Compact

Hello, friends!

I just finished planning out my Saturday when I had an inspiration for a blog post that I thought I would share.

First of all, my apologies to any neighbors who are woken by my lawnmower in the morning. It is supposed to rain in the afternoon and our lawn needs a good shave. I promise to do it as quickly as possible. =0).

Anyway, as I was planning for my day, the realization that I had is that time is not going to stop when I am in Cambodia. In fact, time is going to keep moving and there will be no way to even slow it down so I can catch up when we return. This realization came when I noticed that I have stuff to do tomorrow and next week that normally would be saved for July. Guess what? July is pretty much shot in terms of planning!

I definitely can't meet with Mizzou students while in Cambodia. I could try to prep bible studies but that would take away from being fully present. Seeing ministry partners is definitely out of the question. It is not even necessarily all ministry stuff. Taking care of house stuff is literally going to be impossible.

What this means is that the next month is going to be way compact. Essentially, I need to fit 2 months worth of productivity into 1 month's time, while still preparing for Cambodiaand hosting both sides of the family at various points. Needless to say, prayers would be appreciated.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Cambodia Yard Sale!

Hello, friends!

In case you hadn't heard, Megan and I are going to Cambodia this summer.  We have the pleasure of leading a team of 7 students to spend one month in Phnom Penh helping start a campus movement in the country.  We are really excited about the team and the trip.

Of course, one does not just get up and walk to Cambodia.  It takes time to prepare, the effort of prayer, and not a small sum of money that must be raised.  Add to it that we got a bit of a late jump on finding flights and you have a team that needs to raise a fair chunk of change before we ship off on July 5.

Megan had a great idea to help in the process.  Why don't we have a yard sale/bake sale to help us raise some of the necessary funds.  We have a house full of things we don't need anymore and we have tons of friends who have stuff they don't need anymore either.  Surely we'd be able to raise at least a little bit of money for the cause, yes?

Well, friends, the yard sale happened this past weekend and I have no problem saying that it was a complete success!  Not only did we raise over $300, but we also got rid of a lot of unnecessary junk from our house!  Here are a few observations:

- Yard Sales are a great way to meet the neighbors! I can;t even count the number of times we said hello to someone and found out that they lived in the neighborhood.  Megan and I have been trying to figure out ways to meet more of our neighbors and apparently this was it!

- Generosity is alive and well.  I saw this in 2 ways over the weekend.  First, there were folk who donated stuff to the sale, which was a huge blessing.  Some of the stuff was really nice too.  It's so great to have a community that is willing to help when it can.  Another way was that there were more than a few people who came by and didn't buy anything but they donated because they wanted to support our trip.  Megan made sure they made off with at least a few homebaked cookies.  =0).

- Yard Sale tensions area  real thing as a seller.  Apparently everything, and I mean EVERYTHING at a yard sale is negotiable.  I definitely had to put on my "Let's make a deal" hat.  The tension that I found was that on the one hand, I wanted to make sure that we actually made some money to support the trip.  On the other hand, The prospect of having a bunch of left over stuff that went unsold because the price was too high wasn't very appealing either.  I made more than a few deals and hopefully it didn't cost us too much.

Friends, please continue to pray for us as we continue to raise funds for the trip.  The students have been doing a great job of raising money but there is still much work to be done.  If you'd like to hear more about the trip or contribute in any way, you can email me at adamjohnleong@gmail.com.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Catalyst!

Hello, friends!

Yesterday I posted about International Getaway, which was one of the conference that Megan and I helped staff this past week.  The other was Catalyst, which is definitely one of my favorite weeks of the year.

The idea behind Catalyst is simple: Take all the InterVaristy students from Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri, put them in a camp together, give them tons of musical worship, training on how to reach their friends with the Gospel, and fried food, then wait for the Holy Spirit to punch everyone in the face like a thunderbolt.  Throw in a dance party and 5 students making decisions to follow Jesus, and makings of a great conference!

Honestly, I was a little disinterested coming into Catalyst this year.  We normally bring 20-25 students to Catalyst but this year that number was way down to 8.  Also, Catalyst is actually a two-week ordeal.  Students show up for one week or the other depending on when they get out of school.  Normally I help out during Week 1 so I can see how everything goes before the Mizzou students arrive for Week 2.  However, because of our trip to Cambodia this summer, I was only given one week of Catalyst.  I came in feeling behind the curve and not really excited about not having a huge number of Mizzou students in attendance.  Thankfully, God decided that I was being dumb and way showed up.

I suppose there is something to be said for not just having a bunch of people at a conference but having the RIGHT people at the conference.  We only had 8 students there but the 8 we had were: 2 graduates who will be volunteering with InterVarsity next year, 3 for sure leaders, 2 international students, and 1 student who has been invited to serve with ACF next year.  It was tons of fun to see everyone grow the way they did.

Our graduates did a great job of staying engaged and leading their former classmates while also getting a glimpse of staff life.  Our leaders all stepped up in big ways, including one who gave a killer testimony in front of the whole group.  It sounds like our international students had a good time and had some really good interactions with Jesus.  Our potential serving student not only won our Catalyst Dance Party Raffle but he also grew a ton in his love for bible study.  All said and done, I'd say that was a pretty solid conference.

So, there you have it.  Catalyst was a huge deal, just like it is every year.  Thankfully, our God is a God who makes it a habit of exceeding my expectations.  =0).

Friends, if you have a moment, would you please pray for the students who attended Catalyst.  Oftentimes what began at Catalyst is stopped because of the lack of accountability during the summer.  Would you pray that God would continue the good work that he began in each of the students who went to Catalyst?

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

International Getaway!

Hello, friends!

If you are reading this post now and haven't had a chance to read my last post about the situation in Kenya, please take a second and read that.  I'll wait...

Thanks.

Well, it's been a while since I last posted but I thought it would be good for me to update everyone on the conferences we had this past week.

International Getaway and Catalyst have a lot of things in common.  They both take place in the Lake of the Ozarks.  They are both student conferences.  Both have students from Kansas and Missouri.  Both have opportunities to for students to hear and respond to the Gospel.  They even share meal times!  Still, they are very different conferences and both serve great purposes.  Tomorrow I am going to talk about Catalyst but I wanted to dedicate this post to "An Outsider's perspective to International Getaway."

Megan says that Getaway is her favorite conference of the year.  It isn't hard to see why.  The foundation of International Getaway is one of relationships.  They have morning bible studies, a short evening session, and regular meal times but other than that, the whole thing is structured around the idea that relationships are key.  Unlike many conferences where free time is the space in between sessions, Getaway has the feeling of the opposites: the sessions happen as an in between for all the free time.

This year Getaway had 30 students from KU, Mizzou, UMSL, Johnson County Community College (Kansas), and Washington University in St. Louis (Go Bears!) come together to have fun, eat good snacks, learn about each other's cultures, and hear more about who Jesus is and why the Gospel matters.  There was a mix of undergraduate, graduate, professors, and even a baby in attendance (who was totally cute).  Some students were Christians but from my understanding, most of the students in attendance did not have a personal relationship with Jesus.  Mornings were spent in Bible study, learning about Jesus, then it was free time until the evening session.  Folk went canoeing, cave exploring, did a high ropes course, and even learned how to shoot BB guns!

I didn't make it to any of the evening sessions but from what I understand there was multi-lingual worship followed by one of the staff sharing about a part of the Gospel.  From there, it was more free time!  One night had a bonfire.  Another night had an international trivia night.  I saw a bit of the Culture Night where conference goers got to share parts of their cultures including songs, dances, jokes, and even some martial arts.  The late evening was spent playing games.  I am happy to report that I won one round of Mah Jong, of the 7 or 8 that I played. =0).

Friends, please be praying for the folk who attended Getaway.  Many of them are only in the US for a short time and many have only heard the Gospel for the first time this year.  Some come from countries where religion of any sort is illegal and others where Christianity is not well understood or accepted.  Please pray that God would work in the lives of those who attended so that when they return to their home countries they will return with a new faith and a desire to turn the lives of their countrymen to Christ.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

An Urgent Request...

Hello, friends!

Posts about International Getaway, Catalyst, and our Cambodia Yard Sale are on the way but right now it is important that I ask for your help in an urgent matter.

Yesterday I received an email from a good friend and mentor from my days back in St. Louis.  He let me know about an incredibly tense and potentially deadly situation happening in Kenya right now.  Below are some facts and a timeline about the situation but if you don't have much time, here is the bottom line.  UNLESS WE DO SOMETHING IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS, 200 Kenyan refugees could be killed in a refugee camp in Kenya.

Right now a great way to start is to sign this petition on change.org.  You can also read the information below and decide if you want to call/email your congressman or senator to ask them to do something.

I believe that our God is a god of justice and that he wants us to be a part of his healing work in the world.  I believe this is one way that we can be a tangible part of that healing.  Please prayerfully consider signing the petition then reposting this blog post so others can sign as well.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Banyamulenge Refugee Crisis

Media and Volunteer Fact Sheet

The Current Situation:

•150 Banyamulenge (Tutsi Congolese tribe) refugees remain detained in the Dadaab refugee camp near the Somali border, separated from their families, and without access to drinkable water and basic facilities. They are in imminent danger and have received multiple threats from Al Shabaab members in Dadaab camp due to the Christian nature of their tribe. At last contact, they had not eaten for 36 hours.

•Kenyan police have been arresting refugees in the streets, taking them from their homes, detaining them in prison, and relocating them to refugee camps – with or without proper documentation.

•The Tutsi Congolese have survived two massacres in refugee camps. In 1997 500 of their people were killed

in the Mudende Camp Massacre in Rwanda, and in 2004 250 were killed in the Gatumba camp in Burundi. The Kenyan police have placed this people in a situation where they fear a 3rd massacre is likely.

•***URGENT UPDATE 5/20 (Those in the camp have been informed they will be relocated within the camp, to a place where many members of Hutu Burundians and Al-Shabaab are living (It is reported, but unconfirmed, that 7 people were killed at this location on 5/19). The Hutu Burundians are the primary ethnic group that killed 166 of the Banyamulenge in the Gatumba Massacre in 2004,and the Al-Shabaab have threatened to attack the Banyamulenge. They are in very serious, very urgent danger. )

•***URGENT UPDATE 5/21. Those inside the camp were informed that the Al-Shabaab intend to attack and kill all Christians in the camp and any police that stand in their way on May 27th. It is unknown how certain this attack is, but the Banyamulenge inside the camp believe this threat to be both real and imminent.

Background: Recent Targeting of the Banyamulenge Population

Sunday, May 4:

•Armed Kenyan police forcibly entered a church service in Kasarani Kenya (near Nairobi), and arrested almost 200 refugees – mostly from the Banyamulenge tribe, a Tutsi community who have fled genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

•They were told that they would be taken to a stadium, where their documentation would be checked – those with proper documentation would be released, and those without would be deported or relocated to refugee camps.

•All 200 refugees have proper documentation and have lived peacefully in Kenya for years.

•They were never allowed to present documentation, but were taken to the Kasarani jail where they were detained without food or water for five days. Among the men, women, and children arrested, were pregnant women, sick people, and breastfeeding mothers who were separated from their babies. No concessions were made.

Wednesday, May 7:

•They were told they would be forcibly relocated to a refugee camp. They demanded two things. First, they wanted to speak with a Kenyan official and be permitted to present their documentation, so that they could return to their homes. Second, if their petition was denied and the government insisted on sending them to a camp, they wanted to retrieve their children so that their families would not be separated. Both requests were denied. In response to their requests, they were tear-gassed and beaten.

Thursday, May 8:

•All 200 were taken to the Dadaab refugee camp near the Somali border, placing them in imminent danger. Dadaab camp is almost entirely Muslim, and the Banyamulenge are a Christian tribe. They have been repeatedly threatened by the Al-Shabaab inside the camp and have been notified of their intention to attack.

•They fear for safety and lack access to clean water.

-MORE-

Needed Change: A Humanitarian Appeal to the Kenyan Government

We are urging the Kenyan government toward 4 main initiatives:

•Immediately release the Banyamulenge who have been arrested and detained in the dangerous Dadaab camp, and allow them to return to their families in Kasarani

•Exempt the Banyamulenge from the order requiring all refugees to be detained in refugee camps, and grant them protection as law-abiding, peace-seeking, friends of Kenya

•Expedite the cases of the Banyamulenge who are seeking to relocate to countries that wish to host them, so that they may begin peaceful lives and work towards long-term settlement with their families

•Identify more appropriate and humane ways of initiating national security that are in keeping with international human rights laws and with Kenya's long history of being a citizen of the global community and offering asylum to displaced people. We urge Kenya to consider methods that do not further displace refugees and those seeking asylum or separate families.

The Historical Context:

•Tension has been mounting between Kenya and a Somalian terrorist group that is connected to Al-Qaeda, Al- Shabaab. Kenya began sending troops into Somalia to address the problem, and Al-Shabaab has responded by targeting Kenyan urban centers with violent acts of terrorism.

•Kenyan police believe that Al-Shabaab is using refugee camps, with contacts in Urban centers, to launch these attacks.

•Attacks include a bus bombing in 2012, the shopping mall attack in Nairobi in September of 2013, and most recently gunmen opening fire in a church in Mombasa.

•In order to tighten security, Kenya has issued “Usalama Watch,” designed to help Kenyans identify suspicious persons and report unusual activity. Under Usalama Watch, Kenya has issued an order that all refugees with proper documentation should be contained in refugee camps and those without should be deported.

•This order is separating families, and continuing a cycle of suffering, displacement, and violence against innocent refugees. It is being enacted indiscriminately, across all ethnicities, regardless of history, peaceful nature, health conditions, or family situations.

Dinner Observations

Hello, friends!

I had a few realizations last night as I was eating dinner with a friend.

First: it doesn't quite feel like a Wednesday if I am not getting myself ready for Large Group. We've been doing ACF meetings on Wednesdays for 7 years now. There are definitely more Wednesdays that I have spent getting ready for Large Group, setting up chairs, working on PowerPoint, etc. in the past 7 years than there have been where I haven't. When I am not in Large Group mode I need to be reminded when it is a Wednesday. Yesterday was definitely one of those days.

Second: the reason not being at Large Group mode felt weird was because normally I am at Catalyst during this week.  Catalyst is our regional spring conference and because schools get off at different times we repeat the programming, making it 2 weeks long. Normally I am at both weeks helping out the first week then leading Mizzou the second week. This year, because of our trip to Cambodia, I was given Week 1 off, which is the first time I have ever not been at a week of Catalyst. It also means that if this was a normal year I would have no time to feel weird not about being in Large Group mode on a Wednesday night because I would be in Catalyst mode.

Third: it's a little boring during finals week. Students really don't want to hang out with me because they are studying for their finals. My calendar is packed once finals and Catalyst are over but it is because all my meetings have been deferred to then because folk need to study. Again, this is one of those things that I really only noticed this year because I am not at Catalyst.

Fourth: I don't mind being a little bit bored. Friends, this was a busy year. Between ACF, team leading in Columbia, looking for a church, doing stuff with the house, and a whole host of other things, I got way tired. It is nice working at a bit of a slower pace right now.

Anyway, I thought I would share some dinner observations. It isn't often I get to think about myself on a Wednesday night. =0).

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Finals Prayer!!!!

Hello, friends!

It's finals season right now which means students are up late studying, sleep is scarce, nerves are tense, and I am bored out of my mind because no one wants to hang out when there is studying to be had.

Today and again tomorrow I am going to be on campus offering prayer to whoever would like it. It could be before a final. It could be after a final. It could be during a study break. It could be for peace or focus our heaping or whatever. It doesn't really matter to me. If folk would like prayer, I will be there for them. I can't study for students or take their tests for them but I definitely can pay for them.

Here is my challenge for you, my wonderful readers. Would you take 10 minutes tomorrow and Thursday to pray for students as they take their finals? Here are a couple of specifics:

Pray for peace for students as they worry about exams and grades.
Pray against the idolatry of academics and grades.
Pray for good health for students as they are running on much stress and little sleep.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Here's to Cambodia!

Friends!

I don't think I have posted this one yet so here is a video about what our friends are already doing in Cambodia. Enjoy!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/cn4e5sr8podarkj/Final%202.mp4

Sorry, I am not sure how to embed videos so you'll just have to click on the link. It is legit, I promise.  =0).

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

So Long, Seniors!

Hello, friends!

Wednesday was our last Large Group of the year which means it was our annual Senior Sendoff.  We do dinner and worship like normal but instead of a teaching we give our departing students a chance to share a few words about their time in ACF.  There are usually a few laughs and quite a few tears and definitely plenty of hugs to go around. We pray for our departing students then we send them off to wherever is next.

(In retrospect, calling it Senior Sendoff is a little misleading as in the past few years we have actually had more exchange students than seniors leaving. But, the name is an alliteration so we stick with it. =0). )

This semester we said goodbye to about a dozen or so students. I wanted to spend a little time sharing about our departing leaders.

Colter: We have a little joke in ACF that we always need to make sure we have a token white person leading with us. In the early years it was Julie, then it was Sarah Liz. Colter was next in line but really he was more than that. One of the things that I love about Colter is that he is always willing to jump in and volunteer. If there is ever a need, whether it be a chair that needs to be stacked or a bag of trash to be taken to the dumpster, Colter has always been there to hop in and do what needs to be done. In fact, we have sometimes had to tell him that he can't help because someone else needs to learn. That's the kind of guy Colter is. He is going to be volunteering with InterVarsity next year in Indianapolis where he will be for grad school and we couldn't be happier for him.

Grace: Grace was actually ACF's very first high school student. She grew up in Columbia and went to church with some ACF folk. When she got accepted to Mizzou her senior year of high school, the ACF folk at church invited her to be a part of the group early. Grace was involved on and off her first few years of college but this past year came on as a small group leader and was a huge blessing to our leaders team. Like she said on Wednesday night, it is never to late to start something. To me, she is a reminder that we never know what God has in store for students. Grace took a path towards leadership in ACF that was definitely unorthodox but in the end, I think the path made her a better leader and more passionate follower of Jesus.

Danny: For four years now, Danny has never lost his focus. He has wanted the folk in AAA to know the love of Jesus. His methods have looked different over that time but his purpose and his goal have never wavered. He is a testament to the adage that "methods change but principles stay the same."  I have no problem saying that Danny has been one of the most influential people that have ever come through ACF. I may have been the staff during his time here but no doubt he was ACF's leader. I always say that students are better at reaching students than staff are. Danny exemplified that, for sure.

I could talk more about these guys and also many other of our departing students but I don't want this blog to be unbearably long. Kyoko, Hanna, Youjin, Ahra, Kevin, Yujin,  Youngjoo, and Wonsam, all were a part of our group this year and we were better because of it.

To each of you I say this. Thank you for thanking a chance on our community. Thank you for sharing your lives with us and for letting us share our lives with you. You will always be family and you will always have a home with us. No matter where you go from here, continue to pursue Jesus. I promise that you will find him. =0)

Have an excellent day!

~Adam