Many Posts

I have so many things to write about! I will try to write them in order :) Life has been great and eventful!

Update Needed! :)

Wow. It's been a while since I have been here. But as I have been thinking about what God has done in my life this last year, and the new adventures that are starting, I am tempted to write again. However, this blog is in need of a major renovation. Blessings!

More than a Student

I wrote this entry back in early May but I am just now getting around to posting again.

I have a hard time calling this person a student of mine. For starters, we are the same age and she is currently getting her Phd. But she is more than a student to me. She is one of my dearest friends, challenges me in my walk with God, holds me accountable, cries with me and laughs with me. She is an inspiration to me.

A few months ago I led a training on GIGs. A GIG is a Group Investigating God, basically a one on one Bible study with a believer for someone who is seeking to learn more about God. At the end of a GIG the person leading has a great opportunity to ask if the other person would like to accept Jesus in their life. I had asked everyone in the group to pray about whom they want to lead a GIG with. I also told them that the following week I would ask them who that person is. I wanted to hold them accountable to sharing the gospel with others. I believe that we as Christians are lacking in sharing the good news with our family and friends around us.

Before the meeting ended my friend new exactly who she wanted to do a GIG with. She excitedly told me that another girl who had been in our fellowship the semester before (I’ll call her K) had been put on her heart to do a GIG with. K had been around for a semester and was struggling with the difference between Christianity and Mormonism. I thought it was a great idea, then I remembered that K was doing an internship this semester on the other side of the country. My friend asked me if anyone had ever done a GIG through Skype. I hadn’t, but I didn’t see why a Skype GIG couldn’t be done. And we both thought that it was important enough for K to hear the gospel to take the challenge of doing it through Skype.

The next week my friend asked K to be in a GIG. K said yes!

They started a four part series in discovering who God is. I was told that each session was hours long. I have never lead one that was more then an hour or so. Each session was full of hard/great questions, tears, laughter and a deepening friendship. It was very exciting.

The morning of the last GIG my friend and I were driving to church. We processed, talked through and prayed about how she would lead and invite K into a relationship with Jesus.

I got a text very late that night that K decided to enter into a relationship with Jesus! My friend stays in contact with K, discipling her, while we are waiting for K’s return to Vegas.

I forgot to mention that my friend is from China. She willingly took on an “American” structure and tried it with another Chinese student, and through Skype.

I am so blessed to have her in my life. Thanks Joy for being my friend.

Myself and Joy on the Great Wall of China. (December 20, 2010)

It's difficult blogging from an iPhone.

This morning I write to you from my iPhone. I love this little gadget and it works much better than my computer. However, it is tiny and not the best for long writings. But this is the device I have to write from.

This past Sunday I ran in my second 1/2 marathon! It was an amazing experience. My time was 2:38:14. A decent improvement from my last race. I felt so much stronger in this race. I am pretty sure that I am hooked on running. People have been asking me when I will run a full marathon. I am very content with the challenge of 13.1 miles for now. I already am planning on running another 1/2 in March. I would love to get my time under 2:30.

I have spent the last few days attending one of my favorite events - Divisional Staff Meetings. Yes, I just said these particular meetings are some of my favorites. At DSMs I am challenged to grow but in the context of a loving community. I am reminded of all the talents and gifts the staff in my division have. I am very blessed to work alongside such amazing people. I really do love my job.

Speaking of loving my job, what kind of job send people to China to hang out with students? Mine does!! In a few hours I will leave for the airport. I get to spend the next two weeks traveling around China with a couple of international students that are attending UNLV. I am so excited to learn about the culture. It will help greatly with evangelism in the states. I am also looking forward together a better grasp on how I can help prepare Chinese international students to go back to China. On top of the great ministry experience China is just going to be an awesome place to visit.

I probably won't have internet service while overseas but I will make sure to take notes so I can post later. I'm am very excited and grateful for my upcoming travels! :)

Catching Up

Well, another few months has passed without a blog update. What can I say? The blog has been a low priority.

Last weekend the UNLV staff hosted our first conference. The DIP was an inner city experience to learn about our ethnic identity, Biblical justice and God’s heart for the city. We took 23 students through the conference. The weekend was great. Student’s eyes were really opened. But this is a big issue (part of the reason we call it a dip.) This starts a big journey for our fellowship. I would consider the DIP a success.

The thing I learned most from the DIP though is that I continue to appreciate my job more and more. I love seeing students out of their comfort zone and experiencing another side of God’s heart. It is amazing seeing students become passionate about something they didn’t care about before. I love being able to take students on this journey. I love seeing them become passionate about something God cares about. I absolutely love it.

On another note, I have greatly enjoyed running! I completed my first ½ marathon on October 10, 2010. My time was 2:53:20. Not bad. I was just happy that I actually ran a ½ marathon! I am really proud of myself for sticking to training for 10 weeks. My goal of building discipline into my life is happening, not only with running. On top of that I have signed up for the Las Vegas Rock n Roll ½ marathon! It is December 5th. I can't say that every morning I wake up and can't wait to run, but I do have days that I am excited to run. I can't say that every run is easy, but I do feel stronger. I can't say that I have a good pace, but I am running. I am a runner.

It Has Started!

I feel like I have a legit reason for not blogging the last few weeks. School started! It started last Monday actually. This is one of the most craziest, funniest, exciting and most stressful times of any campus ministers life. On top of that the couple of weeks before school started were a bit crazy in my personal life.

A couple of weeks ago we had our leaders retreat in St. George, UT. It was beautiful and great to get away from Vegas with some of our coolest students. We also had an amazing retreat fellowship-ing and learning about prayer.


A week later school started. So we had our information table set up outside and we had what we call a proxy station set up. A proxy is an interactive art/ evangelism tool that we use on campus. They are great for meeting new people and geeting the conversation going. We had some amazing students running the proxy and the information table. This years proxy was called Body-Mind-Soul. It basically asked a series of questions concerning all three topics. Students could respond by placing stickers or using a dry erase marker.





Our students did great! I have never seen so many students passionate about reaching their campus. We were never short handed. One student in particular showed up on the first day, wasn't familiar with the Proxy but dropped off her backpack and immediately started asking students walking by if they would like to participate. She even got several skateboarders and students with headphones in to turn around and come back to see the Proxy. It was amazing. On top of that we met 6 students who want to know more about Jesus. 6! That is more than we have ever had in a school year!

Our first fellowship meeting is tomorrow night! I am really excited to see what God is going to do. We now have a Large Group Team just to help out on Thursday nights. They are a bunch of creative girls. They are helping with the ambiance, slides, greeting new people, helping people get connected, a lot of stuff. These girls have been working really hard this last week and I am so excited to see what it will look like tomorrow. Also, the Small Groups are gonna rock! I am leading a team of ten amazing leaders. They are going to reach the campus in unaccountable ways. They are going to do things that I can only dream of doing. They are leading their first studies tomorrow in Luke 5. And last but definitely not least, we have two students committed to help us learn and grow in prayer. This year has already been covered in prayer. I am excited to see us as a fellowship of prayer. We have weekly prayer meetings and will be practicing different types of prayer.

I will defiantly be blogging about our first fellowship meeting and all the events we have going on this weekend.

A month later....

I laugh because my last blog I talked about lack of discipline with the hope that I would blog more often. Here it is a month later…. Anyways, I’m back and ready to give this a try again. And I think I need to make the blog public. Even though I don’t feel comfortable letting everyone read my ramblings, I think if it were public then others could ask me about it. There would be more of an accountability if the blog were public.

I am preparing for the 2010 fall leaders retreat. I am really excited. Mattie and I greatly miss Spencer, but I think this is a forceful opportunity for us to grow as leaders. This is also the school year that I have been waiting for. The last two years we have completely changed our structure. They have been great foundational years. But I have been looking forward to year three. This is the year that there will be breakthrough on campus. Breakthrough for our student leaders, breakthrough in prayer, breakthrough in reaching the campus, breakthrough in our fundraising (both of us are working hard at FD.) I believe it. The scripture that came to Mattie is:

Isaiah 61:1-4
The Year of the LORD's Favor

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.

This passage has been implanted on my heart not only for our fellowship, but also for my personal life. I not only believe that God is going to show up in crazy ways I freakin’ expect Him to. And as I learned last spring, that God’s timing is never my timing, that I must be faithful with the work that has been given to me and wait.

The passage on my heart today is:

Psalm 4
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.

1 Answer me when I call to you,
O my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
2 How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
Selah
3 Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
the LORD will hear when I call to him.
4 In your anger do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices
and trust in the LORD.
6 Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?"
Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.
7 You have filled my heart with greater joy
than when their grain and new wine abound.
8 I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O LORD,
make me dwell in safety.

I think this is a Psalm that I am going to need to keep close to me this year. There will be days of distress but I am to trust in Him. I love verse 8. Only He will have a safe place for me to sleep in peace, no matter what the circumstances are.