Facing a fear

I love watching my volunteer staff grow as they serve. This last week at Club Erica gave her testimony. She was scared and afraid of public speaking. Last year she attempted to give her testimony and had some difficulties. This time, with some encouragement, she had the students full attention. She even broke down and cried once, not because of fear for speaking, but because she was deeply sharing the pains that Christ had taken her through. When it was done the kids applauded. I can't tell you how happy that made me, but how much more so when Erica said, "I have never got applause for my testimony before." I am so happy for Erica, for the kids that got to hear her story, and for God who gets all the glory.


  I am blessed to have amazing donors and sponsors for Campus Life. For the last week I let one of our donors and supporter of Elmira Campus Life Dodgeball, The Farmstore (Vicky and Travis Soverns) hold the championship trophy for the week. It is partnerships like this I am looking to expand in the near future. 

Winter Retreat

  What happens when you have a winter weather advisory and one chain for your bus that is a link to short? The winter retreat was looking doomed. After two hours of trying to make a chain fit on a bus we realized it was a futile effort. A few weeks prior new tires were put on the bus and the chain no longer fit with the increased tread depth. Problems with a previous mechanic at the bus barn and numerous other small errors led to us not having the correct safety gear. We could not proceed safely (and the time we lost trying to put chains on made it a lot darker and more dangerous to proceed.) So our trip looked doomed.
  Many times in life we get to that point where we feel a link short and doomed. I turned the bus around and headed back to Eugene, only being just under an hour away from our destination of Black Butte Ranch. With some quick thinking Shaun and I got permission to crash at Fairfield Baptist Church. If we would have let the kids go home ,and pick them up the next day, to try again the logistical nightmare would not prove worthwhile. I am grateful for Fairfield for helping us try again. The next day we got a new bus with correct chains and headed up the pass again. We waited an hour for weather to clear and arrived at Black Butte Ranch without incident.
  The kids were relatively unfazed. Leaders however, especially Shaun and myself, were a little more drained. Staying up late and waking up early to make sure we did everything to keep kids safe and make this trip happen. When we are a link short God fills in for our (and others) shortcomings.

The Alley

  This week we did club at "The Alley" in Creswell. We blended the Creswell and Elmira clubs. I heard many of my 45 students tell me that we needed a club house. My reply was I am working on it. Glenn Leslie, the director of Creswell's club, presented the Gospel. At least three of my students looked up that they prayed for Jesus to change the course of their life and for salvation.

  I met with one student (I will keep his name private until I get his permission to use it) at lunch the next day and had a great time connecting. I also had the privledge to recommend a church and other Campus Life students he could go with to that church. Be praying as we continue to develop relationships and get these students plugged in.

Dodgeball Season

Dodgeball season is underway. A great way to build team chemistry and teach these students how to work together. It is also an amazing time to build relationships. A few of these 28 dodgeball participants are coming on the winter retreat trip and I know that dodgeball has helped a few kids make a decision to go whom otherwise wouldn't have. Team 1 is still undefeated and the other two are still fine tuning how to work together. Next week we have our last game and the tournament. I hope you will be praying that we make a difference in these students lives and that Jesus is glorified by dodgeball (He is, but you know lets keep praying!).
Also club is going well (facebook has pictures and an 80's dance from 80's night). Last week we talked about excuses vs explanations. I tied the talk into judgement day and who do you want to be a person with an excuse or an explanation.

students play smashface before the game.

Institute and Dodgeball

How do you begin to sum up 8 days of training and spiritual growth? Institute was a whirlwind of information and connecting with the heart of God. I am re-energized to connect with my volunteer staff and students to use the tools of YFC (3 Story and other training). It was really hard to be away from my wife and daughter for that amount of time, but it was great training. I will be sorting through my notes for weeks to come.

My volunteer staff has run the last weeks of club and done an amazing job. Aleck gave the talk two weeks ago and Mandy last week. I love having talented people reaching these students, but know to adequately reach every student on that campus we will need more!

On a side note dodge ball will be starting next week. Practices have already been going on, and I have included what our jerseys will look like. Scotty Barnes has done a story that graced the front page of the local paper (the Fern Ridge Review). Hopefully you get a chance to pick up a copy and see how we continue to make strides in the community. In about a months time we hope to have a meeting to develop a community support team for the Campus Life ministry in our area. The point of a meeting like this is to generate community awareness and involvement to keep the ministry sustainable in our community. One thing we do is turn excess into quality, and what I mean by that is take excess time and money and invest it in the students. The hope is we can do more of that and make this a ministry area that is constantly supported.

Great Wolf

I have been busy. I personally took a job with first student to try and supplement my income. As has been mentioned in my letter money is a woeful commodity. On the bright side we have had some incredible ministry moments over the last month.

Our Great Wolf Trip saw 28 Elmira kids experience a fun time while getting a chance to hear the gospel. A portion of that student count are strong Christian students whom also take the opportunity to reach out to their friends on the trip (and by inviting them to it). Besides pictures of slides and a fort being built inside our bus, the bonding times with students led to amazing relationship development. One student named Alex made a decision to follow Jesus. My intern Ruben and I really wanted to meet with Alex after he started asking questions at commandos club. His decisions along with the amount of growing and striving students in club is leading to a bible study that starts next week before club. Another student gave up his weed habit shortly after the trip. Staying in a hotel room was very conducive for transformative conversations and the movement of the Spirit.

A prayer request is that God would provide a couple more volunteers. With 61 students coming to the last club, and that doesn't include the flux of students who come and go or only come to specific events, we miss some opportunities for connections. My staff does an amazing job, but I want to be sure everyone gets an opportunity to connect. With a student populace of around 450 it is safe to say at least a 1/4 or more, of the students have been involved with campus life at some point. 6 volunteers, myself, and a couple dedicated students are doing all the can. I could use a volunteer just to monitor the door and make sure students don't leave allowing the rest of us to focus on meeting with students. I propose this prayer request because I want to see all these students know Jesus and have as much support as possible.

Bigger and Better

  On the cusp of a trip to Great Wolf Lodge in Washington (a trip where you get to pray for 27 Elmira students), Campus Life has been a busy place on the Elmira Campus. Dodgeball season, A Sadie Hawkins Dance, and even a bible study is in the works to be added to the club schedule. Every event with the intent to minister into students lives.
The busyness took the shape last week in the form of a game called bigger and better. This is where students start with a paper clip and must go door to door trading for something "bigger and better" than the object they currently possess. My group set out with the task with much gusto. This year I did not drive my jeep so I told the students not to aim for bigger, but to aim for better, as we did not have much space for big items.
  I am often amazed by the conversation topics of students. Upon receiving University of Oregon memorabilia  the talk of what the students could do with the money came up. Did they want video games, food, clothes...no one students stated he wanted a hooker. A WHAT? This student was obviously joking, but in his heart and the heart of his friends some contemplation did take place. They started to agree and debate about the subject in earnest before I interjected with why that was a stupid idea. The one Christian student in the car spoke up a bit as well. The conversation weaved a few different directions with myself trying to point students towards less self centered thinking and more Christ like thinking.
  Why do we do events like this? So we can have relevant conversations in the lives of students, even ones centering on what to do with money. The night continued until we had acquired a mini-fridge, gun case, white board, and ceramics. I grew a bit closer to all the 4 students in my car and we won (though the old Noti school slide was definitely the biggest object).
 

Nothing is bigger and better than Jesus! The things he is doing are awesome and always amaze me. I am excited to see what he does in the lives of students in the coming weeks and throughout the school year!