Since Summer Project is packed full of action, my goal is to send you a weekly update and prayer requests. The staff has already been here for two weeks, and the students are finishing out their first full week. We are now past the orientation weeks, and the regular weekly schedule started yesterday.
* The students all arrived safely last Tuesday. There are 11 guys living in two apartments and 19 girls in the other two apartments at the "Three Jacks." Praise the Lord, there hasn't been any roommate conflict yet. Please continue to pray for patience and understanding as the students are crammed into their apartments and have very little personal space (read: their only personal space is their bunk).
* Most of our students have found jobs, but some are still searching. Their jobs are their primary ministry locations, so pray that they would get jobs that allow them to interact with and build relationships with their coworkers. Pray for boldness in sharing why they're here for the summer and for wisdom in asking intentional questions.
* Our very first Project event was evangelism on the boardwalk. Some of the students were nervous, having never done surveys before, but they all had a willing attitude. The staff members paired their Bible studies up so that an experienced person went with an inexperienced or less experienced person. Before going out, we broke out into Bible studies and prayed. It was beautiful to see 30 college students seeking the Lord and stepping out in faith to make Him known. We did surveys on the boardwalk again on Saturday, and the students were excited. One group of girls got to share the Gospel with three college-aged women. They had the awesome privilege of seeing two of those women pray to receive Christ right then and there! The Project girls said they couldn't believe it. What a great way to start the summer!
* On Friday, the Bible studies broke off and shared their Life Stories (also known as Soul to Soul). It was a time when the staff and their 3-4 (same sex) students shared the details of their lives. Not only did they talk about the basic timeline and major events of their lives, they shared the most personal and intimate details, like what they struggle with most. Chains always fall off during this time as people bring sin into the light and begin the healing process. There's an understanding that the information shared is confidential, and the group bonds as a community in a way few people have ever experienced. That night at the cookout I could tell that the students felt more comfortable with each other. Women who had just met were suddenly as close as life-long friends. Praise the Lord!
* There are 5,000 international students living and working in OCMD this summer. Most of them (probably about 3,000) are Russian or Russian-speaking. The Lord has led Campus Crusade for Christ staff in Bulgaria and UIkraine (where Crusade is called "Agape") to bring some of their students here on an international Summer Project. All seven of their students speak Russian and will be living in an apartment complex with 60 other (non-Christian) Russian speaking students. Please pray for these staff and students as they pioneer and minister to the internationals here. Pray, too, that we would be able to partner with them in some creative and fun ways.
* On a personal note, I was involved in a minor car accident on Saturday. I felt an impression that I should slow down and stay alert even though I was obeying the speed limit. Then an SUV in the left lane tried to merge into my lane, crushing the right side of my car. I'm totally okay, and the damage seems to be superficial. I'm in the process of working out the report and repairs. I was shaken, but immediately went into ministry mode (thanks to the Holy Spirit). After I called to request an officer and an accident report, the other driver, Emily, and I sat on the curb for at least 40 minutes. It may have been longer. In that time, Emily must have apologized ten times. I tried to reassure her that I was okay and that I wasn't going to treat her poorly for her mistake. She finally started to open up and tell me about herself. I got to tell her what I do and why I'm in OCMD for the summer. I didn't get to share the Gospel clearly, but I trust the Lord will use our conversation to nudge her closer to Him. Please pray for Emily!
* And on another personal note, I got a text from my dad this morning saying that my mom is in the hospital. She found out she has Multiple Sclerosis in April and has since been visiting lots of doctors and having lots of tests done. When I was home in May, I went with her to the MS specialist. That day she found out she also has Lyme Disease. Last night, she had some unexplained bleeding that got progressively worse. She was admitted to the hospital, and they are running a bunch of tests to find the source and the cause. She battled colon cancer from 2002 to 2004, so she thinks this bleeding may be somehow related. There are a lot of prayer requests in this situation. The obvious one is that the doctors would have wisdom to find the problem and treat it. A bigger request, though, is that my mom would (finally) come to know the Lord. He certainly has her attention, but her heart has been hard toward "religion" and faith issues my whole life. She shuts down when I try to talk about my job or my faith. Please pray that the Lord would speak through me and the other Christians in her life and draw her into a relationship with Himself. It breaks my heart to know that she doesn't live in the freedom of the Gospel. As you can probably guess, this news has been really distracting. Please also pray that my ministry here would not be negatively affected. I can already see the ways the Enemy is fighting for my thoughts.
Thank you for partnering with me and, by default, everyone on this Project. ?We're all thankful!
