Volume 13 Issue 3 | January 15, 2019
Monthly Snapshot
IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS
In December, my teammate Tabitha asked me if I’d join her as she led a cross-cultural training in Boston. I jumped at the opportunity. Understanding the experiences of others and engaging in meaningful conversations in culturally-sensitive ways is crucial in our mission to reach every student with the Gospel. Not only did we have great conversations about race, ethnicity, and culture with the staff on the Western Suburbs team, I got to meet some of the staff with whom I have been communicating about summer placement for the past few months. It was like meeting old friends… for the first time.
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This dear friend made driving 8 hours each way (to and from Boston) a breeze
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The theme
of important conversations continued as I traveled to Baltimore for Cru Winter
Conference /// Baltimore (December 27 to January 1). One of my team leaders,
Mike, and I met with several staff who have been stakeholders for our Summer
Mission in Wildwood, NJ. Due to a lack of laborers, we had to close Wildwood
Summer Mission for the summer of 2019. We met to hear the staff in their plea to
reopen Wildwood in 2020 as opposed to closing it indefinitely. We discussed the
path forward, and as we parted ways, I was told that they left feeling heard
and cared for. It wasn’t an easy conversation, but I was so grateful for the
face to face time. I’m praying the trust we built will carry us through this
messy situation. Please pray with us that the Lord will continue to draw the
people in Wildwood to Himself.
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Sophie and Rachel, Pittsburgh interns
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While in
Baltimore, I also had a chance to meet with four first-year interns for a
mid-year check in. Two of the girls are serving in Pittsburgh and were in my
very last freshman class at Pitt! It was so sweet to hear stories of what the
Lord has done in their lives since I moved away nearly four years ago. All four
of the ladies I met with were so sweet. I loved digging into their hearts and
lives a little bit and offering both a listening ear and encouragement. I am so
grateful for opportunities to care for our staff!
That leads me to my next opportunity. I’ll be heading to Malaga, Spain for one of our mid-year conferences later this week. I look forward to caring for our long-term and one-year laborers serving in Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. Pray for good times of reflection and open and honest conversation as I meet with our International Staff, those laborers who serve long-term. And pray as I talk through future options with our STINTers. We obviously want many of them to join us long-term, but even more than that, we want them to follow the Lord wherever He leads.
PRAISE AND PRAYER
Praise the Lord! I got the
results back from my testing in November, and I am cancer free! I am
feeling less sick as we figure out some of the causes and triggers of my
symptoms. It seems stress is the biggest culprit.
We STILL haven’t heard anything
about Adam’s immigration status. I’m afraid the government shut down will
prolong our agony for an indefinite length of time. Please keep praying for
a favorable decision! After sixteen months apart, I will finally get to see
my beloved after Midyear! We will be meeting in a safe location in Africa
for a weeklong visit. We will get to do ordinary things like eating
together and talking face to face!
Please pray for refreshment for
each of the STINTers and International Staff attending each of our mid-year
conferences around the globe, including the one I will be attending in
Spain.
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50B N. Kinzer Road
meets personal spiritual and relational needs, that provides training and experience, and that offers opportunities to engage in the mission – is so very important to me.
For most staff in the Campus Ministry of Cru, their regular assignment on campus is only ten months out of the year. That means that every school year, we go through the process of finding summer placements for each staff member. Most staff will go to one of the hundreds of Summer Missions we offer all around the world. They will recruit students to come with them and then disciple and train the students as the students engage in a wide variety of ministry opportunities. Some staff will go through training – training for new Team Leaders, seminary courses with our Institute of Biblical Studies, or cross-cultural ministry training. Others play supporting roles, coaching our new staff and interns as they work on Ministry Partner Development or coaching students as they launch and lead movements over the summer. Even in our small corner of the country, where we only have 165 full-time campus staff in ten states, it feels like there are a million moving pieces.
