Nebraska Road Trip!

Hello, friends! 

We're a little out of order since this happened before Fall Conference but I wanted to share about a road trip across Nebraska that I went on in September! 

One new part of my job is that I'm now responsible for the student ministry across the entire state of Nebraska. We have campus groups in Omaha but we also have groups in North Platte and Hastings, which are decidedly NOT in Omaha. North Platte is about 4 hours from Omaha and Hastings is about 2 hours from Omaha. Thankfully, they're both along the Interstate and their bible studies meet on consecutive days, which makes a road trip totally possible.

An added bonus was that Jabin, the staff we just hired in Omaha, was able to join me for my trip! Hooray for quality car time!  

Here was the gameplan: 

- Tuesday 11am: Pick up the rental car, grab some lunch, and head to North Platte

- Tuesday 5pm: Have dinner with Bobbi, our staff out in North Platte and her husband

- Tuesday 6pm: Watch the North Platte Knights women's volleyball team dominate in their match

- Tuesday 7:30pm: Join Light Co., the bible study that Bobbi helps lead, for their Tuesday night bible study

- Tuesday 9:30pm: Make our way to the hotel and call it a night

- Wednesday 9am: I lead my first ever Nebraska Area Team Meeting

- Wednesday 11am: Get some admin done (because there's ALWAYS admin to do)

- Wednesday 2pm: Head out to Hastings

- Wednesday 4pm: Arrive in Hastings and walk around the campus for a bit then head to dinner

- Wednesday 6pm: Join Central Community College for their bible study

- Wednesday 8pm: Head back to Omaha

- Wednesday 10pm: Return the rental car and catch a Lyft home

- Wednesday 11pm: Back home, a 36-hour road trip across Nebraska, done! 

You may be asking yourself, "Adam, what did you learn on this trip?" Well, I'm glad you asked! Here were a few things that I picked up:

- Rural Nebraska is VERY different from Omaha. North Platte is actually closer to Colorado than it is to Omaha. That fact became clear to me when I noticed that there were just as many students on the volleyball team from Colorado as there were from Nebraska. I'm going to have to keep that in mind as I plan state-wide events.

- College students are VERY similar everywhere. The day before our trip, I had bible study at MCC and UNO in Omaha. In all 4 spots, I saw students who wanted to be in community with one another. There are students who want to grow deeper in their faith. There are students who believe that God cares about their campus and wants to see the Gospel go to every corner of every campus. 

- Nebraska is kind of a boring state to drive through. When I was living in Missouri, I would drive across I-70 in both directions, to get to either St. Louis or Kansas City and it seemed like every 100 feet there was another billboard to read. Mind you, not all of these billboards were necessarily things I WANTED to read, but at least they were there. Driving through Nebraska along I-80, we saw a LOT of corn fields and not much else. 

My plan is to take a trip like that once a semester. I'm already very much looking forward to the next one. Please be praying for the WHOLE state of Nebraska, from Omaha to North Platte, and every spot in between. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Hooray for Fall Conference!!!

Hello, friends! 

Well, I'm back! After a wonderful weekend, another Fall Conference is in the books. The weather (mostly) cooperated), students had a good time, the Holy Spirit moved, and overall, it was a great experience. Here are a few highlights: 

- Nebraska Time: We actually only had 7 students from Nebraska attend. At first I was bummed but it actually worked out really well. I was hoping that Fall Conference would be an opportunity for us to build some "brand identity" with InterVarsity and boy did that happen! These 7 from North Platte, Kearney, Hastings, and Omaha (literally all over the state) spent so much time together and really got to know one another. It was such a blessing to see them all interact and build relationships. 

- Church Partnership: Fall Conference was at Living Hope in Blair, Nebraska, about 30 minutes north of Omaha. It got recommended to us by one of our volunteers (his dad is the pastor). It was such a blessing to partner with Pastor Pat. They were super welcoming and we had some great conversations about how much of a blessing it was to have us there for them too. 

Added to that, our worship team fell through so I had to scramble to find a worship leader. I asked my friend Eric if his church could do it. They couldn't but he met a guy who might be able to do it. Eric's guy couldn't but he contacted one of his friends who also couldn't do it but sent his intern to us. It was a wild ride but such great worship! 

- Staff Partnership: One of the things that I missed over Sabbatical was working with my coworkers. We have such a great staff team and Fall Conference was evidence of that. Staff led all sorts of things and they did it so well. We really couldn't have had a Fall Conference without everyone working together. 

By the numbers, we had 40 students attend. 3 made decisions to recommit their lives to Jesus and 27 committed to being on mission on campus. It was so wonderful to see students make those kinds of decisions. 

I've been telling folk that Fall Conference is very similar to the triathlons that I (used to) do. All the prep, the training runs/bikes/swims, the anticipation, even up to the race itself, is all terrible and no fun. Then, you cross the finish line and immediately think to yourself, "when's the next one?!" Fall Conference is a LOT of work and sometimes can be very frustrating. But then it happens, the Holy Spirit moves, and when it's over, you start counting down the days until the next one. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Back to Conference Time!!!

Hello, friends! 

So sorry that it's been so long since I've posted. There's a lot that's been happening around here and frankly, I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things. In the next weeks I promise I'll catch everyone up on all the things happening in the great state of Nebraska. 

One thing that IS happening this weekend is Fall Conference! This weekend, we'll have over 40 students from Iowa and Nebraska coming to the Omaha area to worship together, get into the word, and hopefully experience the Holy Spirit in a real way. We'll be in Ezekiel 47, which is a passage that our Region is adopting as a guiding scripture for the next few years. There's a lot of good stuff happening in that passage and we're really praying that the students will get to experience it in the same way that we are. 

I'm directing the conference this year, which has been a lot, coming out of Sabbatical. Thankfully, the team is working together really well. There have been a few hiccups but we're making it work! 

Friends, please be praying for this weekend. Pray for the students as they travel but also that they'll experience the goodness of God in a real way. Pray for our staff as we connect with students and put the conference on for the students. Pray for me especially as I'll be directing and making the call to faith on Saturday night. It's been a minute so I've preached and I'm a bit rusty. 

Every year, around Fall Conference time, I'm reminded of my own Fall Conference story and how God met me my freshman year. We're praying that God will move here in Omaha like he did in rural Missouri all those years ago. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

P.S.: If you're interested in giving a scholarship to help students pay for the cost of Fall Conference, you can do so by clicking this link.

                                    

Fall Conference Season!

Hello, friends! 

School is very much in session, which means we've started our Fall Conference Recruitment! Yes, Fall Conference is already upon us. 

Fall Conference is an event that has a very significant place in my life. My first few weeks of college were really hard for a variety of different reasons (you can ask me about that story later!). It was at Fall Conference that I first really heard the voice of God and felt his presence in a real way. It was there that I made the decision to be a follower of Jesus, and that put me on the path that I'm currently on today. Every year that I've attended a Fall Conference as a student or a staff, I've seen the Holy Spirit move in a really powerful way. I'm expecting nothing less this year. 

Our theme this year is out of Ezekiel 47. That's a passage that our Region has adopted for the year as one that we're going to be focusing on for the next few years. I'm excited to see how God uses this passage to move on campus. 

I do love Fall Conference, but it's HARD WORK on the staff side. There's the recruitment aspect of things, complicated by the fact that most of our students haven't attended a Fall Conference before. One of the best ways to recruit is via word of mouth from other students. If students have never attended Fall Conference before, they don't know how great it is and they can't recruit their friends. 

Another aspect is that this year, I'll be directing our Fall Conference. It's been a bit of a whirlwind trying to get up to speed on my Area Director duties, learning about the campuses I'm serving, getting out of Sabbatical Brain, AND adding conference directing onto my plate. We're making it, but it's a tough go. 

My friends, I'd love it if you'd be praying for us during this season. Please pray for our recruitment, that students will say "yes" to taking a chance on Fall Conference and that they'll be bringing their friends. Also, please be praying for me as I direct and try to juggle all the things that need to be done. It'll be great and I know that Jesus will show up. I'm excited to see what happens when he does. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

PS: If you're interested in giving a scholarship to help students attend Fall Conference, you can do so here: https://give.intervarsity.org/?v=A082024&g=23124,o

Generosity at MCC!

Hello, friends! 

We started the MCC Bible Study last week and had a great time. There was a potential volunteer who I've been recruiting but he works full time, so getting him to a bible study was going to be tough. 

Our solution... PIZZA! =0). 

Basically, if we turned our bible study into a lunch study, he could take an extended lunch break and be able to join us. Done and done! 

So, Monday was our first lunch bible study. I showed up and the pizzas were delivered. As I was waiting for the other students to arrive, a new student, D, came from across the student center and asked if she could have some pizza. Of course I said, "yes" and invited her to bible study. She was more than happy to join us! 

While we were waiting for everyone else to arrive, I learned more about her. She's unhoused and currently living in a local shelter. She's trying to get her degree so she can start a non-profit to essentially build a community center type thing. It turns out she wasn't planning on eating that day because of a lack of money. 

At one point, she asked me if I could buy her a women's bible. I always carry a giveaway bible with me but she wanted something bigger with big margins so she could write in it. I didn't have one but I told her we could talk about it. 

Eventually, the other students arrived and we had bible study. At the end, I asked for prayer requests and our new student said that the 2 things she needed right now are a bike and a women's bible. A, our female student who came the week before, without missing a beat, said, "oh, you can have mine!" and proceeded to give her her bible. It was an amazing expression of generosity. 

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the passage we were studying was Jesus feeding the 5000. =0). 

Friends, would you please pray for D? Would you pray that she finds permanent housing and that she'll know that she's loved by God and by the community. Would you pray that this act of generosity would be something that becomes a hallmark for the group at MCC. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

What A Day in Nebraska!

Hello, friends! 

Yesterday was a banner day for Nebraska InterVarsity and one that I'll remember for quite some time. I'd say it was the day that I really felt like I was really doing this Area Director thing. Let's break it down, shall we? 

9am - Prep for Table Time. UNO was having its Activities Fair later in the day (more on that later), which meant we needed to get ready for our table. That means I had copies to make, stuff to load into the car, parking passes to buy, and a little bit (OK, a lot) of prayer to get ready for the day

10:30am - Get to UNO to setup the Activities Fair. Jabin was already there and we were going to be joined by one of the UNO student leaders. We were opting for a plant theme. We had a plant raffle and a spot where people could share how they wanted to grow this year. 

11:00am - Students start showing up! It was so great to see Jabin in action, meeting students and telling folk about the InterVarsity group. I'm definitely a little out of practice when it comes to tabling but it's sort of like riding a bike; you never really forget. =0). 

11:20am - Megan comes arrives. One because I forgot the candy (Rookie mistake!). Two because I needed to run to Metropolitan Community College so we could have our first bible study of the year there. Hooray! 

12pm - Bible Study at MCC. Friends, can I tell you how great it is to study the Bible in community? Our group is doing a study through Matthew. Session 1 had one more person than expected (hooray!) and everyone had a great time. 

1:30pm - Debrief with Staff. Since Megan was there for more of the tabling than I was, I wanted to pick her brain about how things went from her perspective. Tl;dr - it was great seeing Jabin and Sher in action, people liked the plants, and overall, there's a lot of promise. Jabin had the same sense of feeling good about how things went. We're planning a pizza party type situation for Monday when we officially kickoff at UNO. 

3pm - Meeting with Bobbi. Bobbi is our official volunteer out in North Platte, about 4 hours west. We check in monthly just to see how things are going and to see how I can be of help. She said that things have launched at MidPlains (where she works) and that so far, things are going well! There group is going to be launching small groups this semester and she's excited about the prospect of helping mentor some of the women in the group. 

6pm - Hastings kickoff. Confession: I haven't been to Hastings yet to see the group. Megan has been coaching them for the past few years and I asked her to keep it up for this year since I was going to be getting used to the new Area Director position. Megan said that the Hastings group had their first meeting of the year and that 10 students came, which was very encouraging for the student leader there. Praise the LORD! 

Granted, this is only one day in the school year, and we've already had some setbacks in other parts of ministry, but I can't help but be encouraged. It was a good day and one I'm thanking God for. 

Friends, would you please pray for more days like this? It's such a beautiful thing when people get connected to Jesus and to one another as well. Please pray that as the school year starts, more students will get connected, not for our glory but so that they can meet the God who sees them and loves them and so they can grow in their faith. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

An Unexpected Bible Study!

Hello, friends! 

I'm now about 6 weeks out from Sabbatical and starting actually feel like I understand how to work again. Having the kids back in school now definitely helps with that feeling. Still, there are a whole bunch of things on my todo list from Sabbatical that I need to catch up on. 

Two of the things that I had to follow up on were some random follow ups. InterVarsity is a missions organization with a national presence, so every now and then, we'll get random contacts from folk who fill out contact cards. I also had an old contact card from someone who we used to go to church with.

Usually, these cards don't come to anything. Cold contacts is hard work and the success rate isn't very high. Added to that, both these contacts were for a local community college. When I took the job of Area Director, I felt really strongly that the best strategy for Nebraska was going to be to have a flagship campus. I want to spend the next few years really investing in UNO, which means that I can't say "yes" to everything or invest a lot of energy in something that may or may not happen. 

So, the plan was simple: I'll send a few text messages, give it a few days, and if there was no response (which was likely), then I'd be on my way after giving it a good effort. 

What I didn't expect was for these students to be hungry for Jesus, looking for community, and committed to making this thing happen. 

My first message was to M, the contact card. One of my coworkers had already reached out to him earlier in the semester while I was on Sabbatical and got no response. For some reason, he decided to respond to me. He was part of InterVarsity when he was living in California and just recently moved to Omaha. He was looking for community and ready to go. 

Next was a message to A. We'd had some interactions at church and she was a sweet gal but seemed pretty shy and introverted. I definitely was NOT expecting her to agree to a phone call and then hop in right away to starting a bible study on campus. She even made us a flyer! 

Added to that, one of our baby sitters and her sister are both starting at the same school this semester and they're both interested in joining too. Suddenly, what was once a longshot is now a bible study! =0). 

Friends, please be praying for Metro Community College in Omaha. It looks like we're starting a group on campus, which is great! Please pray for a good time in the word and that the students there will find Jesus and community there. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Back Into The Swing of Things...

Hello, friends! 

Well, it took a few weeks, but it finally happened... I sorted through all 1100 unread emails from Sabbatical! =0). 

Seriously though, the past few weeks have been all about playing the "catch up" game in terms of coming out of Sabbatical. Here's a brief list of all the things that were waiting for me when I got back to work: 

- Unread emails: Thankfully, most of those emails were so outdated that they were easily disposed of. However, there were still some that I needed to CHECK to see if I needed to respond, to go along with the ones that actually required some action on my part. 

- Supervisory work: As part of my new role as the Area Ministry Director for Nebraska, I now have 2 staff who I'm supervising. I needed to set up initial meetings with them as well as meetings with their supervisor from the past 6 months so I can get caught up on what's been happening.

- Student check-ins: While the Nebraska Area really is a more of a planting situation, there is still work being done on some of the campuses here. That means I need to check in with the student leaders to see how things have been going on their campuses and prepare for New Student Outreach.

- Asian American Ministries Work: A few hours of my week are devoted to helping the Asian American Ministries (AAM) Department with a few MPD projects. So, more meetings needed to be set up so I could get caught up on what was happening on that front. 

- National Training: Apparently, being a new Area Director means I'm part of New Area Director Training, which has actually been meeting for a bit already. That means I need to get caught up on the meetings and trainings that I've already missed. 

- Fall Conference Directing: Guess who came back to an invitation to direct the Iowa/Nebraska Fall Conference this year? Even better, guess who said yes?! So, now there are sessions to plan roles to delegate, and generally one more thing on my plate. 

- Ministry Partnership Development: When you don't contact folk for 6 months, there are a lot of people you need to contact when you get back. There are the folk who usually give at the end of the year but didn't because you didn't remind them. There are the folk who you tried setting a meeting up with before you left who need to be followed up with again. There are the new folk who you need to set up an initial meeting with. There are thank you cards to write and things like that. It's a good thing I like this part of the job. =0). 

This week has already felt better in terms of getting into a work rhythm. There's that old adage that the best way to eat an elephant is "one bite at a time." The past few weeks have been full of me taking small bites out of the re-acclimation process; a meeting here, a few emails deleted there, etc. I think I've at least got a handle on all the things that I need to do, which is half the battle. Now it's just a matter of actually doing the things. 

Friends, please be praying for me, especially during these next few weeks as I continue to figure out rhythms of work and how to get it all done. We're still in Summer Mode right now, which means the work week still isn't totally full since the kids are still home. Still, I know there are some things that aren't going to get done as well as I'd like. I have to be OK with that and keep using the time I have to work the best I can. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Sabbatical Top 8's!

Hello, friends! 

We're back. Did you miss us? We missed you. Honestly, as great as Sabbatical was, one thing that I missed was being able to blog here regularly and update y'all on things in life and ministry. 

I haven't figured out if I'm going to Super-Blog the whole 6 months like I did from my last Sabbatical but at the very least, we have a little something for you. 

Here, in no particular order, are Megan and my Top-8's from Sabbatical. You'll notice there were a few overlaps from us, as well as some different takes on the same event. Also, you'll notice that one of us is WAY wordier than the other one. =0).

This is just a taste too, so feel free to drop us a line and ask us any question about any of our Top-8's. 

From Megan:

1. Unearthing themes from Sabbatical: Freedom, Joy, Gratitude.
Freedom: From all of the "shoulds" and allowing God to lead my days, release the undown, and embrace each moment as a gift.
Gratitude: Literally counting gifts each day in a gratitude journal (up to 678 and counting) has helped me give thanks for the big & small ways I see the Lord throughout the day whether in nature, kids, and everyday moments.
Joy: I believe the practice of gratitude has helped unleash joy for me. That's been something I've been praying for for a while. 
2. Trips to Europe & DC - see our previous update for more on that.
3. YMCA Group Fitness Classes. I really loved seeing the same people at classes & exercising in a group setting. I'm wondering how to incorporate that into my new schedule
4. Reading - I read 38 books over Sabbatical. 1/3 of those were around Spiritual Formation & Leadership. My 2 favorite learning books were The Art of Vinemaking by Bette Dickinson & Joyosity by Jenn Whitmer.
5. Unhurried days - of course there were parts that were hurried with getting the kids off to school & managing all of their activities but the 9-4 window was unhurried. Then in the summer time to just be with the kids over the summer 
6.  Respite Foster Care - 5 times over Sabbatical we welcomed kids into our home whose foster parents needed some time away or were going out of state. The time with them ranged from 3-9 days. Our kids were really helpful making the kids feel welcomed and taken care of.
7. Walking - I stopped taking my phone with me on walks which helped me just walk with our dog & enjoy nature without being attached to my phone.
8. Daytime dates with Adam not needing to get a babysitter while the kids were at school. Since he had a Top Golf membership we were able to go there quite a bit.

From Adam:

- Top Golf: When we moved to Omaha, I traded in my golf clubs for a curling broom, so it'd been a while since I'd been golfing properly. Before our Sabbatical started, we went to Top Golf with some coworkers as part of their goodbye celebration and I re-caught the bug. I bought a 6 month membership and very quickly got my money's worth, usually spending between 2-3 hours there 1-2 times a week. Megan and the kids joined me sometimes too. Doing a repeated motion over and over again with an audiobook or podcast in my ear put me in a sort of flow state where I could pray and hear from Jesus.

- Coaching the kids: I've always been involved with the kids' extra curriculars but with added time, I was able to really throw myself into being "coach." I coached Ezra's soccer (#GoBlackWidows) team to it's final undefeated season before breaking up and hopped in on coaching baseball when one of the coach's wife had a baby. I led Thaliea's scout den and got to start coaching Jonah's soccer team too. It was good to be able to connect with each of the kids in their own element.

- World Travels: The trip to Europe was amazing. It was my first time in Europe and it did not disappoint. We saw a lot of old art. Some of it was bigger than I'd expected (David and the Duomo were so impressive!). Some of it was smaller than I'd expected (Mona Lisa, anyone?). All of it was amazing. Traveling on trains and buses with Megan while eating delicious food was a huge highlight. I also fell in love with Lemon Soda, a flavor that I have not quite been able to find back here in the US. 

- Unexpected Travel: Sabbatical was thrown for a loop when my dad had a stroke at the end of January. I've already taken 2 trips out there by myself to help out with another planned in the next few weeks. Thankfully, he's on the road to recovery but the road will be long and hard. The stroke itself wasn't the blessing. However, It has been a joy working with my siblings to help care for my dad and my mom as she supports him. I'm really thankful to have such a great relationship with my siblings.

- The City Bus: When you don't have to work, you can take things a little slower. Which means you can drop your kids off at school, ride the #4 City Bus to the YMCA for a workout and shower, then hop on the same #4 bus that takes you all the way to the Top Golf. From there, you can hit balls for 3 hours, before hopping back on the bus to get back to school in time to pick up the kids. The City Bus is the best.

- Words from Jesus: There were two significant words that I heard from Jesus while on Sabbatical. When we were in Assisi, visiting the hermitage where Saint Francis and Saint Claire spent much of their time, I heard God speak the word FOUNDATIONS to me. As I step into the role of Area Director, I felt God's call to make sure that I wasn't just focusing on results but making sure that the foundations of ministry in Nebraska are solid. The other word I heard on one of my retreat days was SIMPLIFY. I'm someone who can make things overly complicated in order to try to make everything fit. I felt like the call was to discern the best things in ministry and life and simplify to make sure those things are done well.

- Lunch Time at Rose Hill: Given that I had more time on my hands, I was invited by a local youth pastor to volunteer during the lunch hour at the kids' school. Once a week, I would show up, play on the playground with the kids, open a few milk cartons, tie a few shoes, and generally just be another set of helping hands. It was so great seeing the kids at school, watching them interact with their friends, and helping out. Depending on the time of day, I was "Mr. Jonah's dad" "Mr. Thaliea's Dad" or "Mr. Ezra's dad," which was also pretty cool.

- Nebraska Rock: One of the first exercises that we did in Italy was to look for a Rock. Our pilgrimage guide took us up to a fort where St. Francis fought as a young man. She asked us to spend a few minutes thinking about a burden or question that we had and to find a rock to represent that burden or question. My burden was that I wanted to experience the pilgrimage through one of two lenses; either the lens of stepping into a new role as Area Director for Nebraska or a different lens. I asked God to show me a rock that looked like Nebraska if we wanted me to experience the pilgrimage through that lens. Look at the rock I found, just 2 feet from me! God is so good. =0)

Have an excellent day! 

~The Leongs 

A Word for 2026...

Hello, friends! 

It's the beginning of a new year, which means it's time for a new word for the year! Every year, right around the turn of the calendar (and my birthday!), I pick a new word or phrase that I want to live by for the year. I picked this up from an old co-worker of mine and it's served my well for years now. 

Last year, my word was "joy." After a really stressful 2024 on a number of fronts, I wanted to incorporate more joy into my life and seek joy in my various interactions. I really feel like God came through for me with this one in 2025. The year certainly had its ups and downs, but overall, I find myself in a better headspace throughout the year. I'm glad that "joy" served me well. 

For 2026, the word I feel like God was pulling me towards the word, "humility." This is for a number of reasons. 

The plan for 2026 is for me to take Sabbatical for the first half of the year, then enter my new role as Nebraska Area Director for the second half of the year. Both of those roles are going to require a lot of humility on my part. 

With the Area Director position, even though I've been on staff for nearly 19 years and have done a bunch of different roles, this Area Director position is going to be new to me. I'm going to need to learn on the job and figure out areas where I need to grow. That's going to require a lot of humility on my part. I'll need to enter with a learner's mindset. 

As for the first half of 2026 during Sabbatical, the humility is going to be a recognition that I'm not God. 2025 ended with a bang in Nebraska. The group at Bellevue is thriving. We hired a full-time staff and a new volunteer out west. 12 students from Nebraska went to Urbana and felt like God was calling each of them to something. We even met a student at Urbana who wasn't part of our group but goes to school in Nebraska and is interested in starting something on her campus! I would LOVE to hang around and help shepherd students and staff over these next few months. There's a fear that if I'm not there, things may not take off, but that's just my pride. I need to be humble enough to trust God and rest during this season of rest. 

My morning prayer so far this year has been, "LORD, show me who I am and show me who I'm not." I feel like that better encapsulates how I'm trying to lean into "humility" in 2026 better than the prayer, "LORD, please humble me." I'm not sure how this humility will reveal itself through the year but I'm eager to see how God moves, like he always does, through my word of the year. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

A Tale of Two Urbanas...

Hello, friends! 

Well, another Urbana has come and gone! This was my 7th Urbana. Though some things were different (hello, Phoenix!), some things were definitely the same. Students came and met the Holy Spirit. Students were inspired to follow Jesus back on their campuses. We got to worship our Global God and connect with students from all over the country. Here's a recap video: 

This is what the students experienced at Urbana. As staff, my experience was VERY different. Here's a recap of my Urbana: 

I'm the one in the back, behind the luggage cart in the elevator, with members of the Asian American Community Gathering team, one of 4 Urbana jobs I had this year. In no particular order, here are my jobs with their descriptions:

Asian American Community Gathering. I was part of the team that led the spaces for Asian American students at Urbana to connect with one another and process their Urbana experience with students from similar ethnic backgrounds. I loved being on this team, not only because they were so much fun, but also because creating a space where Asian American students can connect and feel at home has always been my favorite Urbana job. 

Community Gathering On Site Coordinator: Asian American ministries wasn't the only group with a community gathering. There were 12 in total. My job was to make sure that each community had the things they needed to run their spaces but also stay within the rules of the convention center (like no catered good and reset the room properly). It was fun seeing how the other communities put their own flavors on the spaces. 

Exit Team Leader: This may have been the job I was born to do. If you've been at church with me for any amount of time, you know that my spiritual gifts are preaching, teaching, and parking ministry. =0). As students entered and checked into Urbana, they had to walk through different stations in the convention center. When they finished, we on the Exit Team directed them out of the convention center so they didn't get lost. It was basically like parking ministry but the opposite and it made me very happy. 

Central Region Urbana Coordinator: this was by far the hardest of the jobs. I was dealing with the hotels and making sure everyone got into Phoenix safely. I was also keeping everyone up to date on our donations and finances. In fact, I'm still doing expense reports now! Still, all the work was worth it to get everyone to Urbana. 

All those jobs meant that I didn't actually get to see much of the Urbana programming itself. I did make it to at least one big room session each day and was inspired by the speakers and moved by the worship. But, Urbana wasn't really for me as much as it was for the students, so if I have to miss some seasons to make sure they're able to be fully present, that's ok with me. 

Shout out to Megan, who held down the fort on two fronts. She didn't have an official role at Urbana but was in Phoenix because my sister lives in town. Still, she rocked hospitality, creating breakfast bags for all the rooms and hosting the full from our church so well, all while also watching the kids and hanging out with my family. She was a rock star. 

Urbana will next be held in 2028. I don't know where it will be but I'll be ready to do whatever is asked of me.

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Onward to Sabbatical!!!

Hello, friends!

Many have asked us about our upcoming Sabbatical and what we will be doing. Below you will find some answers to some commonly asked questions:

What is Sabbatical: The word sabbatical is drawn from the word Sabbath.  The Hebrew word for Sabbath means to ‘close’ or ‘rest’ and is connected with the last day of Creation when God rested.  (Genesis 2:3)    God both models and commands Sabbath rest for his people. A sabbatical is an extended period of time when a ministry leader sets aside her/his normal responsibilities for the purpose of rest and renewal. A sabbatical is a release from the regular (and often demanding) rhythms of ministry for the physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual well-being of the leader. As a reflection of God's provision of a sabbatical for his people, InterVarsity grants to its employees a sabbatical for every 7 years of service.  

Why Sabbatical? Bette Dickinson in her newest book “The Art of Vinemaking” describes dormancy in grape vines similarly to how I imagine the need for and gift of Sabbatical: “Vines essentially go to sleep during dormancy, conserving energy for the season to come. In the same way, rest allows us to replenish what’s been depleted. We are restored physically, mentally, and spiritually, so we can face future challenges with renewed clarity and strength.” No we won’t just be sleeping, but we will be investing in our inward growth to better serve staff and students in the future.

Will you still be paid? Yes! We will still be paid throughout our sabbatical.  

What will you do? In order to take a Sabbatical we each developed a plan and had it approved by our supervisor. I, Megan, am focusing on spiritual formation & organizational learning. I have a number of books on my list to read, am planning to make a gratitude journal, and learn more about managing and leading organizational change. I’ll meet with a spiritual director once a month, take a monthly retreat, and invest in spiritual disciplines to prepare me for the next season of ministry. I also hope to reconnect with local community after a busy semester. Adam will be focused on preparing for the next stage of ministry as he gets ready to step into the Nebraska Area Director role. This will include trying to figure out new rhythms of life and doing some intentional learning on how to supervise and lead teams well. We’ll also be taking a family trip to Washington, DC and a “just us” pilgrimage guided by InterVarsity Staff in Italy.

Who will be covering your work? While we are on Sabbatical there is an interim ministries staff who will take parts of our work. Our supervisor & co-workers will take on other parts of our work through working with student leaders on the campuses we serve and supervising staff we lead.  We’ve worked hard these past few months to make the transition go as seamless as possible for students and staff we lead

We don’t take the gift of Sabbatical lightly and know just how blessed we are to receive it. Thank you for your prayers & partnership! 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam and Megan

We had Thai for our "entering Sabbatical" celebration dinner!

Onward to Urbana!!!

Hello, friends! 

First of all, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you! I am very excited for 2026 as it will include a 6 month Sabbatical as well as starting a new position with InterVarsity as the Area Ministry Director for Nebraska. 2026 is going to have a lot of changes but I'm sure it'll turn out just great. Besides, it can't be too much more wild than 2025, right? 

RIGHT?! =0). 

Before we turn the calendar towards the new year, we have one last BIG thing happening in 2025. 2025 is an Urbana year! 

Urbana, InterVarsity's tri-annual global missions conference is one of the most iconic things that we do as an organization. Christian leaders from Billy Graham and Tom Skinner to Francis Chan and Michelle Higgins have brought the word from the Urbana stage over the years. We've seen hundreds (if not thousands) of students give their lives to Jesus and thousands more say "yes" to God's calling of being a missionary wherever they end up in life. Megan and I both had significant experiences at an Urbana in the past (one even included an angel!) and we know that we're not alone. 

This will be Urbana number 7 for me and this has easily the hardest Urbana ever. Urbana was first housed at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (thus the name) before moving to St. Louis for a few cycles (oh man, those were the days...). Urbana 22 was in Indianapolis and this year we'll be heading to Phoenix. Since all those other locations were relatively close, this was the first Urbana where we in the Central Region had to consider flights as part of the Urbana travel experience. 

In 2022, I started the Urbana Together program for the Central Region. The premise was simple enough: ask our students to write letters to their friends and family, asking them to help send those students to Urbana. Essentially, it was treating Urbana like a short-term mission trip. We had 40 students sign up for the Urbana Together program and raised exactly what we needed for our students to attend Urbana and it was great! 

Our goal for Urbana 25 was to have 77 students attend Urbana and partake in the Urbana Together program, essentially doubling the number of participants. Praise the LORD, we had 80 students sign up! 

Now comes the hard part. In 2022, I just covered the Urbana Together program while 3 of my coworkers in the Regional Office covered the housing, registration, and travel accommodations. This year, 2 of those coworkers moved out of the Central Region for New Zealand and the third member was coming off of her own Sabbatical. Which means that every part of the Urbana process came down to me. Friends, we're making it but it has been a bit of a struggle. There are a LOT of logistics to cover, and it probably needed to be a full-time job for a staff, not just part of an already full portfolio for me. Alas, we're making it work. 

What I know is that God is good and that Urbana will be awesome. There will almost certainly something that will go wrong. A flight will get delayed or a student will drop at the last minute. There will be some sort of mini-crisis that we'll navigate and the students will all have a good time. I also know that as soon as Urbana is over, you can count on me taking a nice long nap on the plane home... =0). 

There are two big ways that you can be part of the Urbana process. The first is to be praying for us. Please pray for those logistics. Pray for God to be preparing the hearts of the students as they prepare to head to Phoenix. Pray for me as I try to juggle all these final details. 

A second way that you can be part of Urbana 25 is by giving! Like I said, we're trying to send our students to Urbana with limited financial liability on their part. If you'd like to give to a scholarship, you can do so by following this link.

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

New Life at Bellevue!!!

Hello, friends! 

Wild story from yesterday that I just have to share! 

M* has been leading our Bible study at Bellevue. She gave her life to Jesus at Ambition (our conference in Denver this January) and felt a call to be more intentional in her invitations at Revive. At Revive (Our Fall Conference in Omaha this October), her friend Q* gave his life to Jesus and since then, the spiritual warfare has been HEAVY for M*. One co-leader ghosted the group, another one (also M*'s roommate) is super mad at M* and stopped coming, and Q* has started using drugs and alcohol again. She's been a trooper but REALLY feeling it. I only met with her via the phone once a week but I felt like I really needed to pray for her before Sabbatical so I met with her yesterday afternoon. 

C*, one of Q's's friends, was with her. C* hasn't gone to church since he was young but started coming to Bible study when Q* invited him. I decided to do some listening prayer for M*. C* didn't hear anything (understandable) but when I asked M* what she heard, she said "I heard that we need to pray for C*." So we prayed for C*. 

Actually, what I did was guide C* through a visualization and listening prayer. I had C* visualize a safe space, then has Jesus enter that space. C* could then tell Jesus what was on his mind and then Jesus responded. It was there that Brandyn decided to give his life to Jesus! 

After C* prayed to give his life to Jesus, I asked him how he felt. He said that he got a chill but it wasn't a cold chill. Just goosebumps. M* said, "I knew it! That's the same feeling I had at Ambition!" =0). I now need to buy a new Bible since I gave mine to C*, but I'd say that's well worth it. Woot!

Please be praying for C* as he starts his new life with Jesus. Please be praying a prayer of protection over M* as she continues to lead. Please pray that the LORD will break Q's auction. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

* Names changed for privacy

A New Adventure In a Familiar Place...

Hello, friends! 

A few years ago, for our anniversary, Megan and I drove to Sioux Falls for a Carrie Underwood concert to celebrate our anniversary. While we were waiting for the concert to start, Megan asked me if I'm glad that we moved to Omaha. I told her that wherever she and the kids were, I would be happy, so yes, I was glad that we'd moved to Omaha. I also told her that I'd finally come to terms with 2 facts about Omaha: there were too many hills and there was no good Chinese food. Now that I was at peace with Omaha, I was happy to be living here. 

If you had told me in 2002, my Junior Year of high school, that I would ever be leaving Southern California, I would have told you that you were crazy. I would have said the same thing about leaving St. Louis in 2006 or leaving CoMO in 2011. But, the LORD works in mysterious ways and sometimes plans change... 

Wow, rereading this, it REALLY sounds like we're moving... Don't worry, we're not. =0). 

Let's try starting this again, shall we? 

In 2015, I was invited by my supervisor to Memphis for a 1-day conference on Justice in Fundraising. It opened my eyes to the ways that many non-profit funding systems are inherently unjust in their setup and it got me thinking about ways to address those injustices. I don't quite remember if it was on the way there or on the way back, but sometime during that trip, I heard about the protests happening at Mizzou. As soon as I got back, I made my way to the Black Culture Center to pray with and support the Black Students on campus and my commitment to finding ways to unbreak unjust systems was solidified. In 2018, after we moved to Omaha, I took on my current role as Regional Ministry Coordinator for Ministry Partnership Development. It was now my job to take on the busted systems and try to rebuild them in a way that led to a more just, equitable, and life-giving way of doing MPD. 

After 7+ wonderful years in the job, I have decided to move onto the next chapter in my ministry career. Starting in July, after our Sabbatical in the first half of 2026, I will take on the new role as Area Ministry Director for the state of Nebraska. 

The AMD role for Nebraska has been left empty for a few years now. In fact, currently there are zero paid staff in Nebraska whose primary role is student ministry in the state. Megan and I both live in Nebraska but our responsibilities are on the Regional level. We have one friend who also lives in Omaha who works for InterVarsity but he's part of the National Planting Team. All three of us have been doing student ministry for a few hours a week but it hasn't been our main focus and it's been pretty obvious that Nebraska needs someone who can dedicate a majority of their time and energy to the students, staff, and faculty in Nebraska. After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to answer that calling. 

My process actually began last year, as we prepared for the Ambition conference in Denver in January. We recruited a number of students to join us in Denver, most of whom weren't actually InterVarsity students. But, the LORD moved and coming out of that conference, 1 student gave her life to Jesus and 2 new campus groups were started in Nebraska. In spite of there being no staff presence, The LORD was still going to move. This increase in student activity made it pretty obvious to me that someone was going to have to step into a leadership role. That need only increased this past semester as ministry continued to grow. This also included a few potential staff joining the conversation, which is something that we'd been praying for for a long time. 

Honestly, I didn't want it to be me. I love my current job and I feel like I've made an impact in the work that I've done. I also know that the work isn't finished and that there's still more that I can do in my current role. I'm also aware that the change in ministry responsibilities will mean that my schedule will need to change and that those changes will mean a change in schedule for my family as well. These are all factors that made me hesitant to apply for the role and hesitant to accept it when it was offered to me. 

And yet, here we are. What became really clear to me was that this was an invitation from the LORD and that I needed to say, "yes," not because it would be easy but because it was time to say "yes." So I did, and I know it was the right call. 

Like I said, first up is Sabbatical after the first of the year (more on that next week), then I'll formally start in July of 2026. Until then, will you please lift us up in your prayers. Pray for me as I say goodbye to a job that I've loved for the past 8 years. Pray for our family as we navigate new rhythms. Pray for our new potential staff as they prepare for life in ministry. Pray for the students here in Nebraska as they continue to seek Jesus. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam 

A bit of a break...

Hello, friends! 

The Fall semester has absolutely flown by. It's hard to believe that October is already over (happy Halloween!) and the November is right around the corner. Before you know it, it'll be the holidays and preparation for Urbana. Then, it'll be 2026! 

One of the things that will be coming in 2026 is that Megan and I will be taking a bit of a break... NO, not from each other! We'll probably actually be seeing each other a lot more since we'll be on Sabbatical for the first half of 2026. 

InterVarsity does a lot of really great things. One of those things is Sabbatical. Every 7 years, staff qualify for a 6 month Sabbatical. That Sabbatical can be spent studying, pursuing spiritual formation, resting, or some other project. The key is that we won't be holding our ministry activities. 

We last took Sabbatical in 2018. We actually used that Sabbatical to move to Omaha. We wanted some unadulterated time to get used to our new city. We wanted to find a church and community. I wanted to find a good beef noodle soup (unfortunately, that never happened) and learn the bus routes (that DID happen!). During this Sabbatical, we won't be moving (thankfully) but we will be taking some time to reset and reconnect with Jesus. 

Seven years (really, 8 since we moved) is a long time and a short time at the same time. On the one hand, we still haven't quite lived in Omaha for as long as I lived in Missouri. But, the time that we've spent here has been really significant. We bought a house, started new roles, had a third kid (JoJo!) served as elders at our church, made new friends, got the kids into school, and survived a pandemic, all while living in Omaha these past 7 (8!) years. In terms of ministry, we've seen staff thrive, other staff leave, students groups get planted and cease to exist, and generally face all the highs and lows that come with ministry. I'm still very much in love with the job but I can also recognize that having 6 months without ministry responsibilities will be a good thing. 

Number one on our priority list right now is the preparation. We need to write our Sabbatical plans and have them approved. We also need to make sure that the roles we would normally have in the Spring Semester are covered. We also need to make sure our finances are in good share since we won't be doing any Ministry Partnership Development during our Sabbatical. 

For that last bit of preparation, this is where I'd love for you to consider partnering with us. If you'd like to give a one-time gift, or even better, become a recurring donor in these next few months, it would help us ease the financial and mental burdens for us so we can enter into Sabbatical well. If you're interested, you can follow this link here. 

Last thing: It is Halloween, so here are some photos of the costumes. I'm pretty sure I nailed my costume... =0). 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

An Odyssey of Car Miracles

Hello, friends! 

A few Sundays ago, our car wouldn't start. Thankfully, we were in the parking lot after church so we were able to get the car jumped and be on our way. I dropped the family off at home then drove to AutoZone to get the system tested. There were options of what it could be

:
- If it was the battery, no problem because we just recently bought a new battery so it would be under warranty and we'd get it replaced free of charge.

- If it was the alternator, a slight problem but we just had THAT replaced a month ago, so you'd better believe that I'd be fighting to get that replaced free of charge.

- Alas, it was the starter, meaning another good chunk of change would be going down the drain to get it replaced.

It was at that point that Megan and I had the conversation as to whether or not we needed to trade in our van and get something new. We had a tough decision ahead of us. On the one hand, we had the long term decision of whether or not to get a new car. On the other hand, there was the short term decision of whether or not to get the starter replaced. If we get it replaced but then get a new car, then we sort of wasted the money to get the starter replaced. BUT, if we do get it replaced and ride it out, who knows how long until something else breaks down.

We bought that van in 2016 when it had just over 25k miles on it after we found out Megan was pregnant with Thaliea. That van survived our move to Omaha, many trips to South Dakota (and a vacation to Colorado!) and over 125k miles over 9 years. It served us well but we knew we couldn't hold on to it forever. Plus, the dealerships of that particular car company in the Omaha area are pretty bad when it comes to customer service. We'd be getting a new car at some point, there was just a question of how long we could hold out. 

In the short term, we decided to not get the starter replaced and literally pray that the starter wouldn't go bad again at any point. Miracle #1: The starter survived! 

With the starter seemingly in good shape (albeit still a gamble), we decided that we could look for new (to us) cars but we weren't so desperate that we would make a bad deal just because we needed something. That Sunday night, we looked around and found a few options that were close to what we wanted. There was one in particular that was a 2019 Honda Odyssey with about 60k miles on it. The price was in our range so we set up an appointment. 

When we got to the dealership, the car wasn't actually ready. They said it would be ready in an hour so we went to a different dealership to look at a different option. That wasn't going to do it for us, so we went back to the first place. The salesman brought the car out to us... except that he didn't. IT WAS THE WRONG CAR! 

At that point, we had to go, so we told him we would try again tomorrow when the right car was ready. Except we never got the chance. When I called the next day to confirm the appointment, I was told that the car we never got to see had been sold the previous night. Miracle #2: Not getting that car. 

Why was that a miracle? Because Sunday night, I decided to look online again, just to see if there had been any new listings. There I found a 2023 Odyssey with under 35k miles on it, also within our price range. Miracle #3: Finding a better car! 

We tried to set up an appointment to see that car but they said that it wouldn't be ready to look at until Tuesday. There was a small crack in the front bumper that needed to be replaced. Megan was heading out of town for work on Tuesday, so it looked like we were going to be out of luck. EXCEPT WE WEREN'T... Miracle #4: The car got finished early so we were able to look at it on Monday. 

As I said, there was a small crack on the front bumper but that was easily fixed. HOWEVER, what that meant was that since the car no longer had any cosmetic damage, the asking price was going to be much higher. EXCEPT IT WASN'T... Miracle #5: Because we saw the listing at the original, lower price, we were able to buy the car at the lower price. 

The only thing we had left to do was the finances. I wasn't stoked about having a car payment but I knew our budget could handle it within a certain range (Thank you, Public Schools!). But in order to get the payment within our range, we needed to put some money down. How much down? Well, the exact amount that we had... 

Let me explain. Last month, my dad was looking through his files and he found some savings bonds that belonged to me. The amount those bonds were worth was the exact amount that we needed in order to put down a down payment that would get the monthly payments within our budget. Miracle #6: The savings bonds that showed up out of nowhere. 

So, now we have a new (to us) car. It's a Honda, which means we can use the mechanic that fixes our other car (Honda Fit) that we really like. It also means that we don't have to worry about getting a jumpstart in the middle of a parking lot. God really came through for us. The next miracle will be to see if we can keep it clean for more than a week... =0). 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam 

Bye, bye old car!

Hello, new car! 

Running (Around for) Revive!

Hello, friends! 

Last weekend we hosted InterVarsity students from Nebraska and Iowa for Revive, our Fall Conference. Everything that I've heard about Revive is that it was a really great time. The students had fun, folk got connected to one another, and the Holy Spirit moved in some really powerful ways. 

I say "from what I've heard" because honestly, I didn't participate in much of the actual conference itself. Between running snacks and running around with the kids, there was plenty to do. Allow me to break down my Revive. 

Friday:

- 9am: Take Thaliea to Costco, the Asian Market, and Walmart to go shopping for snacks. Did I buy too much? Definitely. Do I regret any of it? Certainly not. =0). 

- 11:30am: Back at the church to start setting up with the rest of the staff.

- 1pm: Staff meeting.

- 2:pm: Start setting up welcome snacks, which was coffee, hot water for tea, and chips. This included cleaning out the hot liquid containers and learning how to use the church 7:coffee maker. 

- 4:30pm: Dinner volunteers (Thanks, One Hope Church!) arrive and we begin dinner orientation.

- 5:15pm: Dinner arrives (shout out to Bridge Church for providing dinner!).

- 7:00pm: Dinner cleanup while the session starts.

- 8pm: Start heating up water for post-session snack (hooray for ramen!).

- 9pm: Run snacks after the session, which also includes trying to convince folk to take extra slices of pizza from dinner.

- 9:30pm: Clean up.

- 11pm: Home for the night.

Saturday:

- 7:15am: Head to the church with Thaliea to set up the morning breakfast spread (bagels, fruit, baked goods, and coffee/tea) as well as the mid-morning snack (granola bars).

- 8:10am: Switch with Megan to take the boys to sports.

- 8:30am: Coach Ezra's soccer match (Black Widows win!).

- 9:30am: Watch Jonah's soccer match (Cheetahs win!)..

- 11:30am: Watch Ezra's flag football game (Fire Phoenix lose...).

- 1:15pm: Drop the boys off with Megan and pick up Thaliea to take her to dance.

- 2:15pm: Back at the church to set up afternoon snacks (popcorn and trail mix)

- 4pm: Dinner volunteers (thanks, West Hills Church!) arrive and we begin setting up for dinner (baked potato bar!)

- 5:30pm: Serve dinner.

- 7pm: Clean up dinner.

- 7:30pm: Start setting out all the leftover snacks so that students can take them home after the session.

- 8:30pm: Connect with Bellevue and MCC students to hear about their experience.

- 9pm: Giveaway ALL the snacks

- 9:30pm: Clean up the church so it's ready for service tomorrow.

- 11pm: Home for the night. 

Three big lessons from the weekend: 

- Hospitality is hard work! Megan is the one with the gift of hospitality and I see how valuable that gift is. I'm sure that she could have found a way to do everything better, faster, and for cheaper. Mad respect to everyone who has that gift. 

- Kid Time and Conference Time is hard work! We opted to d o Revive in Omaha because it would be easier logistically for us. That was true for the conference but because that also meant we were in town for all the kid activities, it was much more complicated than if we were all at a retreat site somewhere. 

- The Holy Spirit loves to move at Fall Conference. The one thing that I heard consistently when talking with students was that the Holy Spirit did his thing, like he always does. Our Bellevue students were especially impacted, including one student who may have recommitted his life to Jesus (I still need to follow up). 

Thanks to everyone who prayed and gave so we could make Revive happen! 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Revive!

Hello, friends! 

We are just one week away from Revive, InterVarsity Nebraska and Iowa's Fall Conference. It's been a few years since Nebraska has hosted a Fall Conference, so it's an exciting but kind of wild time right now. 

The process started last semester at Ambition. We had a number of students from Nebraska come and have really transformative experiences. The result was 2 new bible studies starting in Omaha and Lincoln. Suddenly, we doubled the number of campuses where there was student work. The past few years, we had traveled to Iowa's Fall Retreat but there was a real question about whether or not it would make more sense to host our own to continue to momentum of what God was doing in Nebraska. We decided to take the leap and Revive was born. In fact, from those initial conversations, Iowa decided that they would join in this year, meaning we were hosting students from two different states. 

Revive is going to be really great. We'll be bringing in an excellent speaker from Los Angeles as well as a worship leader from Colorado Springs. There will be workshops, fun times, and probably too much food. =0). 

Our big thing right now is recruitment. With just a week to go until Revive starts, we still have students who are on the fence about attending. This includes some students from our church, who were invited to attend since it'll be here in Omaha. There are lots of logistics that still need to be sorted but those don't matter if there aren't students there to experience those logistics. 

So, friends, would you spend a few minutes praying for our Revive recruitment over the next few days? Would you pray that students who are on the fence about attending would say "yes" to going? Would you pray that a friend would bring a friend? Would you pray that there be some surprise signups in the next few days? 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam