Hello, friends!
In just about 36 hours, registration is going to close for City Lights, InterVarsity's Urban Spring Break Project. Over the past 20 years, literally thousands of students have made their way to Saint Louis to learn about God's heart for the poor as well as have their lives changed as they work alongside those who are trying to rebuild the city from the inside out.
There are so many things to love about City Lights. I'll try to highlight a few of them. The thing that I love most is probably how City Lights makes it a point to work alongside those who are living in the city, instead of coming in Superman style and trying to fix things for "helpless citizens." The folk who lead our worksites have lived in the city for years and can tell stories about what it's been like living in the area and seeing God move through different circumstances. It feels much more like a partnership than it does a simple service project.
Another thing that I love about City Lights is that it actually changes students and campuses. I'll give 2 examples. A few years ago, a group of students from Lindenwood University attended their first City Lights. Their response to what they did and learned there was to organize a week on campus devoted to human trafficking awareness. Last Summer, a Mizzou student decided that he was so inspired by what City Lights did that he designed his own summer City Lights project for students living in Columbia over the summer. That, my friends, is how lives get changed.
One last thing that I want to mention about City Lights is that City Lights deepens relationships. Students are bonded to those who work in the city. Students are bonded to one another (including a few marriages!). Staff and students are bonded as they do service with one another. It is a week that is just as much about relationships as it is about getting work done.
Friends, right now we have 13 students who are going to be attending City Lights from Mizzou and 6 more from Columbia College, many of them for the first time! We are super excited for each of them and have been praying that God will be preparing their hearts for what He has in store for them.
Here are two ways that you can help:
- Please PRAY for our students as they prepare for City Lights. Usually, the weeks leading up to City Lights are filled with all sorts of spiritual attacks. Please pray for good protection, as well as for the staff.
- You can also GIVE if you'd like to our scholarship fund. We believe that money is a terrible reason for students to not be able to do something, so we make sure that we have scholarships available for students who may not otherwise be able to attend City Lights. If you'd like to give, you can click the link here.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Friday, February 28, 2014
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Hooray for Teamwork
Hello, friends!
Greetings from beautiful Columbia, Missouri, where we just had an area wide staff meeting! Most of the other staff in the Missouri area are living in St. Louis, so usually or meetings are out there but once a semester they are good enough to make the trek out to see us so Megan and I don't have to travel.
Today was a super fun area day because we got to do a little experiential learning. See, our area used to actually be 2 areas that merged not too long ago. That means 12 staff who now have to get a used to a bigger team with different strengths and personalities. Our area leadership team thought it would be fun for us to do some service together in order to bond. The project was to wash the walls at our house so we could get ready to paint. Doesn't that sound like fun?
Of course, free house cleaning is always nice but what I think I appreciated about the day was how natural it was for us to all work together. I have known most of these folk for years and consider them to be very good friends. It was good to see that we could work together so smoothly. It bodes well for the future. =0).
Here are a few photos from our time together. Nice work, Team MO fast MO furious!
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Goodbye, Old Friend
Hello, friends!
It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved car, The Rolla. After 300,589 miles, the engine finally gave out. The only remedy is a full engine repair which would cost considerably more than the car is worth (at least in monetary terms). The Rolla will be donated to Kars4Kids on Monday.
The Rolla didn't suffer at all. Megan and I were on our way to Kansas City so she could catch a flight to Minneapolis to visit her sister and our new nephew. While driving on 70, the check engine light came on, which has never happened as long as I've owned the car. Then it started to rattle, a piece of the engine fell out the bottom, and I couldn't accelerate anymore. I coasted to the side of the road, called AAA for a tow, and that was that.
Friends, it's been an incredible ride with the Rolla. My goal was to get it to 300k and we got there. The Rolla has driven through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. It has survived cracked windshields, terrible weather, and less than wonderful driving conditions. I never had to spend more than $800 a year on repairs. The Rolla once got 48 miles to the gallon and only once got less than 20 mpg, averaging about 36 mpg for its life.
So, goodbye, old friend. You have been there for me, driving back and forth between Columbia and St. Louis for so many years. You helped me keep my job. You helped me maintain my relationship with the wonderful woman who is now my wife. I did my best to treat you well and I know that you did the same for me.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved car, The Rolla. After 300,589 miles, the engine finally gave out. The only remedy is a full engine repair which would cost considerably more than the car is worth (at least in monetary terms). The Rolla will be donated to Kars4Kids on Monday.
The Rolla didn't suffer at all. Megan and I were on our way to Kansas City so she could catch a flight to Minneapolis to visit her sister and our new nephew. While driving on 70, the check engine light came on, which has never happened as long as I've owned the car. Then it started to rattle, a piece of the engine fell out the bottom, and I couldn't accelerate anymore. I coasted to the side of the road, called AAA for a tow, and that was that.
Friends, it's been an incredible ride with the Rolla. My goal was to get it to 300k and we got there. The Rolla has driven through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. It has survived cracked windshields, terrible weather, and less than wonderful driving conditions. I never had to spend more than $800 a year on repairs. The Rolla once got 48 miles to the gallon and only once got less than 20 mpg, averaging about 36 mpg for its life.
So, goodbye, old friend. You have been there for me, driving back and forth between Columbia and St. Louis for so many years. You helped me keep my job. You helped me maintain my relationship with the wonderful woman who is now my wife. I did my best to treat you well and I know that you did the same for me.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Here's to Jean...
Hello, friends!
Last Thursday we had our Monthly Area Staff Meeting, which is a time for all the staff in Missouri to come together and get a little collaborative business done. This meeting was special because it was the first meeting since the Missouri staff team and the Missouri International Student Ministry team decided to merge into one staff team. (We are currently working on a name. The front-runner is MO Fast MO Furious.)
Thursday was the beginning of something new but it was also the end of an era. It was Thursday that we officially said goodbye to longtime friend and co-worker, Jean Morales.
Jean was blessed with 2 beautiful twin boys a few months ago and after a time of discernment and prayer, decided that her calling in this season of her life was to being a mother. Thus, after 10 years of being on staff with InterVarsity, Jean is stepping down and moving to a new exciting stage of life.
When I first met Jean I was a freshman and she was an intern at WashU ACF. The next year, I stepped into leadership with ACF and she was my staff. During my time as a student, we actually fought a lot. I have no problem saying it was almost certainly my fault; I was a prideful young buck who was certain that he knew how to do ministry the "right way." I'm glad that Jean showed me the grace that she did and didn't kick me off the team.
Since then, I have been honored to call Jean not just my staff, but also my supervisor for a year as well as my friend. She has grown me as a staff as well as a man of God. She encouraged my gifts when I was doubting them and wasn't afraid to challenge me to grow. I am sure that I wouldn't be the staff I am today if it wasn't for her guidance and leadership.
So, my dear friend, this one is for you. Thank you for 10 years of faithful service. I am honored to have walked alongside you for the past 6+. Blessings on you as you enter this new and exciting stage of life. Blessings on your family as you and Cris raise Caleb and Theo.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Last Thursday we had our Monthly Area Staff Meeting, which is a time for all the staff in Missouri to come together and get a little collaborative business done. This meeting was special because it was the first meeting since the Missouri staff team and the Missouri International Student Ministry team decided to merge into one staff team. (We are currently working on a name. The front-runner is MO Fast MO Furious.)
Thursday was the beginning of something new but it was also the end of an era. It was Thursday that we officially said goodbye to longtime friend and co-worker, Jean Morales.
Jean was blessed with 2 beautiful twin boys a few months ago and after a time of discernment and prayer, decided that her calling in this season of her life was to being a mother. Thus, after 10 years of being on staff with InterVarsity, Jean is stepping down and moving to a new exciting stage of life.
When I first met Jean I was a freshman and she was an intern at WashU ACF. The next year, I stepped into leadership with ACF and she was my staff. During my time as a student, we actually fought a lot. I have no problem saying it was almost certainly my fault; I was a prideful young buck who was certain that he knew how to do ministry the "right way." I'm glad that Jean showed me the grace that she did and didn't kick me off the team.
Since then, I have been honored to call Jean not just my staff, but also my supervisor for a year as well as my friend. She has grown me as a staff as well as a man of God. She encouraged my gifts when I was doubting them and wasn't afraid to challenge me to grow. I am sure that I wouldn't be the staff I am today if it wasn't for her guidance and leadership.
So, my dear friend, this one is for you. Thank you for 10 years of faithful service. I am honored to have walked alongside you for the past 6+. Blessings on you as you enter this new and exciting stage of life. Blessings on your family as you and Cris raise Caleb and Theo.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Large Group Evangelism!
Hello, friends!
Wednesday, well I guess last Wednesday, was our first Large Group of the semester, which also made it the first Large Group of 2014! Exciting, right?!
Over the break, Megan and I went to our Regional Staff Conference where the focus was on evangelism. (This is different from the National Staff Conference that we went to in January) There, we were pushed to consider if we were dreaming too small in terms of evangelism. I was particularly pressed to come to terms with what I can only describe as a fight for control. Evangelism is a tough thing because it requires complete reliance on God. It's much easier to do things that you can directly affect. Still, I felt the call to make evangelism a more explicit part of our Large Group strategy.
So, on Wednesday we gave it a shot. Instead of doing a traditional message, we broke students up into small groups and our leaders shared the Gospel, asking our friends for decisions. At the end of the night, I made a call to see if anyone had made a decision.
Ultimately, no one made a decision on Wednesday night but that's ok. Like I said, who comes to Jesus really isn't about us. All we can do is continue to share Christ's love with every Asian and Asian American on campus and pray that the Holy Spirit will do his thing.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Wednesday, well I guess last Wednesday, was our first Large Group of the semester, which also made it the first Large Group of 2014! Exciting, right?!
Over the break, Megan and I went to our Regional Staff Conference where the focus was on evangelism. (This is different from the National Staff Conference that we went to in January) There, we were pushed to consider if we were dreaming too small in terms of evangelism. I was particularly pressed to come to terms with what I can only describe as a fight for control. Evangelism is a tough thing because it requires complete reliance on God. It's much easier to do things that you can directly affect. Still, I felt the call to make evangelism a more explicit part of our Large Group strategy.
So, on Wednesday we gave it a shot. Instead of doing a traditional message, we broke students up into small groups and our leaders shared the Gospel, asking our friends for decisions. At the end of the night, I made a call to see if anyone had made a decision.
Ultimately, no one made a decision on Wednesday night but that's ok. Like I said, who comes to Jesus really isn't about us. All we can do is continue to share Christ's love with every Asian and Asian American on campus and pray that the Holy Spirit will do his thing.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Ohana Means Family...
Hello, friends!
Two weekends ago, over MLK Jr. Day Weekend, I had the pleasure of staffing Ohana, the Central Region's first ever Asian Student Conference. 80 students from all over the region joined us as we learned about our role as children, God's role as the perfect father, and what true family in the kingdom of God means. It was a transformative time for more than a few students and I'm so happy that I was able to be a part of it.
Our process started over a year ago when our (now Associate Area Director) co-worker Will took on the task of directing the conference. Our goal was simple. We wanted to unite the Asian American students from all over the region. Looking at our Regional numbers, you could see that Asian American students were actually the second highest population of students represented. We had more Asian American students a part of InterVarsity in the Central Region than African American students or Latino students, and possibly more than those 2 groups combined. But, if you looked closer at the numbers, what you saw was that most of those students were concentrated in the 2 ACF's at Mizzou and WashU. Once you took those two chapters out of the equation, suddenly those numbers don't look so hot. So, we figured that a great way to build momentum would be to hold a conference where we invite Asian American students from all over the region.
Understand, for many of our chapters, the number of Asian American students in 1-5. How great would it be for them to all come together and see that the have something to bring to their campuses in terms of reaching the Asian American student populations? It's at least worth a shot, right?
Well, Ohana has come and gone and I can say that it was a rousing success. We had 80 students from 4 different campuses come in and everyone had a great time. Most of the students came from WashU and Mizzou ACF's, which was expected, but we also had a contingent from SLU as well as a number of Hawaiian students from Creighton. Our speaker was Greg Jao, National Field Director for InterVarsity in the Northeast and he totally nailed it. He talked about our ethnic identities as a good thing as well as dealing with a LOT of family issues. When all was said and done, 35 of the 80 students made decisions to recommit their lives to Jesus, including 2 Mizzou students!
I'm not sure when our next Ohana will be. We have to take a lot into consideration, including a whole bunch of calendars and such. What I can say though is that when we do have it, I hope the Spirit moves as much as he did at this one.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Two weekends ago, over MLK Jr. Day Weekend, I had the pleasure of staffing Ohana, the Central Region's first ever Asian Student Conference. 80 students from all over the region joined us as we learned about our role as children, God's role as the perfect father, and what true family in the kingdom of God means. It was a transformative time for more than a few students and I'm so happy that I was able to be a part of it.
Our process started over a year ago when our (now Associate Area Director) co-worker Will took on the task of directing the conference. Our goal was simple. We wanted to unite the Asian American students from all over the region. Looking at our Regional numbers, you could see that Asian American students were actually the second highest population of students represented. We had more Asian American students a part of InterVarsity in the Central Region than African American students or Latino students, and possibly more than those 2 groups combined. But, if you looked closer at the numbers, what you saw was that most of those students were concentrated in the 2 ACF's at Mizzou and WashU. Once you took those two chapters out of the equation, suddenly those numbers don't look so hot. So, we figured that a great way to build momentum would be to hold a conference where we invite Asian American students from all over the region.
Understand, for many of our chapters, the number of Asian American students in 1-5. How great would it be for them to all come together and see that the have something to bring to their campuses in terms of reaching the Asian American student populations? It's at least worth a shot, right?
Well, Ohana has come and gone and I can say that it was a rousing success. We had 80 students from 4 different campuses come in and everyone had a great time. Most of the students came from WashU and Mizzou ACF's, which was expected, but we also had a contingent from SLU as well as a number of Hawaiian students from Creighton. Our speaker was Greg Jao, National Field Director for InterVarsity in the Northeast and he totally nailed it. He talked about our ethnic identities as a good thing as well as dealing with a LOT of family issues. When all was said and done, 35 of the 80 students made decisions to recommit their lives to Jesus, including 2 Mizzou students!
I'm not sure when our next Ohana will be. We have to take a lot into consideration, including a whole bunch of calendars and such. What I can say though is that when we do have it, I hope the Spirit moves as much as he did at this one.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Here's to 29!!!
Hello, friends!
Ok, so my birthday was 2 weeks ago. That doesn't mean I can't still write about it, yeah? =0).
I actually had the pleasure of spending my birthday up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, visiting my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and their new baby boy, who they had on January 10. It was great spending time with family and being able to help out a little bit around the house. Meg was a demon in the kitchen, making freezer meals and such. I was able to help by assisting my brother-in-law in building a shelf in his garage. Friends, let me tell you, there is nothing like doing construction in -15 degree weather to make you appreciate the indoors.
Every year, around my birthday, I like to make the next year, "The Year of (insert thing here)." My friend Sherami started me on that tradition a while back and I liked it enough to make it my own. Last year was the year of discipline, when I focused on getting my life in order and living a life of discipline. The year before that it was the year of Go Big or Go Home, which worked out pretty well, considering that I got engaged and married. The question was what I was going to do for this year.
This year is going to be the year of "Joy." As I was reflecting on the past year, one thing I noticed is that I didn't quite have as much joy as I had in previous years. Between the constant commute between Columbia and St. Louis, the eventual move to St. Louis and all the home renovations that followed, the added responsibility of supervising multiple staff, and the adjustment to the married life, I'd found myself focusing more on the task that had to be done as opposed to finding joy in the life that God had given me. Being that I am already a super task oriented person, this was an even bigger problem.
So, this year is going to be a year where I focus on joy, particularly the joy that comes from being secure in the Gospel. In spite of all the things that are tugging at my time and all the things that need to get done, I am going to focus instead of the blessings that God has given me and find joy in those things. I have a great job, a wonderful home, and an incredible wife. I should be able to find joy in those things instead of stress in the tasks that come along with those blessings.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Ok, so my birthday was 2 weeks ago. That doesn't mean I can't still write about it, yeah? =0).
I actually had the pleasure of spending my birthday up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, visiting my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and their new baby boy, who they had on January 10. It was great spending time with family and being able to help out a little bit around the house. Meg was a demon in the kitchen, making freezer meals and such. I was able to help by assisting my brother-in-law in building a shelf in his garage. Friends, let me tell you, there is nothing like doing construction in -15 degree weather to make you appreciate the indoors.
Every year, around my birthday, I like to make the next year, "The Year of (insert thing here)." My friend Sherami started me on that tradition a while back and I liked it enough to make it my own. Last year was the year of discipline, when I focused on getting my life in order and living a life of discipline. The year before that it was the year of Go Big or Go Home, which worked out pretty well, considering that I got engaged and married. The question was what I was going to do for this year.
This year is going to be the year of "Joy." As I was reflecting on the past year, one thing I noticed is that I didn't quite have as much joy as I had in previous years. Between the constant commute between Columbia and St. Louis, the eventual move to St. Louis and all the home renovations that followed, the added responsibility of supervising multiple staff, and the adjustment to the married life, I'd found myself focusing more on the task that had to be done as opposed to finding joy in the life that God had given me. Being that I am already a super task oriented person, this was an even bigger problem.
So, this year is going to be a year where I focus on joy, particularly the joy that comes from being secure in the Gospel. In spite of all the things that are tugging at my time and all the things that need to get done, I am going to focus instead of the blessings that God has given me and find joy in those things. I have a great job, a wonderful home, and an incredible wife. I should be able to find joy in those things instead of stress in the tasks that come along with those blessings.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
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