Nebraska Road Trip!

Hello, friends! 

We're a little out of order since this happened before Fall Conference but I wanted to share about a road trip across Nebraska that I went on in September! 

One new part of my job is that I'm now responsible for the student ministry across the entire state of Nebraska. We have campus groups in Omaha but we also have groups in North Platte and Hastings, which are decidedly NOT in Omaha. North Platte is about 4 hours from Omaha and Hastings is about 2 hours from Omaha. Thankfully, they're both along the Interstate and their bible studies meet on consecutive days, which makes a road trip totally possible.

An added bonus was that Jabin, the staff we just hired in Omaha, was able to join me for my trip! Hooray for quality car time!  

Here was the gameplan: 

- Tuesday 11am: Pick up the rental car, grab some lunch, and head to North Platte

- Tuesday 5pm: Have dinner with Bobbi, our staff out in North Platte and her husband

- Tuesday 6pm: Watch the North Platte Knights women's volleyball team dominate in their match

- Tuesday 7:30pm: Join Light Co., the bible study that Bobbi helps lead, for their Tuesday night bible study

- Tuesday 9:30pm: Make our way to the hotel and call it a night

- Wednesday 9am: I lead my first ever Nebraska Area Team Meeting

- Wednesday 11am: Get some admin done (because there's ALWAYS admin to do)

- Wednesday 2pm: Head out to Hastings

- Wednesday 4pm: Arrive in Hastings and walk around the campus for a bit then head to dinner

- Wednesday 6pm: Join Central Community College for their bible study

- Wednesday 8pm: Head back to Omaha

- Wednesday 10pm: Return the rental car and catch a Lyft home

- Wednesday 11pm: Back home, a 36-hour road trip across Nebraska, done! 

You may be asking yourself, "Adam, what did you learn on this trip?" Well, I'm glad you asked! Here were a few things that I picked up:

- Rural Nebraska is VERY different from Omaha. North Platte is actually closer to Colorado than it is to Omaha. That fact became clear to me when I noticed that there were just as many students on the volleyball team from Colorado as there were from Nebraska. I'm going to have to keep that in mind as I plan state-wide events.

- College students are VERY similar everywhere. The day before our trip, I had bible study at MCC and UNO in Omaha. In all 4 spots, I saw students who wanted to be in community with one another. There are students who want to grow deeper in their faith. There are students who believe that God cares about their campus and wants to see the Gospel go to every corner of every campus. 

- Nebraska is kind of a boring state to drive through. When I was living in Missouri, I would drive across I-70 in both directions, to get to either St. Louis or Kansas City and it seemed like every 100 feet there was another billboard to read. Mind you, not all of these billboards were necessarily things I WANTED to read, but at least they were there. Driving through Nebraska along I-80, we saw a LOT of corn fields and not much else. 

My plan is to take a trip like that once a semester. I'm already very much looking forward to the next one. Please be praying for the WHOLE state of Nebraska, from Omaha to North Platte, and every spot in between. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Hooray for Fall Conference!!!

Hello, friends! 

Well, I'm back! After a wonderful weekend, another Fall Conference is in the books. The weather (mostly) cooperated), students had a good time, the Holy Spirit moved, and overall, it was a great experience. Here are a few highlights: 

- Nebraska Time: We actually only had 7 students from Nebraska attend. At first I was bummed but it actually worked out really well. I was hoping that Fall Conference would be an opportunity for us to build some "brand identity" with InterVarsity and boy did that happen! These 7 from North Platte, Kearney, Hastings, and Omaha (literally all over the state) spent so much time together and really got to know one another. It was such a blessing to see them all interact and build relationships. 

- Church Partnership: Fall Conference was at Living Hope in Blair, Nebraska, about 30 minutes north of Omaha. It got recommended to us by one of our volunteers (his dad is the pastor). It was such a blessing to partner with Pastor Pat. They were super welcoming and we had some great conversations about how much of a blessing it was to have us there for them too. 

Added to that, our worship team fell through so I had to scramble to find a worship leader. I asked my friend Eric if his church could do it. They couldn't but he met a guy who might be able to do it. Eric's guy couldn't but he contacted one of his friends who also couldn't do it but sent his intern to us. It was a wild ride but such great worship! 

- Staff Partnership: One of the things that I missed over Sabbatical was working with my coworkers. We have such a great staff team and Fall Conference was evidence of that. Staff led all sorts of things and they did it so well. We really couldn't have had a Fall Conference without everyone working together. 

By the numbers, we had 40 students attend. 3 made decisions to recommit their lives to Jesus and 27 committed to being on mission on campus. It was so wonderful to see students make those kinds of decisions. 

I've been telling folk that Fall Conference is very similar to the triathlons that I (used to) do. All the prep, the training runs/bikes/swims, the anticipation, even up to the race itself, is all terrible and no fun. Then, you cross the finish line and immediately think to yourself, "when's the next one?!" Fall Conference is a LOT of work and sometimes can be very frustrating. But then it happens, the Holy Spirit moves, and when it's over, you start counting down the days until the next one. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Back to Conference Time!!!

Hello, friends! 

So sorry that it's been so long since I've posted. There's a lot that's been happening around here and frankly, I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things. In the next weeks I promise I'll catch everyone up on all the things happening in the great state of Nebraska. 

One thing that IS happening this weekend is Fall Conference! This weekend, we'll have over 40 students from Iowa and Nebraska coming to the Omaha area to worship together, get into the word, and hopefully experience the Holy Spirit in a real way. We'll be in Ezekiel 47, which is a passage that our Region is adopting as a guiding scripture for the next few years. There's a lot of good stuff happening in that passage and we're really praying that the students will get to experience it in the same way that we are. 

I'm directing the conference this year, which has been a lot, coming out of Sabbatical. Thankfully, the team is working together really well. There have been a few hiccups but we're making it work! 

Friends, please be praying for this weekend. Pray for the students as they travel but also that they'll experience the goodness of God in a real way. Pray for our staff as we connect with students and put the conference on for the students. Pray for me especially as I'll be directing and making the call to faith on Saturday night. It's been a minute so I've preached and I'm a bit rusty. 

Every year, around Fall Conference time, I'm reminded of my own Fall Conference story and how God met me my freshman year. We're praying that God will move here in Omaha like he did in rural Missouri all those years ago. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

P.S.: If you're interested in giving a scholarship to help students pay for the cost of Fall Conference, you can do so by clicking this link.

                                    

Fall Conference Season!

Hello, friends! 

School is very much in session, which means we've started our Fall Conference Recruitment! Yes, Fall Conference is already upon us. 

Fall Conference is an event that has a very significant place in my life. My first few weeks of college were really hard for a variety of different reasons (you can ask me about that story later!). It was at Fall Conference that I first really heard the voice of God and felt his presence in a real way. It was there that I made the decision to be a follower of Jesus, and that put me on the path that I'm currently on today. Every year that I've attended a Fall Conference as a student or a staff, I've seen the Holy Spirit move in a really powerful way. I'm expecting nothing less this year. 

Our theme this year is out of Ezekiel 47. That's a passage that our Region has adopted for the year as one that we're going to be focusing on for the next few years. I'm excited to see how God uses this passage to move on campus. 

I do love Fall Conference, but it's HARD WORK on the staff side. There's the recruitment aspect of things, complicated by the fact that most of our students haven't attended a Fall Conference before. One of the best ways to recruit is via word of mouth from other students. If students have never attended Fall Conference before, they don't know how great it is and they can't recruit their friends. 

Another aspect is that this year, I'll be directing our Fall Conference. It's been a bit of a whirlwind trying to get up to speed on my Area Director duties, learning about the campuses I'm serving, getting out of Sabbatical Brain, AND adding conference directing onto my plate. We're making it, but it's a tough go. 

My friends, I'd love it if you'd be praying for us during this season. Please pray for our recruitment, that students will say "yes" to taking a chance on Fall Conference and that they'll be bringing their friends. Also, please be praying for me as I direct and try to juggle all the things that need to be done. It'll be great and I know that Jesus will show up. I'm excited to see what happens when he does. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

PS: If you're interested in giving a scholarship to help students attend Fall Conference, you can do so here: https://give.intervarsity.org/?v=A082024&g=23124,o

Generosity at MCC!

Hello, friends! 

We started the MCC Bible Study last week and had a great time. There was a potential volunteer who I've been recruiting but he works full time, so getting him to a bible study was going to be tough. 

Our solution... PIZZA! =0). 

Basically, if we turned our bible study into a lunch study, he could take an extended lunch break and be able to join us. Done and done! 

So, Monday was our first lunch bible study. I showed up and the pizzas were delivered. As I was waiting for the other students to arrive, a new student, D, came from across the student center and asked if she could have some pizza. Of course I said, "yes" and invited her to bible study. She was more than happy to join us! 

While we were waiting for everyone else to arrive, I learned more about her. She's unhoused and currently living in a local shelter. She's trying to get her degree so she can start a non-profit to essentially build a community center type thing. It turns out she wasn't planning on eating that day because of a lack of money. 

At one point, she asked me if I could buy her a women's bible. I always carry a giveaway bible with me but she wanted something bigger with big margins so she could write in it. I didn't have one but I told her we could talk about it. 

Eventually, the other students arrived and we had bible study. At the end, I asked for prayer requests and our new student said that the 2 things she needed right now are a bike and a women's bible. A, our female student who came the week before, without missing a beat, said, "oh, you can have mine!" and proceeded to give her her bible. It was an amazing expression of generosity. 

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the passage we were studying was Jesus feeding the 5000. =0). 

Friends, would you please pray for D? Would you pray that she finds permanent housing and that she'll know that she's loved by God and by the community. Would you pray that this act of generosity would be something that becomes a hallmark for the group at MCC. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

What A Day in Nebraska!

Hello, friends! 

Yesterday was a banner day for Nebraska InterVarsity and one that I'll remember for quite some time. I'd say it was the day that I really felt like I was really doing this Area Director thing. Let's break it down, shall we? 

9am - Prep for Table Time. UNO was having its Activities Fair later in the day (more on that later), which meant we needed to get ready for our table. That means I had copies to make, stuff to load into the car, parking passes to buy, and a little bit (OK, a lot) of prayer to get ready for the day

10:30am - Get to UNO to setup the Activities Fair. Jabin was already there and we were going to be joined by one of the UNO student leaders. We were opting for a plant theme. We had a plant raffle and a spot where people could share how they wanted to grow this year. 

11:00am - Students start showing up! It was so great to see Jabin in action, meeting students and telling folk about the InterVarsity group. I'm definitely a little out of practice when it comes to tabling but it's sort of like riding a bike; you never really forget. =0). 

11:20am - Megan comes arrives. One because I forgot the candy (Rookie mistake!). Two because I needed to run to Metropolitan Community College so we could have our first bible study of the year there. Hooray! 

12pm - Bible Study at MCC. Friends, can I tell you how great it is to study the Bible in community? Our group is doing a study through Matthew. Session 1 had one more person than expected (hooray!) and everyone had a great time. 

1:30pm - Debrief with Staff. Since Megan was there for more of the tabling than I was, I wanted to pick her brain about how things went from her perspective. Tl;dr - it was great seeing Jabin and Sher in action, people liked the plants, and overall, there's a lot of promise. Jabin had the same sense of feeling good about how things went. We're planning a pizza party type situation for Monday when we officially kickoff at UNO. 

3pm - Meeting with Bobbi. Bobbi is our official volunteer out in North Platte, about 4 hours west. We check in monthly just to see how things are going and to see how I can be of help. She said that things have launched at MidPlains (where she works) and that so far, things are going well! There group is going to be launching small groups this semester and she's excited about the prospect of helping mentor some of the women in the group. 

6pm - Hastings kickoff. Confession: I haven't been to Hastings yet to see the group. Megan has been coaching them for the past few years and I asked her to keep it up for this year since I was going to be getting used to the new Area Director position. Megan said that the Hastings group had their first meeting of the year and that 10 students came, which was very encouraging for the student leader there. Praise the LORD! 

Granted, this is only one day in the school year, and we've already had some setbacks in other parts of ministry, but I can't help but be encouraged. It was a good day and one I'm thanking God for. 

Friends, would you please pray for more days like this? It's such a beautiful thing when people get connected to Jesus and to one another as well. Please pray that as the school year starts, more students will get connected, not for our glory but so that they can meet the God who sees them and loves them and so they can grow in their faith. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

An Unexpected Bible Study!

Hello, friends! 

I'm now about 6 weeks out from Sabbatical and starting actually feel like I understand how to work again. Having the kids back in school now definitely helps with that feeling. Still, there are a whole bunch of things on my todo list from Sabbatical that I need to catch up on. 

Two of the things that I had to follow up on were some random follow ups. InterVarsity is a missions organization with a national presence, so every now and then, we'll get random contacts from folk who fill out contact cards. I also had an old contact card from someone who we used to go to church with.

Usually, these cards don't come to anything. Cold contacts is hard work and the success rate isn't very high. Added to that, both these contacts were for a local community college. When I took the job of Area Director, I felt really strongly that the best strategy for Nebraska was going to be to have a flagship campus. I want to spend the next few years really investing in UNO, which means that I can't say "yes" to everything or invest a lot of energy in something that may or may not happen. 

So, the plan was simple: I'll send a few text messages, give it a few days, and if there was no response (which was likely), then I'd be on my way after giving it a good effort. 

What I didn't expect was for these students to be hungry for Jesus, looking for community, and committed to making this thing happen. 

My first message was to M, the contact card. One of my coworkers had already reached out to him earlier in the semester while I was on Sabbatical and got no response. For some reason, he decided to respond to me. He was part of InterVarsity when he was living in California and just recently moved to Omaha. He was looking for community and ready to go. 

Next was a message to A. We'd had some interactions at church and she was a sweet gal but seemed pretty shy and introverted. I definitely was NOT expecting her to agree to a phone call and then hop in right away to starting a bible study on campus. She even made us a flyer! 

Added to that, one of our baby sitters and her sister are both starting at the same school this semester and they're both interested in joining too. Suddenly, what was once a longshot is now a bible study! =0). 

Friends, please be praying for Metro Community College in Omaha. It looks like we're starting a group on campus, which is great! Please pray for a good time in the word and that the students there will find Jesus and community there. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam