many nations

One of the highlights of wrapping up my first school year on staff took place the last week in May. My co-worker Allison and I traveled to Colorado Springs with nine international students to attend the International House Party at InterVarsity's Bear Trap Ranch. Students learned about Jesus as we studied the parable of the prodigal son all week in small groups and had ample opportunies for fun, including hiking, rock climbing, square dancing, etc. It was a wonderful week and a great reminder of how much I enjoy serving in a cross-cultural context. I've become pretty accustomed to working with American students!

Last week one of the students hosted a reunion potluck for all of us. As great as it was to see everyone again, I was even more excited to learn from Allison that the four non-Christian students who were a part of our trip were all eager to continue studying scripture over the summer. Friday night they showed up at Allison's GIG (Group Investigating God) for dinner, fellowship, and a Bible study/discussion.

Praise God for the mysterious way He is at work drawing people into His kingdom from every tribe, tongue, and nation!

Enjoying the spectacular view from the top made up for a grueling climb.

Reunited - post dinner visit to Creve Coeur Lake.

summer staff life

Leading a scripture study from Nehemiah 2 at Catalyst 08, our week-long student leadership camp that happened in May.

I'm back from an unintentional blogging hiatus. Two student camps, a move to a new apartment, and a visit from Paul have kept me busy for the past four weeks. I am still getting settled into my apartment and figuring out what my schedule for the summer will look like as I work full-time to raise my full budget so that I will be able to focus fully on campus work once school starts up again! That's a lot of "full" for one summer.

I plan to post stories of God's provision as I dive into this process and your prayers for encouragement and boldness are very much appreciated.

Someone told me recently that raising financial support is one of the sharpest tools in God's discipleship shed. I am beginning to understand just what that means, but I can also honestly say that I know how good it is for me and the internal work that He is doing on my character.