a line allows progress

I have been so proud of my student leaders. They are totally stepping up to the plate to make sure that One Voice continues on the course we set for the year at the start of NSO in August. It has been such a good reminder for me that my presence on campus is not necessary for God's work to continue in them and in the group as a whole.. Now, I still want to be present on campus in order to be a part of that work, but it is thoroughly his. How quickly I forget that.

The parents of two of my students are interested in joining my support team, which is an unexpected blessing. God is raising up some advocates on my behalf and I am very grateful.

Your continued prayers are very much appreciated as my "40 Days of Fundraising" continues to gain momentum.

Photo: One Voice students went boating in Forest Park on Friday evening.

hope vs. trust

I was praying this morning about what book(s) of Scripture I ought to marinate in over the next two months. The Psalms emerged as the winner!

Psalm 31:24 jumped off the page - Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD (NIV). I was curious at the use of the word hope as opposed to trust. I am well aware that I need to embody both of those traits these days, but I am not always clear on the distinction. I busted out the concordance to do some detective work. It turns out that the Hebrew root for hope as it is used in this verse is yachal (there should be a little carrot over the first a, but I don't know how to type that). It means "to wait; by implication be patient" and the synonyms are "be pained, stay, tarry, trust, wait". On the other hand, the word translated as trust in many of the psalms is from the Hebrew root batach which means "to be confident or sure".

I like the distinction. I am also appreciative of the timely reminder that the difficulty of hope lies in the painful reality that it involves waiting for what is lacking, what is yet to be. Hope is not the necessarily warm and fuzzy feeling that I imagine. I will be mulling that over for a while.

In the meantime, I want to practice the discipline of active, expectant waiting. I want to leap.

one mountain behind me, one up ahead

New Student Outreach has wrapped up more or less. We've got a good group of new freshmen who are connected with One Voice and they had their first small group Bible study last night. I so excited! I am also extremely tired from late night activities on campus, baking up a storm (homemade cookies are a great way to meet new students!), and pushing myself to be as extroverted as possible!

Even as the busiest part of the school year comes to a close there is a big change on the horizon. It's official: I will spend the next seven weeks off campus raising the rest of my budget for this year. The hope is that I will be able to be on campus full-time by the beginning of November. It's a high cost. I've met so many students over the past three weeks of NSO that I am anxious to invest in, but the reality is that my ministry on campus will be severely hindered in the long run if I have not kept up with this part of the work that God has called me into for this season. So far I have raised 41% of my budget for the 2008 fiscal year. I covet your prayers as I work diligently in the coming weeks and trust God to provide. He continues to prove just how faithful he is!

Leaders from One Voice, Harambee, and Asian Christian Fellowship track God's mission throughout Scripture during our undergrad leader retreat two weeks ago.

We packed a lot of material into our 12 hour retreat,
so we ended the day with some fun!

taking stock

The summer has flown by like I knew it would. I wondered if I would be sad at it's passing, but I am not. It's been a nearly perfect blend of work and play - so much so that I am looking forward to Thursday and the arrival of the new freshmen at Wash U. What a gift to know that God is already at work in this class of students and that we get to go on a treasure hunt to discover what He has been up to!

Here are some photos from my recent vacation in Washinton D.C. My mom and her company made it all possible. Thanks, Mom!

The back porch at Mount Vernon - George Washington's plantation.

My mom and I on the lawn at Mount Vernon. Pity that my eyes are very much shut for this photo.

July so far

My sister and I enjoyed some quality time together.

My daily routine is turning out to be a mix of organizing my contacts, sending out letters and emails, making calls, and meeting with people who are potentially interested in joining my support team. It doesn't always seem like I am getting a lot done each day, but I am learning to rejoice over the small, faithful steps forward. They represent victory over fear and the choice to live each day learning what it means to depend on God. It's an uphill climb, but a very good one for me to be making.

Last week my sister, Susan, came out for a visit. She helped me organize my apartment a bit and even volunteered to address envelopes for me one evening. It was such an encouragement to have her around and we managed to take in some of the sights of St. Louis during her stay.

Encouragement seems to be a recurring theme these days and I am mindful that each example is evidence of God's provision. Yesterday morning in prayer I kept thinking of the verse that calls Jesus our "great high priest". As I read the rest of that passage in Hebrews I found myself feeling grateful for the timing of a reminder that God is ready to "help us in our time of need". It felt like an exhortation as well: we are instructed to "boldly approach the throne of grace". I want to practice that more as I learn to fight the temptation to let discouragement take hold.

Now that we know what we have - Jesus this Great High Priest with ready access to God - let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all - all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.
Hebrews 4:14-16, The Message

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.