Hello, friends!
Today is a big day at La Casa Leong. Well, I guess what I really mean is that TONIGHT is a big NIGHT at La Casa Leong. Why? Because tonight will be the first ever, Leong family Boy's Night!!!
Megan will be going to a woman's retreat with our church this weekend. It's just a quick 24 hour thing and the retreat site is less than 2 hours from CoMO but it will be the first night since Ezra's been born that Meg will be out of the house without him. What does that mean? It mean's Boy's Night! =0).
God has already shown us so much grace in preparation for this weekend. Ezra and I have spent extended hours together before and I'm no stranger to the Mr. Mom thing. However, my one concern was the overnight feeding. See, biologically speaking, I can't feed him as quickly as Meg can if he gets up hungry in the middle of the night. It's just not possible. My fear coming into this weekend was that I was going to wake up in the middle of the night, he was going to be screaming because he was hungry, and it would take me too much time to get him a bottle. Then he'd be so wired from all the crying that he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. That would lead to a long day for both of us, and eventually Meg would come home to two crabby Leongs.
Well, thankfully, for about the past week or so, Ezra has been sleeping through the night! He's getting up a little bit earlier than he used to get up but he's not getting up at 2 or 3 like he was before so everyone wakes up much better rested and considerably happier. Praise Jesus for development!
Now, the concern is the weather. See, the plan was to go on lots of walks, visit a swing set or two at a park, and generally enjoy the Spring weather. Unfortunately, the forecast calls for rain on both Friday and Saturday, which means we risk 2 things: cabin fever and migraines.
So, friends, if you think of me between 5pm Friday and 5pm Saturday, please say a prayer for us Leong Boys. Pray that this will be a good time of connection for the two of us. Pray that Meg will be fully present at the retreat. Please pray for good weather. And if it rains, pray against migraines for me.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Friday, April 22, 2016
Experiencing God's Provision
Hello, friends!
I have a fun story to share with you about how God provides in the midst of chaos.
Last Friday and Saturday, Meg was invited up to Iowa to train the staff team there on International Student Ministry. The plan was to drive up to Pella (about 3 hours north) in the morning, spend the afternoon there, then head to Cedar Falls (another 2 hours north) to catch an International Potluck at the University of Northern Iowa. We would spend the night in Cedar Falls, then in the morning, Meg would meet with some student leaders at UNI, then we would drive home. My job was to be on Ezra duty for the weekend, which would consist of exploring Central College's campus (in Pella), putting him to bed Friday night, and playing in the hotel pool Saturday morning. I know, being a dad is tough, right? =0).
We drove up to Pella and as soon as we exited the highway, the warning lights came on for Schmeevus (our car). I'd never seen these particular lights light up before so I knew something was wrong but I also knew we only had 2 miles to get to campus. Surely Shmeevus could make it 2 miles, right?
Nope...
We were about 2 blocks from Central College's campus when Schmeevus decided that he didn't want to go anymore. He put himself into neutral, and I coasted into a neighborhood so I could call AAA for a tow.
Thankfully, we were only 2 blocks from campus so we were able to eat lunch with the staff team and then Meg could still do her training while one of our coworkers watched Ezra so I could go back to the car and wait for the tow.
Note: This is how far into rural Iowa we were: AAA didn't have any tow trucks within 20 miles of where we were. I waited about 2 hours for the truck to come.
Still, we got the tow and our Regional Director, who lives in town, was kind enough to pick me up from the mechanic (that he recommended), and take me to the car rental spot. Because it was about 3pm on a Friday afternoon, the mechanic said that he wouldn't be able to look at it until Monday.
Our plan had now changed. The new plan was to rent a car, head up to UNI, go straight back home Saturday, and use the rental at least until Monday when the mechanic would hopefully tell us what was wrong with the car. Then, I'd meet our regional director somewhere in between Pella and Columbia, swap cars, and he would return the renal while I would drive our car back to CoMO. It wasn't great, but it worked.
Immedately, we made a quick switch. Since our RD was going to need a rental on Monday anyway, we instead would take his car and he would take the rental just a few days early. That way, we could at least save on some gas.
So, we get the car then head back to the mechanic so we can take all the stuff out of Schmeevus and put it into his car that I would be driving. While I'm doing this, our RD, who knows everybody in town, asks the mechanic if there was anyway for him to take a look at the car that day, as we were out of towners. I'm not sure if he slipped him a $20, gave him the secret Pella handshake, the mecahnic recognized him from church, or there was some White people code language he used, but the mechanic said he would, "see what he could do."
About an hour later, I get a call saying this:
- They were able to get the car into take a look at it.
- When they tried to start the car, it started up and drove no problems
- They did a diagnostic anyway and had 3 error codes come up, which means it's usually a mass flow sensor issue (or something like that)
- They just so happened to have the part in stock
- The cost was considerably less than I had anticipated and it'd be ready by 5:30.
New plan: We still took the RD's car up to UNI but on the way back, we went back to Pella, had lunch, swapped cars again, and rode Schmeevus back to CoMO, right on schedule.
In case you were keeping score at home, here are the cool spots of God's provision:
- We didn't break down until we were practically at our first destination
- We broke down with enough time to get it fixed
- The mechanic was able to see the car before Monday
- The fix was easy and relatively cheap
I'm sure there are others but those are the highlights. The moral of the story: Jesus is pretty awesome.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
I have a fun story to share with you about how God provides in the midst of chaos.
Last Friday and Saturday, Meg was invited up to Iowa to train the staff team there on International Student Ministry. The plan was to drive up to Pella (about 3 hours north) in the morning, spend the afternoon there, then head to Cedar Falls (another 2 hours north) to catch an International Potluck at the University of Northern Iowa. We would spend the night in Cedar Falls, then in the morning, Meg would meet with some student leaders at UNI, then we would drive home. My job was to be on Ezra duty for the weekend, which would consist of exploring Central College's campus (in Pella), putting him to bed Friday night, and playing in the hotel pool Saturday morning. I know, being a dad is tough, right? =0).
We drove up to Pella and as soon as we exited the highway, the warning lights came on for Schmeevus (our car). I'd never seen these particular lights light up before so I knew something was wrong but I also knew we only had 2 miles to get to campus. Surely Shmeevus could make it 2 miles, right?
Nope...
We were about 2 blocks from Central College's campus when Schmeevus decided that he didn't want to go anymore. He put himself into neutral, and I coasted into a neighborhood so I could call AAA for a tow.
Thankfully, we were only 2 blocks from campus so we were able to eat lunch with the staff team and then Meg could still do her training while one of our coworkers watched Ezra so I could go back to the car and wait for the tow.
Note: This is how far into rural Iowa we were: AAA didn't have any tow trucks within 20 miles of where we were. I waited about 2 hours for the truck to come.
Still, we got the tow and our Regional Director, who lives in town, was kind enough to pick me up from the mechanic (that he recommended), and take me to the car rental spot. Because it was about 3pm on a Friday afternoon, the mechanic said that he wouldn't be able to look at it until Monday.
Our plan had now changed. The new plan was to rent a car, head up to UNI, go straight back home Saturday, and use the rental at least until Monday when the mechanic would hopefully tell us what was wrong with the car. Then, I'd meet our regional director somewhere in between Pella and Columbia, swap cars, and he would return the renal while I would drive our car back to CoMO. It wasn't great, but it worked.
Immedately, we made a quick switch. Since our RD was going to need a rental on Monday anyway, we instead would take his car and he would take the rental just a few days early. That way, we could at least save on some gas.
So, we get the car then head back to the mechanic so we can take all the stuff out of Schmeevus and put it into his car that I would be driving. While I'm doing this, our RD, who knows everybody in town, asks the mechanic if there was anyway for him to take a look at the car that day, as we were out of towners. I'm not sure if he slipped him a $20, gave him the secret Pella handshake, the mecahnic recognized him from church, or there was some White people code language he used, but the mechanic said he would, "see what he could do."
About an hour later, I get a call saying this:
- They were able to get the car into take a look at it.
- When they tried to start the car, it started up and drove no problems
- They did a diagnostic anyway and had 3 error codes come up, which means it's usually a mass flow sensor issue (or something like that)
- They just so happened to have the part in stock
- The cost was considerably less than I had anticipated and it'd be ready by 5:30.
New plan: We still took the RD's car up to UNI but on the way back, we went back to Pella, had lunch, swapped cars again, and rode Schmeevus back to CoMO, right on schedule.
In case you were keeping score at home, here are the cool spots of God's provision:
- We didn't break down until we were practically at our first destination
- We broke down with enough time to get it fixed
- The mechanic was able to see the car before Monday
- The fix was easy and relatively cheap
I'm sure there are others but those are the highlights. The moral of the story: Jesus is pretty awesome.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Happy Birthday, Megan!
Hello, friends!
Today (Wednesday) is my lovely wife Megan's birthday! Hooray for birthdays!
Funny birthday story #1: My plan last night was to stay up until midnight so I could be the first person to wish her a happy birthday on Facebook. I figured it would be one small way for me to start of her birthday well. Midnight comes around, I log on to Facebook, and what do I see? East Coast folk and folk from other countries have already started wishing her a happy birthday... Alas, another plan foiled!
Funny birthday story #2: Ezra went down last night around 8:15 and went right to sleep without a fight. He stayed asleep and didn't get up until 7am this morning. Meg and I joked that it was birthday present to her (and me too). =0).
The past year was a big year for Meg and this year is looking to be even bigger. To celebrate Meg turning 29, here are 29 things (in no particular order) that I love about her:
1) She loves Jesus. When I was single, I said that there were 3 things I was looking for in a wife. The first was that I had to believe that she loves Jesus more than she loves me. I've never doubted that with Meg.
2) She loves being a mom. Ezra has been a joy in both of our lives but to see the way that Meg loves Ezra is amazing. She's so wonderful with him and a great mom. You can tell that they have a special connection.
3) She loves her family. It seems like everyday we're doing Facetime with one of her family members. Whenever she walks through the door I can be pretty sure that she'll be on the phone with her mom. He love for her family is really great.
4) She is super hospitable. Do you know what her idea of a great party is? Cooking dinner for her friends. Who does that?! My wife does that, that's who. =0).
5) She's way fun. Meg and I have a lot of fun together. Whether it's going out or staying in, it's just fun being around her.
6) She's super competitive. One of our favorite things to do is play cards while watching TV. She's hyper competitive which is great because I am too. It's more fun competing when both players are going all in.
7) She's an amazing singer. I keep asking her when she's going to try out for The Voice. She keeps saying no. I'm going to keep trying.
8) She loves college students. The second thing I was looking for in a wife was that we had to have compatible hearts. While it wasn't necessary for her to love college students, my wife had to be someone who could connect with the fact that I did. Meg definitely has that heart.
9) She takes care of me. Y'all know I'm a pretty sickly guy without a great immune system. I also have a history of migraines. It's so great to know that when I'm down and out, Meg will be there to take care of me.
10) She's a legit cook. Y'all have eaten her cooking right? Yeah, she's real good.
11) She a developer. I love the way that is never satisfied with where things are. She's always working to grow and develop things and people.
12) She's gorgeous. The third thing I was looking for in a wife was someone who I found physically attractive. You've seen her. You know she's a total hottie. =0).
13) She has great intuition. I'm someone who likes to take in a lot of information before making a decision. Meg goes with her gut and is usually right. Sometimes it bothers me that I don't get to go through my whole process but I definitely appreciate the time saved.
14) She has a great laugh. She doesn't think I'm very funny but when I can get her laughing (or we're watching Jimmy Fallon clips) it's pretty great. Sometimes she'll snort a little, which is pretty much the greatest thing ever.
15) She loves food. Eating with someone who loves food is so much more fun than eating with someone who eats to survive. It's not unusual to see her snacking on one thing or another and she's definitely expanded my taste buds with different cuisines.
16) She's made me healthier. That being said, if it wasn't for her, I'd probably be 200 pounds from eating pizza, burgers, and spicy beef noodle soup everyday. She says it's because she wants me to live a long time but I know it's also because she likes the healthy food better.
17) She sticks to her guns. Meg is not the kind of person who can be easily swayed by popular opinion. She has a way of articulating herself in a way that isn't abrasive (unlike me) but makes it really clear of her stance. I can definitely dig that.
18) She loves her friends. I joke with her that she's more popular than I am. It'd be funnier if it wasn't so true. =0). The truth is that she takes really good care of the people she loves. I'm so blessed to call her my best friend.
19) She likes to try new things. Whether it's a new restaurant, a new hobby, or what, Meg is willing to jump in and try a new adventure. Usually that means I'm trying something new too, which isn't a bad thing.
20) She'll play along with my craziness. Y'all know me. Sometimes I say crazy things. Sometimes I do crazy things. Sometimes I say crazy things while doing crazy things. She'll listen intently while I tell her about my crazy ideas or how much fun I had playing softball and at least pretend that I'm interesting. Not everyone has that patience.
21) She lets me fix things. I'm a fixer. I take great joy in fixing things, whether it be faucets, toilets, problems, or whatever. Meg shows great patience in letting me try to fix something before we call in a professional.
22) She's a crazy good baker. Some people are good cooks but don't bake. Some are excellent bakers but don't cook. Meg's a two-fer (and y'all know that I LOVE a two-fer!).
23) She's great at reaching international students. I've learned so much from Meg about reaching international students. It takes a special kind of person and a special kind of heart to reach the international students. She is that person and she has that heart.
24) She loves my family. I hear stories from folk about conflicts with the in-laws. It's its own sitcom narrative and I'm sure there are situations like that. I love how great Meg is with my family, whether it be my siblings, my parents, or my exented family. She fit right in from the jump.
25) We have different tastes in music. One thing you can pretty much count on is that if I jump in the car after she's used it, I'll be changing the radio station. The same can be said for our Pandora stations and Spotify playlists. We may not agree on music but it's fun to hear her tastes.
26) She has crazy high empathy. It could be just because I have very low empathy but I'm always amazed at how she connects with people and their stories.
27) She's willing to grow and learn. This has been especially true this past year as we've had a lot of conversations about race and ethnic identity. I'm so thankful that she has entered the conversation with grace and humility and that we've been able to learn from one another and from Jesus.
28) She's adaptable. Moving to Columbia wasn't easy but she's made the most of it. Living with me probably isn't easy either but she's made the most of that too. =0).
29) She's made me a better man. Looking back at who I was before we met and who I am now, I know that she's made me a better man. I have better people skills, am healthier physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and pretty much am in a totally different than before. I'm so thankful that God has blessed me with her in my life.
So, happy birthday to my wonderful wife. Here's to (at least) 29 more years together!
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Today (Wednesday) is my lovely wife Megan's birthday! Hooray for birthdays!
Funny birthday story #1: My plan last night was to stay up until midnight so I could be the first person to wish her a happy birthday on Facebook. I figured it would be one small way for me to start of her birthday well. Midnight comes around, I log on to Facebook, and what do I see? East Coast folk and folk from other countries have already started wishing her a happy birthday... Alas, another plan foiled!
Funny birthday story #2: Ezra went down last night around 8:15 and went right to sleep without a fight. He stayed asleep and didn't get up until 7am this morning. Meg and I joked that it was birthday present to her (and me too). =0).
The past year was a big year for Meg and this year is looking to be even bigger. To celebrate Meg turning 29, here are 29 things (in no particular order) that I love about her:
1) She loves Jesus. When I was single, I said that there were 3 things I was looking for in a wife. The first was that I had to believe that she loves Jesus more than she loves me. I've never doubted that with Meg.
2) She loves being a mom. Ezra has been a joy in both of our lives but to see the way that Meg loves Ezra is amazing. She's so wonderful with him and a great mom. You can tell that they have a special connection.
3) She loves her family. It seems like everyday we're doing Facetime with one of her family members. Whenever she walks through the door I can be pretty sure that she'll be on the phone with her mom. He love for her family is really great.
4) She is super hospitable. Do you know what her idea of a great party is? Cooking dinner for her friends. Who does that?! My wife does that, that's who. =0).
5) She's way fun. Meg and I have a lot of fun together. Whether it's going out or staying in, it's just fun being around her.
6) She's super competitive. One of our favorite things to do is play cards while watching TV. She's hyper competitive which is great because I am too. It's more fun competing when both players are going all in.
7) She's an amazing singer. I keep asking her when she's going to try out for The Voice. She keeps saying no. I'm going to keep trying.
8) She loves college students. The second thing I was looking for in a wife was that we had to have compatible hearts. While it wasn't necessary for her to love college students, my wife had to be someone who could connect with the fact that I did. Meg definitely has that heart.
9) She takes care of me. Y'all know I'm a pretty sickly guy without a great immune system. I also have a history of migraines. It's so great to know that when I'm down and out, Meg will be there to take care of me.
10) She's a legit cook. Y'all have eaten her cooking right? Yeah, she's real good.
11) She a developer. I love the way that is never satisfied with where things are. She's always working to grow and develop things and people.
12) She's gorgeous. The third thing I was looking for in a wife was someone who I found physically attractive. You've seen her. You know she's a total hottie. =0).
13) She has great intuition. I'm someone who likes to take in a lot of information before making a decision. Meg goes with her gut and is usually right. Sometimes it bothers me that I don't get to go through my whole process but I definitely appreciate the time saved.
14) She has a great laugh. She doesn't think I'm very funny but when I can get her laughing (or we're watching Jimmy Fallon clips) it's pretty great. Sometimes she'll snort a little, which is pretty much the greatest thing ever.
15) She loves food. Eating with someone who loves food is so much more fun than eating with someone who eats to survive. It's not unusual to see her snacking on one thing or another and she's definitely expanded my taste buds with different cuisines.
16) She's made me healthier. That being said, if it wasn't for her, I'd probably be 200 pounds from eating pizza, burgers, and spicy beef noodle soup everyday. She says it's because she wants me to live a long time but I know it's also because she likes the healthy food better.
17) She sticks to her guns. Meg is not the kind of person who can be easily swayed by popular opinion. She has a way of articulating herself in a way that isn't abrasive (unlike me) but makes it really clear of her stance. I can definitely dig that.
18) She loves her friends. I joke with her that she's more popular than I am. It'd be funnier if it wasn't so true. =0). The truth is that she takes really good care of the people she loves. I'm so blessed to call her my best friend.
19) She likes to try new things. Whether it's a new restaurant, a new hobby, or what, Meg is willing to jump in and try a new adventure. Usually that means I'm trying something new too, which isn't a bad thing.
20) She'll play along with my craziness. Y'all know me. Sometimes I say crazy things. Sometimes I do crazy things. Sometimes I say crazy things while doing crazy things. She'll listen intently while I tell her about my crazy ideas or how much fun I had playing softball and at least pretend that I'm interesting. Not everyone has that patience.
21) She lets me fix things. I'm a fixer. I take great joy in fixing things, whether it be faucets, toilets, problems, or whatever. Meg shows great patience in letting me try to fix something before we call in a professional.
22) She's a crazy good baker. Some people are good cooks but don't bake. Some are excellent bakers but don't cook. Meg's a two-fer (and y'all know that I LOVE a two-fer!).
23) She's great at reaching international students. I've learned so much from Meg about reaching international students. It takes a special kind of person and a special kind of heart to reach the international students. She is that person and she has that heart.
24) She loves my family. I hear stories from folk about conflicts with the in-laws. It's its own sitcom narrative and I'm sure there are situations like that. I love how great Meg is with my family, whether it be my siblings, my parents, or my exented family. She fit right in from the jump.
25) We have different tastes in music. One thing you can pretty much count on is that if I jump in the car after she's used it, I'll be changing the radio station. The same can be said for our Pandora stations and Spotify playlists. We may not agree on music but it's fun to hear her tastes.
26) She has crazy high empathy. It could be just because I have very low empathy but I'm always amazed at how she connects with people and their stories.
27) She's willing to grow and learn. This has been especially true this past year as we've had a lot of conversations about race and ethnic identity. I'm so thankful that she has entered the conversation with grace and humility and that we've been able to learn from one another and from Jesus.
28) She's adaptable. Moving to Columbia wasn't easy but she's made the most of it. Living with me probably isn't easy either but she's made the most of that too. =0).
29) She's made me a better man. Looking back at who I was before we met and who I am now, I know that she's made me a better man. I have better people skills, am healthier physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and pretty much am in a totally different than before. I'm so thankful that God has blessed me with her in my life.
So, happy birthday to my wonderful wife. Here's to (at least) 29 more years together!
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Sunday, April 10, 2016
The Final Month of School...
Hello, friends!
We have entered April, which means that we have entered the final month of the year. Every year it comes, every year it feels like I'm unprepared for it coming, and every year, I have an opportunity to trust in Jesus to do some good work.
The end of the Spring Semester always feels different than the end of the Fall Semester because of the sense of finality. Both semesters are 15 weeks in length. Both semesters have a week break in them (Spring Break or Thanksgiving). Both semesters should run about the same. But, there's something different about the end of the Spring Semester. I think it's because at the end of the Fall Semester, you know that in 4 weeks, students will be back and you can keep going. It's OK to leave stuff hanging because in a month you can pick things up again. Of course, you don't want there to be any loose ends but if there are, you can pick up again in January.
With the end of the Spring Semester, that's not really the case. The break after is 3 times as long. You are also losing Seniors, so anything that doesn't get done with them isn't going to get done. It's just a different feel.
As we enter the final month of the semester, I'm still trying to figure out what my goals are. There is a temptation to coast to the end of the semester, assuming that the semester is over. I know that isn't the case though. God can work in the last month of the semester. Students are less available than they are in the beginning of the semester but that doesn't mean they aren't there. There is still much work to be done.
So, here are my goals for the final month of the year. Prayer for all of these would be much appreciated:
- Decide on Springfield: There's been some movement with students at Missouri State in Springfield, MO but we're still not sure if we're going to commit to trying to plant a chapter there. That decision determines a lot of my year next year. We need to make that call.
- Proxe every week at Lincoln: The past few weeks we've been rained out and winded out of doing the proxes as Lincoln. Wednesday is looking good so we're hoping things will go better. If not, I'm going to set up a smaller display inside the cafeteria and see if we can have some conversations there.
- Raise $3000. We have 3 weeks left in our $6,000 matching grant. Pretty much a donor has told us that if we can raise $6000, she'll match it, giving us $12,000 total. Praise Jesus, we've already raised just about half of that! Still, there's still some work to be done. That means more meetings, more appointments, and more asks.
That's it! If I can get those 3 things done, I'll consider it a good end of the year. It combines 3 of my favorite parts of this job. I love planting, I love evangelism, and I love ministry partnership development.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
We have entered April, which means that we have entered the final month of the year. Every year it comes, every year it feels like I'm unprepared for it coming, and every year, I have an opportunity to trust in Jesus to do some good work.
The end of the Spring Semester always feels different than the end of the Fall Semester because of the sense of finality. Both semesters are 15 weeks in length. Both semesters have a week break in them (Spring Break or Thanksgiving). Both semesters should run about the same. But, there's something different about the end of the Spring Semester. I think it's because at the end of the Fall Semester, you know that in 4 weeks, students will be back and you can keep going. It's OK to leave stuff hanging because in a month you can pick things up again. Of course, you don't want there to be any loose ends but if there are, you can pick up again in January.
With the end of the Spring Semester, that's not really the case. The break after is 3 times as long. You are also losing Seniors, so anything that doesn't get done with them isn't going to get done. It's just a different feel.
As we enter the final month of the semester, I'm still trying to figure out what my goals are. There is a temptation to coast to the end of the semester, assuming that the semester is over. I know that isn't the case though. God can work in the last month of the semester. Students are less available than they are in the beginning of the semester but that doesn't mean they aren't there. There is still much work to be done.
So, here are my goals for the final month of the year. Prayer for all of these would be much appreciated:
- Decide on Springfield: There's been some movement with students at Missouri State in Springfield, MO but we're still not sure if we're going to commit to trying to plant a chapter there. That decision determines a lot of my year next year. We need to make that call.
- Proxe every week at Lincoln: The past few weeks we've been rained out and winded out of doing the proxes as Lincoln. Wednesday is looking good so we're hoping things will go better. If not, I'm going to set up a smaller display inside the cafeteria and see if we can have some conversations there.
- Raise $3000. We have 3 weeks left in our $6,000 matching grant. Pretty much a donor has told us that if we can raise $6000, she'll match it, giving us $12,000 total. Praise Jesus, we've already raised just about half of that! Still, there's still some work to be done. That means more meetings, more appointments, and more asks.
That's it! If I can get those 3 things done, I'll consider it a good end of the year. It combines 3 of my favorite parts of this job. I love planting, I love evangelism, and I love ministry partnership development.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Friday, April 1, 2016
An April Fool's Challenge!
Hello, friends!
Happy April Fool's Day! It's one of those days that I have a love/hate relationship with. On the one hand, there are a lot of fun pranks that I've pulled over the years. There are also a few pranks that haven't worked out so well. I guess when you try a lot, you can't be right all the time.
This year, instead of a simple prank, I'm offering you a challenge. Below are two links. One link leads to my latest blog post along with some photos of Ezra. The other leads to the music video for "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley (AKA, the classic Rick Roll). My only request is that whatever link you choose, you take it all the way to the very end. =0).
Choose wisely and happy April Fool's Day!
~Adam
LINK 1: http://bit.ly/25B1pyS
LINK 2: http://bit.ly/1MHmCAQ
Happy April Fool's Day! It's one of those days that I have a love/hate relationship with. On the one hand, there are a lot of fun pranks that I've pulled over the years. There are also a few pranks that haven't worked out so well. I guess when you try a lot, you can't be right all the time.
This year, instead of a simple prank, I'm offering you a challenge. Below are two links. One link leads to my latest blog post along with some photos of Ezra. The other leads to the music video for "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley (AKA, the classic Rick Roll). My only request is that whatever link you choose, you take it all the way to the very end. =0).
Choose wisely and happy April Fool's Day!
~Adam
LINK 1: http://bit.ly/25B1pyS
LINK 2: http://bit.ly/1MHmCAQ
Jesus in the Wind...
Hello, friends!
Good job on choosing well. =0).
In an earlier post, I talked about how we'd found a law passed in Missouri in June of last year made for all outdoor spaces in state universities protected areas and open to the public. We were going to use this as an opportunity to do some evangelistic displays at Lincoln and hopefully meet some students.
The last time we tried doing that at Lincoln, the wind was whipping something awful and we ended up not getting to actually do the display because of the wind. Still, undetered by the fact that we were still within our rights to be on campus, I decided that I would try again this week. Since Mizzou is on spring break this week, I was actually going to go on Wednesday and Thursday. I checked the weather and here's what I found: temperatures in the 60's with a 50% chance of rain and winds between 12-20mph. =0).
Still, we wouldn't be deterred! On Wednesday I set up shop in front of the memorial on campus in the middle of the quad to see what would happen.
Friends, the wind was NOT our friend. Our display was actually 3 panels set up on a PVC stand weighted down with weights. The panels caught the wind like a sail and I spent a good portion of our day chasing panels and picking up the knocked over display. On Thursday the wind was so bad that I didn't even get a chance to set things up before everything started to blow away. We spent 4 hours on campus Wednesday but couldn't get things set up on Thursday.
However, in spite of being wind blown across campus, I was still able to see Jesus move these past few days. Just like last time, there were students who were more than happy to help me chase down things as they were blowing away and that led to a lot of great conversations about Jesus and mission. When the display was up and running we had roughly 50 students come through to hear the Gospel. About 20 of them wrote down prayer requests and 5 students expressed interest in being a part of a Christian community on campus!
The big lesson for me was how important it is to be faithful in the things that God is calling us to do. I knew that the wind was going to be bad on Wednesday and hursday. I had a feeling that things were going to be rough. The easy thing would have been to call it early and not even try but I felt like God was asking me to take a leap of faith and see what would happen. I'm glad I listened.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
PS: As promised, here are those photos of Ezra I promised you, featuring his many cousins. Isn't he adorable?! =0).
Good job on choosing well. =0).
In an earlier post, I talked about how we'd found a law passed in Missouri in June of last year made for all outdoor spaces in state universities protected areas and open to the public. We were going to use this as an opportunity to do some evangelistic displays at Lincoln and hopefully meet some students.
The last time we tried doing that at Lincoln, the wind was whipping something awful and we ended up not getting to actually do the display because of the wind. Still, undetered by the fact that we were still within our rights to be on campus, I decided that I would try again this week. Since Mizzou is on spring break this week, I was actually going to go on Wednesday and Thursday. I checked the weather and here's what I found: temperatures in the 60's with a 50% chance of rain and winds between 12-20mph. =0).
Still, we wouldn't be deterred! On Wednesday I set up shop in front of the memorial on campus in the middle of the quad to see what would happen.
Friends, the wind was NOT our friend. Our display was actually 3 panels set up on a PVC stand weighted down with weights. The panels caught the wind like a sail and I spent a good portion of our day chasing panels and picking up the knocked over display. On Thursday the wind was so bad that I didn't even get a chance to set things up before everything started to blow away. We spent 4 hours on campus Wednesday but couldn't get things set up on Thursday.
However, in spite of being wind blown across campus, I was still able to see Jesus move these past few days. Just like last time, there were students who were more than happy to help me chase down things as they were blowing away and that led to a lot of great conversations about Jesus and mission. When the display was up and running we had roughly 50 students come through to hear the Gospel. About 20 of them wrote down prayer requests and 5 students expressed interest in being a part of a Christian community on campus!
The big lesson for me was how important it is to be faithful in the things that God is calling us to do. I knew that the wind was going to be bad on Wednesday and hursday. I had a feeling that things were going to be rough. The easy thing would have been to call it early and not even try but I felt like God was asking me to take a leap of faith and see what would happen. I'm glad I listened.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
PS: As promised, here are those photos of Ezra I promised you, featuring his many cousins. Isn't he adorable?! =0).
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