Wrap up!

Can you believe it? The semester is fully over. Students are in exams or on their way home. Today, as a staff team, we just finished our semester evaluation and fall planning. There is so much to celebrate and look forward to. Sometime over the next few days, you will be getting our April/May newsletter with a list of things to celebrate from the semester. Enjoy reading about what God has done!

Last night, we had some of Siena leaders over for dinner to celebrate the end of the school year. We had pizza and wings. Then, we walked up to the local ice cream shop. We finished the night by playing Monopoly Slam (card game). I am so thankful for each of them. They each bring such unique personalities and giftings to the table, and God has used each of them in a different way on the Siena campus this semester. It was great to invite them into our home and give them a chance to rest and have fun. It was awesome to be a part of a conversation they started at the ice cream shop about how they can more effectively reach their campus with the Gospel in the Fall. I was so encouraged by how THEY brought it up. God is doing something in each of their hearts to help them live out of an eternal perspective.

So...with that part of the year completed, we look to Wildwood. I am sure you have all received a letter from us in the mail about support for the summer and our goal of $3,500. We are praising Him as we see Him provide! Please keep praying for these funds to be raised up. We start our time in NJ on the 16th in my hometown of Moorestown. If you will be around, we would love to see you. Please let us know. We head to Wildwood on May 22nd. Please pray for this time of transition.

Sharing Jesus at Siena

For those of you who read our last paper newsletter, you know that this week is the week where Siena leaders with Campus Crusade are taking a part of their day, every day to engage in spiritual conversations with other students on campus. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to use Soularium (a picture survey that asks questions about the individual's life and spiritual journey, giving lots of opportunities to share the Gospel) with one of our leaders. We set up the pictures outside of the library in the rain. Some students came and talked about the images and their views of God. We also got to share with a few. I can't wait to hear more stories from our leaders about how God is using them this week! Please pray for them, great conversations and students to know Christ!

Tonight, we are having our second Athletes in Action meeting at UAlbany. Last week, we had 10 athletes come out from 5 different sports. It was awesome! I was talking to a softball player at the end and asked her if she would come back next week. She said that she would. She shared that she was a little skeptical of the evening at first, but that it was so much different than what she expected. She is excited for this week! Please pray for Keyana (our student athlete leader) who is leading the group tonight.

As we end the year, God continues to show up in powerful ways. It reminds me that just because the school year is wrapping up, it doesn't mean that God stops working in people's hearts. Amazing! Thanks for praying for us!

AIA Launch

Last night, I had the chance to sit with a friend and remember all that God has done in the lives of student athletes at UAlbany. It all started with a connection to one coach, which led to a connection with the women's basketball team, which led to a connection to the football team. Then, a freshman athlete steps up and says that "I want to lead a movement of student athletes at UAlbany."

Tonight, we are going to launch an Athletes in Action movement at UAlbany. Some members of our staff team and one key student leader have put a lot of time and effort into this informational meeting tonight. We know that every student athlete is on the heart of God, so we expect He has big things in store. Posters have been put up around the athletic facilities and e-mails have been sent out to every athlete. Please pray for this event tonight. Pray for freshman basketball player, Keyana, as she shares what it looks like to be a student athlete who plays and lives for Jesus. Pray for the video testimonials that we will show of athletes whose lives have been changed. Pray for the staff as we trust God with tonight's event. Pray for me as I share with the athletes from God's Word at the end of the time. We are praying that 50 athletes will come tonight. We are so excited and will be sure to keep you updated!

Big Break 2010

As I sit here and reflect on the past 2 weeks, I am thinking about how God is such a provider. He loves to meet our needs! Jen and I worried so much about taking the trip to Florida with an infant. Needless to say, God reminded us again that He is the one who takes care of us, freeing us to enjoy all the adventures He has for us! What a great 2 weeks!

We fly back to Philadelphia today and then drive home to Albany tomorrow. Last week, we had a great week with our students in Panama City Beach among the thousands of Spring Breakers from around the country. We talked with so many awesome people, who have so much hurt and emptiness in their life. It was so much fun to meet them where they are at in life, here about their life and spiritual journeys, and often have a chance to share the Gospel with them. I was sitting on our balcony one morning overlooking the great ocean. The beach was quiet. God quietly reminded me that even in a place of so much brokeness, He is still there, working in the lives of so many people and drawing them closer to Himself. The results of the week showed that truth. During the week we were there, 2,811 spiritual conversations were initiated with people on the beach. Of these, 2,206 spiritual conversations were actually held. 311 conversations were held about the Spirit-filled life and 72 people prayed to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Gospel was presented to 1,619 people and 309 people prayed to receive Christ! What a great week...and what a great God!

Another blessing of the week was packing meals for people in Haiti. The students had the opportunity to take part in this during one afternoon of the week. During the course of Big Break 2010 (which lasts for 5 weeks) 1,009,068 meals were packed for people in Haiti. These meals consist of rice with a chicken flavoring and vegetables. Each meal feeds 6 people. The meals were shipped out of Panama City that Friday and should be close to arriving in Haiti, if not already have arrived.

So, after spending the week in Panama City Beach, we drove 8 hours south with Abby (that was an adventure in itself) to relax and spend time with family at Jen's grandmother's house. It was a great time to rest up and get ready for the rest of the semester (less than a month!) We're ready to get back and excited to see what the rest of the semester has in store! Stay tuned...

Panama City Beach! Here We Come!

Jen, Abby, four UAlbany students and I are getting ready to head down to Panama City Beach this coming Friday for a week for a training conference. We will spend our afternoons talking with students relaxing on the beach about their spiritual backgrounds, as well as giving as many as possible an opportunity to trust Jesus with their lives. This is exciting for Jen and I, because we both went to this conference as students. It was life-changing! (and its where I first started to get to know Jen!) We will be there from March 26-April 3. Please pray for...

-Safety traveling: The students will be driving down with others from Brown University and New York City. Jen, Abby and I will be flying down.
-That God would continue to change our hearts as we hear from and respond to Him.
-Great fellowship and community building among the UAlbany community.
-That we would love well and be good listeners as we talk with others on the beach who do not know Him.
-That the many students who we talk to on the beach would respond to His love and trust Him with their lives.

Thank you for praying! We look forward to updating you when we get back!

Mary's Continued Investment

As I write this entry, the women's basketball season is coming to a close as they have their America East conference tournament in Hartford, CT. What a season! They really pulled together as a team and played well! Enjoy watching the video below that explains what God is doing on the basketball team from a player's perspective. The team member is Keyana Williams, a freshman starter.



In other news, Mary's small group of international students continues to go strong this semester. She has 2 other students from East Asia who come every week and they have a great time talking about the Lord and how the Bible applies to their lives. One of the students, Walter*, is a freshman. Mary, Walter and I sat down a few weeks ago to clearly go through the Gospel. He said he had prayed to receive Christ before, but is "too lazy" (his words) to walk with Jesus. Please pray for discernment for Mary and I to truly see where he is with Jesus. Starting next Friday, we are going back to the basics with Walter and a 5 week study on "Who is Jesus?" I am so excited to see how God works in Walter's life. Walter's English is very limited, so it has been awesome to see Mary teach Walter a lot of the basic concepts of a relationship with God. God continues to use Mary in incredible ways!

*Name has been changed

Dinner and Basketball

We are full swing into the semester. We had a fun beginning with our students. It was great to see some of our students at UAlbany jump on board with what God is doing on the women's basketball team. We held an event to welcome back the students after their break. First, we had dinner at T.G.I. Fridays. We had a good crowd show up. It was fun catching up with some of the students and hearing about their breaks. Then, some of us went from dinner to continue on the fun at the womens' basketball game at UAlbany. This was great to show our support of the team. When I (Joe) was with them earlier in the day (for Chapel) and shared that some of the students were coming to support them that night, they got excited. The womens' team doesn't draw a crowd like the men's, so they love it when people (especially their peers) come out to support them. It was a great way for the students in our movement to love the team.