Time Flies - 2009

My it has been ages since I updated this! Almost forgot how!

Lots have happened since my last blog and God is still in control! The trips to Africa fell through, but we did hold the concert to raise funds for the Malawi orphanage and sent the funds to them.

I did get to go to Kosovo and serve as a camp counselor to a group of 9 year old kids in the summer of 2008. What a treat! They were adorable and we had lots of fun. Especially, with the skits. We did a daily running skit about trying to get to the Olympics. I got to be the villian...hee hee hee..... They wanted me to come back this year (2009) but my daughter got married the same week and I couldn't miss out on walking her down the aisle!!!

My son is getting married this weekend and I was honored by being asked to be his best man! This seems to be the year for marriages as I am getting married TOO! In December, to a lovely lady named Cheryl. She is a school teacher. She taught at a Christian school for many years and is now helping at risk 4 year olds.

I am amazed at how much we tend to judge other people. I didn't really notice it until it happened to me. I guess that is how most of us notice it. We spend our lives in our cars, homes and churches looking at others as outsiders. I don't really think that is what Jesus had in mind for us. I have traveled around the world and been in church services in many different denominations. Many are similar with just the trappings that MAN adds on to differentiate them apart in many instances. Don't get me wrong. I don't believe that we should be one big ecumenical block, but I DO believe that God's church is made up of many people of many different faiths (or religous names) with the requirement of believing the Bible and trusting in Jesus. I see our attitudes moving closer to those of the pharasees than what Jesus taught us. How sad. What defines a Christian to you? Being born in America? Being a Catholic, or a Baptist, or a Methodist... maybe because our parents were? I don't think so. I have found more faithful Christians in the mud huts of Haiti than some of our fellow "Christians" here. I had one 'pastor' from a very large church tell me ...."We don't support other churches or their programs and they don't support ours..." That is a lie that satan would love to use to separate us from fellowshipping together. Here is a clue.... IT IS NOT YOUR CHURCH! It is GOD's Church! We are just caretakers of the things here on earth and we will have to ANSWER for our actions some day.

I remember the Bible story of Jesus talking to the prostitute at the well and how the apostles were shocked that He would do such a thing. Basically, Jesus told them that he came to save the sinners not the saved....

I have been trying to get full time engineering work since i lost my home in 2007. That has not worked. I have found a few odd jobs but nothing substantial. I used to be active in the church dramas and even as far back as high school. So, I signed up with a talent agency and have been honored to be in about 6 movies and 1 play so far this year. When I go, I try to talk to those around me and with the hard, discouraging times we are in, I try to use the "Never Give Up" bookmarks as an encouragement and a conversation starter. When I went to NYC with the church group, we used them on the subway and handed them out to "Meals on Wheels" customers when we delivered their food. My mom had Alzheimer's disease for about 15 years and I know how elderly people have a hard time remembering things. My thoughts were the food would soon be gone, but every time they found the bookmark with the funky tree, they would remember that someone cared about them... especially Jesus!

So when I go to the sets of the movies, I hand them out. When I go to the grocery store and see someone who seems like they could use a lift, I hand them out. Sometimes it comes to mind when I am not even thinking along those lines and usually it just what they needed at that minute. I have been criticized for doing it, but that is my gift to them. I have received many stories of how it helped them out. Some write to me later, some I never hear from again. I hand them out... it is God's job to use the words to touch their hearts.

Well, the planning for my upcoming wedding in December is coming along nicely. I even have a job as an extra in the movie RED DAWN next week. Who knows what opportunities will fall in my lap then. Those who would condem me for being in movies, go re-read the story about Jesus at the well.

Pray for those who are hurting, sick, without jobs, and with cancer, or illnesses. God tells us to pray for one another. If you have read the poem and it has touched you, write to me and tell me about it... Sometimes it helps to just put it in words.

Love, Steve

Poem: www.stevenlefever.com

Email: stevenlefever@stevenlefever.com

2008 Adventures

For those of you following my adventures, this year promises to be a GREAT ONE! I am planning to leave for Durban, South Africa the first of April to help African Christian Ministries and a medical missions trip that is scheduled to go there in April. You can read about this mission and their work on their web site: www.africachristian.org This trip, I will be working on helping to build a housing unit for the volunteers who go there to assist the mission. This will be a much needed 24 bed (12 bunk), two bathroom unit on the compound. I will then return for the wedding of some friends of mine here in June. The end of June, I will possibly be joining my missionary cousins and a team to Kosovo for a few weeks. I have also been invited to visit/assist a 380 acre dairy farm mission in New Hampshire called HIS MANSION in my spare time. www.hismansion.com They house and assist unwed mothers and recovering addicts between the ages of 18 and 35 who live there and work the farm for a year, while they are getting back on their feet. This too is a wonderful ministry! And that is only the FIRST HALF of the year!!! There are so many good projects around the world! Where shall I go next? Stay tuned for updates and the next chapter! - Steve

"Mission Mania #1" A Success

The very first "Mission Mania" concert was a success! The devil tried stopping it right up until the end, but everything went smoothly and we raised almost $700 for the Orphanage Outreach work in Malawi. The funds were pooled with other funds for the orphange and sent to them. Thanks to all who contributed and especially to Troy Christian Chapel and to all the performers that volunteered their time and talents to make this a success!

My work trip to the orphanage fell through, but I am scheduled to help take some High School kids from TCC to West Virginia in July to help with those in need there, and I am looking into another trip to South Africa to help with a medical mission there. This is an exciting time for me as I am finally able to do what I like best.... helping missions! If you would like to join me, either with prayers, funds, or to go on some of the trips, please contact me at stevenlefever@stevenlefever.com, or send your contributions to:

Troy Christian Chapel
400 E. Long Lake Rd.
Troy, MI 48085

Note: Missions/Africa

Until next time.... don't forget Romans 8:28! '... for we know that ALL things (not just the good things) work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose."

Mission Mania #1

Our fund raising concert called "Mission Mania" is tomorrow evening (1/25/2008) at 7:30pm at Troy Christian Chapel, 400 E. Long Lake Rd., Troy, Michigan 48085. We now have performers from over 7 different churches performing.

Hopefully this will be the first of many such "Mission Mania" benefit concerts to support various mission projects around the world. This one is supporting the KINDLE Orphan Outreach in Malawi, Africa. My involvement (& my friend Cindy's) on the actual work team to Africa fell through, but we are hosting the fund raising concert for the kids anyway. We are ALL members of ONE World-Wide Christian Church. Local group names and agendas should not stop God's work in any way.

"We are ALL missionaries and our "Church" is not defined by the walls of our buildings, or the locations of our homes. The little child praying before she goes to bed in Malawi, Africa is every bit as much a part of our "church family" as the person setting next to you in the pew on Sunday morning." ~ Steve LeFever (1/24/2008)

I will update this site after the concert and let you know how it went. We are hoping to have a huge turnout for the kids and will be having a bake sale and some inspirational items for sale after the concert to help support missions as well.

Keep Smiling.... and remember Romans 8:28...".... For we know that ALL things work together for good, to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose."
~ Steve

KINDLE Orphan Outreach Fund Raiser

This is proving to be an Exciting New Year! We are in the process of setting up a fund raising concert for the trip to the KINDLE Orphan Outreach work in Malawi, Africa in February 2008!!! Our concert is being set up with volunteers from at least 4 different churches; Troy Christian Chapel, Orchard Ridge Church of the Nazarene, Woodside Bible Church, and Kensington Church.

It will be held at the Troy Christian Chapel, 400 East Long Lake Road, Troy, MI 48085 on Friday, January 25, 2008 at 7:30pm. Doors open at 7pm. There will be music, singing and other items to purchase to support the trip, such as bookmarks, framed photos, music CD's, and even a bake sale.

The KINDLE Orphan Outreach trip is sponsored by Extreme Response International and is currently assisting 700 orphans in the small country of Malawi, Africa. This is a different kind of orphan work. It is managed by assisting families in surrounding villages in taking in the children with no families. AIDS is a big cause of the explosion in the orphan population and not only are the children helped with food, clothing and education, but with health care as well. This approach is beneficial both in providing an actual family environment for the children, but it is ultimately African people helping African people at its best.

Our trip is beginning the middle of February and the main team will be there for two weeks. I will be staying on and will be there just over 3 months, helping with the installation of the electrical wiring, carpentry, and just like any other mission trip, whatever else comes along. Hopefully, my first aid training in the U.S. Navy will also come in handy.

Enjoy the New Year and come and join us for the concert if you are able! Those who are not able to attend may send donations directly to Extreme Response International to benefit this trip:

Extreme Response International
P. O. Box 345
Snellville, GA 30078-0345

Just put in the memo line it is for account: # MAL0801 - Steve LeFever

You can also visit my web site and view and purchase the bookmarks and framed photos there:

www.stevenlefever.com


May GOD BLESS all those who support His work! Hope to see you there! Have a GREAT YEAR!!! - Steve

New Church in New York City

Hey All,
I just got back from an urban plunge into New York City with Kensington church. We were there for 3 days looking into our involvement into starting a new church there. I found the people to be extremely friendly and helpful. We got to pass out about 100 Meals-On-Wheels to shut-in people and we were able to give them some of the 'Never Give Up' bookmarks. One of our team reported later..."You would have thought that we had given them $100 when they got the bookmark." It was true. The ones I handed one to, seemed to light up once we started to talk to them, whether it was a shut-in waiting for a meal, or just someone going home on the subway after work. We had hoped that the bookmarks would give them something that lasted longer than a meal, or a kind word, to remind them that other people care about them too!

I am still undecided about what God wants me to do next. With so many things to do around the World, it is hard to decide. My next project is to finish the ceramic tile job I am doing here now and the electrical repairs that I have on my list and get ready for my 3 month trip to Malawi, Africa in February. My Canon camera died on the trip to NYC and I cannot go to AFRICA without a camera, so I must decide whether to fix the old 4 MP camera that took the Never Give Up photo, or look into getting a new one. They are so expensive and I only have $500 of the $4,000 needed so far for Africa. God knows what we need before we do and I am sure HE will provide.

I have contacted Extreme Response and told them that I would be interested in knowing what other calls they get for help from around the world. It seems unreasonably slow to respond to disasters like Katrina and the Sunami in Indonesia, weeks, or months after the disasters. There must be a way to start helping right a way and I would like to be part of a team that could do that. One question keeps haunting me about Katrina... We knew it was coming long before it arrived. We knew what kinds of damage these hurricanes can produce. Why didn't we have 18 wheelers loaded with plywood, food, water, and blankets, etc. ready to go the day after the storm passed instead of weeks or months later? DUH?!? Do you think we might be hit with another hurricane in the near future? Are we any more prepared now than we were then? It doesn't seem like it, but then they don't actually consult me on those matters either. It just seems we could do a better job. When disaster hits...people need food, water, shelter... NOW, Today, not in a couple weeks when we can get the paperwork done! What if that had been you, or me down there in the middle of that mess? What would we have wanted someone to do?

It has been suggested that I start a foundation for people that are ready to give up. I have no clue as to how to go about this, or if it is the right thing to do at this time. Maybe just supporting a foundation that already exists is the way to go, but so many people fall through the cracks.

Just some thoughts... what do you think? ~Steve

Charitable Adventures

Hey friends,
Welcome to my new blog site! Hopefully I can keep this updated with my adventures. I just got back from doing some mission repair work in Bala Cynwyd, PA. for CrossWorld and am trying to get caught up on my jobs here at home. I am 'retired' and am now working more than ever!

I have always had a love for missions and have been on trips around the World for the last 25 years (16 countries, 4 continents), but have been limited to vacation times and the dictates of others. We have built schools, churches, camps, radio stations, clinics, housing and helped with numerous repairs. My current situation leaves me open and available to full my dreams of helping others. I have been contacted and have several projects in the works.

Projects Completed:

May 2007: Electrical repairs for a Doctor and his wife, an Eye Hospital, and the Samaritan's Purse HQ, and several homes in Central Asia.
(Cost: $3,000, Received: approx $2,800)

September 2007: Electrical repairs, remodeling at CrossWorld in Pennsylvania
(Cost: $401 Received: $401)



Projects Upcoming:

October 2007: Sponsored by Kensington Community. New York City trip to work with homeless and Kensington Church to look into the options of starting a new facility in Manhattan. (Approx. Cost: $600 Received: $ 0.0)

To participate in this project and get a tax deductible receipt include your
Name, Address, Phone #, Email, and a note indicating the funds for support of Steve LeFever. Make checks out to KCC and put NYC Missions in the memo field and mail to:

Craig Mayes- NYC Project
Kensington Community Church
1825 E. Square Lake Road
Troy, MI 48085

Memo: NYC Missions




February 2008: Sponsored by Extreme Response. 3 Month trip to Malawi, Africa to work on the KINDLE Orphan Outreach Facilities there. There are over a million homeless children in Malawi with no one to look after them.
(Approx. Cost $ 4,000 Received: $300)
A few more workers are needed for the first two weeks of this trip.

To participate financially in this project and get a tax deductible receipt, include your
Name, Address, Phone #, & Email.
Make checks out to Extreme Response International and put Steve LeFever #511 in the memo field and mail to:

Extreme Response International
P.O. Box 345
Snellville, GA 30078

Memo: Steve LeFever #511

I have the time and the talents to make these trips, but do not have the funds to continue to do this on my own without your help. We rely on your faithful contributions to keep this work going.

My photo and poem "Never Give Up" has made it half way around the World, is in hospitals, nursing homes, Doctor and Dentist offices, work places, a museum office, funeral homes and numerous other homes and locations from Africa to Australia and England to China. It has been published in one book and is soon to be the cover of another book and I have two more photos that will be published soon. I am selling some of my Photographs and bookmarks online to help fund these charitable projects and hope to add to the selection very soon.

see... www.stevenlefever.com

If you would like to help become a vital part of this work you may purchase these items online with Paypal, send your contributions to the addresses listed above, or contact me for directions for sending in funds directly to the organizations for a tax deductible receipt. I will also sell these items at wholesale for bulk orders for wholesale distributors and at reduced prices for mission organizations. Please contact me for details.

You can contact me at: stevenlefever@stevenlefever.com

Thank you for visiting my site!!! Check back from time to time to see new items that I will be adding to my selection. As always, your prayers are worth more than Gold! Thank you for your support of these worthy adventures.

Love in Christ, Steve



Extreme Response International operates around the Globe helping out with emergency assistance including the Tsunami victims in Indonesia, Katrina Victims in the southern USA, and orphanages in Quito, Ecuador, South Africa and the orphan program in Malawi, Africa. They get requests all the time from around the world. Your financial and prayer support will allow us to do even more. You can visit their web site at:

www.extremeresponse.org

CrossWorld International supports medical, teaching and mission projects around the World. Much is needed to help support these projects. You can visit their web site at

www.crossworld.org