Tornado!

Hello, friends! 

"Looks like the storm will probably miss us..."

"Dome-aha strikes again!"

Those were the messages that Megan and I sent to each other around 2:45pm last Friday. Not too long after that, the tornado sirens went off and for the next few hours, we were glued to the weather coverage, watching, waiting, and praying. 

Ultimately, we were both right. Most of the tornados didn't hit Omaha proper and we specifically weren't in any real danger. However, that doesn't change the fact that the day was absolutely WILD and we're thankful for God's protection. 

In all, 23 tornadoes touched down in the metro area, which includes Omaha, the surrounding suburbs, and Western Iowa. The most damage was done to the cities of Elkhorn and Bennington. Miraculously, there was only one recorded death. Homes were destroyed and communities were devastated, but the limited loss of life is really something incredible. 

I was in Bellevue for lunch with some students in the early afternoon but decided to head home right after just in case the storms got bad. I'm glad that I did because I would not want to be stuck out on the road during the worst of it. Megan and Jonah were already home. 

Our most tense moments came between 3:30-4pm. It was right then that things started to get bad. We normally pick up the kids at 4, so there was a question as to whether the kids would be released from school or not. Megan left early to get to pickup so we could be first in line but it didn't matter. So long as there was a tornado warning, the kids weren't going anywhere. Some parents stayed at school to ride it out but Megan opted to come home. We finally were able to pick them up around 5:30. According to Megan, Thaliea was a hot mess at pickup and Ezra thought it was the best day ever... 

JoJo watch Tarzan 2 and was completely oblivious to all thing (as is often the case). 

Friends, please be praying for our neck of the woods, especially Elkhorn and Bennington as they rebuild. We're thankful that it wasn't worse but still aware there's plenty to do. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

It's Baseball Season!!!

Hello, friends! 

We are now squarely into Spring, which means it's the most wonderful time of the year. Baseball season has begun again!!!

The beginning of the baseball season is the best. Everyone still has a shot and hope springs eternal. With 162 games, the stakes are a little lower game to game. All you need to do is stay close and anything can happen later in the summer. 

It should be well documented that I'm a die hard St. Louis Cardinals fan. Last year was tough, watching our boys go through a really bad season. I kept waiting for us to turn it around but we never did. There were injuries, sloppy play, slumps, and poor front office decisions, which turned our season into a largely forgettable one. Of course, I'm well aware of my baseball privilege. The Cardinals hadn't had a losing season in over 15 years, the second longest active streak up to that point. I'm used to playoff baseball and being in it until the end. Last year was a weird one but I have faith that last season was an anomaly, not the norm, like for some fans. Of course, I hate losing but that's also the great thing about baseball; there are so many games that the sadness doesn't last for too long because there's another game tomorrow. 

A few years ago I wrote about how baseball always has and always will be my first love. Even though I don't watch as much baseball as I used to watch (the kids are more into watching soccer and football), there's still something about sitting down and watching the Cardinals play that really gets me to my happy place. 

Ezra and Thaliea are signed up for baseball again this summer. Jonah is signed up for T-ball too. For Ezra, he'll be in player pitch, so we've been working on his chuck. It's not great but it's coming around. He still has a long way to go but I'm looking forward to continuing to teach him, and the others, about America's past time. 

Go Cardinals! 

~Adam

When your alma mater has a racial incident on campus...

Hello, friends! 

I don't know what's happened to Demitrius or Wingo in the past 17+ years since I graduated from WashU (#GoBears). What I do know is that while I was a student, Wingo would also put a few extra fries on the plate to go with my double cheeseburger (Swiss cheese, in case you were wondering) and that Demitrius would always refer to everyone as "young man" or "young lady" when taking their order. They worked at Bear's Den, the food spot visited by every student who lived on the South 40. They, along with the rest of the mostly Black food workers at Bear's Den were kind, courteous, funny, and really good at their jobs. I never had a super long conversation with any of them (they had to get through the line of students as quickly as they could) but I liked them and seeing them behind the counter at Bear's Den was a constant throughout my 4 years there. 

A few weeks back, there was an incident at Bear's Den. According to those present, eggs and racial slurs were thrown in the direction of Bear's Den employees, allegedly as part of a Greek Pledge Week event. One Fraternity and one Sorority have been suspended while an investigation takes place. 

When I heard about what went down, a few things went through my head. First, I felt sad for my alma mater. Y'all know that I have as much school pride as anyone, so to see WashU in the news for something like this was not ideal. (I also had to question my school loyalty, seeing as how I wasn't even aware of what went down, but that's a different thing). I was brought back to my old stereotypes that I'd believed about Greek life before and during my time in college. (Thankfully, seeing how Greek InterVarsity operates has disabused me of that notion.) 

Mostly though, I thought about Demitrius and Wingo and the rest of the workers I encountered at Bear's Den. They don't deserve to feel unsafe at work. They don't need the added stress of wondering if they are going to be assaulted, verbally or otherwise, while they are trying to serve students. They deserve to be treated with with respect and dignity, just like anyone who is made in God's image. I doubt that Demitrius and Wingo still work at Bear's Den but whoever is there now still deserves better. 

The one thing I haven't figured out yet is whether or not there's anything I need to do beyond just feeling sad from afar. I don't live in St. Louis anymore. I'm not the staff  at WashU or have direct access to students like I did before. I don't think that WashU losing my meager contributions would have a whole lot of impact. It's not that I'm stuck; it's more that there isn't much to do. 

So, I'm going to pray. I'm going to pray from my alma mater. I'm going to pray for the students who allegedly perpetrated these acts. I'm going to pray for the Greek system at WashU, which probably has some things to work out. I'm going to pray for the InterVarsity students at WashU too. I'm going to pray for Demitrius, Wingo, and all the workers at Bear's Den, past and present; that they may know that they are seen and loved by God. 

#GoBears

~Adam    

Soccer season... eventually

Hello, friends! 

It's Spring time, which means that the youth soccer season is upon us! Ezra's team, The Black Widows, is back and I'm back in the saddle as the head coach. 

I'm pretty sure that I've mentioned this before but I have exactly ZERO soccer experience, so coaching has been an adventure. There's an old clip from the Simpsons that always comes to mind at the beginning of the soccer season:

This Spring Season will be a little bit easier because this is our second season in the 3rd/4th grade division. The kids are a little more acclimated to the size of the field and what it takes to play good offense and defense as a team. 

Really, there's only one thing that's keeping us from having a really good season... the weather... 

Winter and Spring have been really weird out here in Omaha. It feels like April and February switched places. During February and the first part of March, the weather was consistently in the 60's and 70's and I was certain that we were going to have a terrible summer. Well, as soon as Soccer season started, February decided that it wanted to make an appearance. 

Our first match was scheduled for March 23rd. Unfortunately, the temps were too cold to play (in the 20's with a wind chill). Our next practice the following Monday had to be cancelled because the field was too wet to play. We didn't have a game scheduled for last Saturday (on account of Easter) but then our practice that was supposed to happen a few days ago got cancelled AGAIN because it rained all day Monday and the field was no good again. 

For the past 2 Mondays, I have been in a bit of a funk, namely because it's my call on whether or not we cancel practice. On the one hand, I want the kids to have fun and they have fun playing soccer. On the other hand, I need to keep the safe. On the other hand, making a late cancellation is a big of a headache for parents who need to change plans. On the OTHER hand though, the parents don't want to be out there in the cold and wet while their kids get good and muddy. I'm pretty sure I've made the right call both weeks but I haven't liked it. 

Soccer season will eventually officially start. We'll play some games and we'll score some goals. We'll give up some goals and everyone will get a snack. Ezra will hopefully enjoy himself and I'll hopefully put the kids in a position to be competitive. Then we'll wait a few months and do it all over again. 

If you live in the Omaha area and want to see some youth soccer, we're playing @ 9:30am at the Maple Street Y for the next 6 weeks. Let me know you're coming and we'd be happy to look for you. 

#GoBlackWidows

~Adam

Onboarding!!!

Hello, friends! 

Last weekend we welcomed the 5 new hires into our Region to Omaha for our first ever New Staff Onboarding Weekend (NSOW)! 

NSOW used to be called MPD 101, which was when the new staff would come to Omaha (or be online) and I'd get them set up to do good MPD throughout the summer, wit hopes that they'd be fully funded by the beginning of the next school year. This year's class was bigger than I was going to be able to manage, so we decided to enroll them in the National training program. However, we still wanted them to have some good community building time and learn more about the Region. 

When Megan took on her new role as Assistant Regional Director for Training and Development, one of her roles was onboarding the new staff and making sure they got acclimated well to Regional and National policies. We realized that we could use this weekend as a two-fer, and NSOW was born. 

Megan and I decided that the best way to schedule things, both from a content and a childcare standpoint, was to do an onboarding sandwich of sorts. Megan started things off Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. I took over Saturday in the late morning (after what was supposed to be Ezra's soccer match) and then we'd work together on Sunday morning. We covered some of the nitty gritty of staff life (policies, expense reports, etc.) while also doing some reflection and community building (axe throwing, anyone?). We also had a great dinner with some amazing ministry partners who have been advocates of ours for a long time with their church and a friend of ours came and gave a great talk on faith and power in ministry. 

Things didn't go totally according to plan. We had two of our 5 staff need to leave early Saturday morning because of illness. Ezra's soccer match was cancelled due to cold weather (the right call but still a bummer). We also didn't see that the AirBnB where the staff were staying had a full dishwasher, so I bought some bowls when I didn't need. But, those were all minor compared to the great experience everyone had, including us. 

Friends, please be praying for Hannah, Alison, James, Jaqui, and Steven as they begin their InterVarsity staff journeys. We'd love it if they were in it for the long haul and had a good staff experience. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Justice Program Recap!

Hello, friends! 

A few weeks ago, I told you about the Des Moines Justice Program that our family was doing over Spring Break. Well, it happened and it was great! Here are some of the highlights: 

Pre-Program: Megan had the great idea of us going into Des Moines a day early so we could have a mini-vacation. The plan was simple: swim in the hotel pool and eat a free continental breakfast. Mission accomplished! The kids had a great time in the pool (we went before and after dinner!) and slept really hard. They also decided that hotel waffles are better than the ones that I make... =0). 

Set up: We got to the church where we were going to be having the program around 10am on Friday. Students weren't arriving until 3, so we had plenty of time to setup. If there's one thing our kids love doing, it's helping setup for things. They took it upon themselves to help with registration and get show students where their beds were. 

Program: The program itself was great. We did some bible study. We visited a homeless shelter. We went on a city walk, imagining that we were someone in the city who needed help of some sort and trying to find the resources available to people (NOTE: DON'T NEED HELP ON A WEEKEND; EVERYTHING IS CLOSED!). We heard from some dynamic speakers and worshipped together. What I especially liked was that we had 2 Bellevue students come with us and they had a great time. Also, another staff couple brought their kids too, so our kiddos made some new friends and childcare was WAY easier since our kids could go play with other kids. 

Coming home: After the obligatory Bubble Tea stop on our way out of town, we made our way home. Proof that it was a good trip? As soon as we got home, out kids started crying about how they wanted to be back in Des Moines. =0). 

Overall, it was a really great experience for the whole family. It was good to be back in the Justice Program space, even if just for a weekend. We say God do some cool things amongst students and staff and even our family too. Hooray for Justice! 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam 

Pinewood Derby!!!

Hello, friends! 

Last week, Cub Scout Pack 481 in Omaha held it's annual Pinewood Derby. We had 23 competitors build cars that we raced throughout the morning, including cars built by Thaliea and Ezra. Thaliea got the bronze medal and Ezra was just one point off the prestigious Turtle Award. It was good times had by all. 

Well, mostly all... 

I will be absolutely honest. The Pinewood Derby is not one of the most favorite things that the Scouts do. Growing up, I was never good at the Pinewood Derby so I don't have fond memories from that. In fact, the only memory I do have is cutting my finger so badly while trying to carve my car that I had to go to the ER. I still have the scar. 

Of course, I'll keep doing the Derby because the kids want to do the derby. I do love seeing their faces as they pick out a car design and get to use a band saw and power sander (with adult supervision of course). It's fun watching their visions come to life, even if it's super stressful for me as a dad because I want their cars to be perfect and for them to feel good about what they've accomplished, while full well knowing that I don't have the woodworking skill to actually put together a winning car and that ultimately, they'll probably be disappointed at the end of the day. 

This year, Ezra's car was much harder to put together than Thaliea's. He went with a really cool sleek and aerodynamic design that would have been great except that I didn't have the tools or the supplies to add any weight to the car. Coming in at just under 2.5 ounces (the limit is 5 ounces), gravity was not going to be his friend. 

Thaliea's Barbie inspired car didn't have that problem. Hers was boxier which meant I could carve out part of the body to put some weights in it. Apparently, we did something right because she did take third place. 

All in all, I have to remember that it's about the kids having fun. I've come to peace with the fact that it would take more money and time than I'm willing to spend to make their cars perfect. I'm hoping that at the end of the day, they remember the good times of the Derby and not the underlying stress of car making. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam 

 

Jonah and Adam's Big Adventure...

Hello, friends! 

I have to admit that for the past few months, I've been thinking about Jonah WAY more than normal. 

Of course, I think about Jonah everyday. Just like I think about Ezra, Thaliea, Megan, the St. Louis Cardinals, and how great of a vocalist Kelly Clarkson is. However, for the past few months, I've been immersed in the book of Jonah as part of our preaching series at church, which means I've been thinking about Jonah a TON. 

I preached a few weeks ago on Jonah 1 and will be preaching next week on Jonah 4, which is going to be a ton of fun. I've always enjoyed preparing a sermon but this process has been especially fulfilling for a few different reasons. 

- I don't preach on the OT very often. I think, especially in Evangelical church circles, there is a lot of emphasis on the NT, particularly Paul's letters. Of course, those are SUPER important and it's good for us to spend time there. I just noticed as I was going through my sermon notes that I hadn't gone deep into the OT for quite some time, including to when I was prepping Bible Studies for students at Mizzou. 

- Jonah 4 is too often overlooked. Jonah 1-3 is the classic story of Jonah and the whale. It's one that most have heard of and know relatively well. Jonah 4 is the forgotten chapter of the book because it doesn't fit neatly into Jonah's redemption arc in chapters 1-3. I'm really looking forward to being in Jonah 4. 

- Prepping in community has been fun. We've been working on a preaching team at Bridge. Since we picked Jonah about a month before we were actually going to be preaching on it, it's given our team time to look at the text together and pick a direction together. I think the sermons flow together better, especially when you have multiple preachers, when everyone is moving in the same direction. 

Here's my sermon on Jonah 1 if you're interested (The sermon starts at the 42 minute mark but in the beginning you can see an "off mic" moment that is pretty entertaining). I'll post the Jonah 4 sermon after it happens. Either way, please be praying for our team and me as we continue through this series and onward to what's next. 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam 

Dog Sitting!

Hello, friends!

So, if you know anything about me, you know that I'm a pretty competitive guy, which means that I'm looking for competition wherever I can find it. One of the ways that manifests itself is that I love to make little challenges or side bets in conversation. Usually, it doesn't come to anything but sometimes it backfires spectacularly.

A few years back, Megan and I were talking and she mentioned that she wanted a dog at some point. This is no secret as she grew up with dogs and she's always made it known that she wanted a dog. It's probably a conversation that we'd had before and would have again. But for some reason, my competitive nature kicked in and I decided that I'd offer a challenge. 

"We'll get a dog as soon as we also get a tortoise." 

The gamble was simple. There's no way that Megan would want a tortoise (even though tortoises are the best) so she'd say "no" and then we'd be good to go until the next time it came up in conversation. 

But then came the blockbuster... 

"Deal." 

I guess we're getting a dog then! =0). 

Seriously though, I have no problem getting a dog (plus I'm getting a tortoise now!). Megan and the kids are convinced that I don't like dogs but that's not actually true. The only reason they think I don't like dogs is because I don't like dogs as much as THEY like dogs. But dogs are cool with me. 

We got a little bit of a taste of what it'll be like to have a dog in the house this past week. My in-laws are on a cruise right now and left their chocolate lab with us. Gracie has been to our house lots of times before but never for this long and never without Jean and Dave also there, so we knew this was going to be a new experience for all of us. 

Honestly, it was perfectly fine. I was a little worried that the novelty of caring for a dog would wear off on the kids but it's the end of the week and they're still clamoring for turns feeding Gracie, giving her a bone, and cleaning up her poop in the yard. Gracie is a pretty chill dog too, which helps. She's been spending most of the day just chilling at the house and she goes to bed early. Gracie and I have even gotten some bonding time early in the morning when I feed her before everyone else is up. Overall, it's been a perfectly fine experience. 

The current timeline is that we'll get a dog (and tortoise!) sometime in the next 18 months or so. We wanted to wait until JoJo was in the kindergarten range and big enough to help with the dog care. We know it'll need to be a hypoallergenic dog since we're pretty sure JoJo (and maybe Ezra too) have allergies. But, we're making our way in that direction. And I'm cool with that... so long as we get that tortoise too. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam 

Justice Program!

Hello, friends! 

One of the most transformative experiences of my college career was doing City Lights during my Freshman Year. City Lights was a week long Spring Break service project. InterVarsity students from all over the country gathered in St. Louis to worship together, do service in the city, and learn about God's heart for the City. It was at City Lights that I made some of my dearest friends and my view for what it meant to follow Jesus expanded beyond personal piety. 

I can't remember how many City Lights I attended as a student and as a staff. What I do remember is that I saw a countless number of students have the same experience that I had in 2004 and that the trip was worth it every time. 

Eventually, due to staff turnover and a few other things, we stopped doing City Lights over Spring Break. It was a bummer to see it go but a decision that made sense. Since then, there have been a few attempts to revive a project similar to City Lights in our Region. The latest, and the one I'm currently really excited about is the Des Moines Justice Program (DSMJP). 

March 15-17, students from all over the Region will gather in Des Moines to partner with one another, local churches and non-profits, and God to do some community service but also learn about God's heart for Justice in a broken world. DSMJP was a huge success last year and we're looking towards another great weekend. 

What excites me the most is that our family is going to be participating this year! DSMPJ falls during our Spring Break week, so we'll be loading up the kids and driving the 2 hours to Des Moines to join with other IV staff and students in DSMJP. We're also looking to bring a group of students from Bellevue too, which will be tons of fun. It'll be just like old times! 

Putting on a a weekend like this certainly isn't cheap and we're trying to keep costs as low as possible for students, which is why I'm asking for your help. Between now and March 1, any donation made towards the DSMPJ will be matched up to $5000. That means we can raise $10k for the program in just 2 weeks! If you're in a position to give, would you consider making a donation? Any amount is greatly appreciated. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam 

Online Bible Study!

Hello, friends! 

Well, we may have accidentally started an online bible study here in Nebraska... Oops! =0). Here's the story. 

A few weeks ago, one of the students who led the bible study at UNL asked me if there was any online bible study available for he and his girlfriend to attend. I put out a few feelers and found that while InterVarsity has a national online bible study, the timing didn't work for him. So, I put the question out to our Nebraska IV Leaders text chain (#NEIVFTW) and the response was overwhelming: I'd love to be a part of something like that! 

So, we decided to go for it! 

We've had 2 bible studies so far and they've been so good! I invited some of the college aged students from our church and two of them have shown up so far, which is also fun since I feel like I get to do work but also be connected to church. 

Friends, I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed leading student bible studies. When I was staff of ACF at Mizzou, a big chunk of my life was spent leading bible studies with and for students. After I moved up to Team Leader and Associate Area Director, I still got to do some of it but it was a little bit less. When we moved to Omaha in 2018, my opportunities pretty well dried up. I was coaching students in how to lead bible studies but my schedule didn't allow me to actually be there and see them in action much. Even the past 2 years, as I've been involved with Bellevue, it's been on coaching our student leaders on leading and not actually participating in the bible studies. It's so much fun reconnecting with students, getting into the Word, and seeing folk discover the Bible in a whole new way. 

Would you please pray for our new online bible study? Pray that students would continue to be blessed by the the study. Pray that students would invite their friends to take part in the goodness. Pray that an 8pm bible study on Thursday nights doesn't make me too cranky on Friday mornings. =0). 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam 

New Hiring Season!

Hello, friends! 

First of all, Happy Black History Month to you! #BlackLivesMatter

Right now, we're in an exciting season of ministry; it's hiring season! This is the part of the year when we have the most applicants apply to join staff with InterVarsity, either as full-time staff, part-time, interns, or official volunteers. It's an exciting time as we get to review applications, read letters of recommendation, and interview candidates with the hopes of growing our team. 

So far, I've read about a half-dozen applications and have sat in on 2 interviews. What's exciting about this crop of staff candidates is that it's different than anything I've seen in quite some time. We have a few "traditional" hires (students who were involved with InterVarsity and students and will be graduating in May), but we also have a staff couple, an international student, and a folk coming from different missions organizations. This is also the most number of applicants that we've had in a few years. 

On the one hand, it's exciting to meet folk who feel like they have a calling on their lives to spend this next season of life in college ministry. At one point, a long time ago, I was in their shoes. I was excited for what's next but still apprehensive about the unknown. I wanted to nail the interview and also make sure I was making the "right" decision for my life. 

But on the other hand, I'm also aware that this is just the beginning of the process. Once the offer is extended and (hopefully) accepted, the real work begins, particularly in the area of Ministry Partnership Development. We need to get these staff resourced as quickly as possible, which means that these next few weeks are going to be pretty busy for me. I'm looking forward to the work and I absolutely believe that God will show himself to be Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides. 

So, friends, would you pray with me for our hiring process? Would you pray that we as a staff team would hear clearly from the LORD on potential job offers? Would you pray for our staff candidates, that God would show them their worth apart from their vocation? Would you pray in advance for the MPD process for all those who accept offers, knowing that the work is hard but God is good? 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam  

So much useless snow...

Hello, friends! 

Growing up in Southern California, I didn't have a ton of experience with snow. Every now and then, we'd take a family trip up to the mountains and I think I went mountain camping with the scouts once or twice, but other than that, I didn't see snow a lot, which was fine by me. I remember the first time I saw legit snowfall my first year of college. It was a sight to behold for sure. 

Since then, I've seen a TON more snow. As someone who loves to bike, these months can be pretty tough living out here in the Midwest. One of the things I've learned about the differences between living in Nebraska vs. Missouri is that once the snow falls here, it stays for a while. Mind you, I actually like this better than the constantly icy roads that I saw in Missouri but either way, I'm not biking anywhere anytime soon. 

There are two things that have made living with all this snow tolerable. The first is snow tires. We live at the top of a hill and that first winter, it was a STRUGGLE getting up to our house. We were worried we were going to need to get new cars with all-wheel drive, but a friend of mine suggested snow tires instead and that did the trick. Every winter, we swap out our regular tires for snow tires and in the spring, we swap them back. 

While snow tires have made the snow manageable, but there's one thing that has made snow somewhat enjoyable... 

Igloos

One of my new favorite winter hobbies is building igloos for the kids. I basically pile up all the snow from our driveway and and yard, carve out a space for sitting, and if we've got the time, and the snow, I'll put a toboggan run on the top of the igloo for extra fun. The kids like it and it's pretty great seeing my handywork being enjoyed by the family. 

A few weeks ago, we got a DUMP of snow. It was multiple days with multiple inches of snow, totaling somewhere between 8-12 inches of snow. It was enough snow for the kids to stay home from school for a few days and SHOULD have been more than enough for an awesome igloo.

Here's the problem. Normally, I'd love to spend a few hours outside, piling, carving, and shaping the snow into some really great igloos and toboggan runs. However, this year, to go along with the massive amounts of snow, it's also been ridiculously cold. We're talking multiple days under 0 degrees. It's not safe to be more outside for too long in those conditions, so I just had to look outside my window longingly at what could have been... 

Weather reports for the next few days show that the weather is going to get into the 40's and may even hit 50 next week, which will melt most of this beautiful igloo material, meaning all this snow may have been for not. Instead of getting a sweet igloo out of the situation, all I may get is a sore back from shoveling... 

Snow is back to being the worst.

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Depth and Intimacy...

Hello, friends!

First of all, thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes! I'm really happy to be 39. God was good to me at 38 and I expect more of the same for this year. 

I'm not really one who celebrates my birthdays much but one of the traditions that I've adopted over the years is having a word or phrase for that year. Since my birthday is so close to the beginning of the yeah, I usually give myself until the my birthday to pick a word or phrase. It's sort of like my New Year's resolution of sorts. Usually, I start thinking about my word for the year in November or December but I'm definitely glad that I waited until my birthday to "lock it in." 

The original plan for this year was for this year's word to be, "Be Prepared." Not only is it the Scout Motto but it also reflected how I wanted the year to go. I found that in 2023, I was doing a LOT of stuff. Between family, work obligations, coaching soccer, leading scouts, and training for triathlons, I was doing all the things but it didn't feel like I was doing them well. The idea of "Be Prepared" was that I wanted to actually prepare for the work ahead of me, not just do it the best I could and hope that it was good enough. That inevitably would have led to me cutting back in some places so I could do fewer things well, which I was OK with. 

However, things changed at Staff Conference. The final afternoon of Staff Conference, there was a time of "impartation." We were asked to ask God what He wanted to impart to us, then have someone pray that blessing over us. While I was listening, I heard the words "depth and intimacy." Those were words I wasn't expecting but words that I gladly had prayed over me. 

As I've reflected on those words from Staff Conference, I think they work really well with my original idea but change it slightly. I still want to do more than just doing the tasks set in front of me. However, instead of focusing on doing the things better, I think that "depth and intimacy" is an invitation to define what that "better" is. What does it mean for me to not just do a task but seek a real connection with whatever task is put in front of me. 

One example that I've been using has been bedtime. The kids always want us to stay in their rooms for a few minutes while they go to sleep. Because I'm trying to be a "good dad," I'll stay in there for a few minutes but I'm not necessarily present. I'm usually playing a game on my phone and waiting for the time to pass so I can get out of the room while still doing my duty. Lately, with this emphasis on depth and intimacy, I've been trying to not just stay in the room but really be there, using the few minutes we have as an opportunity to connect with the kids at the end of the day. It hasn't been perfect (sometimes the kids just need to go to bed!) but it has been good. 

So, here's to a year of depth and intimacy. I'm hoping that this year brings not just lots of stuff being done, but lots of connection with people and Jesus in a real way. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam 

Staff Conference 2024!

Hello, friends!

First of all, Happy New Year! May 2024 beat 2023 in every possible way for you and yours.

As your reading this, the snow is continuing to fall here in Omaha. We got about 6 inches earlier in the week and are expecting about that much today. This means that for the kids, they begin their semester with 3 snow days in the first week.

However, cold and snow bound is not how Megan and I started the year. Nope! We got to start our 2024 in shorts and sunshine.

Every 3 years, InterVarsity gathers so of its staff from across the country for our National Staff Conference. Because of COVID, last year's conference was pushed to this year, meaning for 5 days, Megan and I, along with roughly 1400 of our coworkers, were in Orlando, Florida, connecting with God and one another.

To be honest, I've lost count of how many Staff Conferences attended. Apparently, we missed SC20 because Jonah was born but I'm pretty sure I remember being there. However, is possible that I'm thinking of a different conference and they're all just running together. =0).

Regardless of whether this was my 5th or 6th conference, it was still so good to be there and God really showed up. Here are a few highlights:

- ISM Pre-Conference! SC24 started on the 2nd but Megan and I came in a day early so she could attend a pre-conference for international student ministry staff. Even though she's not explicitly ISM anymore, she still wanted to connect to old friends and I got to tag along. It was tons of fun hanging out with them as they celebrated together on the night of the First but it was also great that I had the day to myself on the Second while they were in meetings but SC24 hadn't officially started yet.

- Seeing old friends! One of the best things about being at Staff Conference is that you get to see old staff colleagues you haven't seen in a while. I help host an event for Asian American staff who have been on staff for 10-18 years and it was so good to see my friends. Our current staff team also played a game where we tried to get photos with people who used to be on staff with us in the Central Region. That was a ton of fun too. Even if it was just for 30 seconds, reconnecting with other staff in person was an absolute joy.

- Miraculous Healing! I woke up Wednesday morning with a pretty bad migraine. I get them a lot less than I used to get them but they still crop up every now and again. It's usually from dehydration, a change of weather, or some combination of the two. I skipped the first morning session to sleep but wanted to get down to the second morning session. I'm glad I did. The theme of the season was praying for the next generation. One area where we were called to pray was for healing. As we were praying in small groups, I felt the invitation to ask for my own healing. As my colleagues prayed for me, I was immediately healed. It was pretty great.

- An Impartation! Thursday's afternoon session included a time for us as staff to receive a word from God and to be prayed over by other staff. First of all, it was so cool to see Megan pray for other staff as one of the designated prayer ministry folk. The other thing that was so great was hearing a word from God. I really believe God wants me to pursue more depth and intimacy in my life, but just doing the right things but seeking depth and intimacy with God in the midst of right actions. 

- Travel! Y'all, do you know know how easy it is to travel without kids?! We sat in an exit row for one of our fights. I got to take a nap! I didn't have to share my rye chips with Jonah when they passed out the snack bags on Southwest because he can't eat the Cheeze-its! It... Was... Glorious... =0).

Special shout out to my in-laws who held down the fort with the kiddos here in Omaha so Megan and I could attend. They're the real all-stars of the trip. It was a great time and I'm excited for what God will do in IV and through IV between now and SC27.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Rich Villodas, our speaker

Connecting with Asian American staff

IV president, Tom Lin!