BlueSky Global Ministries

2018 Annual Report

WE EXIST TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH ADVENTURE TO ENGAGE THE MULTINATIONAL COMMUNITY WITH THE GOSPEL

A Note from the BlueSky Global Leadership Team

Dear Friends,

In 2018, we asked you to pray and to partner with us as our team focused on stabilizing the ministry in Kenya following the fatal paragliding accident of BlueSky founder, Kim Pace. In the midst of grieving her loss, we had confident assurance that the Lord had set before us a clear call to continue carrying out the BlueSky vision to build relationships through adventure to engage the multinational community with the gospel.

We’re so pleased to share that, with your help, we were able to achieve that desired and necessary stability and, by God's grace, were able to maintain our level of impact through BlueSky’s core platforms of Adventures, Camp, and Community in 2018.

Thank you for personally investing your time and resources as BlueSky journeyed through a challenging transition and now thrives. You are such an encouragement to us! We hope this Impact Report will give you a good understanding of our work in 2018 and encourage you with all that is happening in Kenya.

Your ongoing partnership is vital to our ministry efforts with the multinational community in Kenya, and we hope to connect personally with many more of you this year! The Lord is bringing new opportunities to us—strategic doors are opening, and we are walking through them. We can’t wait to share more about what is ahead for 2019-2020 soon!

With sincere gratitude,

Tammy Preston, Kara Gesink, and Beth Seo

BLUESKY ADVENTURES

team building | rock climbing | adventure trips

2997

people participated in team building activities

4280

climbers visited our rock climbing gym

112

people joined off-site adventure trips

special events hosted at the rock climbing gym

CAMP BLUESKY

776

campers attended Camp BlueSky

campers requested & received Bibles

public professions of faith

nationalities represented among campers

BLUESKY COMMUNITY

year-round middle & high school student ministry

105

students participated in covenant groups*

students involved in youth group

students attended our Discipleship Now conference

volunteers served alongside BlueSky staff

*weekly discipleship small groups

BlueSky has the opportunity to serve and facilitate transformation for incredible organizations, many focused on international and African initiatives to invest in the next generation of leaders. In 2018, Fred, a Ugandan artist, joined a BlueSky Team Building group through the Young Africa Leadership Initiative (YALI). Because Fred has unique limb differences in his legs, he laughed aloud when he learned that the group was going to do BlueSky’s high ropes challenge course: “The most challenging [physical] activity that I have done in my life is climbing anthills that surrounded our home when I was growing up! How will I do this?” BlueSky’s facilitators saw his desire despite hesitation and incredulity and coached him through how he, too, could complete the challenge. Empowered and encouraged, Fred announced - “it is possible!” - and asked BlueSky staff to harness him up. He went on to complete not one, but two of the high ropes challenges! This experience was transformative for Fred and his whole YALI team, who witnessed him tangibly overcome obstacles and overcame their own through BlueSky that day.

TEAM BUILDING

Several ladies on the BlueSky staff initiated a women's climbing club in the fall of 2018. They had observed that some women were not comfortable climbing during normal operating hours, for personal or cultural reasons, and they wanted to create a space for them to participate and find a new community. Prior to the launch event, only two of the eight women who came had ever climbed before! Over the months, seven of the original group have continued coming to the gym, building their climbing confidence and deepening friendships with BlueSky staff, and several women have since joined in on off-site climbing trips! These safe settings have allowed relationships to take root, and the Ladies' Climbing Club is effectively inviting new members into the BlueSky community.

CLIMB

CAMP

"I went for my first year of Camp in 2011. If you would have told me then that I would keep on going for 9 years straight and become a counselor, I would have probably looked at you like you were crazy! I had no idea then the impact that camp would have on my life. I love camp for three main reasons:

You get to meet the most interesting, fun and diverse individuals in both the campers and counselors.

You get introduced to all these amazing and unique games, activities and songs which I don’t think you would get introduced to anywhere else, especially in Kenya.

You get to do ALL the above while learning about Christ or teaching campers about Him.

I don’t think I would be the person I am right now, if not for Camp Bluesky. It’s a place where I can really cut loose and be myself... Camp helped me get out of this shell of shyness that I used to place myself in as a child, especially all through middle school. Camp taught me how to become more extroverted, that I have certain leadership qualities, and most importantly, that I am loved, which is something I didn’t really believe at the time... and it is for that reason I dedicated my life to Christ at Camp.

Camp BlueSky is like a second home to me."

-Ethan (or "SamWise")

Nate joined BlueSky as a camp counselor during a college summer, then returned several years ago with his family to minister to students year-round on our Community team. In 2017, he saw the power of camp introductions to foster long-term relationships with his cabin of middle school boys, most of whom attended a secular international school in Nairobi. During that week, four boys expressed interest in starting a weekly Covenant Group with Nate, and the group began meeting together during the school year to discuss the foundations of faith. Friendships strengthened, and when Nate had the same cabin of guys summer of 2018, they had invited more friends to camp - friends who didn’t know Christ. Again, those new students got involved with the Covenant Group as the 2018-2019 school year started, and brought a couple other friends! Nate now meets weekly with a dozen young men from that international school, all of whom are at differing places in their spiritual journey - some devout in their faith, others skeptical. Yet through the consistent and unique presence that Community team members provide, they all continue to gather, exploring and growing in their knowledge of God’s Word.