The Development of an Iceberg...

Hello, friends!

One habit I've gotten into talking about staff work like it's an iceberg. You've heard that analogy, right? It's said that icebergs are only 10% above water and that the rest of the thing is actually below the surface, which is what makes them so dangerous (Feel free to insert your own Titanic joke here). In the same way, much of what we do in staff work is actually happening below the surface. The way I see it, there are 4 major parts to staff work, one of which is actually seen and the other 3 parts that happen below the surface.

The part that everyone sees and asks about is the campus work and with good reason. I don't know that there are any of us who got into this job for any other reason than we love the campus and we love college students. It's the part that makes the most sense to ministry partners as well because it's the most tangible. It's what we talk about the most, what goes in our updates and prayer letters, and is probably the most fun part of the job for most of us. But, it's not the whole thing.

Lying below the surface are the three other, equally important pieces of staff life that can't be ignored and have to be done well. There's the preparation piece, which includes things like prayer, planning, studying, running errands to buy supplies, making copies, formatting bible studies, conference calls, trainings, and things like that. There's the reflection and reporting piece, which is what allows us to learn from our experiences on campus and actually grow in our staff work and as followers of Jesus. Then there's Ministry Partnership Development (MPD), which is us gathering a team of people together to partner with us through time, prayer, energy, and finances, so we can reach as many students as possible. All 4 of these pieces are crucial to a healthy staff life and none can be neglected for the sake of the others if you want to thrive in this job. Of course, we all have parts we like to do more than others. (NOTE: other staff may add other categories to their icebergs. I'm just giving you my breakdown)

It may seem odd, but I really love the MPD part of the game. I love casting vision for people who may not have ever thought of the campus as a mission field. I love training staff in how to build up teams of people around them to make the mission go. I love learning about why people give and how people give. I love coaching and developing new ways of thinking about our MPD. It's so much fun for me and it doesn't hurt that I think I'm pretty good at.

Within the next week or so, I'll actually have the opportunity to run two different MPD trainings for our Region and I'm really excited about both of them. The first training (that actually started last night) is what we call MPD 101, or an introduction to MPD. Two of our newly hired interns are here and we're going to go over the basics of MPD, starting from the beginning and making our way to the nitty gritty details. Next week, I'll be traveling to Iowa to lead MPD 201, which is for veteran staff. We have some really exciting (at least to me) training planned in hopes of seeing more of our staff fully funded with resources to spare so we can hire new staff too.

Friends, would you be praying for me as I prepare and lead these trainings? Although I love this part of the job, I know that it isn't the favorite part of a lot of staff, which can be kind of draining when you're the one teaching it. Would you pray that God gives me clear words and a clear vision as we all move forward in developing this part of our staff iceberg together? =0).

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Hooray for Spring Conferences!

Hello, friends!

Meg, Ezra, and I just got back from a wonderful week at the Lake of the Ozarks. Vacation? Well, maybe for Ezra, but definitely not for Meg and me. We were actually helping to staff TWO student conferences for InterVarsity, Catalyst and Getaway. 

I was thinking about these conferences on our way home yesterday and the thought that came to mind was how different yet effective both of these conferences are at reaching their student populations. Both conferences had a really good week. 

Getaway is tons of fun because it is first and foremost, a conference for international non-Christians. They spend the entire week not just studying stories about Jesus and having great conversations but also spending time together and really having fun. Around half the group that attends is non-Christian so the tenor of the conference is very much one of exploration. 

Catalyst, on the other hand, is a conference designed more for students to experience a calling of mission from Jesus to go back to their campuses as missionaries. It has more of a "training" feel to it with seminars and informational meals and stuff like that. 

Of course, that isn't to say that either conference only does one thing. There are students who go to Getaway and are developed as missional leaders on campus and there are students who go to Catalyst and make decisions to follow Jesus for the first time in their adult lives. That also isn't to say that one style of conference is better than the other. It's just one of those things where different conferences scratch different itches. 

The important thing is that Jesus is at both conference and we saw that this past week. At Catalyst, 2 students made decisions to follow Jesus and a number of students made decisions to start something new on the campuses starting next year. Getaway had over 50 students from 18 countries come. Most made significant steps towards Jesus and one student called it "the greatest experience in the US so far." 

What was our role? A little bit of this and a little bit of that. Meg led 2 seminars for students interested in reaching international students at Catalyst and she was in charge of leading the Family Group (small group) leaders at Getaway. I once at Getaway and once at Catalyst as well as leading 2 seminars at Catalyst. 

Here's a video that a student made recapping Getaway. Enjoy!

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Conference Time!!!

In case the link above doesn't work, use this one! 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Happy Mother's Day!

Hello, friends!

To all the mother's out there, Happy Mother's Day! Special shout out to Mama Leong, whose unconditional love and support has been so instrumental in my life and ministry. Love you, Mama!

HOWEVER, this Mother's Day is a very special one because it's Meg's first Mother's Day! It's amazing to think that Ezra is only 10 months old but at the same time, it's amazing to think that Ezra is already 10 months old. It seems like time has really flown and yet it feels like he's been with us forever.

Last week I wrote about flying solo for the night for the first time since Ezra was born. Ezra was great and things couldn't have gone better. Still, it gave me such an appreciation for what an amazing mother Meg is to Ezra.

Seriously, she is so great with him. She has so much patience with him when she's feeding him or changing his diaper. She's tireless when it comes to playing with him and always have a smile on her face. There's no doubt that she loves him and it totally shows. Ezra is totally a mama's boy right now but it makes total sense. If I was him, I would totally be a mama's boy too. =0).

Fun story, as you're reading this right now, we're
actually in South Dakota to surprise Meg's mom for Mother's Day. I got up this morning and Meg said, "hey, do you want to go to South Dakota for the weekend?" So, we packed up the car and started driving!

That's the kind of gal my Meg is. She saw a great chance to do something nice for her Mama and decided that it was the thing to do. It's that kind of thoughtfulness at care that makes her such a great mom to Ezra. I'm so glad that I get to partner with her to raise Ezra (and hopefully a few more down the road).

Have an excellent day!

~Adam