"There have been times in my ministry when I felt that university campuses might well be among the most fruitful fields for evangelism. In visits to some fifty nations, I have found students to be attentive and usuallyy respectful, listeners to gospel preaching. In spite of some superficial collegiate fads, they are basically involved in a search for self-understanding, for a view of life that makes sense, and for a useful role in society. Without knowing it, in many cases, they long for a personal fulfillment that can be found in Christ as nowhere else." -Billy Graham

I am Home:

And here are some pictures for you to enjoy :)

Kaya didn't want to leave. She kept getting in my suitcase while I was packing. Sorry, Kaya, can't take you with me :)

My family for 10 days. We stayed with our family groups for most of the time. We studied scripture together, ate meals together, prayed together and learned to be staff together. Starting from the back left; David (in the white shirt) he was on staff in the 80's, left to work at a church, and is back on staff and the Univeristy of North Carolina-Greensboro. Max is direction the Chicago Urban Project. Sarah is on staff at University of Idaho. Steve works in the National Service Center in human resources. Brad, was my small group leader, an area director in Virginia. The girl next to me, Allyson on staff with Boston College, and Melanie is on staff at University of San Diego working with fraternity and sorority students.

The rest of the pictures are how I spent my sabbath on Saturday. Tina and I went to lunch, and did some sight-seeing and shopping. We eventually landed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which is right on this beautiful lake!!! Reminds me of St. Clair and being on the boardwalk.

Orientation for New Staff, Continuation of Day 8

Day 8, EVANGELISM:

I realized that I have not shared the Gospel in a while and I need to practice so I can clearly articualte it. We learned more ideas about proxe stations, and conversational evangelism. I am really excited to give my students a heart and passion for evangelism as we reach the out to the campus.

We went in partners and practiced some conversational evangelism. My partner and I went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which is really close to our hotel. We had two really good conversations where we shared the Gospel. Neither accecpted Christ, but there were seeds planted. Pray for the man from Chile, and the two female students from UW, that they would come to know Jesus as Lord over their life.

Last night we played the chapter building game, which I have done before, but it was great to be reminded of how to be strategic with my time. The game is a series of things that you would do as a staff worker, and you have 48 hours to do it all in. Your goal is to figure out how to manage your time most strategically so that you will make the largest impact on campus. It is sooo important to have prayer, prayer for students and prayer for the campus. Please pray for me as I implement this into our daily lives on campus.

I get to see my husband tomorrow :)

Orientation for New Staff Day 7 and 8

Exhaustion is begining to take over. I have been here in Madison for 8 days, attending seminars all day long and becoming a tired :) I am plugging through though, almost done. We will be going hom on Wednesday.

Sunday:

On Sunday we focused on the value of building multi-ethnic witnessing communities. Before we could build multi-ethnic witnessing communities on campus, we had to know who we were ethnically and how that fit into the broad scheme of things. I am still wrestling with what it means to be white, and what I can offer to other cultures and what I can learn from other cultures.

I am also wrestling with what that looks like on the campus of Albion, being a mostly white school. How can I train students to reach out to every ethnicity and culture if the only ethnicity and culture they see is white upper class? I am jumping too far into this though, because I know that I have not spent enough time on campus to know what types of student groups there are. I need to get to know them better and find out who the student body is that I will be serving.

Today:
Evangelism......

Sorry guys, time for bed, more on that later :)

Orientation for New Staff Day 6

Sabbath continues!! I had an amazing sabbath today. I slept in. This morning, the capitol turned into a farmer's market. I went down to the lobby to go to the market and found Tina, the Greek Staff Worker at Central Michigan University. We decided to go look at all the vendors and go to lunch. We joined with another Kristin and went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It is a BEAUTIFUL campus!!! It is right on a lake. We spent some time there, reading, journaling and spending with the Lord.

While we were there, several bridal parties came and went, taking pictures near the water. It reminds me of being home in St. Clair and having everyone come near the water. I miss it. To me water is home, and it is hard to be away. Water is refreshing and where I meet the Lord.

One thing I have truly gained from my time in InterVarsity is the importance of taking a sabbath each week. I have always been taught about sabbath taking, but never before have I seen a group of people practice it like InterVarsity staff. I have learned that it doesn't have to be on a particular day of the week, but it is more of a time for rest, reflection on Christ, and what He has done and is doing. It is a time to do things that you enjoy, that bring you rest, when you may not have the time to do it during the week. I am not perfect at taking a sabbath, but I am learning and growing in this. It is definitely a habit I want to instill in my family!

Orientation for New Staff Days 4 and 5

"The Sabbath teaches grace in a deep, experiential way. Perhaps more than anything else, in our time, we need grace. We need to rest in the reality that our lives do not oridinate with us, that all love comes to us as a gift and that God's grace surrounds and fills us. God's love and favor come to us not because we deserve them but because of who God is." From Sabbath Keeping by Lynne Baab, InterVarsity Press

Tonight starts our sabbath. I am so excited to have a sabbath, to rest and regroup. I went to dinner at a pub with my family group tonight. It was fun to get to know each other even better. Not sure my plans for tomorrow, but I will sure update!

Yesterday was so encouraging!!! I was able to talk to several people to invite them into partnership in this ministry!!! I was making phone calls and working in Lisa Espineli Chin's office. She is kind of my "InterVarsity Hero." Her office was so cozy and homey and she left a note for us, and some candy. Today I actually had a chance to meet her, give her a hug and chat a little bit. I was thrilled!

Today we learned how to write prayer letters....YEAH!!! Aren't you all excited to be getting them? I am excited to share with you about what God is doing on campus!

We went to the National office for InterVarsity today. It was interesting to meet all the people that work there, and to get tons of free stuff.

Sorry, not much to update on :)

Orientation for New Staff Day 3

Calling all Alum!!!!

If you are reading this and you are an alumnus from Albion College, I want to connect with you. I want to update you on what is happening in the chapter, send you alumni newsletters, and have alumni events. If anyone is interested in helping me coordinate this, it would be great!!!

This morning was sooo hard for me to stay awake. I did not sleep well last night and it really showed during our morning sessions. Today we talked about partnerships in ministry. It was so encouraging to know that I am partnering with other people as they give financially and prayerfully so that this ministry can exist on campus.

We had seminars in the afternoon. I attended "Women in Ministry" and "How to Integrate Fund Development and Campus Work." It was useful to hear the tricks of the trade and what has worked well for other people.

Each day here, we get a free book. YEAH! That means it just adds to the books that I am yet to read. I love InterVarsity Press. They truly print some quality material, books that challenge me in my walk with God, and challenge me in my mind and are a challenge and encouragement to students. Today the book of the day was "Finding God at Harvard." It is all about Christian thought and what is means to think christianly. I am excited to read that.

Tonight we had a table discussion at dinner about how to minister to alum. I am really excited about this part of my job. I have already had a chance to talk with some of the Albion alumni and they have been a huge source of encouragement. I am eager to hear their stories of how InterVarsity has impacted their lives. I look forward to serving you guys and getting to know you better!!

Best part of tonight.....free Ben and Jerry's ice cream!!! I had half baked frozen yogurt for those who care:) There is a Ben and Jerry's store down the street from our hotel.

Orientation for New Staff Day 2

I am an introvert and I get energized by spending time alone. Today I have been wrestling about what that looks like as a staff worker. There are areas of my job that will require me to be extroverted, that will require me to step outside of my comfort zone into a new place of discomfort. This makes me excited! Not the fact that I am getting rid of my introverted self, but that God is able to stretch me behind my selfish thoughts and desires to care for students.

Today was a good day. Sounds generic and boring but it really was. I got a great night of sleep last night. By the way, I have a great roommate from Virginia. She likes to sleep with the airconditiong on, a girl after my own heart. (Sorry for the tangent:)) Anyways, on to the day....

It stated with prayer and Bible study, specifically studying Psalm 1. We talked about the difference between the righteous and the wicked. Tom Boyle and Alec Hill (Alec is InterVarsity Christian Fellowship's President) talked to up about the Heritage and Vision of IVCF. During lunch we were on our own, and I took advantage of having some time for myself. I went to lunch and spent some time at the Capitol, well at a bench and in the Capitol lawn doing some much needed journaling! The rest of the afternoon was about the Ministry of Fund Development. We had a panel of donors come in and tell us why they give. It was very helpful and encouraging.

Tonight was an emotional night. Two staff shared their stories about their parents disapproval and lack of blessing, of their desicion to go on staff with InterVarsity. After their time of sharing, they asked if we could pray for those staff who are having struggle with their parents. It was so emotional as I saw the real pain of my coworkers whose parents were ashamed of their call to full time ministry. I am so grateful that my parents and Jon's parents have supported me and have been an active part of my team. Please pray for these men and women. Pray that God would do a work in their families, as well as give them the confidence and approval in Him that they need to do the work that they are called to do.

Orientation for New Staff Day 1

ROAD TRIP

Everyone loves a good old fashioned road trip right? Last night Tina and Lisa arrived in Albion and we left this morning for good ol' Madison, Wisconsin where we will be having our Orientation for New Staff. We hit a lot of construction traffic which put us behind. And who knew you could never find a gas station on a toll road (even if you get off the toll road to area roads). Thank God that we did not run out of gas. The trip was great.

We got into town before 5 pm and were able to get settled into our hotel room. It is a great hotel, overlooking the capitol. It is so beautiful. We are being catered with some great food. It makes me miss my hubby :)

Tonight was just the introduction night. I sat with a man that works at InterVarsity Press, and he had some great life stories and wisdom to share. Speaking of InterVarsity Press, we get a free book each day here---so that means I need to get to reading them. Look forward to future posts, and conversations about the books I read.

After introductions and basic instructions, we had family group time, getting to know people that we will be spending lots of time with in the next 10 days. I have people in my group from all over the country, and it is great to get to know each and every one of them.

PRAISE GOD!!!! I am currently at 49% of my funding. Thanks to all who have given, or will be giving to support this ministry! I believe that God will bless both the gift and the giver!!!!!

And the adventure continues.......

Planning Weekend 2007

Friday and Saturday, myself, Pastor John and 6 other students spent the weekend seeking the Lord for His heart for the campus and developing plans for the next semester. We spent time in prayer, Bible Study, learning God's heart. We cast a vision and developed plans to reach the campus (and enjoyed lots of food:) )

A brief recap....
FRIDAY:

-Discussed who we were and what we were called to do. We believe that God has called us to be witnesses on the campus to influence the campus for Christ.

-Studied Jonah 3:10-4:14. We saw God's heart was for Ninevah to repent from their evil ways and for Jonah to be used as an instrument of repentance. We saw that this could be God's heart for Albion as well. That we should desire to see repentance, and like Jonah, challenged to be obedient with that call.

-Spent time in prayer for our campus. We prayed for our influence and our plans. We also prayed for those in our lives who do not yet know Christ.

-Discussed our niche in the Christian community.

-Came up with our mission statement for the year:

ALBION COLLEGE IVCF 2007-2008 MISSION:

"The purpose of seeking out Christians and encouraging them to join a community where they will be spiritually challenged, as well as establishing a body that is a welcoming, wtinessing community to reach out to the unbelievers on our campus."

We all signed our mission statement as a representation for our commitment to the campus and our desire to see students and faculty transformed, campuses renewed and world changers developed!

SATURDAY:

Spent most of the day making plans for the year.

-We are praying for 3 Small Group Bible Studies. We currently have 2. We are thinking and praying about the idea of having a pre-med Bible study, asking questions about medical ethics. As we were sitting around the table planning, it was a clear direction that we should be praying, with 4 premed students on our vision team.

-High emphasis on freshmen outreach. We desire to see the Christian freshmen plugged in and having a place for evangelistic outreach.

-We will be having a weekly leadership team, that I will lead, continue to develop a vision for the campus, train in leadership skills, discipleship. Together we will be praying for the campus.

-We will have one fellowship event a month that is designed for us to spend time in outreach!

-In October we want to have a speaker come in from the community to talk about racisim. "The Issue of Racism: The Role of the Local Church." I am very excited for this event!!!

-We want to have some events that we can invite high school students to be a part of. It was brought up this week that it is a high need in the community to have high schools students plugged in with older students.

Here are some pictures of the weekend!

This is Elizabeth, our chapter president making some goals for us!

Sorry for the fuzzy photo, but I wanted to give you all a picture of what Pastor John looks like. He has been a great blessing to me and an amazing liason for me and the community!

This is Jon, a religion major, a junior, and Elizabeth's boyfriend. I am not sure if he is hiding from the picture, or engrossed in scripture!

This is Kwame (his name means "Saturday") He is a junior from Ghana. He is an amazing man after God's own heart and has been a blessing to me. He is an RA this year, which will be great for us to have someone who knows a lot of freshmen and have connections with Residential Life!

This is William and he is DEFINITLY hiding from this picture!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

-That the students would continue to develop a heart for unbelievers and a vision to reach the campus

-A possible pre-med bible study?

-1 more small group leader

-students would grow over the summer in their walk with God

-I am leaving for Madison, WI on Monday the 18th and will be gone for 10 days. Pray for safe travel, good fellowship and that I would retain all that I learn. I am there for New Staff Orientation.

-My continued funding process. I am currently at 35%.

Peace out!

Hey Guys,

It was pointed out to me that you could not post comments, well it should be working now. Let me know if it isn't. That means, I should be getting comments from all!