A New Adventure In a Familiar Place...

Hello, friends! 

A few years ago, for our anniversary, Megan and I drove to Sioux Falls for a Carrie Underwood concert to celebrate our anniversary. While we were waiting for the concert to start, Megan asked me if I'm glad that we moved to Omaha. I told her that wherever she and the kids were, I would be happy, so yes, I was glad that we'd moved to Omaha. I also told her that I'd finally come to terms with 2 facts about Omaha: there were too many hills and there was no good Chinese food. Now that I was at peace with Omaha, I was happy to be living here. 

If you had told me in 2002, my Junior Year of high school, that I would ever be leaving Southern California, I would have told you that you were crazy. I would have said the same thing about leaving St. Louis in 2006 or leaving CoMO in 2011. But, the LORD works in mysterious ways and sometimes plans change... 

Wow, rereading this, it REALLY sounds like we're moving... Don't worry, we're not. =0). 

Let's try starting this again, shall we? 

In 2015, I was invited by my supervisor to Memphis for a 1-day conference on Justice in Fundraising. It opened my eyes to the ways that many non-profit funding systems are inherently unjust in their setup and it got me thinking about ways to address those injustices. I don't quite remember if it was on the way there or on the way back, but sometime during that trip, I heard about the protests happening at Mizzou. As soon as I got back, I made my way to the Black Culture Center to pray with and support the Black Students on campus and my commitment to finding ways to unbreak unjust systems was solidified. In 2018, after we moved to Omaha, I took on my current role as Regional Ministry Coordinator for Ministry Partnership Development. It was now my job to take on the busted systems and try to rebuild them in a way that led to a more just, equitable, and life-giving way of doing MPD. 

After 7+ wonderful years in the job, I have decided to move onto the next chapter in my ministry career. Starting in July, after our Sabbatical in the first half of 2026, I will take on the new role as Area Ministry Director for the state of Nebraska. 

The AMD role for Nebraska has been left empty for a few years now. In fact, currently there are zero paid staff in Nebraska whose primary role is student ministry in the state. Megan and I both live in Nebraska but our responsibilities are on the Regional level. We have one friend who also lives in Omaha who works for InterVarsity but he's part of the National Planting Team. All three of us have been doing student ministry for a few hours a week but it hasn't been our main focus and it's been pretty obvious that Nebraska needs someone who can dedicate a majority of their time and energy to the students, staff, and faculty in Nebraska. After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to answer that calling. 

My process actually began last year, as we prepared for the Ambition conference in Denver in January. We recruited a number of students to join us in Denver, most of whom weren't actually InterVarsity students. But, the LORD moved and coming out of that conference, 1 student gave her life to Jesus and 2 new campus groups were started in Nebraska. In spite of there being no staff presence, The LORD was still going to move. This increase in student activity made it pretty obvious to me that someone was going to have to step into a leadership role. That need only increased this past semester as ministry continued to grow. This also included a few potential staff joining the conversation, which is something that we'd been praying for for a long time. 

Honestly, I didn't want it to be me. I love my current job and I feel like I've made an impact in the work that I've done. I also know that the work isn't finished and that there's still more that I can do in my current role. I'm also aware that the change in ministry responsibilities will mean that my schedule will need to change and that those changes will mean a change in schedule for my family as well. These are all factors that made me hesitant to apply for the role and hesitant to accept it when it was offered to me. 

And yet, here we are. What became really clear to me was that this was an invitation from the LORD and that I needed to say, "yes," not because it would be easy but because it was time to say "yes." So I did, and I know it was the right call. 

Like I said, first up is Sabbatical after the first of the year (more on that next week), then I'll formally start in July of 2026. Until then, will you please lift us up in your prayers. Pray for me as I say goodbye to a job that I've loved for the past 8 years. Pray for our family as we navigate new rhythms. Pray for our new potential staff as they prepare for life in ministry. Pray for the students here in Nebraska as they continue to seek Jesus. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam 

A bit of a break...

Hello, friends! 

The Fall semester has absolutely flown by. It's hard to believe that October is already over (happy Halloween!) and the November is right around the corner. Before you know it, it'll be the holidays and preparation for Urbana. Then, it'll be 2026! 

One of the things that will be coming in 2026 is that Megan and I will be taking a bit of a break... NO, not from each other! We'll probably actually be seeing each other a lot more since we'll be on Sabbatical for the first half of 2026. 

InterVarsity does a lot of really great things. One of those things is Sabbatical. Every 7 years, staff qualify for a 6 month Sabbatical. That Sabbatical can be spent studying, pursuing spiritual formation, resting, or some other project. The key is that we won't be holding our ministry activities. 

We last took Sabbatical in 2018. We actually used that Sabbatical to move to Omaha. We wanted some unadulterated time to get used to our new city. We wanted to find a church and community. I wanted to find a good beef noodle soup (unfortunately, that never happened) and learn the bus routes (that DID happen!). During this Sabbatical, we won't be moving (thankfully) but we will be taking some time to reset and reconnect with Jesus. 

Seven years (really, 8 since we moved) is a long time and a short time at the same time. On the one hand, we still haven't quite lived in Omaha for as long as I lived in Missouri. But, the time that we've spent here has been really significant. We bought a house, started new roles, had a third kid (JoJo!) served as elders at our church, made new friends, got the kids into school, and survived a pandemic, all while living in Omaha these past 7 (8!) years. In terms of ministry, we've seen staff thrive, other staff leave, students groups get planted and cease to exist, and generally face all the highs and lows that come with ministry. I'm still very much in love with the job but I can also recognize that having 6 months without ministry responsibilities will be a good thing. 

Number one on our priority list right now is the preparation. We need to write our Sabbatical plans and have them approved. We also need to make sure that the roles we would normally have in the Spring Semester are covered. We also need to make sure our finances are in good share since we won't be doing any Ministry Partnership Development during our Sabbatical. 

For that last bit of preparation, this is where I'd love for you to consider partnering with us. If you'd like to give a one-time gift, or even better, become a recurring donor in these next few months, it would help us ease the financial and mental burdens for us so we can enter into Sabbatical well. If you're interested, you can follow this link here. 

Last thing: It is Halloween, so here are some photos of the costumes. I'm pretty sure I nailed my costume... =0). 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

An Odyssey of Car Miracles

Hello, friends! 

A few Sundays ago, our car wouldn't start. Thankfully, we were in the parking lot after church so we were able to get the car jumped and be on our way. I dropped the family off at home then drove to AutoZone to get the system tested. There were options of what it could be

:
- If it was the battery, no problem because we just recently bought a new battery so it would be under warranty and we'd get it replaced free of charge.

- If it was the alternator, a slight problem but we just had THAT replaced a month ago, so you'd better believe that I'd be fighting to get that replaced free of charge.

- Alas, it was the starter, meaning another good chunk of change would be going down the drain to get it replaced.

It was at that point that Megan and I had the conversation as to whether or not we needed to trade in our van and get something new. We had a tough decision ahead of us. On the one hand, we had the long term decision of whether or not to get a new car. On the other hand, there was the short term decision of whether or not to get the starter replaced. If we get it replaced but then get a new car, then we sort of wasted the money to get the starter replaced. BUT, if we do get it replaced and ride it out, who knows how long until something else breaks down.

We bought that van in 2016 when it had just over 25k miles on it after we found out Megan was pregnant with Thaliea. That van survived our move to Omaha, many trips to South Dakota (and a vacation to Colorado!) and over 125k miles over 9 years. It served us well but we knew we couldn't hold on to it forever. Plus, the dealerships of that particular car company in the Omaha area are pretty bad when it comes to customer service. We'd be getting a new car at some point, there was just a question of how long we could hold out. 

In the short term, we decided to not get the starter replaced and literally pray that the starter wouldn't go bad again at any point. Miracle #1: The starter survived! 

With the starter seemingly in good shape (albeit still a gamble), we decided that we could look for new (to us) cars but we weren't so desperate that we would make a bad deal just because we needed something. That Sunday night, we looked around and found a few options that were close to what we wanted. There was one in particular that was a 2019 Honda Odyssey with about 60k miles on it. The price was in our range so we set up an appointment. 

When we got to the dealership, the car wasn't actually ready. They said it would be ready in an hour so we went to a different dealership to look at a different option. That wasn't going to do it for us, so we went back to the first place. The salesman brought the car out to us... except that he didn't. IT WAS THE WRONG CAR! 

At that point, we had to go, so we told him we would try again tomorrow when the right car was ready. Except we never got the chance. When I called the next day to confirm the appointment, I was told that the car we never got to see had been sold the previous night. Miracle #2: Not getting that car. 

Why was that a miracle? Because Sunday night, I decided to look online again, just to see if there had been any new listings. There I found a 2023 Odyssey with under 35k miles on it, also within our price range. Miracle #3: Finding a better car! 

We tried to set up an appointment to see that car but they said that it wouldn't be ready to look at until Tuesday. There was a small crack in the front bumper that needed to be replaced. Megan was heading out of town for work on Tuesday, so it looked like we were going to be out of luck. EXCEPT WE WEREN'T... Miracle #4: The car got finished early so we were able to look at it on Monday. 

As I said, there was a small crack on the front bumper but that was easily fixed. HOWEVER, what that meant was that since the car no longer had any cosmetic damage, the asking price was going to be much higher. EXCEPT IT WASN'T... Miracle #5: Because we saw the listing at the original, lower price, we were able to buy the car at the lower price. 

The only thing we had left to do was the finances. I wasn't stoked about having a car payment but I knew our budget could handle it within a certain range (Thank you, Public Schools!). But in order to get the payment within our range, we needed to put some money down. How much down? Well, the exact amount that we had... 

Let me explain. Last month, my dad was looking through his files and he found some savings bonds that belonged to me. The amount those bonds were worth was the exact amount that we needed in order to put down a down payment that would get the monthly payments within our budget. Miracle #6: The savings bonds that showed up out of nowhere. 

So, now we have a new (to us) car. It's a Honda, which means we can use the mechanic that fixes our other car (Honda Fit) that we really like. It also means that we don't have to worry about getting a jumpstart in the middle of a parking lot. God really came through for us. The next miracle will be to see if we can keep it clean for more than a week... =0). 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam 

Bye, bye old car!

Hello, new car! 

Running (Around for) Revive!

Hello, friends! 

Last weekend we hosted InterVarsity students from Nebraska and Iowa for Revive, our Fall Conference. Everything that I've heard about Revive is that it was a really great time. The students had fun, folk got connected to one another, and the Holy Spirit moved in some really powerful ways. 

I say "from what I've heard" because honestly, I didn't participate in much of the actual conference itself. Between running snacks and running around with the kids, there was plenty to do. Allow me to break down my Revive. 

Friday:

- 9am: Take Thaliea to Costco, the Asian Market, and Walmart to go shopping for snacks. Did I buy too much? Definitely. Do I regret any of it? Certainly not. =0). 

- 11:30am: Back at the church to start setting up with the rest of the staff.

- 1pm: Staff meeting.

- 2:pm: Start setting up welcome snacks, which was coffee, hot water for tea, and chips. This included cleaning out the hot liquid containers and learning how to use the church 7:coffee maker. 

- 4:30pm: Dinner volunteers (Thanks, One Hope Church!) arrive and we begin dinner orientation.

- 5:15pm: Dinner arrives (shout out to Bridge Church for providing dinner!).

- 7:00pm: Dinner cleanup while the session starts.

- 8pm: Start heating up water for post-session snack (hooray for ramen!).

- 9pm: Run snacks after the session, which also includes trying to convince folk to take extra slices of pizza from dinner.

- 9:30pm: Clean up.

- 11pm: Home for the night.

Saturday:

- 7:15am: Head to the church with Thaliea to set up the morning breakfast spread (bagels, fruit, baked goods, and coffee/tea) as well as the mid-morning snack (granola bars).

- 8:10am: Switch with Megan to take the boys to sports.

- 8:30am: Coach Ezra's soccer match (Black Widows win!).

- 9:30am: Watch Jonah's soccer match (Cheetahs win!)..

- 11:30am: Watch Ezra's flag football game (Fire Phoenix lose...).

- 1:15pm: Drop the boys off with Megan and pick up Thaliea to take her to dance.

- 2:15pm: Back at the church to set up afternoon snacks (popcorn and trail mix)

- 4pm: Dinner volunteers (thanks, West Hills Church!) arrive and we begin setting up for dinner (baked potato bar!)

- 5:30pm: Serve dinner.

- 7pm: Clean up dinner.

- 7:30pm: Start setting out all the leftover snacks so that students can take them home after the session.

- 8:30pm: Connect with Bellevue and MCC students to hear about their experience.

- 9pm: Giveaway ALL the snacks

- 9:30pm: Clean up the church so it's ready for service tomorrow.

- 11pm: Home for the night. 

Three big lessons from the weekend: 

- Hospitality is hard work! Megan is the one with the gift of hospitality and I see how valuable that gift is. I'm sure that she could have found a way to do everything better, faster, and for cheaper. Mad respect to everyone who has that gift. 

- Kid Time and Conference Time is hard work! We opted to d o Revive in Omaha because it would be easier logistically for us. That was true for the conference but because that also meant we were in town for all the kid activities, it was much more complicated than if we were all at a retreat site somewhere. 

- The Holy Spirit loves to move at Fall Conference. The one thing that I heard consistently when talking with students was that the Holy Spirit did his thing, like he always does. Our Bellevue students were especially impacted, including one student who may have recommitted his life to Jesus (I still need to follow up). 

Thanks to everyone who prayed and gave so we could make Revive happen! 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Revive!

Hello, friends! 

We are just one week away from Revive, InterVarsity Nebraska and Iowa's Fall Conference. It's been a few years since Nebraska has hosted a Fall Conference, so it's an exciting but kind of wild time right now. 

The process started last semester at Ambition. We had a number of students from Nebraska come and have really transformative experiences. The result was 2 new bible studies starting in Omaha and Lincoln. Suddenly, we doubled the number of campuses where there was student work. The past few years, we had traveled to Iowa's Fall Retreat but there was a real question about whether or not it would make more sense to host our own to continue to momentum of what God was doing in Nebraska. We decided to take the leap and Revive was born. In fact, from those initial conversations, Iowa decided that they would join in this year, meaning we were hosting students from two different states. 

Revive is going to be really great. We'll be bringing in an excellent speaker from Los Angeles as well as a worship leader from Colorado Springs. There will be workshops, fun times, and probably too much food. =0). 

Our big thing right now is recruitment. With just a week to go until Revive starts, we still have students who are on the fence about attending. This includes some students from our church, who were invited to attend since it'll be here in Omaha. There are lots of logistics that still need to be sorted but those don't matter if there aren't students there to experience those logistics. 

So, friends, would you spend a few minutes praying for our Revive recruitment over the next few days? Would you pray that students who are on the fence about attending would say "yes" to going? Would you pray that a friend would bring a friend? Would you pray that there be some surprise signups in the next few days? 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam 

Pumpkin Patch time!

Hello, friends! 

Apparently, we've started a tradition here in the Omaha Leong household. Once a year, during Scout Week, we head to Vala's for a day out at the pumpkin patch! 

Honestly, when we first moved to Omaha and heard about Vala's, Megan and I had the same reaction: who would pay that much money to go to a pumpkin patch! That seems like a total waste of money. However, 2 years ago, after hearing so many good things about it, we decided to give it a shot. Honestly, it was a pretty good idea. 

Vala's isn't a pumpkin patch in the traditional sense. It's sort of like if Disneyland and a pumpkin patch had a baby. There are shows. There are rides. There are animals. There's food to eat and things to see. We've gone for 3 years in a row now and each time we go we see something new and we run out of time before we can do all the things we did the year before. After our first time going a few years ago, I decided that 2 things can be true at the same time. Vala's costs a fair amount of money but is simultaneously worth the cost of admission (during Scout Week). 

Lest you think that this is an add for Vala's, I'll say that it certainly isn't perfect. We only go during Scout Week because otherwise the price of admission would a little bit out of our price range. However, when you take 25% off for the families of scouts, that makes it work a little better. Also, when we're talking about a theme park experience, we're also talking about theme park prices. We know exactly how they make their money and I have the empty bag of kettle corn to prove it. =0). 

In 2023 we went on a whim. In 2024, we went as a way to celebrate finding Gus after he ran away. This year, we decided to officially make it a tradition. We also brought a family friend and another family friend joined us for a bit too. We took the kids out of school early so we could spend as much time as possible at the park, which was the right call. 

We've hit a bit of a rhythm in terms of things that we know we want to hit. We rode the train. We jumped on some giant trampolines. We raced pedal racers We saw some pig races. We (well, everyone but me) rode the mini roller coaster. There's a section of the patch devoted to eggs that the kids really enjoy. We ate at the rib place like we did last year and we bought some kettle corn like we always do. This time we let the kids bring some of their own money so they could spend it on whatever they wanted (spoiler alert: the answer was sugar... The answer is always sugar). Everyone slept well when we got home, that's for sure. 

Ultimately, even though it wasn't the cheapest of days, I'm happy for a new family tradition to be born. I keep hearing about how quickly time flies with the kids. My hope is that we can provide enough of these family traditions that the kids can look back fondly on their childhoods. Then, eventually, they can pay for my ticket to get into the pumpkin patch. =0). 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Bellevue Kickoff!

Hello, friends! 

This week, Bellevue University started with its first bible study of the year. Well, to be fair, it wasn't actually a bible study. As per Bellevue InterVarsity tradition, our first event of the year was game night. The plan was simple: order some pizzas, play some games, and get to know one another. 

Another tradition of mine is that I always order too much food for the Bellevue Kickoff. I don't know if it's my optimism or just a value ingrained in me that we should never run out of food (thanks, Mama and Papa!) but I'm always going to over order. Based on our initial invitations and such, we knew that we'd probably have between 5-15 people at kickoff, which means that 3 large pizzas would probably be plenty. Did I order 4 just in case? Yes I did. Did Dominos give me an extra one because they accidentally cut the pizza wrong? Yes they did. Was it too much food? Yes it was. Did I partake of another Bellevue InterVarsity tradition by going around the student center trying to give away food? Yes I did. Do I regret any of it? No I don't. =0). 

Our crew was mostly regulars from last year but we did have 2 new students, which was nice. Neither of our plant winners from tabling showed up, so we played games to determine the winners. We played "Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza" and "Uno", and all friendships remained in tact. 

From here, our student leader will be leading bible studies and I won't be there regularly. I may try to get out there another time through the semester to support our student leader but we'll see. Either way, I'll continue to pray for the Bellevue students and that their community will grow in love for Jesus and in love for one another. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam