Here's to 2016!

Hello, friends!

As 2016 comes to a close, we wanted to show y'all our end of the year ministry and family update. Two things for you before we get to the good stuff:

- If you are looking at this letter and saying, "Man, that looks great! Why didn't I get one of these?!" The reason is because we don't have your mailing address! You can fix that by clicking here and updating your contact info for our records.

- If you feel so inclined, you can also give a year end gift to the work that we're doing with InterVarsity in Mid-Missouri. All gifts are tax-deductible and can be done by following the link here.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

RSC16!!!

Hello, friends!

First of all, thank you all so much for all of the love and support that I've received regarding my incoming new role as Director for the Asian American Ministries Pilot Project. I have been overwhelmed by the congratulations from everyone. I'm really looking forward to the taking on this new role come January.

Normally, I post on Thursdays but, you'll notice, it's Friday. I had to take a little bit of a rest day yesterday because we got back from our Regional Staff Conference (RSC16) Thursday morning and I needed some time to recoup after 3 days of being in full on conference mode.

As always, RSC was a great time. I did notice though, that while there are some things that I can count on, things still also change from year to year. Here are a few of my epiphanies from 72 hours of staff conference goodness on what's changed:

- I've officially transitioned from "young staff" to "veteran staff." The move was probably a long time coming but I really felt it this year. There are two ways you can tell if you've moved from "young staff" to "veteran staff" status. The first is how you spend your free time, including meals. If it's spent at the pool, playing games, or things like that, you're probably "young staff." If it's spent in a meeting, you're a veteran. The other way to tell is how you spend your 10pm. If you spend your 10pm around other staff, hanging out, playing games, and otherwise having a good time, you're probably a "young staff." On the other hand, if you spend your 10pm asleep or getting ready for sleep, you're probably a veteran.

- Having a kid on site is hard work! Last year, we had Ezra with us but he was barely 6 months old. He didn't really do a whole lot besides sleep and poop so watching him was pretty easy. This year, Ezra was eating solid food, only taking one nap a day, and practically running down the hall every chance he got. I think that Meg and I worked pretty well together in making sure that we both were able to be somewhat present while still keeping an eye on him but it was definitely more of a struggle than last year. It also didn't help that Ezra had a bit of a cold so we couldn't utilize childcare like we wanted.

- The room looks different from before. Every year, at RSC, I look around and notice a few more faces are not there that I'm used to seeing. Staff move away or go off staff. It's a normal part of the job. Since 2008 or so, we've been focused on our "2020 vision" for the area. At ever RSC since then, we've done a status report that included a photo of our staff team from when we launched the vision. Every year, there are fewer and fewer of us in the room who where part of that original photo. It's a little bittersweet, even though I know that everyone no longer in the room is still doing good work for the kingdom in one capacity or another.

Still, with all the changes, there are still things that I can count on during RSC. I can count on great conversations with staff friends who know what I do and have been through similar experiences. I can count on a great vision being cast for our Region and being charged up and ready to take on the upcoming semester. I can count on RSC feeling like a great bookend to an eventful semester. I can count on Jesus showing up and speaking to me in profound ways. I can count on showing up and it still feeling like home and familia. For all the changes that each RSC brings, I'll take those constants any day of the week.

Next week there may or may not be a post by me. I'll be in SoDak for Christmas with Meg's family, so I may take the week off. In case I do, Merry Christmas, and, as always...

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

A New Adventure Awaits!!!

Hello, friends!

So, some exciting news! Starting January 1, I will be assuming the role of Director of Asian American Ministries Pilot Projects for InterVarsity! I'm super excited about the role and wanted to let y'all know about what I'll be doing for the position.

Q: What is the Asian American Ministries Pilot Project?
A: The AAM Pilot Project is an initiative within AAM, where staff who are interested in seeing more Asian American students reached at a particular campus, whether it be a new chapter, a new small group, or what. Our focus will also be on evangelism so that new groups aren't just created but that we're seeing evangelistic fruit coming from those groups.

Q: That sounds cool. What will your role be?
A: As director of the Project, my role will have a few different facets. On the one hand, I'll be finding campus staff who want to see Asian American students reached on their campus and then pairing them with coaches. I'll also be developing the training and resources for the coaches and staff. On the other hand, I hope to be learning a lot from our National Evangelism Team on different things that folk around the country are trying in terms of Evangelism.

Q: Wow, that sounds like a lot of work. Does this mean you won't be doing your other stuff?
A: Well, yes and no. It's only a part-time position, so I'll still continue on as my role as Associate Area Director for Missouri and I'll still be working with Lincoln University and Mizzou Nurses Christian Fellowship. Those things don't change. However, there are a few of my current job responsibilities that I'll be letting go of so I don't end up sipping too much of that workahol.

Q: I guess that makes sense. How did you get this job, anyway?
A: Back in October, I wrote about going to Boston as a coach for a staff who was working with Asian American students. That was actually part of the Pilot Project. Last year I served as a coach. This year, I'll be coaching another campus while also taking on the role of director. The current director is leaving InterVarsity and asked me to fill the position.

So, that's one piece of big news that's happening in our world right now. Please pray for me as I begin preparations for the new role, especially as I take on new responsibilities and let go of old ones. It's going to be a new adventure and I'm looking forward to it.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Hooray for the Lincoln Semester!

Hello, friends!

Yesterday I had my last Wednesday visit to Lincoln University for the semester. Finals start next week and I've been at this job long enough to know that during Finals season, no one really wants to see their friendly neighborhood campus minister.

In fact, even yesterday was a little bit of a bust. It wasn't the worst of days but the caf was pretty dead so I didn't have too many conversations. One of the women who is in my bible study is also in the band and this week they had a rule that band members couldn't talk in the caf or be seen around boys. So, we had to call an audible and go off campus for some ice cream. Add that to not hearing back from the woman in my other bible study and a potential faux pas in a conversation with a faculty member and it was a so-so day.

Still, it's been a really great semester for a number of reasons:

- New Life at Lincoln. I've already posted about the 2 conversions that happened at Lincoln this semester but I also found out that on Sunday, one of the guys in my bible study is going to be baptized! We've also had a ton of great conversations doing the proxe stations about faith and where people are in their spiritual journeys.

- Trust Built on Campus. I think just by virtue of being on campus for a longer period of time, I'm a bit more of a known commodity on campus than before. It's not uncommon for students to say hi to me when I'm on campus. I've had random people stop by and ask me questions and start a conversation about something. It's good to know that I've developed a reputation as someone who can be trusted.

- A Real Cell! One of my top goals at Lincoln has been to establish a small group, or cell, with missional students who would be ready to take risks and bring the Gospel on campus. Last semester there were some false starts with starting a cell but this semester, we actually got some regular student meetings! It's been really great to see students coming together in community and to be on mission.

- Good Weather. The biggest barrier we had last semester with doing the proxe outside and having to deal with the elements. There were gusts of wind and spotty rain storms that really made life kind of difficult. This semester, though, we really had no weather problems. Every day that we planned to proxe, it was sunny, not too hot, and with just enough of a breeze to make things pleasant. It was pretty great!

All said and done, it was a really great semester. I'm excited to see what God has for the Blue Tigers next semester.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam