Walking by Faith

Erin is going to be my new roommate in Montevallo in the fall. She is a senior on the soccer team and has a heart for lost at montevallo to come to know him. She will be going on a cross cultural project (mission trip) this summer for the month of june to sydney austrailia. Though I am just getting to know her her heart for the Lord and love for missions encourages me. I thought I would put a link to her blog on the right about her trip to sydney and information on what God is doing with that trip and at montevallo from a student's perspective. It always encourages me to hear about work God is doing all over the world and I thought it might encourage you to know that through your support you are helping many students like Erin have these opportunities!

http://erinsmissiontosydneyaustralia.blogspot.com/

Staff partners Ben and Jeffrey! These guys have for real been brothers for me this semester...I am so thankful and grateful to them and their families for how much they have taught me. I couldn't ask for better staff partners. We were playing in the picture but there might have been some real tears as we went into our last campus outreach rally at South Alabama. The theme of the night was "Jesus is better than life" The one thing we want to leave the students with is that.....better than life, air, food, sex, relationships, school.....Jesus is better than life. Before the meeting as these men pleaded with God for laborers to be raised from that room and for them to not just be challenged tonight but to walk with Him for a lifetime and give their life away for him....I felt so privileged to be a part of what God has been doing and will continue to do at South Alabama after we are gone.

Brittany and Laura Jo from D group at our last campus outreach formal rally. I'm gonna miss these girls. Brittany is actually going to spend this summer as an intern at Common Ground Montgomery. She will be working with urban missionaries there in the inner city and reaching out to kids through programs, tutoring, events, and to show and share the love of Christ. Laura Jo will actually be with me at the Summer Beach Project. She is going as a group leader this summer so you can pray for them both that they would grow in their relationship with God and that he would use this summer to help them learn how to give their lives away for the rest of their life.


We had our last weekly bible study last night! We will still see each other with two more weeks left of school but it was our last formal group. We talked about discipleship....the importance of being a disciple and investing in others as well. As we looked at scriptures and had discussion on what we were learning....it never fails each week that I sit back as they are talking and think wow look at God work! What he has done in their lives is something only he can do! Some of these girls lives looked so radically different a year or even 6 months ago and to hear them talking about things they are learning from his word! This is so special and i'm so thankful to be a part. If there is one thing God has humbled me with this semester is that I can't change hearts or make people grow but him that does the work and draws them to himself. Thankyou for praying for me and these girls. Some of them are thinking of going to SBP so you can pray for their decision making and summers.

With the knowledge that we will soon be leaving campus here at South The Lord has really pushed me more than ever to make the most of my time here and to make every moment count. Our pastor encouraged us to think about what Jesus did when he knew that he was leaving soon. (He invested deeper in those that were with him.) As a staff our 2 main goals for the rest of the semester have been 1) invest in and encourage students to walk with God for a life time and 2) Connect students more strongly to local churches where they can continue to get fed and grow. I feel God has really been blessing me to build stronger relationships with girls and I am most of all enjoying every minute of ministry here at South Alabama! I’m praying that several of the students we’ve been spending time with will also decide to come to the summer beach project to get more training in growing in a relationship with God. You can pray that God would really work in the students lives and that he would prepare them to continue ministry next year on the campus and in the workforce as some of them graduate!

I spent 4 days in Montevallo last week!!! I went to get to know some students and staff as well as find an apartment and learn more about the campus. Most of all God confirmed in my heart that this is where he is leading me and I am more at peace about this decision. With just 3000 students everyone that I met (I met a LOT of people) I kept running into so I really felt like I was able to connect well to many of the students. I was able to room with some girls from the soccer team. 2 of them were not believers and 1 of them (Erin) will be my future roommate. We were able to share the gospel with them together and the girls responded really well. They are even open to doing a 4 week investigative bible study with erin to investigate more about what it really means to be a Christian! I’m told that Montevallo has 30-40 students coming to the summer beach project this summer so you can be praying for that!

Thoughts on UM:

Positive:
>Found a roommate and apartment all in one day...it's all set to move in July!
>Small campus. I think this is a great fit for me. Everyone that I met I continually ran into. I really felt like I was able to build a lot of relationships and meet a lot of people in just a few days! I really like the campus.
>Community. Montevallo students are gamers...They love games as do I so as soon as the games started after the squaredance I fell more in love with the students! I also appreciated that they really brought others especially freshmen into their community. I really saw a lot of interaction with freshmen and others and was really impressed with this. It really seems like there is a team to labor with.
>Multiplication. I really liked that it seems like a sense of ownership is being passed on with the students there. Even in the first d group that some of the girls were in they were challenged to start praying about who they would lead and invest in in 6 months and then go out and evangelize and disciple! I saw some laborers and was challenged and encouraged....
>Lost. I got to room with 3 soccer girls. 1 will be my future roommate and the other 2 are not believers. I have so many fears about the personality climate of a new place and if I will be able to relate. I walked away from the weekend with 2 more friends and I got to share the gospel with them....One of them is going to do a test of true belief bible study with erin (my future roommate)....another freshmen girl rachel that erin and I met decided to come to SBP after one conversation we had....she signed up the next day! anyways it was like God saying to me you can do this! and trust me!
>Connecting with girls going to SBP....I got to connect with some freshmen girls going to SBP. I feel like I already am friends with them so I'm so much more excited to go!
>Laboring: I really felt like I gave my life away in the time that I was there. I really enjoyed doing ministry there that week and feel like God confirmed more in my heart that this decision was his leading, guiding, and directing. He is in control, loving, and faithful and if he wants it then I'm glad to see what he has in store.

Struggles:
> I definetly feel the weight of being at south and finishing well. This has been such a joy and I desire to and feel called finish well on campus here and with the girls I'm currently leading. I love them and am very sad to leave them.
>I just got back from birmingham for the third time this month. I was there for the weekend for SBP planning and the mobilization retreat for our juniors and seniors to prepare for walking with God and life after college. The driving and messed up routine is getting to be a bit much for me.
>I'm if anything going backwards with support raising now at 660 a month I need to raise. I'm trying to trust him of course!

With the transition underway I have lost several monthly financial supporters. I am currently in need of raising about $660 a month more to be fully funded by the time beach project starts at the end of May. God is using this most of all to teach me how to depend on him and trust him to provide! Please keep this in your prayers that God would bring me to more people like you who would find it a joy to invest in this ministry. Thank you so much for your support!

This semester I have had the awesome privilege to invest in some junior college girls. Kelsey and Laura Jo have been involved with the ministry for a couple of years even before I got here. They have really shown their desire to walk with Jesus and invest in others. Both girls encourage me so much with their desire to fight the battle well and trust God with their lives. Through decisions and even commitment to his word and prayer it is encouraging to see God raise up laborers in each of them and use them in the lives of others. They have each led someone to the Lord this semester!