Dadding a Conference...

Hello, friends! 

Thanks to everyone who prayed for Getaway. Overall, there were 55 students from 24 countries and 10 different campuses in attendance. One South Korean Student gave his life to Jesus, and students from Nepal and Ivory Coast recommitted their lives to Jesus. Praise the LORD! 

I was told that everyone had a great time at Getaway. I'm not entirely sure because I was living that Staff Spouse life, which looks a little something like this: 

Personally, Getaway was a totally different experience. Normally, when I'm at an InterVarsity event, I'm staffing that event. I'll be connecting with students, checking in on staff, setting up something for the next session, or something of that nature. There have been times before when Megan and I would swap sessions so someone could watch the kids at an InterVarsity thing while the other led, but this was the first time that I've ever been at an InterVarsity function where my only job was to watch the kids. It was something else having to fight muscle memory at mealtimes and not go meet random students. At night, when I was brushing teeth and helping kids put on jammies instead of being in the main session, it was a little odd. 

And yet, it worked out fine. It was fun to be with the kids and watch them have fun and make new friends. I totally knew that Megan and her team would do an amazing job and not need me, which of course, was true. I didn't even mind getting more sleep than I would normally get because I was on the a family schedule and not a staff schedule. Everything worked out fine. 

My hope is that Megan will write up a little something for the blog about her Getaway experience, since that one would be much more about Getaway. But, I'm happy to be a staff spouse, happy to be a staff dad, and happy to have experienced the non-working conference life. 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Pray for Getaway!

Hello, friends! 

Tomorrow, Megan leaves for Kansas City to direct International Getaway, our Regional student conference for international students. We haven't had an in person Getaway since 2019 (pre-pandemic), so this is a big deal! Over the course of the long weekend, 50+ students from 24 different countries will gather together for fun, food, fellowship, and bible study. Christian, Hindu, Muslim, and non-religious students will all be in attendance. It really is one of the best things that our Region does and Megan has been working hard to make sure that things go forward without a hitch. 

While we're here, let me tell you about the amazing job that Megan has done directing this thing. Up until January, it wasn't certain that International Getaway was even going to be happening. Omicron was still raging across the country and there were questions about what kind of conference would best serve students in the Spring. But, once we made the call to do Getaway, she went into conference director superhero mode. Y'all, putting on a conference in less than 4 months is REALLY HARD. On top of that, at this point, we're expecting TWICE as many students as we were hoping would attend. Megan totally crushed it in preparing the team and encouraging recruitment. 

Confession: I've never actually attended a full International Getaway. Up until 2016 or so, I was always staffing Catalyst, which was the student conference for domestic students that was happening at the same time. Then, I was at home with the kiddos (at least I think I was...). I actually had planned on doing childcare for Getaway in 2020 but then that got cancelled. Alas, this time I'll be helping with one game but other than that, I'll be watching the kiddos again. At least we'll be at the camp. =0). 

Friends, we would LOVE for you to partner with us during Getaway. There are two big ways you can partner with us: 

PRAY: We're asking folk to be praying through the whole conference. If you have an hour to devote to prayer, we'd love for you to sign up for a time slot.

GIVE: We're also still hoping to raise a little bit more for scholarships for students. If you'd like to sponsor a student, you can click this link. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Transition Interviews...

Hello, friends! 

Tomorrow, I'll be heading to Lincoln for the last time this semester. While ACF has already had it's last bible study, students are still in town for finals and such. I'll be grabbing lunch with our two graduating students, who will be heading to bigger and brighter things once they graduate. 

One of the things that we're trying to do a better job of in the Region is having transition interviews with students. This is sort of like an exit interview for InterVarsity. We want to hear about student's experiences, share ways that we've seen them grow, and invite them to continue to be part of the InterVarsity experience as alumni. 

Friends, it's been YEARS since I've done a transition interview. It wasn't something I was great at remembering to do when I was field staff but once I moved off being the primary staff for ACF at Mizzou, my opportunities to do transition interviews also went down. Since I've been in this job, I've barely had much student interaction at all, focusing instead on staff development. So, right after I finish writing this blog, I'll be watching some training videos to remind myself on how to talk to students. =0). 

Seriously though, I'm looking forward for the chance to talk with the ACF students one more time as students. They did such a great job of keeping the group going without any staff for a while, which is no easy feat. I'm excited to hear about how InterVarsity was hopefully a blessing on their college careers and I really want to make sure they have an opportunity to still be involved as alumni. 

All over the Region, we're having these conversations with students. As of today, we've done over 70 of these interviews, with another 80 or so to go. I've been hearing nothing but good stories from staff as they've connected with departing students. I'm hoping that my conversations are as life giving as theirs have been. 

If you have a moment, would you pray for our departing students? Pray for those who are still in finals and finishing up their college careers. Pray that God will be give them a peace that surpasses all understanding, regardless of whether or not they know what's next. Pray that they will continue to follow Jesus post-graduation and find good church communities regardless of where they land. Pray that our staff will be able to adequately express the love and support for these students. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Restoration...

Hello, friends! 

Apparently, I've been preaching a lot lately! Here's my latest sermon from church, on how Jesus doesn't want to fix you but he wants to restore you. It was a really powerful time of people connecting with Jesus and asking for restoration in their lives and in the world. I hope you enjoy!