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Ward and Kari Ballard

Ward and Kari Ballard
Serving with Navigators in Ohio

Ward serves as area director for the Navigators ministry covering several states, including Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky. His duties involve the training of new leaders, and assisting workers who serve at many of the colleges and universities in those states. He and Kari have four children (three sons and one daughter).

The Navigators Collegiate Ministry

From the early days until present, our purpose has simply been to know Christ and to make Him known. On the college campus, our mission is this: to reach, disciple, and equip college students in the U.S. to know Christ and to make Him known through successive generations in all the nations. Our passions are Jesus and students, and we want to look at crowds the way Jesus did as fields ready to be harvested.

On campus, we see lost students who need to find the hope that comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ. We see students who need to grow in their walks with God. And we see the incredible potential of young men and women ignited for God and the huge impact they can make as workers in the spiritual harvest fields.

Latest News from Ward and Kari Ballard

God's Good HandDear Praying Friends, The last few weeks of school always seem the busiest as everything gets squeezed in. Last night we attended Caleb and Seth's band concert, this morning Kari and Daniel had "Moms and Muffins", this Saturday Seth races in the Soap Box Derby, we have his Birthday Party Friday Night, I preach at a Church Sunday morning, and this is our last weekend in town! Oh-and my computer stopped working Monday and I'm typing this on a brand new Lap-top I had to rush out and buy. But, in th...

Staff Help Cometh!Dear Friends, One of my biggest challenges is replacing staff as they move on to new assignments. Next year Mark & Megan Smith, our Miami U Campus Directors, will be moving to a school in Florida. How to replace them? We invited a young couple, Taylor & Christy Scott, to consider moving to Oxford from the University of Kansas. They have lived their whole lives in Kansas, and been at KU with The Navs 4 years as students and 2 years as Edge Corps. It has been a long and twisting process but ...

Dads and DoughnutsDear friends, When the alarm went off at 6:00 am this morning I really did not feel like getting up. Today was "Dads and Donuts" so needed to get up and get moving to get Caleb and Seth to the Middle School and make a showing. At 7:30 the bell rings and the kids without Dads started pouring in. 1st Bailey said "Hey Mr. Ballard, will you be my dad so I can get a donut." (His Dad runs a bar in Tennessee and Bailey has come to some Young Life events with me.) 2nd was Matthew whose Dad is sick...

Rest Request!Dear Team, Thank you so much for your prayers. Really sensed God's enabling as we hosted 87 staff, including 35 kids, plus 25 college students to help watch the kids, this past weekend. Normally I book 25 rooms and have to cancel some and end up with 22. This time kept having to add rooms and ended up with 34. Growth is good. Unless you are the administrator. Our whole family is worn out. My job is to get everybody up in the morning and out the door with lunches packed. Was a bit of a battle for...

Busy WeekDear friends, We're about to head off for our Annual Staff retreat outside Cincinnati. This year we will be about 100 involved which is up from the usual 75 or so. This is stretching my admin skills to the max. We were in DC for Easter which was wonderful, but Daniel somehow broke his right wrist, so got it casted yesterday, which was not so wonderful. Today I have been feeling sick, so would appreciate prayers for health as am about to load the family into the mini-van. So great to ...

Political and PrayerfulDear Praying Friends, Happy Holy Week as we prepare for Easter. Many of my Campuses are on Spring Break trips. Our Kent State group took a bus of 55 to Clearwater, FL to partner with Clearwater Community Church in doing Beach Evangelism, service projects, and youth ministry. So far 3 of the Kent State students have trusted Christ. Our staff called me with a minor crisis, several students have asked to be baptized while on the trip. The political part: recently "access" has become more of an iss...

Fatigue Prayer ConcernDear Friends, I am recently back from a whirlwind trip to Tampa, FL. This was a scouting trip to check on job possibilities for our upcoming Summer Training Program. Kari and I were both wore out before I left, so even more so now. Thankfully, Mark Bogart, one of our Florida Staff joined me and drove me all over Tampa and St. Petersburg. Two really are better than one. We prayed throughout the time for God to bless us and guide us. I can't say I felt very successful, but at least I did not give ...

Somebody Must Be PrayingDear Friends, February just keeps dragging on and I've not been feeling very spiritual. So, somebody out there must be praying for us. 1. Young Life-last night I went to a meeting prepared to feel awkward and nothing to come of it. I went to a teacher's house where he gathers some high school kids once a month. My job was to talk to him about Young Life possibilities at Medina. Two other Dad's (my team) showed up and the teacher told us about working with kids in the High School the ...

Looking for HopeDear Praying Friends, I've found myself looking for hope these days. I've been saddened by the School Shootings and wonder where our world is heading. I'd love to see a news story about a resilient Believer standing strong in the midst of the tragedy. If you have seen one, please forward it to me. A small step-some of you know we have been attempting to find people interested in starting Young Life here in Medina. The goal is to see the Gospel communicated to the young people of our town. So far...

Prayer and a ChallengeDear Friends, Thanks for praying for Kari's girls group. Last week they all prayed out loud for the first time ever. One girl (who is probably too young) was doing cartwheels the whole time. You could pray for these girls to really meet Jesus in this study: Taylor, Brooke, Emily, and Annemarie. I've been reading Colossians in my daily Quiet Time and have been challenged in Colossians 4:2-4: 1. Pray for Open Doors for the Gospel. 2. Pray to be prepared to go through these open doors wi...

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Ward and Kari Ballard

Latest News from Ward and Kari Ballard