April 2026
Investing in Future Generations
This year, the SonLight Club theme is heroes of the faith. Along with their lesson, students can earn prizes for answering questions that require them to look up scripture passages. The prize relates directly to the hero: For Jesus, the student receives a cross-shaped maze; for Zacchaeus, a plastic coin; for Moses, a Ten Commandments bookmark; for Abraham, a puffy star sticker; for Mary, a heart-shaped piece of wood to remember that Mary pondered in her heart all that her son and Savior would endure.
We pray for students as we receive lessons, answer sheets, and endearing notes. As you come alongside us, you are part of this, too! Thank you for your prayers and partnership in this journey on this side of heaven!
This year, we are focusing on entering information from Amish and Mennonite directories into our database so we can send lessons to more potential students. If you would like to volunteer to help with this, all that is required is a computer or laptop! Your typing skills will be used to reach thousands of children and adults with the gospel message of grace; look at all He did with some fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot (political terrorist), and a bigot!
If any local people are interested in helping get SonLight Club lessons ready for mailing, we would love to have you volunteer an afternoon or two each week to fold lessons and insert them into envelopes!
Call me at 419-962-1515, ext. 103. I would be happy to answer any questions you have.
– Jennifer Schneeg
New Beginnings Homestead
It’s been a blessed and busy month at New Beginnings Homestead with many milestones and celebrations! Three residents acquired their driver’s licenses and purchased their first cars. We celebrated a birthday and cheered on another who bravely gave her testimony at the Step Out of the Boat Conference! What an amazing month!
The young women at NBH are faithfully attending their Friday night Bible Study with Joe Keim, where they are going through the ABCs of Christian Growth. They also attend a weekly Life Skills Class, where we discuss topics that benefit their day-to-day lives, such as integrity, what healthy friendships look like, and how to handle disappointments. We have rich discussions using practical examples that resonate with each young woman. They are working hard to apply these skills to their everyday lives, and we are so proud of them!
This month, each NBH
resident was presented with a beautiful new journal and challenged to write three new things daily that they are grateful for to help shift their thought patterns and see that the Lord is always working, even when they might struggle to see His faithfulness. I’ve heard very positive reports from the challenge. One reported that she “looks for the good things God has given her throughout her day now and finds them more easily.” At the end of the month, each girl had a record of 90 individual things that they were grateful for. God is indeed so good!
– Jen Polley
An Update on Our Land Vision
Over the past few weeks, we have been reaching out to neighbors around our current ministry property. Our desire has been to find land that connects directly to what we already have, allowing us to keep the ministry together in one place. This would help us continue serving effectively without separating key parts of the work.
At this point, none of the neighboring properties are available. While this has been discouraging, we are choosing to rest in the Lord’s timing. We truly believe that if God wants us to expand in this way, He will open the right door.
We have also looked at properties in other areas. However, moving to a different location, even one mile away, would create challenges. It would separate our main offices from New Beginnings Homestead and Beyond Measure Market, making daily ministry very difficult.
At the same time, the Lord has already helped us take an important step forward. We now have a drawing of a building designed to meet the ministry’s needs. This plan gives us a clear picture of what could be built if the right property becomes available.
Right now, we are temporarily operating out of Apartment A at New Beginnings. We are thankful for this space, but we have been informed by the fire chief that we will need to relocate within one to two years. We want to honor that request and be prepared for what comes next.
Please pray:
• That God would open the right land opportunity, adjacent to our ministry
• That we would trust Him fully, even when we cannot yet see the answer
We are confident that the Lord sees the need and already knows the solution. Thank you for standing with us, praying with us, and being part of what God is doing through this ministry.
Step Out of the Boat Conference Update
We are thankful to share that this year’s Step Out of the Boat conference went very well. We are especially grateful for each person who helped us with expenses. We believe that, as everything is settled, all of the bills will be paid.
The Lord clearly worked in a powerful way. During the conference, six people came to know Christ as their Savior. The preaching and testimonies were some of the most powerful we have experienced in the past six years. In the days following the conference, we received dozens of text messages, emails, and phone calls from people telling us how God used the conference to impact their lives and even change the direction they were going.
We had 408 people register for the conference. Because registration was free, about 150 of these did not attend, leaving us with lots of extra food. While that was a challenge, we are thankful for the strong turnout. In addition, to the many who were able to come, hundreds of people watched the conference via our livestream, allowing the message to reach far beyond those who attended in person.
We also want to humbly acknowledge that there were a few challenges during the conference, both for those attending in person and those watching online. We sincerely apologize. Since then, we have met as a team and are working to improve our planning and organization. We want to be careful to bring in the right people to share and to keep everything running in a way that honors the Lord.
Our heart is to make Step Out of the Boat a safe place where truth is preached and lives are changed. Thank you for your grace, your prayers, and your continued support.
We are already working out the details and looking forward to the next conference in 2027.