Tabling!!!

Hello, friends! 

Yesterday, Megan drove to Hasting, NE (about 2.5 hours away) to do some tabling with Zack, a student leader at the InterVarsity group there. All said and done, she said it was a great time! Zack is an RA (Residential Advisor) so he knew everyone who came by. There were some folk who were really excited about joining the Bible study and it seems like there's some real momentum there! 

There are many reasons I love my wife, but one of them is how welcoming she is to people. Tabling is a great example of that. Megan knows exactly how to make people feel welcomed and engaged, with just a short conversation. She's also a great trainer and developer, so I'm sure that Zack learned a thing or two about how to table well. 

During the start of the school year, tabling is one of the most common and best ways to meet students on campus. I love tabling because of the random encounters that lead to lifelong friendships and even life change. The prospect of a free cup or some candy may be all that's needed for a student to feel welcomed into a community and can even be the first step towards a student following Jesus! 

Friends, right now, tabling is happening all over the Central Region. Staff like Megan and students like Zack are meeting students, new and old, in random, chance encounters on campus. Would you please pray with me that these encounters would lead to something more? Pray that students tabling would be bold in their invitations and grow in love for strangers they may not know. Pray that students walking by would have their curiosity stoked. Pray that this would be the first step towards a great school year for these InterVarsity chapters. 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

The most wonderful time of the year!

Hello, friends! 

You know what song I have had stuck in my head all day? This one (you're welcome...). =0). 

After a very long, and a very full summer, Omaha Public Schools started today. For Ezra, who's now a second grader, it's a chance to see old friends and get back to the thing he loves most in the world, playing soccer during recess. 

For Thaliea, it's a different story. She's in kindergarten this year, which means a new school and MUCH longer days. Thankfully, she has the same kindergarten teacher that Ezra has, so there's some familiarity there. Given that she can be a little nervous entering new places, we're hopeful that today will be a good day for her. 

Having 2 of the 3 kids in school all day is a new experience for us. I'm sure Jonah isn't going to mind having some alone time with Meg and me during the days he's not in daycare. For me, since Wednesdays are a work day anyway, things have felt mostly normal. Monday (our Sabbath), when it's just Jonah and me, may be when the newness of the situation hits me. For now, I'm just glad that the kids are in school and we haven't gotten any calls about needing to pick up anyone. 

Please be praying for us as we enter a new season of transition. Pray that the kids will enjoy their new classrooms and be leaders of kindness. Pray that Jonah won't get too lonely without his big sister around. 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Pray for the Big Dig!

Hello, friends! 

In less than a week, students and staff from all over the Region will be coming together outside Kansas City for The Big Dig, our newest Regional student conference. We'll be digging into the Word, digging into community, and digging into New Student Outreach (NSO) plans before the school year officially starts. 

Personally, I'm really excited for what God is going to do at the Big Dig. The last time we were at this retreat center was in May when Megan directed International Getaway and that was pretty awesome. I'm expecting God to do show up just like he did then. 

Also, I'm excited about starting something new within the Region. In years past, we had student conferences at the end of the year (like when we have Getaway). Putting the Big Dig in August means that recruitment is a little tougher but it also means that we have the opportunity to bring momentum into the school year, instead of hoping that momentum doesn't leak out over the summer (spoiler alert: it always leaks). 

Friends, there has been a lot of preparation and work put into getting the Big Dig up and running. One thing that I'm certain of is that we need lots of prayer help too. So, I'm asking for your help. 

The link below will take you to our Regional Big Dig Prayer sign up. It would mean the world to me if you would take commit to praying for the Big Dig and our staff, students, and alumni in attendance as the Big Dig is happening. 

PRAY FOR THE BIG DIG

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam 

Onward to Orlando!

Hello, friends! 

Across the United States, there are roughly 2600 college campuses with at least 1000 students. InterVarsity has the goal of seeing a campus ministry presence, whether it be InterVarsity, a different para-church ministry (Cru, Navigators, etc.), or a local church by 2030. Currently, there is campus work on 1900 or so of those campuses. (NOTE: Want to help us reach our goal? You can visit https://everycampus.com) to learn more! 

One of the ways we're trying to reach that goal is by diverting resources towards parts of the country that are considered "Underserved Geographies." Nebraska, with work on 5 of the 44 colleges in the state, is considered one of those "Underserved Geographies," which means extra coaching and extra resources to move the movement forward. One of those resources includes a retreat with the other underserved geographies in Orlando this year. 

Megan and I aren't technically part of the Nebraska team (our roles are on the Regional level) but since we've been helping out with the work locally (like in Lincoln and at Bellevue) we've been invited to participate in the retreat this year. Which means we're going to Orlando!!!

From Tuesday-Thursday, we'll be outside the Orlando area for our retreat. We decided that since we'll already be in the area, we should tack on our 10th anniversary celebration, so we're actually flying into Orlando on Saturday and spending Sunday and Monday at Harry Potter World!!! 

To say that I'm stoked would be like saying that Dobby was a hero (IYKYK). I'm not a huge theme park guy but I am a big Harry Potter guy so the chance to pay out the nose to visit Hogsmeade and Hogwarts was too good to pass up. Added to that, this will be the first time since before Ezra was born that Megan and I will take an actual vacation without the kids! (They'll be up with my in-laws). 

Here are a few ways you can be praying for us:

- Pray for the kids. This will be the longest they've gone without either one of us around. I know they'll do great but bedtimes may be a bit of a struggle. Also, pray for my in-laws. They may need some extra patience. =0). 

- Pray for our meetings. We'd love to connect with our coworkers and have a Holy Spirit vision for what could be in Nebraska, especially for this next year. 

- Pray for our vacation. Pray that we'd actually have a restful time celebrating our anniversary together! 

- Pray for our house. There's a chance of thunderstorms throughout the week in Omaha, which means there's always a chance our basement could flood. Please pray that God would protect our house while we're gone. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam 

Lessons from Camp...

Hello, friends! 

Many of you may know that one of the accomplishments that I'm most proud of in life is that I achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in 2003. It was a close call (VERY CLOSE) but I got there and no doubt, at least part of who I am today is because of my involvement in scouting. 

This weekend, Ezra went to his first ever Cub Scout Camp! It was such a fun time seeing him learn, play with his friends, sleep in a tent, do fun and exciting things, and generally have a good time. It was also tons of fun being able to spend some quality time with him.

It had been a while since I'd been to a Scout Camp (or really camping in general!) so here are a few lessons I learned from the weekend: 

- The big mosquito net is worth it. I was looking at our packing list and saw the one thing we were missing was a mosquito net, so I went down to Bass Pro to get one. There were 3 options: small, medium, and large. The small was only for a single person, so I knew that wouldn't work for us. The question was whether or not we needed to pay the extra money for a large. Friends, it may have been the best decision I made all weekend. Our net was spacious. It kept out the bugs (including some ticks!). It allowed for Ezra to roll around while he sleeps. It was, to quote Vax Varvatu... GLORIOUS! 

- The boy loves to fish: At camp, Ezra got to do all sorts of things. He rode in a canoe. He climbed a rock wall. He shot a bow and arrow and a BB gun. He built a bat habitat and used a 3D printer. He slept in a tent for the first time ever. Still, if you'll ask him what his favorite moment of the whole camping trip was, it would be the 10 minutes he spent fishing and the bass he caught. The boy is an angler for sure!

 - Boys stay silly... and that's OK. Our camp counselors were mostly scouts and mostly high school boys. It was perfect for our campers. There was a definite connection as counselor and scout alike enjoyed running around, being outside, and making fart jokes. On Friday and Saturday night, we had campfires with the whole camp. The counselors did skits, some involving bananas and shaving cream. Ezra loved every minute of it. 

All in all, it was such a great experience. Ezra is stoked to go back again next year, which is totally fine by me. Next year, we may be joined by Thaliea, which would be totally cool. If that's the case, it'll be fun for us to have this as our first scout camp trip together. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

15 years!!!

Hello, friends! 

While I wasn't technically OFFICIALLY hired until August 1, 2007, since today is the start of the new ministry year, I'm celebrating finishing up 15 years of ministry with InterVarsity! Time flies when you're having fun! 

The past 15 years have been absolutely wild. I've lived in St. Louis, Columbia, and now Omaha. I've directly worked with students from WashU (#GoBears), Mizzou, Columbia College, Lincoln University, Missouri State, Creighton University, Bellevue University, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Boston University, Texas A&M, The Ohio State University, and the Royal University of Law and Economics in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I've tried my hand at planting or staffing Asian American chapters, Black Campus Ministry chapters, Multi-ethnic chapters, and Nurses Christian Fellowships. I've been a planter, a Team Leader, and Associate Area Director, and now a Regional Ministry Coordinator. I've been a part of leading projects for the National MPD department and Asian American ministries. I got married and had 3 kids. I've cried exactly 4 times (including twice in the past 18 months). God has been very, very good. 

In 2006, when I first heard the call to consider staff, I heard very clearly from God what I was going to be serving college students for the next "season of life." I had no idea that this next season would be 15 years (and counting!). I remember meeting staff who had been with InterVarsity for 20 years and thinking they were "lifers," wondering how they could be so faithful for so long. Now, here I am, 15 years later, seeing 20 on the horizon as a very real possibility. 

Of course, it hasn't been all good. Chapters have failed and been shut down. I've made my share of ministry mistakes. There have been some really tough seasons of ministry when it seemed like nothing was going right. And yet, God was (and is) still good. 

So, here's to year 16! Who knows what it will bring. This is normally where I say something like, "Here's to (at least) 15 more!" or something like that. But, the truth is that I have no idea what's on horizon. All I know for sure is that God has blessed me these past 15 years, and at this point, I have no intention of ending this InterVarsity "season" anytime soon. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam 

STL Trip!!!

Hello, friends!

Wow, what a week we had! Last week, we had a work trip to St. Louis that also doubled as a family vacation! There was a lot of family time, a lot of good work done, and a lot of food eaten. Here's the breakdown:

Monday: Drive to STL. The drive time is roughly 7 hours between Omaha and STL. When you include a lunch stop in CoMO that turned into running around a park for a bit and 2 bathroom breaks (only one of which was planned), we ended up traveling for about 10 hours. It was rough but it was good to get into Aunt Judi's house in time for dinner. My younger sister arrived from Cali later that night.

Tuesday: The morning was spent at Grant's farm. The kids fed goats and watched an animal show. Then Aunt Judi took over so Megan and I could go to our Regional Leadership meetings. The Airbnb where some of the out of town staff was staying was absolutely gorgeous. We connected with one another and said goodbye to one of our departing staff. I may or may not have won a trivia game about college mascots... 

Wednesday: My parents arrived Tuesday afternoon and my older sister and her son came in late Tuesday, so Wednesday had a packed house. It was an especially long day for Megan and me as we had meetings all day. They were good meetings though, with a lot of stuff getting done and another prayer walk on a campus near WashU.

Thursday: The first part of the day was finishing up our RLT meetings but in the afternoon we were able to meet our family at the zoo. The St. Louis Zoo is definitely a winner, and you really can't beat the price (free!). After that was a trip to get Ted Drewes frozen custard and a bbq dinner back at Aunt Judi's

Friday: Mama and Papa took our whole family on a trip down memory lane. We visited all the places my dad lived in STL, the former locations of my grandfather's restaurants, and where Mama and Papa had their first apartment. It was really fun to see everything, including where my dad went to high school. We ate well (as to be expected) and in the evening, I went with my sister, her daughter, and Papa to the Cardinals game (#GoCards). 

Saturday: We had 2 WashU reunions that day. There was the chill hangout with some IV alum at Ted Drewes. Then, Megan and I went to my 15th reunion. It was so good to connect with old friends and relive some of my old college days. 

Sunday: Megan and I spoke at the Vineyard church, where I went when I was in college. It was good to see a lot of old friends from my college days, as many of them still attend "The Yard." Ezra went with my brother in law, his cousin, and Papa to the Cardinals game while I took care of JoJo. Thaliea led Megan, my older sister and her daughter, Aunt Judi and one of her daughters, and my mom in a "Girls Day," which, despite what she tells you, she absolutely loved. 

Monday: We went back to Omaha on Monday. We only made one stop in KC for lunch (BBQ anyone?) and were home in time for the older kids to go to swim lessons. 

All in all, it was a great trip. Our RLT got a lot of work done and have a good sense of what needs to happen next in our Region. It's always good to see family and friends in St. Louis, especially since I don't get to visit as often. I also gained 8 pounds while there, so I know I ate right. =0). 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam