Three members of this year’s Harvest Summer Ministry Team were in studio this week to talk about their hopes and prayers for Camp and Cool School.
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Chris Harper: Welcome to Harvest Time. My name is Chris Harper, and our host on this program is Pastor Gary Walton, the lead pastor of Harvest Baptist Church. Every week, we spend these twenty five minutes together telling you the stories of our church, interviewing our members and other friends of the ministry. We’d like to invite you to join us at Harvest Baptist Church this week. Now we’re moving to one service this week, 10AM on Sunday.
It’s a 10AM service this Sunday. We have Japanese and Korean translation during that service. We’ll also be live streaming at that time at hbcGuam.org. hbcguam.org. This week, we’re in part 11 of our love is series from first Corinthians 13:8-13.
Let’s begin today’s harvest time by welcoming Pastor Gary Walton. Hi, Pastor.
Gary Walton: Hey, hafa adai, Chris. Yeah, we’re starting into the summer. That’s the change in schedule of services. So across the summer, have our college students are gone and a few have transitioned. We’re able to cram everybody into one service.
And so we’ll be launching that this Sunday. It’ll be for June and July. And then after that, we’ll have to move back to two services. But service starts at 10:00, which means those of you that have been used to coming in at 08:45, you get to sleep in a little bit. Those of you that are later, you’ll have to wake up.
And, we’ll have a few people that we’ll miss, but we’ll get it all together. And glad that you’re going to come. Actually, want to invite you to come and join us. Chris mentioned that we’re continuing on in our series. We’ve been working through one Corinthians 13, and at the end of the chapter, it connects us back to chapter 12 and chapter 14.
So last week we did some introduction in that section, did an overview of chapter 12, which has to do with spiritual gifts, and, we’re going to take that introduction and move it to the teaching specifically about tongues that comes up in chapter 14. But broader than that, we’re asking the question about the permanence of the miraculous gifts. And, so this Sunday, we’re gonna, move into chapter 14 and talk about what we think the Bible says specifically about that topic. So we’d love to have you come. We’re just studying the Bible.
That’s what we do here at Harvest, and it’s central to everything that’s about our church and our worship. And so we’d like to, if you’re interested in that, we’d love to invite you to come and join us. Well, this week also kicks off the beginning of our summer ministries, and there’s a lot of things happening at Harvest this summer. So, I’ve got with us in studio for harvest time today a couple of people. One voice you’ll know very well, and then three voices that will be new to you.
But Pastor Ken Keith, is here. Pastor Ken oversees our summer ministries along with a bunch of other stuff at Harvest. So, welcome back, Pastor Ken. Great to be here. And then right next to him, we have three of our summer team ministry members.
I think, Ken, there’s 19, I think, that came.
Ken Keith: There’s 20. We’ve got 20. Yep, 20.
Gary Walton: Tell us about that part first.
Ken Keith: Yeah, so we every summer long ago we decided we wanted to maximize our summers. As you know, we have the Bible College and the Academy, which take a lot of our resources with classrooms and staffing and use those through the school year. And then we would come to the summer and there was an opening in the summer and we really felt like this is a great time to do a couple things. One, reach our island, the students, who is a majority of who we’re trying to reach, high school, middle school, juniors, are free. They’re open.
They’ve got time and availability. And our campus was open and we just needed some staff. And so we thought, well, in hand with that, we can actually run a program where we can invest in future teachers, leaders, ministry minded students from colleges in the summer. I mean, had the dorms opened up. We have the the resources we need.
And so we started bringing out back in, really 2005 was the first time we went in an official full blown, let’s bring some of these college students out. And since then, we’ve been bringing out early on a smaller number, but in the last few years between eighteen and twenty students. And our goal is to, as a team, minister to the island, affect the island for Christ’s name. Our specific mission is helping every camper who comes across our any of our camps, our day camps, our sports camps, our resident camps, help them take the next step spiritually. And we also have as a ministry, a goal and a desire as a leadership and ministry to pour into these college students who we bring out from about eight different colleges any given year and different ministries that they come out and help us and partner with us while we try to invest in them and we as a group invest in the island.
Gary Walton: Yeah, that’s awesome. And that sets us up for the three college students that are right next to you. In studio, I want to introduce Logan Fain. Logan’s here from Boyce College. And we’ve got, Jubilee Edwards, from Faith Baptist Bible College in, Ankeny, Iowa, and Kelly Crist, from Bob Jones University in, South Carolina.
So first of all, welcome you guys. Glad that you came out on the team.
Logan Fain: So glad to be here.
Kelly Crist: Thank you. Thanks.
Gary Walton: I want to get a little bit of your story. So you’re one of the 20 or three of the 20. Tell us how you how’d you end up here this summer. Logan, you got a family background here in Guam. Tell us a little bit about that.
And then, you know, it’s your second summer on the summer ministry team.
Logan Fain: My name is Logan Fain. The Fain’s were here before I was born for about four years, where both my parents were staffers here. And since then, we’ve taken some trips here to visit as a family. My brother worked here on staff also for the time for a little bit, few years.
Gary Walton: Yeah.
Logan Fain: And I knew about the summer team just through conversation with him, and it had piqued my interest at one point. And so I just reached out to Pastor Ken, just curious about what the ministry looked like and what I could do to serve. And so shortly after us communicating, I was pretty interested in coming out to serve here for the summer. And, that first summer was amazing. It was very difficult, very, I was stretched, but in the best ways possible for preparation for ministry.
Loved the culture, loved Harvest so much, and, so that was two summers ago.
Gary Walton: It’s two. That’s right.
Logan Fain: Yeah. Took a took a break last summer, but then Ken, Pastor Ken reached out again and took him up on it. And so I’m here for my second summer. I will be teaching music for Cool School along with just helping out wherever else is needed.
Gary Walton: Logan, we’re so glad you’re back. We love your family. The Fains are loved on Guam and loved by Harvest and, thankful for the investment of ministry over the years and love your family. Glad that you’re back.
Welcome back.
Logan Fain: Very glad to be back.
Gary Walton: Yeah. Jubilee, tell us about how did God get you out to Guam for this summer.
Jubilee Edwards: Well, I took the time to just pray about what I wanted to do this summer. There was a lot of different missions trips at my school, Faith, and just seeing where God would open it up. And then I remember during missions conference, I heard about the summer team. And me and my friend Sarah, who is actually also here, we both looked at each other like, we’re both education majors. This would be so good for us.
And it seemed like a great opportunity, and we’d both been praying about what we wanted to do this summer in both, the camps that we had wanted to work at at the beginning. The doors were just closing for that. So we end up applying, found out that it’s actually pretty competitive to even get on the team. So we’re like, oh my gosh. We don’t even think we’re going to make it.
Like, what? And then when we both got the answer, let’s say or, like, Keith saying that, for us to come out, were like, oh my gosh. This is totally God and we’re super duper excited. So I’ll be helping out with sixth grade because I’m secondary history, so I wanted to work with the older kids. So I’m just I’m very excited to get started with that.
Gary Walton: Good. Good. Glad that glad that you’re here. Kelly, tell us about your story, how getting to Guam.
Kelly Crist: Yeah. So, starting my junior year of college last year, I was catching up with some friends, I talked to one of the girls that was on the team here last year. And I was like, saw on your Instagram you went to Guam. Was like, that looks amazing. Like, that was so cool.
She was like, well, you should definitely look into it. And my very first reaction was, I cannot afford that. So I was kind of like, oh, I’m not sure. She’s like, no, just like look into it, see how the Lord will provide. So, I ended up looking into it more.
She sent me the information. And as I was getting into it, I realized like God was really laying it on my heart that like I needed to do something like that for my last summer, before my senior year started. And then I found out it was primarily for education majors. It was also competitive. And I’m not an education major.
I’m a communications major. So I prayed a lot about this, like, prayed all the time. I was like, dear lord, like, I would really like this opportunity. I think it’d be amazing, but, like, close the door if it’s not for me. And then I remember when Harvest came down, met, Ken, talked to him, and then I applied.
He texted me and was like, would you like to teach K four? And I have a lot of experience with little kids. And when he said that, I was like, Absolutely. I even cried when I got the text. I was so excited.
So that’s how I found out about here, it’s just been a really answered prayer that I’m even able to be here.
Gary Walton: Yeah, you know, Pastor Ken could talk more about this, but the process of, I don’t know, selection, recruiting, whatever it is, we really do feel like God is the one who guides that. You guys are praying. Pastor Ken’s praying. We’re praying. And, we talked about this a couple days ago, kind of in your orientation, but the fact that you’re here is very clear, from scripture that this was not a coincidence, and it’s it’s not just a great adventure.
God called you out here for this summer. Our ministry needs, you as part of the body of Christ, and, we actually think that you guys need this place. It’s a mutual, you know, a mutual situation where God’s gonna use you and then also use the Harvest ministry, I think, to really do a deep and good work in your life. And I’m man, I’m excited about all of that together. Let me back up a little bit.
Kelly, we’ll start back with you. Just briefly, tell us about your spiritual story. Where did you grow up? Mhmm. You’re a Bob Jones University student
Kelly Crist: Yes.
Gary Walton: Currently now. Are you a senior?
Kelly Crist: Yes. Okay. I’ll be a senior. Yeah. So I have grown up in Greenville, South Carolina my whole life, born into a very Christian family.
I go to Hampton Park there. It’s a pretty big church in Greenville. And, obviously, growing up in a Christian family, I’ve heard about it, you know, Jesus my whole life. And I got saved at a pretty young age, and I was baptized when I was around seven years old. And, you know, you do the normal thing when you grow up in a Christian home where you go back and forth on, like, am I actually saved and keep praying for salvation?
And then I hit a point late elementary where I was really doubting, struggling to go to sleep at night, lots of anxiety. And I remember my mom read me the verse where it’s like, God has you in the palm of his hand, and nothing can take you out of it. And I that’s, like, one of the biggest points in my life where I was just like, God has me and, like, I am his, and there’s nothing that I can do that’s gonna change that, and it’s all in him. So, yeah, growing up in that, I’ve been heavily involved in my church for a long time since then, especially, work a lot in the nursery and stuff like that. So
Gary Walton: It’s a cool theological idea in that text that my salvation is not based on my ability to somehow do enough or be enough. It really is God’s. It’s his hand. He’s the one who controls all of it. And so it takes you know, the pressure off my ability and really, know, does God have me?
It’s a great, great thought. So Jubilee, I remember meeting you and Sarah, and actually I shouldn’t say this live, but I think you’re from California, right?
Jubilee Edwards: Yes, I am.
Gary Walton: I see. I remember. You’re good. Tell us about your background.
Jubilee Edwards: Yeah, so I was born and raised in Hemet, California, same place that my dad did. So my dad’s a pastor. I was really involved in the church, loved the church, loved serving, loved ministry. I have a really tender heart for that because of the way that I grew up and because which is the influence that my family had very much saying, like, ministry is hard, people are hard, but we’re called to love them and we’re called to serve them. So that was a really big thing for me just growing up of, like Kelly said, like, growing up in a really strong Christian family, you know the gospel, you believe it sometimes very easily, but you still like, when does when’s the switch of it’s my parents’ faith versus my faith?
And I remember, I was homeschooled in in eighth grade. I decided that I was going to go to a public school with my sister and that end up being the part that just changed my thought process because it was me saying, k. With me being in a in a public school now, I’m gonna be around a lot of nonbelievers, and it is my responsibility to represent Christ very clearly and very well. And so that’s for me, that was when my faith changed, just saying, God, I love you. And I really want you to be in control of my actions, of my words, of the way that I present myself, because I want to share the gospel with everyone that I’m around.
And I want to represent your love and and be the image bearer of Christ. And so, that was a huge thing for me. And then I ended up deciding to go to faith because I wanted a Christian education and I’ve loved it. So that was really nice.
Gary Walton: Yeah. It’s fantastic. Education major. Mhmm. Right?
Yeah. And you said high school is kind of the
Jubilee Edwards: Yes. So secondary history, world history, middle school or high school. Right now, I’m helping out with middle school at my church. And so we’ll see what God does with that. But I kind of love my eighth grade girls.
They’re really funny.
Gary Walton: Anybody that loves middle school. That’s great. Yeah. No, it’s awesome. Logan, tell us about your story.
Logan Fain: I grew up in a Christian home. My mom and dad both poured so much into me to sow gospel seeds day in, day out, faithfully brought me to church. So in the home and out of the home, just always soaked in just the gospel message. It wasn’t until I was 12 that by the power of the spirit hit me like a ton of bricks. And I realized, that my greatest good in life is God, and my only hope in life and death is Christ alone.
And it is only through Christ that I can be reconciled to Him. And so that that hit when I was 12. I would say that there wasn’t really, in terms of just like my spiritual walk as a whole, there wasn’t much discipleship immediately afterwards.
Gary Walton: Right.
Logan Fain: I was almost just left to my own demise, not by default. I secluded myself. And as time went on, my heart was hardening and stepping deeper and deeper into sin, so oppressed by depression, and evil thoughts, and I felt so far from the Lord. And there was one night, my sophomore year of high school, when it all came crashing down and I just broke and I started spiraling and I was doubting my salvation, doubting do I actually even believe in this anymore? Where, how far have I gone?
And I think that it was in that moment that the Lord showed His abundant faithfulness, even though after He had redeemed me by His grace, I walked so far. And He pulled me out of that yet again, time and time, just to prove His faithfulness, no matter how far I had run. And so, things came crashing down. It was like 1AM, my brother was reading his Bible in the living room. He never does that at that time or in that place.
I was trembling, I was shaking because I was terrified of death, terrified of God, thinking what do I even believe anymore? How could I ever come back? And for hours, he poured out into me the truth of Scripture. And I don’t have, like, very vivid memories of of the exact, you know, things that happened, but I think something that stuck and really clicked was God is not a means to salvation, but God paved the way of salvation as a means to know Him. Mhmm.
And that’s something that even Moses says in Deuteronomy four that through mighty hand God saved Israel so that they might know Him. And it was from, I think, that point on in my walk with the Lord that I realized we get to know Him. He has saved us, not so that we can just sit there saved until we die and feel comforted about the rest, you know, for what happens afterwards. But He saved us so that in this life and the next one, we get to enjoy being in His presence. I’m going back to what he intended, in the beginning.
Gary Walton: Right? Right? From creation. I mean, desire was relationship.
That’s the whole point. That’s the image of God part. Yeah. It’s really fantastic. Let me give you guys a multiple choice question, which means that you can choose to answer either one of these.
Ask all three you the same. Can you tell me either either what you are hoping and praying God will use you for in this next, in the next couple months, or anything that you hope God does in you in the next couple weeks. You might not know the answer to either, so that’s why I gave you two options. But, Logan, I’m a put it right to you first.
Logan Fain: Yeah. I would say my hope and my prayer, I think both questions might kinda be be linked. My prayer is that I know that Harvest, this is a wonderful ministry on the island, and I hope that not only I can be an extension of Harvest resources, but also I hope for all of us coming in here for the summer, being fresh and ready, that we would also serve those who are on staff here.
Gary Walton: Right on. Be the full reflection of God through the personality that God gave you. Don’t be anybody else. If that’s true, God will bless you and use you. Yeah.
Jubilee, what would you say?
Jubilee Edwards: I have been praying a lot. I was kind of sharing about this this morning. I want to take every opportunity I possibly can to share the gospel and integrate it in every way. So when I’m teaching math, how do I represent Christ in the middle of math? Or when I’m teaching English, when I’m teaching grammar, when I’m showing structure, when I’m showing the beauty of God’s creation in history or in science, how do I share the gospel in every single part?
And then when I’m having conversations with a team or with you guys, how do I drive my conversations specifically just about the gospel? Because I need to preach it to myself. I need to preach not preach it, but, like, tell it to myself, tell it to other people. And then through that, Ken actually asked us to think of, like, what’s your he didn’t say goal. I can’t remember what the word that he said, but it’s like, what’s your purpose or what’s what’s your thing for this summer that you really, like Yeah.
That is your desire. And I’ve just keep on praying this whole last year. Told myself, like, I want to love the word so much so that I’m memorizing it. I’m in it. I am consumed in it.
So I think that’s something, again, that I’m just going to ask God is, like, don’t let me be lazy, but if I love your word so much, I will know it. And so that’s another thing where it’s just like, if I’m memorizing it and I do this every time. As soon as God says, like, or shows me a verse is like, this is this is the verse that you need to start memorizing or start thinking about, three conversations I have just that day. Then it’s like, that’s exactly what I needed. That’s exactly what he needed, she needed, like, and my classroom needed.
Like, you guys are struggling with being disobedient. Okay. Guess what? Was just learning a verse verse about this. Let’s talk about it.
Gary Walton: God prep me for this.
Jubilee Edwards: Exactly. And he does that constantly. And so that’s another desire for just myself is, like, how do I grow my desire for the for his word and who he is and and how I see him in his word so much to so that it’s consuming my mind. I’m memorizing it. I’m dwelling on it, and then I’m talking about it with everyone else.
Gary Walton: Love it. Love it. Thank you. Kelly?
Kelly Crist: Yeah. I’ll take kind of a different answer to it. My hope is that with these kids that I can really be a big, big difference in their life for the sake of the gospel because I have so many really distinct memories. I mean, I grew up doing different stuff like this at my own church
Gary Walton: Yeah.
Kelly Crist: And how big of an influence I think that people outside of the home have on kids. I just think, like, those people really shaped me from the time I was really little, like, all the way to now in my college group. I just think it’s so important to pour into these kids. And I had so many people that were so there for me and gave me so much advice and godly advice and would point me to the Bible that really just shaped me. And my hope is that I can turn around and do it to these kids that are here and to really be there.
Like, I’m I’m very much ready to be spent. I wanna be spent. I wanna go back home with nothing left. Like, I’m ready to pour 110% into these kids, and my prayer is that I would just be given those opportunities throughout this trip to just really make a difference in these kids’ lives.
Gary Walton: Nailed it, Kelly. Great. All three of you. I’d love all those answers. God’s gonna take that powerfully for you.
Pastor Ken, let me pull you back into this conversation. I got a couple of things I want to ask you. We only got, you know, a couple of minutes. What’s the goal in all this? And then give us a little bit of the opportunities, particularly for teens.
Ken Keith: Yeah. I mean, the goal these guys hit it and really comes back to our purpose statement for the summer, help each camper so that the campers defined by anyone who comes to anything we do this summer, help each camper take the next step spiritually. It’s sometimes that step salvation, sometimes that step is as they just shared, you know, the moment when it clicked in their minds, and it’s interesting listening to them. A lot of them were in God did massive works in their lives in the ages that we’re ministering to this summer. We sometimes give a little nod to the to the children’s program.
You don’t because you we we talk about this in pastors meeting a lot and and pastor Wade, and just the awesome opportunity, the prayer and dedication he has to it because that is a time when God does these huge works, and we don’t wanna waste those times. So help each camper take another step spiritually. So wherever they’re at, that they would be closer to God at the end of the summer than they were at the beginning. That really is our goal. The opportunities, we’ve got we’ve got court nights that starting next Tuesday for teens, 06:30 to 08:30.
Well, actually, let me back up. We’ve got a activity this coming Saturday from I think it’s a 02:30 showtime. We’re gonna go on a little hike and swim down at the pier at Maritzo, and then I’ll be back, get some PTG.
Gary Walton: That’ll a chance for, you know, our teams to connect with the teens. Right? Kind of the first launch to everything happening this Yeah.
Ken Keith: So they’ve gotten to meet a few of the teens, but we’re hoping to get this will be a good introduction time. And then we’ll have court nights throughout the summer, except for the week of VBS and the camps, on Tuesday night. All this is available, but that’s 06:30 to 08:30, and then Thursday night, our Heart for Christ, at 07:00 normal time, but on Thursday. And then we’ve got a couple unique opportunities, right now. Can edit this out if we need to, but I believe we’re we’re on track to have an NBA player, on on our island, which we’re hoping to do some sports camps and some outreach with teens via that.
So we’re excited about that. That’ll be later June. More is gonna be out there, on that. So, yeah, there’s a great bunch of opportunities, that’ll be available.
Gary Walton: Well, Ken, you mentioned, I mean, there’s spiritual warfare happening and our teens are right in the middle of it. And I know that’s it’s, you know, universally true, but it is absolutely true here on Guam. Mhmm. And, man, there’s just a battle taking place. And if we can give our kids opportunities to have mentors and as much spiritual influence as possible, we’re all in on that.
If we got teens listening, we got parents listening, any way that you can get your kids involved with the team that’s here will only reap dividends, because they they need some mentors and they need some people walking beside them because it’s a battle. And, so a lot of opportunities there. And then just for everybody, it’s not just kids and teens this summer. Chris mentioned at the beginning, service starts, change of services at 10AM.
Let me invite you about that. For the summer, you know, there is a little bit of change of pace, but there are full opportunities or the summer is full of opportunities for growing in your faith. And so don’t go on vacation from your faith. Use this as a time to to grow and invest in your spiritual formation, your spiritual life. If we can help you with that, we wanna be able to do that.
So, thanks you guys for being here. Looking forward to a great summer together. We’re praying for you.
Jubilee Edwards: Thank you. Thanks.
Chris Harper: And thank you for listening to Harvest Time. Of course, at this point in the program, we wanna invite you again personally to Harvest Baptist Church this week. Remember, it’s a change, 10AM. It’s a 10AM service on Sunday here at harvest. We bring you that service live here on 88.1 FM and on khmg.org.
So if you can’t join us in person, you can listen that way. But we do hope to see you this Sunday. Thanks again for listening to Harvest Time.