our volunteers to help their readers. Feel free to try them with your readers:
• Bring a map to help readers know where the places are.
• Bring a note pad to draw pictures for illustration.
• Use a digital tablet to show photos to help reader understand the difficult words.
• Bring photos to support the lesson, ex. a worker brought photo of her pregnancy to explain the word “pregnant” and a multi generation photo of her great grandmother and her child to explain the word “ancestor”.
• Use gestures, body language, and facial expressions to enhance understanding.
• Be intentional to speak very slowly.
• Ask open ended questions to get the reader to talk more for if we talk 50% of the time, we may be talking too much.
• Encourage your reader with affirming nod as your reader speaks to convey understanding or approval.
• Building relationships is our primary objective. Completing the lesson is secondary.
• Be flexible – if you’re not able to complete a lesson, pick up where you left off the next session.
• Don’t be stressed out and try to explain everything. Just be their friend and let God’s Word be the teacher.
• Invite your readers to go out for lunch and other activities to build relationship.
• Have fun and it’s alright to laugh out loud and act silly because that’s what friends do.
• Praying for your readers, for only the Lord can draw them to Himself.
I know this may be a long list but my top 2 are: Talk SLOWLY and Pray for them 🙂
For more tips, visit our website link:
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2/12/2024 FriendSpeak Week of Feb 12th (Happy Lunar New Year)
Dear FriendSpeak workers,
Wishing everyone a very blessed Lunar New Year as many Chinese/Korean/Vietnamese around the world are celebrating the Lunar New Year this week. Praying for each one of you to be filled with the joy of the Lord this week as you meet with your readers.
If you have any story with your FriendSpeak reader that has encouraged you, would email to me so I can share it in our weekly FriendSpeak email. Thank you Susan for sharing with us her story and I pray that you will be blessed by it:
Susan Kennedy (FriendSpeak worker):
I had lesson #2 (Luke 1) with Lorena at Whataburger this morning.
As we were winding up I casually asked if she used to attend church in her home country. She looked at me & said, “No one has ever explained the Bible to me before. I have learned so much. Thank you for spending time with me .” (Mind you, this is after only 2 lessons!! And I’m not really teaching because FS training reminds us that The Word is the teacher)
Then Lorena added (!): “The last 2 days at work have been very stressful for me” (she drives a school bus for Klein ISD) “and these lessons have brought me peace”. WOW!!
I was stunned. God is already working in her life. We parted ways and she left with a huge smile on her face.
Susan
Have a blessed week.
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2/5/24 FriendSpeak Week of February 5th
Dear FriendSpeak workers,
Praying over you and your readers today! Below is a link of an interesting clip that reinforces some of the important concept of FriendSpeak as we focus on letting the Word be the teacher and us being the illustration and their friends.
Thank you for being the ambassadors for Christ and loving your international readers well.
Have a blessed week.
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1/29/24 Welcome back to FriendSpeak Spring Semester 2024
Dear FriendSpeak workers,
Praying over each one of you and our readers today as we begin our Spring semester this week.
You may find our FriendSpeak resources at: https://friendspeak.net/help
Below are some of the resources highlights that you may find useful:
- FriendSpeak FAQs and Tips
- Sample Questions and Seed Thoughts for Luke Workbook
- FriendSpeak Calendar
- FriendSpeak Weekly Updates
Calendar for Spring Semester 2024
Below is the Spring 2024 calendar and it is for your reference only. Please feel free to modify it to fit your schedule.
- Week of Jan 29th Session#1
- Week of Feb 5th Session#2
- Week of Feb 12th Session#3
- Week of Feb 19th Session#4
- Week of Feb 26th Session#5
- Week of Mar 4th Session#6
- Week of Mar 11th Spring Break
- Week of Mar 18th Session#7
- Week of Mar 25th Session#8
- Week of April 1st Session#9
- Week of April 8th Session#10
- Week of April 15th Session#11
- Week of April 22th Session#12
- FriendSpeak Summer Break
- FriendSpeak Fall Semester will resume on the week of September 2nd, 2024
Have a blessed week!
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1/22/2024 – FriendSpeak Spring Semester 2024 will begin next week
Dear FriendSpeak workers,
Hope you had an amazing winter break and ready to resume FriendSpeak again with your readers. Please inform your reader that FriendSpeak Spring semester will begin next week.
Calendar for Spring Semester 2024
Below is the Spring 2024 calendar and it is for your reference only. Please feel free to modify it to fit your schedule.
- Week of Jan 29th Session#1
- Week of Feb 5th Session#2
- Week of Feb 12th Session#3
- Week of Feb 19th Session#4
- Week of Feb 26th Session#5
- Week of Mar 4th Session#6
- Week of Mar 11th Spring Break
- Week of Mar 18th Session#7
- Week of Mar 25th Session#8
- Week of April 1st Session#9
- Week of April 8th Session#10
- Week of April 15th Session#11
- Week of April 22th Session#12
- FriendSpeak Summer Break
- FriendSpeak Fall Semester will resume on the week of September 2nd, 2024
Completing the FriendSpeak workbook?
If you are close to completing your FriendSpeak workbook with your reader, please contact us and we will arrange for you to pick up the next workbook.
FriendSpeak Volunteers Needed
Please help us to recruit your friends to serve in FriendSpeak as we have many readers on our waiting list. Feel free to forward our volunteer registration link:
Thank you for your servant heart!
Have a blessed week!