What a Year of Firsts!!!

Hello, friends!

InterVarsity's year runs from July 1 to June 30, meaning that by the time you read this, it will officially be the 2017-2018 school year!

Sorry for the late update but I wanted to post our year end letter. It was a great year of new things this year and God was definitely good.

Have an excellent day!

~The Leongs

So long, dear friend...

Hello, friends!

In the summer of 2014, Megan and I led a group of students to Cambodia for a Global Project with InterVarsity. We took 7 students with us for a month long trip, spending most of our time in Phnom Penh. Our mission was simple: offer as much help as we could to SONOKO, the growing IFES movement that had only just been planted just a few years prior. We went and our lives were changed forever.

My official role on the team was to take care of the finances and make sure that we were following all of the risk management rules as a team so no one got into any serious trouble. My unofficial role was to encourage Chamroeun, the soon to be lead staff, as he ventured forward into leadership. I spent as much time as I could with Chamroeun, encouraging him to take risks and congratulating him on risks well taken. Even though it was a short trip, the growth I saw in him was exponential.

Here's one of my favorite stories: On one of our first days on one of the campuses, the National University of Management (NUM), we knew that we needed permission from the administration to be on campus since we weren't students or staff. On some campuses, no one is allowed who isn't affiliated with the university. We wanted to make sure that we were doing things in a way that respected and honored the university. Chamroeun says, "wait right here," and walks right into the administrative building. He comes out 2 minutes later and says, "OK, let's do it." That began 2 weeks of English Club at NUM, where we met over 100 students and the staff team made a number of connections.

During one of our breaks on that first day, I was talking with Chamroeun and he said, "you know, I've never done that before." I said, "Done what?" He said that he'd never asked an administrator for permission to be on campus before. He was scared but he knew he had to lead so he did it. I was so proud of him.

That's the thing about Chamroeun. He was always willing to take risks for the kingdom. He was always smiling. I mean ALWAYS. Meg and I used to joke that the SONOKO staff application must be just to smile for the camera because every one of the staff had such a great smile. Chamroeun's may have been the best of them all. He was so full of joy and so willing to take risks. He was an understated leader but a leader nonetheless. In my month with him, he never yelled or really raised his voice but he led with a quiet dignity that was unmistakable. He was a constant learner and he was a great friend.

A few days ago, Chamroeun was with his brother and another staff when he slipped on the rocks, fell into a waterfall, and didn't come up until hours later. He wasn't quite 30 yet.

You don't prepare yourself for something like that. There's no way to hear that kind of news. My mind immediately swirled with question after question: How is the team doing? What does this mean for the ministry? How are his girlfriend and his brother doing? How about Steph, our coworker who had been training him for all these years? How can I help from here? Why did this happen? In the end, all I can do is cry out to God and lament.

Chamroeun, you will be missed. You will be missed as a leader of students and staff. You will be missed as a brother, both spiritually and biologically. You will be missed as a friend.

~Adam

Rest in peace Chamroeun (Center, to the right of Meg)

The 2020 Summit in Photos...

Hello, friends!

My apologies for not posting anything last week. I was actually out of town. Ironically enough, WHY I was out of town is the exact reason for this post!

Where was I? I was in beautiful Salt Lake City for staff meetings. At the behest of my wife, I actually took photos this time, so I thought it would be fun for me to tell you about my trip in photo instead of just word. Here we go!

This is the Regional Leadership Team. The first part of my trip was meeting with these fine folk to set the direction for our Region (IV work in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska) for this next season. Many of these folk have been mentors to me during various parts of my staff career and all of them are great friends. It was a pleasure to study the word with them, to pray with them, to connect with them, and to have fun with them as we visioned for how to best lead our staff and our students toward Jesus

The other reason I was there was to celebrate with our entire staff team, including a few students, the completion of our Regional 2020 vision and to begin the process of discerning our 2025 vision. In 2008, we launched our 2020 vision, hoping to see 500 missional small groups, 50 chapters, and 1 overseas student movement established. By God's grace, we finished 3 years early! During this time, we celebrated our outgoing Regional Director (standing), welcomed in our new Regional Director, celebrated what God has done, and started looking at what God may be calling us into for this next season. It was a beautiful time of seeing staff, students, volunteers, and faculty in our Region come together with a single purpose.

Of course, there was also great fun to be had. Did you know there are In-N-Out's in Salt Lake City?!?! It blew... my... mind... There were 40 or so of us together so we were actually staying in a mansion on a hill just outside of Salt Lake City. Behind our hill were two more hills. The taller of the two had a flag (really a rugby jersey attached to a PVC pipe) on top of it. One morning, I trekked up the hill with our Associate Regional Director (and supervisor many times over) to the flag. It was a great hike and even better conversation as we talked about ministry and life in the midst of transition. There were other great conversations had throughout the week too. It is always a joy to connect with fellow staff. We've been in the trenches together. We get it. I'm now one of the "old staff" but so long as there are fellow old staff with me, we'll be OK.

This is one of the flowers I saw on my hike up to the flag. I took the photo because the flower was a really great shade of purple (although you can't really see it in the photo) and that reminded me of Meg, who was not in Salt Lake City. Meg is still on maternity leave so she was given a choice as to whether or not to attend. With Thaliea being only a month old and Ezra having swim lessons and such, as well as being a little boy who never stops, we thought it would be better for all parties concerned for me to go solo. Meg was a total trooper and handled being a single parent with great skill. It was hard missing my family for that many days. Staying fully present and in the moment was easy enough when we were doing business but during the down times, I definitely missed them. I'm glad to be back.

Finally, if you squint really hard, you can see a Bison. That's not just any bison. That's a Wyoming bison! One of my life long goals is to drive in all 50 states. When I heard we were going to Salt Lake City, I got really excited, not only because of the Summit but because I could potentially knock 3 more states off my list! Wyoming and Idaho are both roughly 90 miles from Salt Lake City. The plan was to use the free time on one of the days to do a loop and hopefully knock some more states off my list. We were actually too far south to get both Idaho and Wyoming so I decided to Wyoming would be it. 2 other staff joined me and we made the trip to Bear River State Park in Evanston, WY, just across the border. There, we saw a bison, took a selfie, and made the trip back, just in time for the next session to start.

All said and done, it was a great trip. I loved the visioning. I loved the community. I loved the adventures. I'm not sure what the next vision will hold for the Central Region. Only God knows where we'll be or what we'll be doing in 2025. What I can say is that this Summit was a great reminder of why I love my job so much.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Onward to a Summer of MPD!

Hello, friends!

It's been a while since I've posted, mostly because I've been hanging out with my awesome new daughter. Here's a photo in case you wanted to see one (or even if you didn't... I can't help myself!)

Being a dad of two is great. The hardest part has been going back to work... which is where I was these past few days.

Y'all know me. You know that one of my favorite things to do in staff life is "Ministry Partnership Development" aka, fundraising. There's something beautiful to me about casting vision for people and giving them the opportunity to join in on the work that God is doing on college campuses. Over the years, I've developed myself into an MPD trainer of sorts and a few days ago I had the pleasure of leading our Regional Staff team (staff from Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas) in some training. It was hard being away from the family but thankfully Meg's parents are in town and it was a short training so I got to put Ezra to bed last night. =0).

Oftentimes, people like to ask me what work I do during the summer or if I get the "summers off." Any teacher will tell you that just because students aren't in session, that doesn't mean there isn't work to be done. There are preparations to be made, plans to be hatched, and MPD is a big part of the summer for most staff. This training was designed for us to come together as a Region and "jump start" our summer MPD. It was a joy to lead these co-laborers as we dreamed together, learned together, and worked together.

The InterVarsity fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30, meaning we are right in the thick of our final MPD push for the year. Our goal every year is to finish "in the black" meaning our donations match our expenses. I've been blessed to say that every year that I've been on staff, I've finished "in the black." This year it's looking like our entire Mid-MO team will be finishing "in the black" too. Praise Jesus!

Still, the finances aren't the only reason that I want everyone to give. It's about the partnership. It's about being a part of what God is doing on college campuses across the United States. It's about saying, "I believe in the work that's being done and I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is."

Friends, below are two links to giving. The first one is a link to Meg and my account. Any donations here will go towards making sure that students in Mid-Missouri have a chance to hear the Gospel. If you're someone who believes in that mission and wants to see it go, I'd ask you to prayerfully consider clicking that link and making a year end donation.

But, there's a second link. This is for folk who say, "you know what, the vision is fine, it's great, but I just want to help folk. You said you're good on cash this year so who can I help?" If that's you'd I would ask you to prayerfully consider giving to my brothers and sisters in the Nebraska Area. They have a goal of raising $50,000 this month. I believe that they can do it, and I'd to invite you to join me in making it happen.

Partner with Mid-MO

Partner with Nebraska

Have an excellent day!

Penny Peddling... The Next Generation!

Hello, friends!

If you are new to this blog, you may not know that back in the day, I had another blog to go alongside this one, called Penny Peddling. I had purchased a bike and wanted to see how long it would take me to "make back" the money I spent on it via not having to pay for gas or parking. A few years, a few stolen bikes, and one kid later, I did eventually end up "in the black" but decided to retire that blog for the sake of time. I still ride and it's still awesome, I just don't write about it.

Honestly, I have no intention of starting the blog up again but what IS really exciting to me is that earlier this week, as part of a father-son outing, Ezra and I got matching bike helmets. Here's the photo.

Don't we look great?! In the summer of 2015, Ezra was first born, so of course I wasn't going to take him riding with me yet. In 2016, he wasn't quite one yet, so his neck control wasn't the greatest. He was still crawling and could just barely take a step or two.

THIS year though, Ezra is as rough and tumble as they come. He's nearly 2 and can run and jump with the best of them (so long as jumping doesn't require having both feet leave the ground at the same time). With Baby #2 on the way, I figured it'd be a good idea to get him a helmet so we can go riding when Meg needs a break. I'll be doing the heavy lifting (or pedaling) and he'll be riding in the trailer. 

We bought the helmets (it was his choice to have the yellow ones) and on Monday he went for his first trailer ride. I was concentrating on the road but Meg said that he had a mesmerized look on his face. He was definitely a fan.

My hope is that Ezra will become as big of a fan of biking as I am. I love the efficiency of the bicycle and the feeling of the wind on my face as I'm riding. I love being able to travel where cars can't tread. I love not having to pay for parking downtown. Here's hoping that Ezra and I can enjoy some of those joys together. 

So, if you're around CoMO this summer and you see a father and son in matching bike helmets, there's a good chance that it's Ezra and me. Make sure to wave... and give us plenty of space. =0). 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Final Preparations!!!

Hello, friends!

Any day now, Meg and I will welcome our second child into the world. Meg's due date isn't until Star Wars Day (May 4) but we have a feeling our daughter will be coming early. Because of that, we are in full on nesting mode, trying to get everything ready before she arrives and everything gets all sorts of crazy.

Honestly, I needed until the turn of the calendar to April before it really felt like this birth thing was going to happen. When Meg was pregnant with Ezra, someone told me that women feel like mothers as soon as they find out they are pregnant. Men, on the other hand, don't feel like fathers until they actually see and hold their babies. I know that was mostly true with Ezra. I knew in my head that I was a father before he was born but it didn't really hit me until after he was actually out and in my arms. Because of this phenomenon, I'm a little late to the nesting game. Meg has been preparing for months; I'm not getting around to my part. It's led to a few reflections.

Like I've said in a previous post, Meg and I definitely nest differently. When she came up with the list of things that need to be done before our daughter is born, I didn't understand why a lot of the things were on the list. Once explained, they made a lot of sense though. In my mind, I said, "we have enough money to pay for the birth, the bills are paid so we won't have to worry about having the utilities shut off, and we're going to be recycling the birth plan we used for Ezra. We have plenty of clothes and we'll be buying diapers soon. We're ready for this baby!" How very wrong I was. =0).

Can I also say that nesting for your second kid is WAY harder than nesting for your first? You'd think in some ways it was easier. You already have some sense of what you need to get and you already have a lot of it from the last kid. But there was one thing I hadn't taken into account... Ezra.

Understand, I love my little boy to death. I would do anything for him and spending time with him is always the highlight of my day. Still, that doesn't change the fact that he is exhausting and actually not all that helpful in terms of nesting and getting the house ready for the baby. Instead of just focusing on the tasks at hand, we also have to make sure that the little guy doesn't run into the street or jump off the couch. It makes for some interesting adventures in multi-tasking. There's some stuff we just can't do while he's awake, so we have less time to do stuff too. Of course, he's totally worth it, but it does make things harder.

So, friends, if you have a moment in these next two weeks, please be praying for us as we make these final preparations. We are working on relying on Jesus in the midst of these preparations, while also trying to get as much stuff done as we can. Also, if you live in CoMO and want to watch our kid (or clean our house!) for a few hours, we wouldn't automatically turn you down. =0).

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

The Ladder Theory...

Hello, friends!

I was on campus at Lincoln yesterday, eating with a pastor friend of mine and some students. One of the female students was talking about how there was a guy who was interested in her but she wasn't interested in him. The pastor asked, "did you tell him that you're not interested?" Her reply was, "I told him that being friends is really great." He turned to me and say, "you should tell her about Ladder Theory." From there, I proceeded to share with the students Ladder Theory and subsequently blew their minds. The women at the table looked at me like I had just unlocked the mysteries of the universe. The men at the time shook their heads in kind of sad understanding. It was a pretty beautiful thing.

OK, what is Ladder Theory? I'm glad you asked! In a nutshell, Ladder Theory is a helpful analogy I like to use to show that men and women think about the opposite sex differently from one another. I don't remember if I developed it in high school or college. I don't remember if it was told to me or if I came up with it on my own. If someone knows the answers to these mysteries, please let me know. What I do know is that ladder theory has helped me explain to many a student that men and women are very different creatures when it comes to relationships. Let's dive a little deeper, shall we?

Women have 2 internal ladders when it comes to men (note: I am using hetero-sexual men and women in my explanation for the sake of simplicity). Ladder One is the friend ladder. On this ladder is every guy she knows who she would never consider dating or being in a relationship with. Men can move up and down the friend ladder based on their actions (or lack of action) but the woman will only see them as a better or worse friend. Ladder Two is the potential partner ladder. This is the ladder where she puts the men who could possibly be her partner. Again, men can move up or down this ladder based on their action or inaction but if you're on this ladder, there's always a chance. Women have the full power and authority to move a man from one ladder to the other ladder and to do that as many times as they please. It's their ladder. If a man tries to make the jump from Ladder One to Ladder Two, he falls into the Abyss, where his best case scenario is that he goes back down to the bottom of Ladder One. See Jason Chu's video "DTR" to see this in action.

Men have one ladder. It's the "yeah, I could see it happening" Ladder. Every woman they've ever met is on it.

Conflict and confusion arises because men and women don't know that they are operating with different ladder structures. Men don't know that there is a friend ladder. Women don't know that there isn't. Here's a common scenario: Gal is nice to guy. Guy sees this as evidence of attraction. Guy talks to all his guy friends who confirm this and encourage him to pursue a relationship. Guy goes for it. Gal is blindsided. Awkwardness ensues. Why does this happen? Ladder Theory.

There are a few caveats to make here. The first is that once a man gets married, he may be able to develop a friend ladder. I haven't worked out the mechanics of this quite yet but I do know that once Meg and I got married, the prospect or desire to be with anyone else went away and it won't be coming back ever. I should also note that it's just a theory and that I'm sure anecdotally we all know a guy or gal who has more or fewer ladders than the theory suggests. And, it should also be noted that this theory does not take into account members of the LGBTQ community. I could see some potential nuances and differences but I haven't explored them in great deal. Finally, this is just a fun theory of mine. I have no real scientific evidence to back this up. =0).

Either way, it was fun to share with students one of my crazy little theories. I've found it to be helpful for students. Feel free to take it as your own.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam