A New Adventure Awaits!!!

Hello, friends!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Hooray for the Lincoln Semester!

Hello, friends!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Another Conversion at Lincoln!

Hello, friends!

Yesterday was another day at Lincoln and another fun story!

A few weeks ago, I told you about Mix It Up Day and meeting R randomly when she stopped by my table to sit and eat lunch with us. We had a great conversation and I told her about the bible study that we normally do at 2pm on Wednesdays. She normally has class at 2pm so last week, I asked her if she wanted to do a GIG with me, which is what we call our non-Christian bible studies. She agreed and we set up for yesterday @ 3pm after she got out of class.

Her big questions are about finding her calling in life. She wants to do something great but she also wants to make sure she isn't making the wrong decisions. I decided that we could spend time studying the life of Peter, from his calling, to his mistakes, to his redemption, to his leadership.

The first thing that I like to do when I start Bible studies with non-Christians is ask them how close they are to Jesus. I take an index card and draw an arrow across the center. A little bit to the right of center I put a cross, signifying the point where someone would consider themselves a Christian. I ask students to put themselves somewhere on the spectrum, then put the date at that spot. I tell them that my hope is that by the end of our bible study series, they will be closer to Jesus then before, even if they don't decide the follow Jesus.

I wanted to break the ice a little so I said, "of course, if you wanted, you could decide to become a Christian right now!" fully expecting to get a chuckle then moving on with the bible study. Instead, the response I got was, "is it really that easy?"

R's understanding was that first you needed to pray a prayer (true), then get baptized (there are disagreements as to how necessary this is), then get your life right (false) before you can call yourself a Christian. I was able to explain to her that it's actually the opposite; first Jesus makes us right, then we start to act right as a response to him changing our lives. I asked her again if she wanted to become a Christian today and she said yes!

We prayed together, then went through the Bible study. She really responded to the idea of God having a calling for her life that may be in line with the gifts she's already been given. It was a good day.

Please join me in praying for R. Pray that she will continue to grow in her faith and that she will grow in her sense of mission on campus.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

A View of the Election from Lincoln...

Hello, friends!

For as long as I can remember, politics has been a passion of mine. I'm sure that Mama can confirm that at some point when I was little, I said I wanted to be President of the United States when I grew up. (NOTE: I will officially be eligible for that office in 2020. =0).) My degree is in Political Science, and before I signed on with InterVarsity, I had a job offer as a congressional aide in Missouri's first district, held by the honorable William "Lacy" Clay. Politics is part of my life-blood and this election season was no different. In fact, I actually spent my election day working as an election judge for Boone County, MO. I helped set up the polling place at 4:30am, worked until 7 checking in voters, and helped tear down the polling place and count the votes until 8:30pm that night.

Wednesday, to say the least, was unexpected and surreal. I have lots of thoughts about the election, about the candidates, and what Tuesday says about our country as a whole. I considered using this space to articulate those thoughts but decided instead to share about my day at Lincoln yesterday.

I normally go to Lincoln on Wednesdays, so this was nothing new. If I'm not out with a proxe station, I'm inside the cafeteria, talking to students and trying to insert Jesus into the conversation as much as possible. Lincoln is a historically Black University so I knew going into the cafeteria that there would be some processing that would need to happen. The following experiences really happened. I post them here because while we can argue politics and strategy all day long, we cannot argue with experiences. These are things that people are really feeling. You may disagree with their feelings but you cannot say they aren't real.

1) A Full Prayer Box. I normally put the prayer box outside the cafeteria every week I'm there. It's just a little brown box that says "FREE PRAYER" on it with some cards and a pen. Every week, I'll get between 8-12 cards. The requests range from the specific ("Please heal my mother's cancer") to the general ("LORD, help me") with all points in between. Most don't put their names and that's OK. Yesterday, when I went to go check on the prayer box, it was jammed packed, and more than one person wanted me to pray for our country.

2) "Is Trump the Anti-Christ?". When I got into the cafeteria, I went to fill up my water bottle and one of the food service workers (a middle-aged White woman), asked me what I thought of the election. When I told her that I was surprised, she asked me if I thought Trump was the Anti-Christ. I told her I didn't think so, but I could be wrong, but I hope I'm not.

3) The Alpha Comes to Talk. Alpha Phi Alpha is one of the fraternities on campus. As I was sitting with a student, eating lunch, one of the Alphas pulls up a chair right across from me, and says that he needs to talk about the election. We talk for about 20 minutes about his thoughts, fears, frustrations, and hopes moving forward.

4) Voting Your Values. When I'm at Lincoln, I usually connect with a local pastor who leads a church on campus. We have had great partnerships and one of the IV students attends his church. As we were eating lunch, he told me about the series he just finished at church about Voting Your Values. We had a great conversation with his students (who joined us around the table) about how neither party or platform aligns perfectly with what Jesus taught.

There are so many things that I can glean from a really rich and full day at Lincoln. This election rocked the campus in a profound way. I've NEVER had people come up to me before and want to talk. This election is what did that. I've NEVER had so many prayer requests. I've NEVER had such in depth conversations about politics. As I listened to these students, read their prayer requests, tried to help them process, and generally tried to figure out my own feelings, I kept coming back to this thought:

Politics isn't a game. It's real life. These students are really scared. They are really hurt. They legitimately don't feel like the rest of the country cares about them. They want to know how a man who can say the things that he has said and do the things that he is done, can be trusted to be "for them." I don't know how many people who voted for Trump had conversations with people of color about their vote but my guess is that many didn't. I believe that a few more conversations like the ones that I had at Lincoln may have changed a few minds. Maybe it wouldn't have done anything. I don't know.

Voting for Trump or for Clinton does not make you more or less of a Christian. Voters have their reasons and everyone has the right to vote. You make your decisions. My one request is this: if you voted for Trump and are now happy that we will be the next president, please think of Lincoln students before you fire off that Facebook status or tweet. Remember that politics isn't sports and people are legitimately dismayed and afraid. Remember that empathy is the only thing that will lead to a healing of the deep divisions in our country.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

The Week of MPD!!!

Hello, friends!

Ministry Partnership Development, or MPD in the IV circles, is in intregal part of the work that we do with InterVarsity. More than just fundraising, MPD is about builiding a team to rally around us through prayer, volunteering, advocacy, and giving, as we reach the campus with the Gospel. Without our partners (like you!) we wouldn't be able to do the work that we do. Thank you.

This week, our entire staff team in Missouri is going to be taking an "MPD Focus Week" going off campus for us to focus on developing our networks and building more partnerships for the ministry. We will be putting all of our campus work (meeting with students, leading bible studies, things like that) on hold so we can refocus and remember that MPD is important for our work too.

Friends, will you be praying for our team this week as we enter into this time? Please pray for a few things specifically:

- Pray for diligence as we work. MPD is one of those things that isn't really a ton of fun for most staff. It's easy to get distracted and want to do other things. It's easy to forget how important this work is. Pray that God will continue to direct us and guide us as we work.

- Pray for a constant reminder of God's presence. One of the biggest temptations when doing MPD is to get too high when good things happen and too low when bad things happen or nothing happens. We need to be constantly reminded of God's faithfulness and his presence regardless of our funding percentages, the number of phone calls we make, or how an appointment goes.

- Pray for God's provision. We know that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He holds the whole world in his hands and is our great provider. Would you please pray that as we take these risks and ask people to partner with us, that God will provide for us?

If you'd like to join our team, we would love to have you on board! Here's how:

- If you'd like to volunteer, advocate, or be part of our intentional prayer team, you can email us and we'd love to chat!

- If you'd like to partner financially with us, you can do that by clicking the link here.
Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Mix It Up Day!!!

Hello, friends!

Yesterday was an interesting day at Lincoln and definitely in a good way! Allow me a few minutes of your time to share. =0).

At Lincoln this semester, I've been alternating between doing proxe stations on campus and spending time in the cafeteria and doing bible studies with students. This week, it was a cafeteria week. I'm really glad that was the case.

When I walked into the Student Center, I noticed that it was way more crowded than normal. I usually get there around 11:30 or so, right before a big lunch rush comes in so it's not hard to find a seat. This week though, you could tell that the caf was a little more full than usual. There were also students with name tags greeting everyone who walked through the door, welcoming them to "Mix It Up Day."

One of the things that's I've noticed this year is that Lincoln has made a concerted effort to build school spirit amongst the student body. There are always some things going on but this semester it seems like it's been a little bit more. I just figured this was another one of those things where the student government was trying to build a party atmosphere or something. I was actually wrong on that one.

Here's the deal. It turns out that Mix It Up Day was being hosted by two of the professors in the education department. They wanted to get students to explore and learn about other cultures, so instead of class, their students were supposed to go into the caf and "mix it up," by sitting with people who they didn't know and eating lunch with them. As a campus missionary, I wholly support this endeavor. =0).

Besides the students who I normally see, I got to meet 3 new students at Lincoln. The first two students I met were L and J. There was "sushi" (and I use the term loosely...) on the menu, which meant there were chopsticks in the caf. I taught them how to use them and we talked about their lives and their programs. (NOTE: J picked up using chopsticks much faster than L did, but he eventually got the hang of it.)

The third gal I met was R, and that was a really fun conversation. It turns out that her step father is a Chinese man who grew up in Korea and she spent a month teaching English in Korea this past summer. It was fun talking with her about culture and such. That conversation eventually led to talking about what I do, which led to me sharing the Gospel with her and challenging her to recommit her life to Jesus. She even joined us for our afternoon Bible Study!

You never really know what kind of relationship you are going to have with a school when you step on campus. Sometimes the administration doesn't really know or care that you're there (like at Mizzou). Other times, the administration couldn't be happier to have you there and do whatever they can to make sure you're in the know (like at Columbia College). Other times, the administration is actively hostile towards you. Lincoln has been a little more in that third camp, especially since I started doing the proxe stations. Still, they may not have known it, but by letting their professors do something out of the box they helped me "mix it up" yesterday, and that may even lead to new life on campus!

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Coming Home, ACF Style...

Hello, friends!

When I moved out to Columbia in 2007, it was with a very specific purpose in mind. I was sent to plant an Asian American InterVarsity chapter with hopes of it being one of many chapters in Mid-Missouri. ACF was officially started in the fall of 2007 and we were officially recognized as a student group in October of 2008. For 8 years, Mizzou ACF was my primary chapter. It was my baby and it will always have a special place in my heart.

Over the past 2 years, as I've moved onto other things, I've been less and less involved in the day to day operations of ACF. It's been fine. Danny now and Matti before him have done an incredible job of taking care of the fellowship. Honestly, it'd been a long time since I'd visited a Wednesday night Large Group...

Until last night...

Finally, the Rock has come back to ACF... (shout out to all the fellow WWE fans who got that one). =0).

With Danny up in Iowa for a training, I was invited to come speak for the group. They are going through a series right now on emotions and I was given the topic of "doubt." One of the leaders made Chinese breakfast as the meal, I spoke, and all in all it was a good time. A few observations:

- I love seeing people I don't recognize. One of my favorite things when I visit various churches that I've attended is seeing all the faces that I don't recognize. There are always new people who have started attending since the last time I was there, and oftentimes, they are leading or serving in some capacity. When I walked through the doors and saw all the new faces, it warmed my heart.

- I still love preaching. On the way home yesterday, I realized that it had been a really long time since I'd done any preaching. The last time was probably when I was back in California at my home church. Since I've been planting so much these past few years, I haven't had a big enough group to do any preaching. It felt good to spend time studying the word and putting together an outline, then executing. I'd forgotten how much I'd missed it.

- Some things never change. The faces are different. I was talking with a student who I remember as a Freshman but is a Senior now. We were talking about how much the group has changed over the years. But it really hasn't. It's still about food. It's still a place where people be silly and a little bit awkward. There's still musical worship. Some students eat up the teaching and others struggle to stay awake. The faces are different but the community was definitely familiar.

Friends, it felt good to go home again. As I was leaving, I was thinking about how much fun I had and how I wouldn't mind stopping by more often. Then, I was reminded by God that I'm exactly where I need to be right now. I'm enjoying being at Lincoln. I'm loving putting my baby boy to sleep and hanging out with my wife. I'm content and challenged in my roles. It was good to visit home but it was also good to remember that home now is different, and that's OK.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam