So lovely!

The weather today is so amazing that I think I got a little sunburn on my back during a discipleship appointment. It's also great weather for swimming which makes me so happy! Spring seems to really have "sprung" in SLO - or at least on the Cal Poly campus. I have never, in all my years as a student, seen so many beautiful flowers blooming on campus. If I remember I will throw my camera in my bag tomorrow and start taking some pictures for you to enjoy. God's creation is so amazing - makes me quick to give Him all credit for being my Creator King. The week has been going by fast, as usual. I just had a really good appointment with my discipler and new staff trainer, Jenn. My job is rather complex and often I have lots of questions, thoughts and experiences that I need to process through - my time with Jenn always helps so much with this. Also, she gives me "homework" because as new staff/interns with Crusade we have to work through set curriculum during the year. It's so refreshing to get to do homework that I enjoy and find to be really beneficial. . .for me personally and the women I work with. Scheduling in time for "personal development" is part of my job. . .one that I really struggled to make time for last quarter but am now getting more of the heart and need behind it this quarter.

One of the books that all new staff/interns have to read in their first year is Changes that Heal by Dr. Henry Cloud. This is such an excellent book that breaks down how we grow (a combo of grace, truth, and time) as well as fundamental areas where growth needs to occur (bonding, boundaries, good and bad split, and adulthood) in order to live a healthy, God-glorifying life. This book is packed full of scripture and has really opened my eyes to ways in which I need to grow and how to go about doing so. Plus, it's really a great tool for me to use with my students. . .I love getting to hit two birds with one stone!

I am also reading a book on evangelism right now called Tell it Often, Tell it Well - this has been a really good and challenging read. I have so much room to grow in both my understanding and practice of evangelism. Take yesterday for example. Katelyn and I put Soularium to the use and had two separate conversations with girls who claimed Catholicism as their religion yet while talking with them I gained some insight and believe that they don't have a personal relationship with Jesus. Yet, I struggled to make this known and ended up telling them to get involved with the Newman Center on campus, a great place for Catholic college students to gather (I have met several wonderful students there who do have a relationship with the Lord). I was dissatisfied with how these conversations went because I placed an emphasis on doing more rather then sharing that all the work has been done on the cross for them. These are truths I know, I just was able to communicate them well. Bummer. That's when I need to remember that God is in control.

Campus Crusade has a definition for successful witnessing which states, "Successful witnessing is taking the initiative in the power of the Holy Spirit to share Christ, and leaving the results to God." This is something I go back to, and take my students back to, frequently. . .and not only in the context of initiative evangelism. In ministry it is easy to want to see (even EXPECT to see) results in order to know that I am doing a good job. Well, honestly often I don't see results and if my work for the Lord were based on results then it would be very frustrating for me and not glorifying to Him. How I rejoice time and time again over the fact that "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). This is true only because of the Gospel; let us not tire of preaching the Good News to ourselves and to others daily!

Busy weekend!

Is it really Sunday night? I am listening to music on my computer right now because after 5 years I finally asked for some speakers for my Birthday. . .now I can actually hear the words! What a full weekend - it was so good to be in town. Thursday night a great friend stayed the night with me, we went to college together - doesn't that make us sound old?! :) I am so proud of her, she's teaching 2nd grade up north and the Lord has grown her so much in these past couple of months. I'd say we've grown closer since graduation. . .God is good. Friday night was Crusade's women's event called "Daughters of the King" - what a great night. About 200 women gathered for a yummy dinner, worship with our women's worship band, an awesome student testimony, and a great talk by Gretchen. The women all looked so beautiful - here are some pictures:

Me and my senior ladies!

Me and my freshmen ladies!

After the event it was off to my place for a sleepover for the 3rd floor Trinity Hall Girls Bible study. We had fun playing the drawing/writing game (for those of you who know what I mean :)) as well as asking each other crazy "Would you rather. . ." questions.

Here they are. . .getting to sleep in the living room!

I made yummy scones, a fruit salad, and fresh-squeezed orange juice for breakfast. This was enjoyed after a time in the Word and in worship together. One of the girls plays guitar and sings beautifully - she did such an awesome job leading us into worship.

Yay for a fun time together!

Later that afternoon I joined in on a Destino event at Brenna's house. Marvin, one of the students involved, is originally from El Salvador so we watched a documentary on the recent civil war - it ended in 1992 and his family left in 1993. He shared a lot about their 22 year long war and it was very sobering. I am so thankful to now have some understanding of this country and it's history before heading there in a couple of weeks. Pray that God would continue to open doors so that the His ministry of reconciliation would go forth in the hearts of El Salvadorians.

And now a new week is about to begin! It's week 8 of the quarter - crazy! On Tuesday night the Invisible Children crew will be on campus to show their latest video. . .we'll be going as a Bible study. Pray that believers and nonbelievers would pack out the night. Would we learn more about God's heart for justice and see how we can play a role. Otherwise, currently the week seems pretty "normal". . .although I know that won't really be the case because surprises come up daily. I love the spontaneity of my job. . .especially knowing that God has already planned each moment of the day. May we live to glorify Him in all ways this week!

Spell Check

My spell check isn't working! For all your blogspot bloggers out there. . .is yours?

Destino Conference Report

What a fantastic weekend! I helped to staff the national Destino Conference in Woodland Hills (outside of LA). About 100 (mostly) Latino students gathered to "Ignite" their passion for the Lord anew as well as to receive encouragement and training to go and "Ignite" the Latino community on their college campuses for Christ. "Ignite" was the name/theme of the conference and it was very fitting. It was such a blessing to get to be a part of what God did during this weekend. My main role was to organize the discussion groups for the weekend, as well as to create and distribute questions for the groups to discuss. Each group consisted of 6-7 students, mixed gender, and no two students were from the same campus in each group. . .so that they would really get to know new people. This was particularly rewarding because by the end of the weekend the students had really bonded with their groupies and were taking pictures and hugging each other good-bye. God used these discussion groups to help students soak in what they were learning, to form deep relationships with other Latinos around the nation, and to encourage these students to reach Latinos for Christ knowing they have friends doing the same all over the place. Here are some pictures I took of the weekend. . .I wish I took more!

Here are some students gathering in their discussion group for the first time. There were 15 goups. They got a lot more comfortable as the weekend progressed!

These are a couple of the Cal Poly students that drove down to the conference. We had a total of 6 students. . .the most ever to come from Cal Poly! I acredit this to a great scholarship offered by a generous regional donor and great recruitment skills of Brenna and Jose, the student leaders of Destino on our campus.

During one of the evening sessions students were challenged to take a step of faith for the Lord. They were able to make a public proclamation of doing so by writing down what the Lord was leading them to do in taking the Gospel to Latinos on their campus, going on a summer project, and/or reaching the world. This was a really cool time!

The Latino worship band that was hired for this conference was AMAZING. They led us in both English and Spanish. They really led us into the throne room of the Lord and added a whole new level of energy to the conference!

Here are most (I say most because some students had to leave early) of the students that were at the conference. At this point the students had returned from their "Day of Faith" (evangelistic outreach in the surrounding community) and were so pumped because of what they saw the Lord do. What an amazing end to the weekend!

All in all this could not have been a better weekend. I personally learned a lot and am so excited to meet up with Brenna and Jose tomorrow to de-brief and dream big about where we want to go with Destino. I also really enjoyed meeting other staff members from around the nation, to think that I am a part of something so much larger then what's going on in SLO is so exciting.

On a side note, I got to spend a couple hours in Santa Monica, which is where I'll be for the majority of the summer. . .staffing a Summer Project for students there (what is a summer project you might ask? check out www.gosummerproject.com). It was so neat to experience the beach and downtown for the first time. . .knowing that God has long ago already planned great things that will happen when our team of students and staff serve Him there in a couple of months. I'm so glad He's in control - may we cling to Him today!

God Is Love

Happy Valentine's Day! The fact that God is the full embodiment and ONLY perfect representation of love just leaves me in complete awe of who He is and how much He loves me. . .and you! This week the Trinity girls Bible study has been loving on the people in their hall in the name of Christ. We made valentines together down in the lobby before Bible study with the desire that anyone would come by and make one with us and that the valentines we make would be given to roommates and friends who don't know the love of Christ. The girls also hung up signs on the shower heads and wrote things on the mirrors in the bathroom - reminding them that they are beautiful and loved. Pray that the believers in Trinity would continue to spread the love of Christ in word and deed all year long.

I had the opportunity to once again put Soularium to use today, this time with Sarah. We met Mikenzi (how ever you spell that. . .:)) sitting on the steps of a building in the warm sunshine. She was so sweet and excited to take the survey. Upon connecting with her we find out that she goes to Oregon State University and she's just here visiting her boyfriend. Half way through the survey her boyfriend walks up but the Lord gives us some more time because he just stopped by on his way to meet with a professor. This gives us enough time to finish the survey. As we continue talking I ask her if anyone has ever explained to her how she can have a personal relationship with God (as a result of this survey I knew this would be something she is unfamiliar with). She says no. I ask her if she'd like to hear what the Bible says about this. She says yes. Yay! So I start to go through the "Knowing God Personally" booklet with her which has the 4 main points of Christianity laid out for us:
1. God loves you and created you to know Him personally
2. Man is sinful and separated from God so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love.
3. Jesus Christ is God's only solution for our sin. Through Him alone can we know God personally and experience God's love.
4.We must personally receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. Then we can know God personally and experience His love.
Well, Sarah and I begain sharing point 1 and the scripture that's listed. The boyfriend comes back and doesn't look very pleased. Bummer. I try to connect with him by asking him if his favorite color is green because he was wearing a lot of it. He says no. Sarah and I keep dialouging with them but can tell that girlfriend has now gotten uncomfortable with the boyfriend's return. Toward the end of sharing point 2 they decide they need to leave for a meeting. Sarah and I leave our contact info, the booket, and the survey's website and they walk off. Sarah and I pray for them and then talk together about how cool the conversation was and how we have to trust that God was, is, and always will be in control. Pray that Mikenzi will read over the booklet (and realize that point 2 is not the end, there's so much more!), interact with Christians on her campus and, in God's perfect timing, that she would personally receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. This is the only way we can know God personally and experience His love - on Valentine's Day and every day of the year!

Well, that's just one story of what happened today. . .other good things too! I need to get packing because tomorrow I leave bright and early to help put on a nation-wide conference for Destino, the Latino group within Campus Crusade for Christ. Pray that I would have a servant's heart and that the Lord would rise up leaders out of this conference to go back to their campuses and set them aflame for His glory. The name of the conference is "Ignite" which is fitting. I'll be sure to blog about it when I get back on Monday! Have a wonderful weekend!

Week 6

We're half way through the quarter - hard to believe! Because last week was so different and crazy with Veritas it's nice to start this week on a some-what normal schedule. . . not sure if I've had a truly "normal" schedule yet in this job, but then again that's why I love it - it keeps me on my toes and relying on God and His schedule. Here's what the day has looked like so far:

- staff meeting. . .Baby Abigail's first one, she contributed a lot - definitely great to have her on the team. Plus she dresses so cute, which is important of course! :)

- a quick trip out to Rite-Aid. . .I'll explain why later

- Discipleship with 3 of my women who I love so much. We did some training on the "Satisfied?" booklet, a tool that can be used to walk a Christian through what it looks like to live the Spirit-filled life moment by moment. Very applicable to our own lives as well!

- Planning Bible study with Hannah. We spent a good deal of the time talking about discipleship and trying to objectively discuss the possibility of discipleship for each of the women in the study. Please pray for this process as, like Christ, we will not be able to enter into a discipleship relationship with them all. Would God direct this process!

- Going sharing with Katie, using the Soularium cards. What a neat conversation we had with Ali. She is basically the quint-essential college freshman. . .heavily involved with partying, drama amoungst friends, and longing for a boyfriend (this can be a rough week!). CLEARLY she is try to fill the God-shaped hole in her heart with anything else but God. Katie and I found that she is very apathetic toward God and the life He offers her. . .though she has a somewhat Catholic upbringing. Pray that Ali would come to know the Lord in her college years - what an amazing testimony she will have!!

Well, those were some of the highlights of the day - now I'm off to cook dinner for Rebecca and me and then off to meet a friend for coffee. Oh, but I must not forget to tell you about why I ran out to Rite Aid this morning. Yesterday afternoon I got stung by a bee in the pool. . .granted it hurt pretty bad I didn't think it was that big of a deal. It didn't swell a whole lot. WELL, I woke up this morning to discover that in fact it did swell and that it is a big deal! :) Check it out:

Normal left arm. . .happy me

Not so normal right arm. . .not so happy me

And because I know you find this oh-so fascinating. . .because I do. :)

The swelling has increased BUT I called my doctor and she's convinced that it's not a big deal unless I start to have trouble breathing. . .good to know. As for now I'll keep popping the Benadryl. . .and go make dinner! Have a great evening!

Oh Wow

Is it really February? Because it feels like summer! It must be at least 75, if not 80, which makes me VERY happy! Well, Veritas week is coming to a close. There is a student film festival today and a question and answer time tomorrow and then that's it! A highlight for me has been having conversations with nonbelievers at 3 different seminars. Each time I sat next to someone I didn't know and strike up conversation before and after the seminar. It worked! Prayerfully I will be meeting with 2 of the 3 students some time next week to continue our conversations. How exciting! Another highlight was getting to take Dr. Alvin Plantinga (a super famous philosopher known world-wide. . .oh, and he's Dutch!) out to dinner last night. Tim and I were rather nervous to do so but we kept the conversation going and it was fun to get to know such an amazingly intellectual professor (at Notre Dame in Indiana) on a personal level. Plus, we took him to Upper Crust. . .so that if the conversation was dull at least the food would be awesome! Thankfully the conversation was not dull and the food proved to be so delicious, as usual. After dropping him off at the SLO airport this morning I went on a nice hike. I needed/wanted the fresh air and some time in the beauty of the Lord's creation. Other then that, I've been preparing for a little Birthday party that I'm throwing tonight (I'll be 23 on Tuesday) - cleaning, groccery shopping, baking. Friends are coming over at 8. . .here's what's on the menu:
- 3 layer hummus with fresh veggies and pita chips
- tortilla chips with fire roasted guacamole and fresh salsa
- "Cuties" (little setsuma type citrus from Trader Joe's, of course :))
- 2 layer Lemon cake with a lemon curd filling
Yum-o! Rebecca and I have some fun games planned as well - should be a nice night. Hope yours is nice as well!

I Choose Life!

Wow - God is so good to speak straight into my heart this morning:

Deuteronomy 30:11-20

11"For this commandment that I command you today(A) is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. 12(B) It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' 13Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' 14But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.
15"See,(C) I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God[a] that I command you today,(D) by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules,[b] then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 17But if(E) your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18(F) I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. 19I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death,(G) blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice(H) and holding fast to him, for(I) he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in(J) the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."

I love how God knows how to give me a "kick-in-the-butt" that will result in glory for Him as He humbles me! So, it's a new day with a new understanding of the new life I have Him and how this is a life that I must choose for, and can choose for, daily.

On the Veritas side of things - keep it in your prayers!!! Satan is certainly at work and I'm just so thankful to remember that God is more powerful. The evening speaker yesterday was supposed to speak at 8 but his plane was delaying and he didn't begin speaking until 9:30. We had to show a video and quite a few students left, understandably. Pray that this experience would not deter them from coming to other events. I trust that God was/is in control and that last night went perfectly according to His plan because He had/has something greater in store. Today there's an art tent set up in the university union. Pray that many nonbelievers will look at this art that investigates truth. . .and that by doing so they would begin investigating truth as well. Would we, as believers, be faithful to engage them in conversation. We are bathing each seminar and event with prayer before hand - pray that students will come and sense the need to pray. Pray that we would not neglect prayer because things are hectic before events begin - this should motivate us to stop and pray even more.

My parents are coming today - yay. They always come around this time because it's in the middle of Joost's birthday and mine. I take it for granted that my parents care to come visit - I really appreciate them and am so blessed by them. Okay, time to get onto campus. . .and then to vote! Have a great day - let's choose life together!

Hum . . .

Well, it's Sunday evening. . .the Super Bowl is still going on because I can hear the guys grunting downstairs. My Saturday didn't really pan out like I thought it would. . .God knows how to remind me that He's in control, not me. Sometimes that hurts though and I have discovered even more that I am rather lonly in SLO when it comes to my personal life. I never (or rarely) notice it during the week (or the weekends that I am gone) because my job is so interactive, people-focused, and high energy. Lonliness makes me really sad so I'd love some prayer. Another busy week is about to start and I just don't quite feel ready for it.

On a more exciting note about the week - it's Veritas week! Check out veritasforum.com for lots of detailed info. Tonight we are doing a Veritas Prayer and Preparation event. We'll spend time in worship, prayer, vision-casting, and training for the week ahead. This is a big deal and there is a lot to lift up to God. This is a good place to be in. . .

Which takes me back to me. . .it's a good place to be in - but it's hard to have that perspective when I feel stuck in a slump. The Psalms are amazing and so many verses encourage me so much. . .like this one: "The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped" (28:7). May our hearts trust in Him wholey and soley!

A Day Off!

Things that it will hold:

- waking up to a beautiful sun-shining day
- spending time with the one I love so much. . .but only because He first loved me (incase this confuses you. . .I mean Jesus! :))
- hanging out with a sweet friend at Utopia Bakery
- Heading to AG to grab lunch and check out the Outlet Mall with a college friend who is also now in full-time ministry
- Groccery shopping, one of my favorite things!
- Perhaps laundy. . .or not, I can always save it for another day!
- Curling up in my popizon chair and reading one of many great books that I have started and want to finish sometime in the not-to-distant future
- Going to Orchesis, Cal Poly's annual dance production
- Grabbing Balis (an amazing frozen yorut place. . .yay for the dairy free option!) afterwards with friends while possibly imitating some of the unique dance moves that we just witnessed
- ending the day with thansgiving for who God is and the many blessings in my life

What will your Saturday hold? I am determined not to do work related things (well, except for the friend I'm meeting at Utopia. . .I want to invite her to go on a summer project this summer, she'll need to start her application soon!) but to simply enjoy the day laid out before me. Perhaps you will do the same?!