Covenant Community Services
September Prayer Letter
Building Blocks, Foster Care, Mentoring, TBS & CARE-NET 
Dear Jessica,
Thank you for choosing to be a Covenant Prayer Partner.  We are so blessed to have people like you who are willing to commit to pray for the needs of our ministry.  Outlined below are some of Covenant's current needs and we join with you in seeking the Lord for His perfect will in every situation. 
New Foster Care Placement!
We are pleased to inform you that we recently placed a child named John in Bishop family's home.  They have been waiting for just the right child and the Lord provided a child they can love and nurture.  Please pray for the Bishop family during this transitional period and as always, pray for all our foster families including: Agostos, Barrons, Bishops, Crow, Galls, Graces, Santiagos, Scheers, and Unruh. Multi Racial Foster Family Additionally, please pray for all the children in care: Trevor, Sarah, Brandon, Hector G., Elijah, Dusty, Gage, John, Manuel, Aaron, and Hector S.  As you may know, there is a shortage of foster families in Kern County and we receive referrals for placements every week.  There are many children in our county who need the love and support of Christian families.  Please pray that God will raise up people who are wiling to fulfill the Biblical mandate found in James 1:27 "...to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." 
Building Blocks & CARE-NET
In August, Building Blocks staff held a birthday party for one of the tenant's 19th birthday--Kenny.  Everyone had a wonderful time and after the party ended, Kenny told Mark that this was the only birthday party he had ever had.  Kenny moved around so much as a foster child that no one had ever given him a birthday party.  Everyone involved in this party was blessed to be able to provide Kenny with his first birthday party ever!  
 
Please pray for the tenants at Building Blocks: Vanessa R., Corrina, Vince, Kenny, Frank, Baudelio, Damien, Eric and Angie.  Many of them struggle to get their lives on track and they need lots of support and guidance during their transition into adulthood.  In addition, we are expecting to reach maximum capacity with 3 new tenants this month. 
 
Through CARE-NET, we have been able to bless 8 families with household items that have assisted them in either reunifying with their children or have prevented children from being removed from the home.  We are in need of more donated items (beds, home furnishings, toys) for families in need--please pray for provision.  We have applied for a grant that will provide much needed financial support for CARE-NET. Please pray that we receive this grant.
Mentoring & TBS
TBS (Therapeutic Behavioral Services) provides children and youth with one-on-one support to equip them with the skills needed to deal with everyday life.  Many of those we serve are unable to deal with stress, disappointment and pain so they react with very negative behaviors including tantrums, aggression and depression.  Currently we need prayer for two youth we serve.  Jasmine W. continues to struggle with depression and suicidal tendencies and is resisting treatment. Pray for a breakthrough in treatment; that she would let us in so God can begin to restore her broken heart. Greg S. is another TBS client who was just recently released from the hospital after an attempt at suicide. He is on new medication to help stabilize him, but continues to be erratic, moody, and defiant. He is also EXTREMELY overweight and needs prayer to help lose this weight.
 
With mentoring, we are in the process of "certifying" our newest group of mentors which brings the total up to 17. We hope to match these new mentors with children in the next few weeks. Pray specifically for Laura R. who is pregnant and due in the next month. She has been having contractions; pray for a healthy delivery and baby. Also pray for financial provision for the needs of this young woman and her baby.  We have applied for a grant that will sustain the Jeremiah Mentoring Project for an entire year--please pray that we will receive this grant.
Thanks again for partnering with us in prayer.  We look forward to sending you praise reports on all the good things the Lord has done. 
 
Sincerely,
 

Jessica Champlin
Community Developer
P.S. Check out the article recently published in the Bakersfield Californian http://people.bakersfield.com/home/ViewPost/27472
This email was sent to jessica@covenantcs.net, by jessica@covenantcs.net
Covenant Community Services | 1616 29th Street | Bakersfield | CA | 93301