Happy Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas to all!

Well, I have been a little slack in updating my blog this semester so I hope you will accept my deepest apologies and hopefully we will be able to start afresh in the new year! This fall has been very good to me. I don't even know where to begin when trying to recall all of the amazing experiences I have had this fall but I suppose it is fitting to start with the best. I GOT MARRIED! Haha, I am sure if you are reading this you already knew this fact but I still like yelling it whenever I can. The wedding went very well without a single hitch. My wife and I spent a very nice 4 day honeymoon in Charleston, SC. We had one great day on the beach and it rained the other three ... but we had a wonderful time and got to see a lot of the sites ... albeit from beneath a large umbrella.
When we returned it finally felt like I could really settle into my job and devote myself to the students because I wasn't constantly looking at my calendar waiting for the 10th of October to roll around. Because of this I have been enjoying my job more and more as I deepen my relationships with students and God has blessed me with students that are seeking answers and have no qualms discussing their problems with me and seeking advice and guidance. Throughout the semester God has really opened my eyes to a lot of my own sin as well. God has repeatedly crushed my pride and self-worth and truly shown me that to grow we must be broken... the more I realize my need for Christ, the more grace and love God has bestowed. I have truly been blessed beyond measure and I don't know why...but God is good! I only hope to have the same joy in Him when things don't go as planned.
However, to update you on things going on with Belhaven RUF! Chad Smith, campus minister at Belhaven College (now University in fact!), has finished taking us through the David story. He really opened a lot of students eye's to the fact that David wasn't all that holy, and that through reading about him we can see ourselves and the wonderful redemption we have in Christ. Students are eagerly awaiting what we will be covering next semester. I have been very slack in taking pictures at events and of students but hopefully this will improve next semester. If you do want to see some pictures of students in RUF now and some of the events we had this semester, friend me on facebook! I will be uploading more photo's on the blog next semester as well as updating on a more regular basis.
As far as my wife and I's own personal needs, please pray that my support would come through. God has been very generous but I still need about $3500.00 to $4000.00 by the first of March to complete my year's support. Also, please pray that God would provide other young adults and couples in the area that we can befriend and fellowship with. We will be joining the local Presbyterian church, right next to campus, in February and we hope this will open more opportunities for community. Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support. Please stay in touch and don't hesitate to call, email or visit! Happy Christmas and New Year!

Arrival!

I made it! After flying from Cleveland to Atlanta to Toronto, driving to Buffalo and Greyhounding from there to Cleveland and trucking from Cleveland to Jackson, I have finally arrived at my destination and home for next few years at least. I and my two good friends, Ryan Wells and Josh Putnam drove the truck down to Jackson, MS through probably the worst thunder, lightning and rainstorm I have ever experienced. It stretched from Cincinnati, OH to Nashville, TN!! Ridiculous!!! How this was not plastered all over the news is beyond me! Haha, but God protected us, as well as, all of my belongings and our Penske truck, for which I am very thankful.

I arrived on the evening of August 11th and have been crazy busy ever since. We moved freshman and transfer students in on Saturday and classes begin this Thursday! There hasn't been much time to sit down and process the fact that I am now living alone, extremely far away from all my friends, supporters, family and loved ones. However, God has been so awesome and has literally thrown new friends in front of me! I have met so many people and have yet to eat three square meals by myself. People have been so gracious and inviting and supportive ever since I have arrived. It has been an incredible blessing and I am so thankful that God has provided such a warm and inviting place for me to live.

Here are some pictures of my first week of experiences in Jackson, MS!

My new home!

My first dinner ... Go Hungryman!!

Yes, I cut my own hair ... thats a first for me, folks and yes, it is ridiculously hot down here.

To all of my financial and prayer supporters, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! I can't tell how grateful I am and how much your support has meant to me over the past 3 months. God's love has truly been shown through you all and I can't thank you all enough. I still have about 7,500 more to raise to reach my year goal but I am sure that God will provide.

For those of you who would like to know how you can pray for me here are some prayer requests!

1. That the rest of my support would come in soon!

2. That God would open the hearts of the students to the Gospel, especially the athletes.

3. That God would strengthen my own soul and my heart for ministering to students, especially athletes.

4. That God would be with Naomi and myself as we prepare to be married in 52 days!

5. That God would knit our core group of student leaders together well as we prepare to jump into a new semester.

6. and Finally, pray that God would bring many students to our first large group on the night of Tuesday the 25th. We will be going through the life of David.

On the road again!

Well I am currently sitting in the center of the Charlotte airport, on my way to RUF Staff Training! I can't wait to see all everybody again from June and meet all the other folks that make RUF tick. It has been the craziest summer ever with so much traveling via planes, trains and automobiles (literally!!) that I didn't even have time to freak out more than once ... ok maybe twice haha. While it has been a busy summer it has also been incredibly rewarding in so many ways! I would never have thought that raising support could teach you so much! I have grown so much in my faith and trust in Christ as well as my own personal confidence and assurance that I am doing exactly what God wants me to do. It has been immensely comforting to see people rally behind me and it has taught me a lot about what christian community means and how amazing it is to be a part of it!! I can't even express the joy and excitement I have gotten out of seeing all of the financial support just over the past week come in.

I now have 25,000 dollars in my account and am clear to move down to my campus. I still have another 7,000 dollars to raise by February but am confident that the God will provide. My schedule from here on out is pretty hectic, I am on my way to staff training in Atlanta, GA. I will be there through the 31st of July. From there I fly to Toronto, ONT on August 1st and with be there with my future-in-laws through the 9th. I will be busing home to Akron, OH on the 9th and will pick up the moving truck and start the trek down to Jackson, MS with the help of two of my good friends, Josh Putnam and Ryan Wells. So its going to be a crazy next couple of weeks but I am really looking forward to what I will learn and the experiences I will have. Thank you all for your support through prayers and finances and I can't wait to update you when I get down to Jackson.

I will miss you, Ohio

The sunset outside my apartment window.

Brandywine Falls, 5 minutes from my house.
A hidden bend in the Cuyahoga River

Goodbyes are closing in

Well, I am down to my last two weeks in Ohio. I will be leaving on the 27th of July to head down to Atlanta, GA for Staff Training and will leave from there to head up to Canada till the 9th of August. I will be back to Akron on the evening of the 9th and pack up all my stuff to move down to Jackson, MS.

I find myself freaking out a little bit inside, thinking about all of the friends and family I am leaving behind. I keep shrinking away from saying goodbye to people because I don't WANT to say goodbye! But this is the path that the Lord has directed my footsteps onto and as much as I don't want to say goodbye to everyone, I want even more to start down this path and see where God takes me as I start work down at Belhaven College.

I am really looking forward to meeting new people and getting involved in a new church and city and state. Its just the mixed feelings of excitement and sadness are really screwing with me right now! Fund raising over the past couple of months has been intense in many different ways but has made me grow so much in a very short period of time. I feel truly blessed to be able to share my heart with all of the people supporting me and to see the financial support come in over the past few weeks has been overwhelming. I can't even express the feelings of gratitude that I have towards everyone that has been supporting me through their prayers and/or finances. God has been so gracious in giving me so many good friends and such a supportive family. I still have more money to raise but I feel confident that the Lord will provide, because He has already provided so much!

As I work to raise support and try to enjoy and soak in my last few days in Ohio, please pray that God would provide the rest of my support and that He would help me to keep in touch with all of the wonderful friends and family that I am leaving behind. I look forward to telling you all about my life in Jackson and how Christ is using Naomi and I at Belhaven College.

Side Note:

Also read Psalms 104 and 105 ... they added to my excitement about life

EXCITEMENT!!!

I really don't know why but this week I am excited. Maybe it's all the coffee I have consumed talking but I am so excited about life right now. Ya'll who are interns, we have been given a wicked awesome opportunity to raise money for this ministry and to have a crazy awesome time with college students for the next two years. Yeah we will be way lonely and want to die and will probably call our families daily and try to convince them to buy webcams once we actually move to our campuses but until then lets be excited! Haha, I seriously can't think of a better job to have. We get to talk about Jesus, read books, have fun with fellow interns, go to great conferences, learn a ton about God and His Word and ... we get paid... sort of... but yeah I just can't keep my excitement in right now and wanted to let ya'll know! haha I think I am giggling I am so excited. Well if you are excited too LET ME KNOW! and tell us why...

The Fruit of Amazing Grace

As the days pass by and I have more and more conversations with people about college ministry and how God has changed the direction of my life, I keep hearing this nagging voice in the back of my mind. It says, "You aren't worth these people's money. They would never give you this if they knew who you really were. I mean look at you ... you aren't even doing anything but running around and asking people to support you in a place they have never seen, helping students they have never met, and you are going to a CHRISTIAN COLLEGE for goodness sake! They don't need your help! What can you possibly offer them that they haven't already heard before!?".

As I hear this voice and listen to it, I feel like it has a point sometimes. It begins to get to me... it brings me down and takes me to my knees. I don't think I have ever prayed as much in my life. So many worries are bombarding me and I don't even know how to combat them or which way to turn for help. Each time I try to defend myself, Satan finds a new hole in my armour... an opening... vulnerable to attack. Because of this I am so thankful that the intern's study program begins with the book of Mark and Trusting God by Jerry Bridges. Reading Mark has really shown to me the active, powerful, thrilling nature of Christ. Everywhere you look its action action action!! Jesus is running everywhere, healing and teaching, right and left! Merely reading this gives me strength and confidence because I know that Jesus is doing that right now for me. He is running right and left, healing my wounds and teaching me more about Him and His kingdom. He is combating Satan on every front of this spiritual war ... and winning.

I really appreciate the portion of Mark 11 where Christ withers the fig tree because it has born no fruit but has many leaves. It is putting forth a show of fruitfulness but is truly empty and void of fruit. Sometimes I feel like I'm this tree ... putting on a show of confidence and talking about examples of MY fruit. But through this time of fundraising, God has truly shown me that all of the fruit of His kingdom ... all of the fruit that His people bring forth ... belongs to Him. It is only through Jesus that we have been able to bring forth fruit and it is only through Jesus that I am able to raise this money. It is through this financial fruit that Jesus has brought forth that I will be able to go to Belhaven College and reach and equip students for Christ. I need fear no attack from Satan on any front because I have Jesus and through me He has chosen to bear fruit. Nothing that I have done deserves this honor ... only His amazing grace has made this possible. All you other interns raising your money and feeling like you aren't bearing any fruit... we ARE! Thank God for this awesome opportunity ... to give people the chance to be a part of it. RIGHTEOUS!!!

Remembering and Organization:

It is ridiculous how easily we forget the things that can help us most. I have been trying to trust God's will for my life and at the same time have been trying my utmost to take control of it for myself. I totally lost it this past Sunday and just broke down because I tried to take control and in doing so, completely lost control. Thankfully I have an amazing fiancee who constantly reminds me of God's goodness and grace and I am back on track, living my life day by day and throwing my cares on the Lord.

Recently, I have been making a disciplined effort to become organized to some degree and man, I give all organized people mad props because it is tough! So far I have had minor successes here and there, mainly in the area of writing things down in a planner and doing things right away so I don't have to remember them, haha! But I am really struggling in the prayer and reading area, i.e. keeping up with the study program. I just can't seem to have a scheduled time to read and because of that I am never consistent on a day to day basis. Any tips!? I am really at a loss so far. I just don't see how people can maintain that consistency! Ya'll are keeping a secret from me or something! Hopefully things will improve the more practice I have and the more effort I put into it. Ah well, I think I am going to just go fishing and relax for the evening.

Peace in Preparation

I will start with a disclaimer. I have never been very good at keeping up with journals or blogs. However, I am making a determined effort to become more organized and consistent with all of the above. So here we go into a hopefully crazy awesome time of seeing Christ at work in Jackson, MS.
For this journey to begin there is a lot of money that all of us, interns, are required to raise individually. This is a daunting task that is continually haunting my waking and sleeping hours and hangs over me like a little black raincloud blocking the sunshine. However, I have never been so close to or reliant on Christ as I am now because this task drives me continually to my knees in prayer. There is no way that I will be able to raise this money on my own but only through the grace of God and the never ending love of Jesus. It constantly amazes me how He continually draws us to Himself in times of trial and tribulation. In His arms we find the hope, comfort and confidence necessary to accomplish the moving of mountains. In Him I rest, knowing that if it is His will, I have no need to worry and have the true peace that the Lord gives. "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." - John 14:27