April:               

• 2^nd & 3^rd FLYC Camp Blanding, FL
• 6^th Riechart  House TBA
• 7th Day Skill Center Lake Swan, FL
• 11^th Frontline Auburndale, FL
• 12^th Edgewood Auburndale, FL
• 14^th Rescue Mission Orlando, FL
• 17^th & 18^th Cassels Christian School Lake Swan, FL
• 20^th  (1-5pm) Community Christian School Lake Swan, FL
• 21^st Sheriffs Boys Ranch Lake Swan,FL
• 26^th Secret Harbor Lake Swan, FL
• 29^th SeaMark Ranch Lake Swan, FL

May:

• 3^rd Mercy Ministry Monroe,  LA
• 5^th Methodist Boys Ranch FT. Worth, TX
• 7^th Brookswood Home Huston, TX
• 9^th  & 10th TBA Nacogdoches, TX
• 24^th – 27^th Masters Calloway Grdns, GA
• 29^th TBA Tuscaloosa, AL
• 31^st TBA Smith Lake, AL

June:

• 4^th Boys/Girls Club Florence, AL
• 6^th Boys/Girls Club Conway, AR
• 9th TBA Huntsville, AL
• 11^th Mercy Ministry Nashville, TN
• 13^th TBA Greenwood, SC
• 14^th TBA Clemson, SC
• 16^th – 23^rd 5 groups TBA Greenville, NC
• 25^th Ranch Hope Port Norris, NJ
• 28^th-29^th TBA Windham, ME

July:

• 3^rd TBA Merysville, OH
• 5^th Mercy Ministry Owensville, MO
• 7^th Boys/Girls Club Cambridge, IA
• 9^th TBA Grays Lake, IL
• 11^th-12^th Inn City Impact / Army of One Elkhorn, WI
• 14^th TBA Tri Cities, MN
• 19^th TBA Polson, MT
• 20^th YWAM Polson, MT
• 25^th Tribal Youth Porterville, CA
• 26^th Tribal Youth Porterville, CA
• 28^th TBA Orland, CA
• 30^th Koinonia Sheriadin, CA
• 31^st Mercy Ministry   Sheriadin, CA

Aug:

• 9^th – 15th 4 events/groups TBA, Czech Republic
• 28^{th   TBA Bend, OR}
• 31^st & 1st     Independent  Living Vancouver, WA

Sept:

• 7^th & 8^th TBA Bend, OR
• 22^nd TBA Lincoln, CA
• 29^th TBA Trophy LKS, SC

Oct:  TBA

• TBA FLYC Camp Blanding, FL

“The In His Wakes’ Jr. Masters Scholarship Award” will be presented in May to a Jr. Masters wakeboard or water ski competitor exemplifying a champion’s heart both on and off the water. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD APPLICATION

“The Kristi Overton Johnson Sportsman Award” will also be presented to a Jr. Masters competitor. Recipient is chosen based on character shown on and off the water.

“The In His Wakes ‘A Day to Remember’ Academic Scholarship” will be awarded to four individuals who have participated in the IHW “A Day to Remember” program. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD APPLICATION

Applications for all scholarships can be found online at championsheart.net or can be obtained at our office located at 205 SW Magnolia Ave., Keystone Heights, FL.

Over the past six weeks since our last D2R of 2011, I have spent a great deal of time reflecting on the many incredible events that transpired over the 7 month period.  Every year has been filled with many amazing “God things,” however; this past season in particular has just blown me away as we witnessed God doing a mighty work in so many situations!   More than once the Lord used the IHW D2R program and its volunteers to bring emotional healing following a tragic event.  We were also so blessed by the hearts of those who were hosting a D2R for the very first time and those who have been doing it annually since IHW was started 10 years ago, still with the same excitement and enthusiasm.

I now face, with a great deal of excitement and anticipation, the daunting task of scheduling our many events in some sort of sequential order.  Ten years ago with only 4 D2Rs, it was not a real big deal, even 5 years ago with 35 it wasn’t that difficult.  However, with a possible 60 in 2012 it will take a good deal of time and lots of prayer for it to come together.  With that said, I count it a privilege to be part of something that the Lord is using to reach out and touch so many lives nationally and internationally!

Please be praying for the Lord’s direction on this ministry as we move forward in the planning process for the coming season.  Also, we are prayerfully considering the addition of a part time team that we would mentor and God would use to open up even more opportunities for IHW to impact lives.  We feel the Lord has brought some amazing young adults to use that have a sold out heart for Him, a passion for youth, and the skills to operate in this type of ministry.

If you or someone you know has a class C motor home to donate our sell at a very low cost, please let me know.  This is one thing that we must have in order to bring this extra team onboard.

Also, the scheduling email letter has gone out already.  If you were planning to host an event next year and did not receive it please let me know.

Thank you all for your prayers!

Lord bless,

Nate Miller

IHW Director

nate@inhiswakes.com

352-745-0283

Thank you so much for your prayers for our Czech Republic “A Day to Remember” events. Thank you also to the ones who gave special financial donations to make this trip a reality. Not only did we have two AMAZING events with children from all over the Czech Republic, events that will forever be ingrained in all of our hearts, we also had a wonderful week of fellowship with other believers and also opportunities to minister beyond the lake. I pray that through this in depth update that you will be blessed and join us as we give God thanks for all that He has done. I encourage you to print this letter so that you can read it at your leisure (it’s a long one!).

With every event, I am always amazed as I sit back and watch the handiwork of God. These events were no exception! The moment I walked down to the water’s edge, I just had to smile up at God as I realized that my being here in the Czech Republic came at no surprise to Him. For years, He has been preparing me and the In His Wakes ministry team ‘for such a time as this’.

I can trace some of the beginnings of God’s plan for this trip to my water ski career and to the family business of Overton’s. Through both of these avenues, God paved a way to make connections with people that enables our team to visit lakes world-wide and share the love of God with people in those regions. I had to smile as I looked over the calm lake filled with bright red and orange slalom buoys screened with the Overton’s brand name.

The skiing and water sports business are just one piece of the Czech puzzle. A few years ago God sent a young Czech girl named Lucie to our small town of Keystone Heights, Florida, as an exchange student. While at our local high school, Lucie met a young man named Jake Miller. Jake, the son of Nate and Ivy Miller (our In His Wakes directors) invited Lucie to an In His Wakes event where she made the decision to give her heart to Christ (and also to Jake as they married in 2009). I believe that God in His providence sent Lucie into our lives ‘for such a time as this’.

Through our connection with Lucie, we talked about the possibility of bringing “A Day to Remember” event to Czech. She contacted her brother, Martin, also a believer, who was able to find 30 kids who were excited about learning how to water ski. Now we just needed a place to host the event. Through a few emails to fellow water ski friends, we made connections with a Champion Czech water skier who directed us to a beautiful lake about 2 hours from Lucie’s home.  With the promise of my coaching the junior skiers of the water ski club, the lake was secured for 2 days, boat included.

With a lake, Czech organizer, and children, all the pieces seemed to have fallen into place except for one thing…the finances. Our team decided to spend time in prayer praying specifically for this event and the finances needed to host it. Within a couple of days, the phone rang and a relative of the Miller’s, Aunt Susie as we all call her, asked us if we would consider traveling to Czech to take the gospel to people in that region, a region very dear to her heart. If we would, Aunt Susie said she would like to make a donation to help with the financial costs. Her call was an answer to our prayer and also a confirmation that we were to take our “A Day to Remember” program to this region.

Within 6 months of beginning our planning for this event, we were now ready to head out on our adventure. Days before we left, I spent time in prayer regarding the message God would have us share with the children and people we would be ministering to. As I sat still, I heard this in my heart, “I am sending you to be a light. They will see me in you and your team. They are watching more than they are listening. Love them, love with actions. Serve them humbly. They will see Me in you. Don’t worry about the words. I will give you the words. Find opportunities to do good everywhere that you go. Leave me and deposit me everywhere your foot treads.”

With this Word, and all the pieces in place, we headed to Czech, excited to be a part of God’s plan for this region. As I stood by the water’s edge, I couldn’t help but thank God for how He had orchestrated every part of this adventure so perfectly. I knew in my heart of hearts that He was about to do something amazing.

Prior to the children arriving at the lake on Friday, Lucie called us with a head count of participants and also an estimated time of her arrival (she and her family were driving the children to the lake). When she called, she also shared with us that only a few of the children coming to the lake had ever heard of Jesus. Although this fact amazed me, it also excited me…what an amazing opportunity and great privilege to be able to share God’s love and His Good News with those He was about to put in our path.

As we waited for Lucie to arrive with the children, our team members already at the lake met together for prayer and devotions. During this time, we were led to two scriptures which confirmed our roles at these events. The first of these scripture passages was I Corinthians 12:7 which says, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other…”  The verse lists the various gifts that the Spirit of God gives to each person (to each of our team members), gifts such as wisdom, special knowledge, discernment, faith, healing, ability to speak in unknown languages and the ability to interpret those languages, among others.

We were also led to Romans 12:6-13 which says, “In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging, If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Don’t just pretend to love others. REALLY love them….Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically….always be eager to practice hospitality!”

As we read these verses, we were reminded of several things. First of all, we were reminded that God Himself had assembled this team and His Spirit had given to each of us special abilities. These gifts and abilities were given to us to help one another as well as the people attending the event; they were also for the purpose of being able to do certain things well for God’s glory. We were also reminded that none of the gifts were any more important than another…each gift would touch a life in a special way. Finally, we were reminded that since we had been given these gifts, we were also being given the responsibility to use them abundantly and to take them seriously! We were being called to go above and beyond the ‘norm’ and to be generous in our love… just like God.

Throughout the weekend, I was amazed as I watched our team members flow in their individual gifts. We were truly a unified team, all functioning in our own area of gifts, all touching lives in a unique way. No one was seeking the gift of another but rather they were satisfied with where God had placed them to serve. I was so proud to be a part of this group of individuals. As I watched each person love on others through their gifts, I could visibly see the Spirit of God begin to tear down walls and build a bridge to their hearts. It didn’t matter that we couldn’t all speak the language, love was the language that was being understood by all.

What God showed me as I watched our team at work was this….as we pour ourselves into the lives of others by simply BEING who God created us to BE and by operating in the gifts He has placed upon us, people’s lives are changed. I saw this so clearly as I watched Jake Miller. Jake has a special enthusiasm that attracts children. Children were hanging all over Jake all weekend long. What was so cool is that Jake was just being Jake and by being himself and purposely seeking to love on people, kids were drawn to him and their lives were changed. I saw this with every team member! Everyone was just being who they were designed to be … this combined with a purposeful decision to pour God’s love into the lives of other’s created an atmosphere for God to work in the hearts of these precious people…and work He did!

During both events when the Gospel was shared by Lucie and I, you could have heard a pin drop. The children and adults hung on every word of Truth and when the opportunity to receive Christ, the Perfect Power Source that would never fail them, was extended, every child, except for one, raised their hand for salvation, including the ski club competitive skiers who had joined in our events throughout the two days.

God, in His great providence and because of His great love for the Czech people, sent us to this lake in order to be a light of truth to this region. Because He had ordained this trip, He was right in the middle of it all, drawing the hearts of people to Himself. Praise God His truth was received and it was appreciated. This was proved when one of the ski club skiers, a woman in her 20’s, approached me and said, “I liked your message. Thank you for coming and sharing about God. It is a message that isn’t often shared with the Czech people and it is a message we need.”

Praise God. It truly was “A Day to Remember” FOREVER for us all, a day that impacted lives for all of eternity. Thank you again on behalf of our ministry team and the people of the Czech Republic for making it possible.

In His Service ~Kristi Overton Johnson

PS…. Please continue to pray for the following:

-Pray for those who received the Message of Truth in Czech. Pray they will continue to grow in their faith. We were able to place Bible’s in the hands of these young people among other resources that will help in their growth. Pray that God will give them a hunger for His Word and the ability to understand it through His Spirit. Pray also that God will send other believers in their path to strengthen their faith.

-Please also pray for those who heard the message but have not yet believed. There were many adults watching our team from a distance, I am trusting that they saw the love of Christ at work and will be drawn to Him. There were also adults and even children who are so close to surrendering their lives to Christ. Several even told us that they want to believe, but just aren’t ready. Pray that the eyes of their heart will be open to God’s truth.

-Please pray for one of our Czech participants, Daniel, a 19 year old boy who has been deaf since birth. God led Aunt Susie and I to pray over him for his healing. God also gave us Words of encouragement for Daniel and his 2 sisters.  Please join your faith with ours as we believe God, the great Physician, to restore Daniel’s physical healing.

-Finally, please continue to pray for our ministry team. We have many more events to go before our 2011 A Day to Remember Tour is complete. There are many miles to travels (1000’s of miles) and many lives to touch. Please pray for our finances to continue to flow so that we can continue to touch lives world-wide with the Good News of Jesus Christ!

-Pray for those who received the Message of Truth in Czech. Pray they will continue to grow in their faith. We were able to place Bible’s in the hands of these young people among other resources that will help in their growth. Pray that God will give them a hunger for His Word and the ability to understand it through His Spirit. Pray also that God will send other believers in their path to strengthen their faith.

-Please also pray for those who heard the message but have not yet believed. There were many adults watching our team from a distance in Czech, I am trusting that they saw the love of Christ at work and will be drawn to Him. There were also adults and even children who are so close to surrendering their lives to Christ. Several even told us that they want to believe, but just aren’t ready. Pray that the eyes of their heart will be open to God’s truth.

-Please pray for one of our Czech participants, Daniel, a 19 year old boy who has been deaf since birth. God led Aunt Susie and I to pray over him for his healing. God also gave us Words of encouragement for Daniel and his 2 sisters.  Please join your faith with ours as we believe God, the great Physician, to restore Daniel’s physical healing.

-Please pray for Ray Stokes, infamous jump coach to many of the world’s best skiers. He is undergoing brain surgery. Also pray for Michele Laxson, a friend and volunteer of our ministry who is also undergoing major surgery in the coming days.

-Finally, please continue to pray for our ministry team. We have many more events to go before our 2011 A Day to Remember Tour is complete. There are many miles to travels (1000’s of miles) and many lives to touch. Please pray for our finances to continue to flow so that we can continue to touch lives world-wide with the Good News of Jesus Christ!

Our son died in a car accident on May 1^st, he was just 5 days short of his 24^th birthday. He was doing what he loved to do and that was coaching the Bitterroot Bucs Legion Baseball team.   Never in my wildest dreams, did I think that the whole Bucs team would have the opportunity to hear and accept the gospel, but that is how awesome our God is, he takes what we see as an impossibility and does it for His Glory!

The story starts with our dear friend Marilou Jones, who had committed to doing a “Day to Remember” event in July.  She had made contact with an area youth group, to come and enjoy the day and hear God’s word.   As the day approached, she began to become somewhat anxious, as the leader of the group was out of the country and she was unable to get a confirmation.  In a phone conversation with me, she expressed her concern and anxiousness over the event being less than two weeks away and not having any kids to attend. On ending the conversation with her, I relayed to another son (also a former Bucs player) the dilemma, he without a second thought said, “ well, how about the Bucs?”   Ya…..I responded, “what about the Bucs!”   I quickly called Marilou back and shared the idea, she thought that could just be what God had been planning all along.   These boys were dealing with the death of their coach and friend and had many questions about death and eternity, and most of them were unsaved.

What ensued was watching God put everything in place.  The funding that Marilou was counting on had also fallen through, so about $100.00 per participant had to be raised, as well as the feeding of all these growing boys.  Without going into all the details, God made it abundantly clear that he was meeting these needs by easily raising all the support, plus providing the boats and drivers, a safer place to ski, and donated food to feed twenty some  teenagers plus staff, abundantly!

The day at Polson Bay was in every way “A Day to Remember”. The gospel was presented so clearly with the visual aid being a day of skiing, knee boarding and tubing, along with the challenge of overcoming your fears.   Thirteen boys and coaches,  bowed their heads to pray and ask Jesus to be Lord of their lives.

We have since opened up our home, for the boys and coaches to come over and meet with a local youth group leader, who has encouraged them in living their lives for Christ.

My heart is so full of thankfulness to In His Wakes ministry and to God, for using it, to share with these young men His Truths.  What a blessing for us that God answered our prayer…. not only did He allow us to see how he used our son’s death for good, but He allowed us to be a part of it.  Praise His Name!

Art and Cheri Perez

The month of July has been filled with incredible victories at each of the stops!  From Maine to California God continues to remind us that there are so many kids that need to know there is a loving savior who, in spite of what they have been through, care so deeply for them and have a plan and purpose for their lives.

He also continues to show us that the groups we plan on having attend aren’t always the ones He has prepared for us to work with.  There have been so many last minute changes in groups and numbers yet; the end result has been incredible as God reveals His purpose!

Montana was one of those events where the kids that come out were not the original group that was intended to participate.  However, that day with a high school bases ball team that had recently lost their coach in an accident ended with over half of them giving their lives over to the Lord!  We were all blow away at how powerful the Spirit was worked through the day as we watch the transformation of these kids’ attitude!

We also had the opportunity to team up with a YWAM ( Youth With A Mission ) group from Lakeside, MT.  For two days we had the privilege of seeing the incredible heart this group has to reach the lost.  What an encouragement it was to us to see youth on fire for the Lord and willing to “ Go into all the world and preach the Gospel.”

August will also be a very busy month for the In His Wakes team as we start it out in Central California and finish it in the Czech Republic.

Thank you all for your continual prayers!

We need $20,000 in the next month to continue our tour and to meet our daily needs. This tour will include our west coast tour as well as two events in The Czech Republic. Pl ease help us touch people in your area and world-wide for Christ.

Yes, the motor home locked into 4^th gear and started losing power!  Praise God for providing a rest stop close enough for us to limp into, where we pulled in just before all power shut down.  Of course the most difficult call I had to make was to break the news to the Fosbenners that once again we were broken down just short of their event site.

The praises in all of this:  Bill ( Host ) is a mechanic and happen to be passing very close to our locations just as I called, by the time the mobile diesel mechanic had arrive Bill had eliminated many of the possibilities, which saved a great deal of time, this was only a two hour breakdown rather than a 4 day ordeal like last year, and most importantly some very harden kids gave their lives over to Christ at the end of the event!

The two days in Maine proved to be just as fruitful as NJ with many lives being changed for eternity!  I love to see the transformations in kids that show up in the morning with such harden hearts and with no intentions of participating in any way.  To have those kids hug you at the end of the day and thanking you for helping them see the need for a renewed heart is an experience that can’t be topped!

We just finished the month of the year that has the most events packed in ( 15 in 30 days)!  We now start the month that has the most miles to travel: Maine, Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, Montana, Colorado, and California all in July!  Thank you for your continual prayer for protection, motor  home and boats working, and transformed lives.