Back Into The Swing of Things...

Hello, friends! 

Well, it took a few weeks, but it finally happened... I sorted through all 1100 unread emails from Sabbatical! =0). 

Seriously though, the past few weeks have been all about playing the "catch up" game in terms of coming out of Sabbatical. Here's a brief list of all the things that were waiting for me when I got back to work: 

- Unread emails: Thankfully, most of those emails were so outdated that they were easily disposed of. However, there were still some that I needed to CHECK to see if I needed to respond, to go along with the ones that actually required some action on my part. 

- Supervisory work: As part of my new role as the Area Ministry Director for Nebraska, I now have 2 staff who I'm supervising. I needed to set up initial meetings with them as well as meetings with their supervisor from the past 6 months so I can get caught up on what's been happening.

- Student check-ins: While the Nebraska Area really is a more of a planting situation, there is still work being done on some of the campuses here. That means I need to check in with the student leaders to see how things have been going on their campuses and prepare for New Student Outreach.

- Asian American Ministries Work: A few hours of my week are devoted to helping the Asian American Ministries (AAM) Department with a few MPD projects. So, more meetings needed to be set up so I could get caught up on what was happening on that front. 

- National Training: Apparently, being a new Area Director means I'm part of New Area Director Training, which has actually been meeting for a bit already. That means I need to get caught up on the meetings and trainings that I've already missed. 

- Fall Conference Directing: Guess who came back to an invitation to direct the Iowa/Nebraska Fall Conference this year? Even better, guess who said yes?! So, now there are sessions to plan roles to delegate, and generally one more thing on my plate. 

- Ministry Partnership Development: When you don't contact folk for 6 months, there are a lot of people you need to contact when you get back. There are the folk who usually give at the end of the year but didn't because you didn't remind them. There are the folk who you tried setting a meeting up with before you left who need to be followed up with again. There are the new folk who you need to set up an initial meeting with. There are thank you cards to write and things like that. It's a good thing I like this part of the job. =0). 

This week has already felt better in terms of getting into a work rhythm. There's that old adage that the best way to eat an elephant is "one bite at a time." The past few weeks have been full of me taking small bites out of the re-acclimation process; a meeting here, a few emails deleted there, etc. I think I've at least got a handle on all the things that I need to do, which is half the battle. Now it's just a matter of actually doing the things. 

Friends, please be praying for me, especially during these next few weeks as I continue to figure out rhythms of work and how to get it all done. We're still in Summer Mode right now, which means the work week still isn't totally full since the kids are still home. Still, I know there are some things that aren't going to get done as well as I'd like. I have to be OK with that and keep using the time I have to work the best I can. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Sabbatical Top 8's!

Hello, friends! 

We're back. Did you miss us? We missed you. Honestly, as great as Sabbatical was, one thing that I missed was being able to blog here regularly and update y'all on things in life and ministry. 

I haven't figured out if I'm going to Super-Blog the whole 6 months like I did from my last Sabbatical but at the very least, we have a little something for you. 

Here, in no particular order, are Megan and my Top-8's from Sabbatical. You'll notice there were a few overlaps from us, as well as some different takes on the same event. Also, you'll notice that one of us is WAY wordier than the other one. =0).

This is just a taste too, so feel free to drop us a line and ask us any question about any of our Top-8's. 

From Megan:

1. Unearthing themes from Sabbatical: Freedom, Joy, Gratitude.
Freedom: From all of the "shoulds" and allowing God to lead my days, release the undown, and embrace each moment as a gift.
Gratitude: Literally counting gifts each day in a gratitude journal (up to 678 and counting) has helped me give thanks for the big & small ways I see the Lord throughout the day whether in nature, kids, and everyday moments.
Joy: I believe the practice of gratitude has helped unleash joy for me. That's been something I've been praying for for a while. 
2. Trips to Europe & DC - see our previous update for more on that.
3. YMCA Group Fitness Classes. I really loved seeing the same people at classes & exercising in a group setting. I'm wondering how to incorporate that into my new schedule
4. Reading - I read 38 books over Sabbatical. 1/3 of those were around Spiritual Formation & Leadership. My 2 favorite learning books were The Art of Vinemaking by Bette Dickinson & Joyosity by Jenn Whitmer.
5. Unhurried days - of course there were parts that were hurried with getting the kids off to school & managing all of their activities but the 9-4 window was unhurried. Then in the summer time to just be with the kids over the summer 
6.  Respite Foster Care - 5 times over Sabbatical we welcomed kids into our home whose foster parents needed some time away or were going out of state. The time with them ranged from 3-9 days. Our kids were really helpful making the kids feel welcomed and taken care of.
7. Walking - I stopped taking my phone with me on walks which helped me just walk with our dog & enjoy nature without being attached to my phone.
8. Daytime dates with Adam not needing to get a babysitter while the kids were at school. Since he had a Top Golf membership we were able to go there quite a bit.

From Adam:

- Top Golf: When we moved to Omaha, I traded in my golf clubs for a curling broom, so it'd been a while since I'd been golfing properly. Before our Sabbatical started, we went to Top Golf with some coworkers as part of their goodbye celebration and I re-caught the bug. I bought a 6 month membership and very quickly got my money's worth, usually spending between 2-3 hours there 1-2 times a week. Megan and the kids joined me sometimes too. Doing a repeated motion over and over again with an audiobook or podcast in my ear put me in a sort of flow state where I could pray and hear from Jesus.

- Coaching the kids: I've always been involved with the kids' extra curriculars but with added time, I was able to really throw myself into being "coach." I coached Ezra's soccer (#GoBlackWidows) team to it's final undefeated season before breaking up and hopped in on coaching baseball when one of the coach's wife had a baby. I led Thaliea's scout den and got to start coaching Jonah's soccer team too. It was good to be able to connect with each of the kids in their own element.

- World Travels: The trip to Europe was amazing. It was my first time in Europe and it did not disappoint. We saw a lot of old art. Some of it was bigger than I'd expected (David and the Duomo were so impressive!). Some of it was smaller than I'd expected (Mona Lisa, anyone?). All of it was amazing. Traveling on trains and buses with Megan while eating delicious food was a huge highlight. I also fell in love with Lemon Soda, a flavor that I have not quite been able to find back here in the US. 

- Unexpected Travel: Sabbatical was thrown for a loop when my dad had a stroke at the end of January. I've already taken 2 trips out there by myself to help out with another planned in the next few weeks. Thankfully, he's on the road to recovery but the road will be long and hard. The stroke itself wasn't the blessing. However, It has been a joy working with my siblings to help care for my dad and my mom as she supports him. I'm really thankful to have such a great relationship with my siblings.

- The City Bus: When you don't have to work, you can take things a little slower. Which means you can drop your kids off at school, ride the #4 City Bus to the YMCA for a workout and shower, then hop on the same #4 bus that takes you all the way to the Top Golf. From there, you can hit balls for 3 hours, before hopping back on the bus to get back to school in time to pick up the kids. The City Bus is the best.

- Words from Jesus: There were two significant words that I heard from Jesus while on Sabbatical. When we were in Assisi, visiting the hermitage where Saint Francis and Saint Claire spent much of their time, I heard God speak the word FOUNDATIONS to me. As I step into the role of Area Director, I felt God's call to make sure that I wasn't just focusing on results but making sure that the foundations of ministry in Nebraska are solid. The other word I heard on one of my retreat days was SIMPLIFY. I'm someone who can make things overly complicated in order to try to make everything fit. I felt like the call was to discern the best things in ministry and life and simplify to make sure those things are done well.

- Lunch Time at Rose Hill: Given that I had more time on my hands, I was invited by a local youth pastor to volunteer during the lunch hour at the kids' school. Once a week, I would show up, play on the playground with the kids, open a few milk cartons, tie a few shoes, and generally just be another set of helping hands. It was so great seeing the kids at school, watching them interact with their friends, and helping out. Depending on the time of day, I was "Mr. Jonah's dad" "Mr. Thaliea's Dad" or "Mr. Ezra's dad," which was also pretty cool.

- Nebraska Rock: One of the first exercises that we did in Italy was to look for a Rock. Our pilgrimage guide took us up to a fort where St. Francis fought as a young man. She asked us to spend a few minutes thinking about a burden or question that we had and to find a rock to represent that burden or question. My burden was that I wanted to experience the pilgrimage through one of two lenses; either the lens of stepping into a new role as Area Director for Nebraska or a different lens. I asked God to show me a rock that looked like Nebraska if we wanted me to experience the pilgrimage through that lens. Look at the rock I found, just 2 feet from me! God is so good. =0)

Have an excellent day! 

~The Leongs 

A Word for 2026...

Hello, friends! 

It's the beginning of a new year, which means it's time for a new word for the year! Every year, right around the turn of the calendar (and my birthday!), I pick a new word or phrase that I want to live by for the year. I picked this up from an old co-worker of mine and it's served my well for years now. 

Last year, my word was "joy." After a really stressful 2024 on a number of fronts, I wanted to incorporate more joy into my life and seek joy in my various interactions. I really feel like God came through for me with this one in 2025. The year certainly had its ups and downs, but overall, I find myself in a better headspace throughout the year. I'm glad that "joy" served me well. 

For 2026, the word I feel like God was pulling me towards the word, "humility." This is for a number of reasons. 

The plan for 2026 is for me to take Sabbatical for the first half of the year, then enter my new role as Nebraska Area Director for the second half of the year. Both of those roles are going to require a lot of humility on my part. 

With the Area Director position, even though I've been on staff for nearly 19 years and have done a bunch of different roles, this Area Director position is going to be new to me. I'm going to need to learn on the job and figure out areas where I need to grow. That's going to require a lot of humility on my part. I'll need to enter with a learner's mindset. 

As for the first half of 2026 during Sabbatical, the humility is going to be a recognition that I'm not God. 2025 ended with a bang in Nebraska. The group at Bellevue is thriving. We hired a full-time staff and a new volunteer out west. 12 students from Nebraska went to Urbana and felt like God was calling each of them to something. We even met a student at Urbana who wasn't part of our group but goes to school in Nebraska and is interested in starting something on her campus! I would LOVE to hang around and help shepherd students and staff over these next few months. There's a fear that if I'm not there, things may not take off, but that's just my pride. I need to be humble enough to trust God and rest during this season of rest. 

My morning prayer so far this year has been, "LORD, show me who I am and show me who I'm not." I feel like that better encapsulates how I'm trying to lean into "humility" in 2026 better than the prayer, "LORD, please humble me." I'm not sure how this humility will reveal itself through the year but I'm eager to see how God moves, like he always does, through my word of the year. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

A Tale of Two Urbanas...

Hello, friends! 

Well, another Urbana has come and gone! This was my 7th Urbana. Though some things were different (hello, Phoenix!), some things were definitely the same. Students came and met the Holy Spirit. Students were inspired to follow Jesus back on their campuses. We got to worship our Global God and connect with students from all over the country. Here's a recap video: 

This is what the students experienced at Urbana. As staff, my experience was VERY different. Here's a recap of my Urbana: 

I'm the one in the back, behind the luggage cart in the elevator, with members of the Asian American Community Gathering team, one of 4 Urbana jobs I had this year. In no particular order, here are my jobs with their descriptions:

Asian American Community Gathering. I was part of the team that led the spaces for Asian American students at Urbana to connect with one another and process their Urbana experience with students from similar ethnic backgrounds. I loved being on this team, not only because they were so much fun, but also because creating a space where Asian American students can connect and feel at home has always been my favorite Urbana job. 

Community Gathering On Site Coordinator: Asian American ministries wasn't the only group with a community gathering. There were 12 in total. My job was to make sure that each community had the things they needed to run their spaces but also stay within the rules of the convention center (like no catered good and reset the room properly). It was fun seeing how the other communities put their own flavors on the spaces. 

Exit Team Leader: This may have been the job I was born to do. If you've been at church with me for any amount of time, you know that my spiritual gifts are preaching, teaching, and parking ministry. =0). As students entered and checked into Urbana, they had to walk through different stations in the convention center. When they finished, we on the Exit Team directed them out of the convention center so they didn't get lost. It was basically like parking ministry but the opposite and it made me very happy. 

Central Region Urbana Coordinator: this was by far the hardest of the jobs. I was dealing with the hotels and making sure everyone got into Phoenix safely. I was also keeping everyone up to date on our donations and finances. In fact, I'm still doing expense reports now! Still, all the work was worth it to get everyone to Urbana. 

All those jobs meant that I didn't actually get to see much of the Urbana programming itself. I did make it to at least one big room session each day and was inspired by the speakers and moved by the worship. But, Urbana wasn't really for me as much as it was for the students, so if I have to miss some seasons to make sure they're able to be fully present, that's ok with me. 

Shout out to Megan, who held down the fort on two fronts. She didn't have an official role at Urbana but was in Phoenix because my sister lives in town. Still, she rocked hospitality, creating breakfast bags for all the rooms and hosting the full from our church so well, all while also watching the kids and hanging out with my family. She was a rock star. 

Urbana will next be held in 2028. I don't know where it will be but I'll be ready to do whatever is asked of me.

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Onward to Sabbatical!!!

Hello, friends!

Many have asked us about our upcoming Sabbatical and what we will be doing. Below you will find some answers to some commonly asked questions:

What is Sabbatical: The word sabbatical is drawn from the word Sabbath.  The Hebrew word for Sabbath means to ‘close’ or ‘rest’ and is connected with the last day of Creation when God rested.  (Genesis 2:3)    God both models and commands Sabbath rest for his people. A sabbatical is an extended period of time when a ministry leader sets aside her/his normal responsibilities for the purpose of rest and renewal. A sabbatical is a release from the regular (and often demanding) rhythms of ministry for the physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual well-being of the leader. As a reflection of God's provision of a sabbatical for his people, InterVarsity grants to its employees a sabbatical for every 7 years of service.  

Why Sabbatical? Bette Dickinson in her newest book “The Art of Vinemaking” describes dormancy in grape vines similarly to how I imagine the need for and gift of Sabbatical: “Vines essentially go to sleep during dormancy, conserving energy for the season to come. In the same way, rest allows us to replenish what’s been depleted. We are restored physically, mentally, and spiritually, so we can face future challenges with renewed clarity and strength.” No we won’t just be sleeping, but we will be investing in our inward growth to better serve staff and students in the future.

Will you still be paid? Yes! We will still be paid throughout our sabbatical.  

What will you do? In order to take a Sabbatical we each developed a plan and had it approved by our supervisor. I, Megan, am focusing on spiritual formation & organizational learning. I have a number of books on my list to read, am planning to make a gratitude journal, and learn more about managing and leading organizational change. I’ll meet with a spiritual director once a month, take a monthly retreat, and invest in spiritual disciplines to prepare me for the next season of ministry. I also hope to reconnect with local community after a busy semester. Adam will be focused on preparing for the next stage of ministry as he gets ready to step into the Nebraska Area Director role. This will include trying to figure out new rhythms of life and doing some intentional learning on how to supervise and lead teams well. We’ll also be taking a family trip to Washington, DC and a “just us” pilgrimage guided by InterVarsity Staff in Italy.

Who will be covering your work? While we are on Sabbatical there is an interim ministries staff who will take parts of our work. Our supervisor & co-workers will take on other parts of our work through working with student leaders on the campuses we serve and supervising staff we lead.  We’ve worked hard these past few months to make the transition go as seamless as possible for students and staff we lead

We don’t take the gift of Sabbatical lightly and know just how blessed we are to receive it. Thank you for your prayers & partnership! 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam and Megan

We had Thai for our "entering Sabbatical" celebration dinner!

Onward to Urbana!!!

Hello, friends! 

First of all, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you! I am very excited for 2026 as it will include a 6 month Sabbatical as well as starting a new position with InterVarsity as the Area Ministry Director for Nebraska. 2026 is going to have a lot of changes but I'm sure it'll turn out just great. Besides, it can't be too much more wild than 2025, right? 

RIGHT?! =0). 

Before we turn the calendar towards the new year, we have one last BIG thing happening in 2025. 2025 is an Urbana year! 

Urbana, InterVarsity's tri-annual global missions conference is one of the most iconic things that we do as an organization. Christian leaders from Billy Graham and Tom Skinner to Francis Chan and Michelle Higgins have brought the word from the Urbana stage over the years. We've seen hundreds (if not thousands) of students give their lives to Jesus and thousands more say "yes" to God's calling of being a missionary wherever they end up in life. Megan and I both had significant experiences at an Urbana in the past (one even included an angel!) and we know that we're not alone. 

This will be Urbana number 7 for me and this has easily the hardest Urbana ever. Urbana was first housed at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (thus the name) before moving to St. Louis for a few cycles (oh man, those were the days...). Urbana 22 was in Indianapolis and this year we'll be heading to Phoenix. Since all those other locations were relatively close, this was the first Urbana where we in the Central Region had to consider flights as part of the Urbana travel experience. 

In 2022, I started the Urbana Together program for the Central Region. The premise was simple enough: ask our students to write letters to their friends and family, asking them to help send those students to Urbana. Essentially, it was treating Urbana like a short-term mission trip. We had 40 students sign up for the Urbana Together program and raised exactly what we needed for our students to attend Urbana and it was great! 

Our goal for Urbana 25 was to have 77 students attend Urbana and partake in the Urbana Together program, essentially doubling the number of participants. Praise the LORD, we had 80 students sign up! 

Now comes the hard part. In 2022, I just covered the Urbana Together program while 3 of my coworkers in the Regional Office covered the housing, registration, and travel accommodations. This year, 2 of those coworkers moved out of the Central Region for New Zealand and the third member was coming off of her own Sabbatical. Which means that every part of the Urbana process came down to me. Friends, we're making it but it has been a bit of a struggle. There are a LOT of logistics to cover, and it probably needed to be a full-time job for a staff, not just part of an already full portfolio for me. Alas, we're making it work. 

What I know is that God is good and that Urbana will be awesome. There will almost certainly something that will go wrong. A flight will get delayed or a student will drop at the last minute. There will be some sort of mini-crisis that we'll navigate and the students will all have a good time. I also know that as soon as Urbana is over, you can count on me taking a nice long nap on the plane home... =0). 

There are two big ways that you can be part of the Urbana process. The first is to be praying for us. Please pray for those logistics. Pray for God to be preparing the hearts of the students as they prepare to head to Phoenix. Pray for me as I try to juggle all these final details. 

A second way that you can be part of Urbana 25 is by giving! Like I said, we're trying to send our students to Urbana with limited financial liability on their part. If you'd like to give to a scholarship, you can do so by following this link.

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

New Life at Bellevue!!!

Hello, friends! 

Wild story from yesterday that I just have to share! 

M* has been leading our Bible study at Bellevue. She gave her life to Jesus at Ambition (our conference in Denver this January) and felt a call to be more intentional in her invitations at Revive. At Revive (Our Fall Conference in Omaha this October), her friend Q* gave his life to Jesus and since then, the spiritual warfare has been HEAVY for M*. One co-leader ghosted the group, another one (also M*'s roommate) is super mad at M* and stopped coming, and Q* has started using drugs and alcohol again. She's been a trooper but REALLY feeling it. I only met with her via the phone once a week but I felt like I really needed to pray for her before Sabbatical so I met with her yesterday afternoon. 

C*, one of Q's's friends, was with her. C* hasn't gone to church since he was young but started coming to Bible study when Q* invited him. I decided to do some listening prayer for M*. C* didn't hear anything (understandable) but when I asked M* what she heard, she said "I heard that we need to pray for C*." So we prayed for C*. 

Actually, what I did was guide C* through a visualization and listening prayer. I had C* visualize a safe space, then has Jesus enter that space. C* could then tell Jesus what was on his mind and then Jesus responded. It was there that Brandyn decided to give his life to Jesus! 

After C* prayed to give his life to Jesus, I asked him how he felt. He said that he got a chill but it wasn't a cold chill. Just goosebumps. M* said, "I knew it! That's the same feeling I had at Ambition!" =0). I now need to buy a new Bible since I gave mine to C*, but I'd say that's well worth it. Woot!

Please be praying for C* as he starts his new life with Jesus. Please be praying a prayer of protection over M* as she continues to lead. Please pray that the LORD will break Q's auction. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

* Names changed for privacy