Fall Getaway 2012

Capital Region students at Upstate Fall Getaway 2012

Imagine 400 people singing praise to Jesus.  Powerful is one word to describe that one.  We just got back from a great weekend on Seneca Lake.  Jen and I love going back every year- this time with TWO kids.  It brings back great memories and new ones are made.  For us, it started 7 years ago when Jen and I were just dating.  Now, we have a family of 4.  God has done so much in our lives since then.  He is in the business of changing lives.  That is exactly what he did this weekend. 

Friends

 

 

 

We had a record number of students from the Capital Region this year.  We also had a record number of students from UAlbany.  Last year, one athlete went with us.  This year, she brought two friends.  All three met with Jesus and left more in love with Him.  After the weekend, one said, "I realized how broken I am without Jesus.  All I can do is praise Him."  Another put a status on facebook that said, "had a wonderful weekend! Just praising the lord and meeting new friends that adore him as well. It was definitely a life changing experience and I can now say I feel so much closer to my savior, and so refreshed and re-energized."  

It is at times like this when God helps me remember that the hard work is worth it.  Jen and I are so thankful for the privilege to just be a small slice of God's plan for these students' lives.  Thank you for walking and partnering with us.  

Sunday morning breakfast.

Week #1 in Review

Wow.  I couldn't be more tired right now.  At the same time, I look back on the past week and saw God at work in student's lives.  I saw students grasp the meaning of the cross and a personal relationship with God.  I saw students for the first time realize that we know God through faith in Jesus alone- not by works.  I saw students ask really thoughtful questions, that made me depend even more on God for good, solid answers.  I saw God help me through the most challenging, encouraging week I've had in ministry in a long time.  I'm really glad its a long weekend.  I need some good rest.  So does my wife who has been alone with the kids for the majority of the week. 

I had the chance to go through the Gospel with every student that I met with this week.  It wasn't long before they were engaging in a spiritual conversation with me.  One of the student athletes I met with yesterday didn't believe that Jesus was God.  So, after asking some clarifying questions as to why he believes that, I took him to John 1.  That was all the proof he needed to believe that.  Just a great reminder to me that the Word of God is living and active!  Then, we talked about how to have a relationship with Jesus.  He was amazed at the image of Jesus being the bridge between us and God.  That was something he never grasped before.  He didn't trust Christ yesterday, but it was evident that God was working in his life.  Before he left the meeting, he said, "I am going to go tell this to someone else!" 

Please join us in praying for this student athlete and other students on campus.  We are learning that letting God work means joining Him one step at a time.  We are thankful for you and the chance to partner with you in being a part of changing the campus and the world. 

Making a Difference

Thank you for trusting the Lord and walking by faith with us!

(Click on above)

Welcome Ella Margaret!

It is 5:30 am on July 10th.  On a normal day at that time, it would take me a while to actually be able to function.  This morning was different.  Its not every day that you wake up to your wife saying, "I'm having contractions."  I was awake.  In fact, I was wide awake and in full "go mode" getting every organized and ready to go to the hospital.  We dropped Abby off at a friend's house and headed straight to the labor and delivery floor.  A few hours later, at 1:04 pm, Ella Margaret was born, weighing 7 lbs. 14 oz.  God answered so many prayers.  We are thankful for the quick, smooth delivery and healthy baby/mom.

The adjustment at home has been just that.  We are learning that communication between us will look different.  Jen has done a great job at night helping both kids (the older one only wanting mom when she wakes up).  She is tired, but I see her persevering and trusting God every day.  She is such a good mom!  I went back to work at the beginning of the week during the mornings.  Its been good to ease back in slowly and be available to the family in the afternoons.  We are grateful for friends and family who have visited, helped around the house, provided meals, etc.  This has taken a huge load off of us as we learn to take care of 2 kids. 

Please pray for us as we continue to transition into being a family of 4.  It has been a good one for all of us so far.  We love seeing "big sister" love "sissy."  Abby is doing such a great job with Ella.  I also believe it has helped our family grow closer together.  I am thankful for that. 

Ella Margaret

I love this little girl!

Tired, but so excited after the delivery

Such a great face!

Big sister!  First time holding Ella.

Family of 4!

Spending time together

Cute baby

Thank you for the privilege of sharing our lives with you.  We are blessed to have partners and friends who care about us and for us.  We look forward to keeping you updated as Ella grows into the little girl God created her to be.

What's Happening With Us?

Its summer and we are enjoying it!  We have been so blessed to stay in Albany.  After traveling to various places for 4 summers in a row, it is nice to see what summer is like here.  We have enjoyed building relationships with friends and neighbors.  We did some traveling at the beginning of the summer.  Here is a picture of Abby waving to her "friends" during the parade at Sesame Place.  She enjoyed meeting the characters that she always sees on TV.

Now, we are "nesting" and getting ready for our daughter to arrive.  We are so excited, but Abby is especially looking forward to the moment where she gets to go to the hospital and meet her sister.  She knows the plan and recites it to us often. 

Every so often, I'll make a loop around the quiet campus of the University at Albany.  Its such a different scene in the summer.  Things are quiet.  Construction is happening all over the place.  The loop, which is usually filled with runners is next to empty.  However, what I do know is that God is still moving in the lives of students, faculty and staff.  He is far from "taking a break" throughout the summer.  Its great to pray and dream of what He will do in the coming year.  

One of the privileges of my summer has been coaching a group of 4 interns.  During the coming school year, these interns will be serving the Lord on the campuses of UMass Amherst, UNH, UAlbany and Cru Headquarters in Orlando.  Before they head to their various assignments, they are working and trusting the Lord to provide a team of partners to support them prayerfully and financially.  It has been really encouraging to see them walk by faith and persevere through this challenge.  I know their faith has challenged me as well as Jen and I continue to trust the Lord to keep building our team.  I am thankful for them. 

The baby's room is painted and ready.  Jen's hospital bag is packed.  Now, we wait with anticipation.  We are excited to introduce you to her. 

In the meantime, what are you and your family up to this summer?

A Video Camera

God uses so many things to bring people into a relationship with Him- including a video camera. Last Tuesday, a coworker and I were interviewing students at RPI for a documentary we are making for a community dinner. We asked questions like:

1. What are your top three passions in life?
2. Who is Jesus to you?
3. If you were to die right now, on a scale of 0-100%, how certain are you that you would go to heaven right now?

We asked these questions to Matt* and he answered 80% to the last question. We asked why and he said that he has lived a pretty good life and hopes the good outweighs the bad. When asked if he wanted to know how he could be 100% sure, he said yes. We had an open door to share the Gospel and how through faith in Jesus alone, Matt could have a relationship with God forever. That day, in the student center, Matt trusted Jesus for the first time.

Please pray with us that Matt would grow in His new relationship with God and get connected with the Cru community at RPI. Thanks for joining with us in this ministry!

*Name changed for protection of student

From 2 to 6 Teammates

Tuesday night, we have the chance to spend time with athletes from all teams. It is our main meeting for Athletes in Action. We've interacted with athletes from women's basketball, field hockey, track and field, football, men's lacrosse and softball during these times. Tuesday is a great time to build relationships with, as well as figure out where each one is with the Lord.

Jen and I are working with two key leaders from the field hockey team, who have a desire to see others come out on Tuesday night and have an opportunity to hear about Jesus. One thing that we really appreciate about these women is their boldness. They will spend their days prior to Tuesdays, all the way up until the meeting inviting their teammates and other athletes. They also own various parts of the evening, including the competition that takes place at the beginning of the night. As a result of their initiation with others, we now see half of the field hockey team come out on Tuesday nights.

We are not sure what God is up to, but we are enjoying walking by faith and watching Him work in the lives of these athletes as we meet with them on Tuesdays and other parts of the week. Please pray for God to continue to draw these students to Himself. Praise God for these women who desire for their friends to know Jesus and are taking steps to own what God is calling them to.

I've Come For a New Life

I was blown away when I heard those words, while sitting with an international student in the student center. We were talking about why he came over to the United States. He shared that he wanted a new beginning and was looking for a new life. I was overwhelmed by that statement, knowing that is exactly what Jesus offers anyone who would trust in Him. We continued to talk and God opened doors for me to share the Gospel with him. Although he did not pray to trust Christ that day, he expressed interest in meeting again.

The following week, we had some friends visiting with us on campus. Passionate about sharing Jesus with students, they went off to have some conversations of their own. I was with a co-worker, walking around and looking for students to talk with. After a while, we came back to the student center and found my friends sitting with that same student I talked with the week before. Shortly after, my friends got up and went on to visit another school, so I sat back down with the student. One of the things I have learned in my years in ministry is to give God plenty of space to work. So, we had casual conversation for a while. Then, he started asking spiritual questions, again providing an opportunity to share the Gospel. God is so evidently drawing this student to Himself!

At the end of our time, he (we'll call him Jonas) shared that he would like to talk with someone from his country who knows Jesus and work on studying the Bible. We currently have someone, who is involved in our ministry and are trying to set up a time for them to meet. Please pray for a time to take place where those two students can get together and for the Lord to continue to work in Jonas' life.

I'm thankful for each of you who have such a huge impact in the lives of students here!

5 Weeks of Faith

As we keep learning to trust God alone, He continuously challenges Jen and I to take steps of faith in life. Its hardly ever easy. Its always good. February is one of those faith-stretching months. I am thankful for a regional leadership team who cares so much about the well-being of the staff in the Northeast Region. In an effort to continue to build our much needed ministry partner base, they have asked the entire Northeast Region campus staff to step off campus for the month of February (with the exception of one day a week to maintain relationships with students). This will allow us to connect with current ministry partners, meet new ones and invite them to be a part of helping to fulfill the Great Commission. It is a really exciting time in the Capital Region!

Please pray for us as we launch out this month. Our ministry partner team is such a critical part of the ministry. I am often thankful that as I walk onto campus, there are tons of people who stand behind Jen and I. Our ministry would not be possible without a team of people willing to say, "yes, I will go with you to reach the nations on campus- through prayer and financial giving." So, once again, thank you for taking a step of faith and giving to the Lord, believing that He will accomplish what He has said He would.

We are looking forward to seeing many of you this month.

What About God's Plan?

A student from a country in Asia had never had this thought before. I'm not sure if he even has lived out his own plans for his life. I had the privilege of talking with Ben* today. He is an international student who was having lunch in the student center. I got to sit with him while he ate and talk for a while. It was amazing to hear a little bit of his story, including that he was enslaved in his uncle's plan for his life. I asked him if he would share more. He talked about how he has no idea who he is, because all he has ever done is live out the plan of his uncle. His uncle tells him what to do and he does it. He also shared that his own aspirations are small. I asked him if he ever thought about God's plan for his life? He said no and started to share about his own spiritual background. Shortly after that, he had to go to class, so the conversation ended. Would you pray with me that God would put it on Ben's heart to think about that question, "Have you ever thought about God's plan for your life?" and that would spur Ben on toward further investigation. Its so great to know that we are often just a part of a student's journey to know Jesus.

*name changed

Experience Epicenter 2012

Want a sneak peak into what happened at Epicenter 2012 in Albany, NY? Take a few minutes and watch this slideshow. Thanks for praying for the conference!

Epicenter Experience 2012 Slideshow from CCCNEHQ on Vimeo.