Last week was busy and somewhat overwhelming. Sorry I didn't send an update. Here's a long update to make up for it. :)
* Please pray for jobs for two of our girls. The workplace is their primary ministry location, and it's a crucial part of Project. These two girls were promised jobs at a new restaurant that was to open today, so they've just been waiting to start. This morning they found out the restaurant has run into some problems and can't open, so they are now jobless. They spent time in prayer and have a great outlook, but it will probably be difficult to find jobs this late in the summer. They only have about six work weeks left, and there's a new wave of international students (who can stay through October) arriving right now.
* On June 11 we went to Assateague Island for a bonfire. We played games like ultimate frisbee and made human pyramids and ate s'mores. It was a lot of fun, but what was even better was the worship around the fire. Two student men came prepared to lead worship for about a half an hour. They ended up playing for an hour. It was beautiful to see the students connecting with the Lord and offering Him unhindered praise.
* The "honeymoon phase" of Project is coming to an end. As our director often reminds the students, the idiosyncrasies that are kind of cute at first start to wear on you and your patience starts to run out as the honeymoon ends. Pray for good conflict resolution and for patience and for humility in interpersonal interactions.
* Last Monday (June 13), over half of the Project went to the "Eastern European Coffee House" run by the European Campus Crusade for Christ staff. We outnumbered the international students two to one, but they didn't seem to mind. We played games and talked for a few hours. Our students gained understanding, compassion, and a better vision for reaching internationals. The internationals have developed deeper relationships with some of our students who frequent the coffee house. Pray the Lord would bridge cultural and linguistic barriers to shine His light into the hearts of students. Pray, too, that our students would continue to grow in their desire to reach the nations.
* Fun God story: I was praying for our Saturday afternoon sports outreach because the sports approach is not always fruitful. We can so easily be distracted by the fun and competition of the sports and forget to actually share the Gospel. So, I was sitting on my couch, praying the Lord would use the outreach well, when two young men came to my door. They live nearby and were hoping to use our wireless internet for free. I was reluctant to give that information away, as we use our landlord's wifi connection but invited them in anyway. We chatted while I looked for the internet password (which I couldn't find anyway.) I discovered that they're from Ukraine and invited them to join us on the beach in 15 minutes. I asked if they know "volleyball" and make a bump motion with my hands. One of the guys, Vlad, lit up and said he had been looking for people to play with him for two weeks. He joined us at the court on fourth street. I introduced him to some of our students, and one of the girls recognized him as a coworker. Vlad connected with several of our students and enjoyed playing volleyball with us even though the sand was painfully hot. After the game dispersed, our students asked Vlad and some others to do a photo survey (called Soularium). He answered the questions, but it was obvious that he thinks God is distant and uninterested. Pray for our students who work with Vlad - that they would develop authentic relationships with him. Pray also that He will see the love of Christ in them.
* Pray for wisdom as the staff team assigns leadership positions to students this week. Our desire is to recognize students who are already leading, students who are spiritually and socially mature, students who are walking intimately with the Lord, and students who are able to lead in the absence of staff for the rest of the summer. Some of the roles are already clear, but some are still foggy.
* Students are starting to live a lifestyle of evangelism! Not only do they do initiative evangelism during discipleship and relational evangelism at work and event evangelism on Saturdays (as if that weren't awesome enough), they often choose to use their free time to strike up conversations on the boardwalk. They get it. They see that living for Jesus includes stepping out in faith. They feel the urgency to tell people the Truth. They are willing to sacrifice comfort to make Jesus known.
* I'll write more in this month's Snapshot, but praise the Lord for His work in the women. I have really loved my role in giving direction to the women's ministry. I love writing talks and developing discussion questions and finding books and articles for reflection. It has been really fun to watch the women open up with each other and to see the chains of sin and shame fall away.
* My mom still doesn't know what's going on in her body. She's spent the past two weeks visiting doctors, subjected to lots of testing. Right now the bleeding has stopped and it doesn't look like her cancer has come back (praise the Lord!), but they can't treat anything without a diagnosis. Please keep praying for her. She has mentioned God a few times in our conversations, but she doesn't quite get the Gospel yet. Oh! Another fun God story: my brother, Scott, plays baseball with a boy whose mom has M.S. too. She and her husband are Believers and shine Jesus brightly. She has invited my mom to join an M.S. support group at a local (biblical, healthy, growing) church. I am so excited about their friendship. Pray the Lord will use this woman to share with my mom in ways that I can't!
* I also had a really great conversation with my biological father on father's day. Since my parents' divorce in '86, he has floated in and out of my life. As an adult, I have sought to build a relationship with him and have come to really enjoy him. As we talked, I remembered the letter I wrote to him in the living room of one of the apartments in the Three Jacks last summer. I was here for a Project reunion and felt the overwhelming need to write him a letter of forgiveness. I shared the Gospel in the letter and forgot all about it until last night. I was shocked to hear that he had been at a Switchfoot concert this weekend. He knows they're a Christian band and thinks they're really good. He even met the band and talked with them. It turns out my dad is helping "Stand Up for Kids," an organization that works to protect street kids, by manning their booths at Switchfoot concerts this summer. Crazy. Pray that my dad's love of music and respect for musicians will open his heart to the Gospel. Pray the guys of Switchfoot will shine Christ's love and speak of His message of salvation boldly.
Thanks again for your prayers! We need them, and the Lord is answering them.
