We have been praying for favor in
our community. Our goal during this time
of transition has been to begin to build deep relationships with the people
that are around us. We have a special sense
that God is at work and there are many people and students here who are longing
for relationship. We have taken courage
to introduce ourselves to our neighbors, students, teachers, and church
body. Our being here for the sake of
Christ will change lives-not because of us but because of Jesus already working
and us encouraging others to join Him.
God has shown us His care for us
in our transition in many ways. One
example of this is that we initially wanted (really wanted) to be in a different housing location, but we now can
see how God knew and wanted the best for us.
Our location is included in the school boundary for one of the best
schooling options for our kids. If we
would have gotten into the housing we preferred, we would have been at a
different schools. We can really see how
God is taking care of our entire family even if it went against what we
initially wanted or thought would be best for us.
Another praise is that we have
found a church body to call home. We had
a small search, but believe that God has led us to the place where we need to
be. We have felt called in this season to
do life with our church body, our neighborhood community, our staff team and students
as one entity. This seems like a real
possibility now as we believe the church we have been called to has a similar
passion for Christ and to reach our community.
We are looking forward to see what the Lord will do.
I am super excited to see the work
that God is doing already on campus this fall!
We have seen a handful of students come to receive Christ as their Lord
and Savior through the leadership of willing students.
Tyler (2nd from the left) made a decision to
trust Christ this fall.
The Power of an invitation: An involved freshman, Kyle, invites Tyler to
meet with some of the staff. Through the
building of relationship and an intentional effort to share the Gospel, Tyler
places his faith in Christ. God is
drawing His children to Himself and using willing individuals for His
glory. Thank you Father! Rejoice together in this new life and pray
for more!
Leaving Eugene Well
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How do you say goodbye to people you have
walked with through difficult, joyous, and crazy times? We thought of this as we started to shift
our minds to the move and all the goodbyes.
I thought through what I would say, how I would challenge, how I
would care for these brothers and sisters that we have known so well. What
a privilege it has been to get the chance to influence even one of these
students for the person of Christ. And
I want to let you personally know that your partnership has been crucial in
changing the lives of these students.
I would encourage you to watch this video that these students put
together and put yourself in there when they are mentioning us. Thank you!
Here’s an update on one of our students-
Chris. He went through a terrible
time of losing his father his freshman year of college. And it wrecked his faith in Christ. Yet, through conversations, prayer and
healing he started to trust God and in turn, trusting those around
him. With tears in my eyes I can
report that Chris has been taking steps not only to trust Christ today, but
with His future too. This came to a head
when he was considering a summer missions project to Australia. After going on a previous trip to Lake
Tahoe, he stated that it would be too much to consider going on another
trip. Yet, Christ was working in Him. Chris was challenged to really trust
Jesus for after college. He
basically was stating that he needed to control his own future. So Chris
spent several weeks asking God what He wanted him to do. He sought counsel from his mom and other
wise people encouraging him to trust Christ in this moment. Chris made the
leap and decided to go to Australia.
And after returning from Australia, Chris was able to say, “I really
enjoy serving. Everyone affirmed me as being a leader.” Be so proud, You are a part of Chris’s
life being changed for His Kingdom.
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These are the men that Chris (far left) was able to lead and
influence on the Australia Summer Mission Project.
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When we first started considering if God was leading us to
Seattle, we thought, “What will happen to the students that we have poured our
lives into? Who will care for them?” I didn’t
yet feel released to leave. But we soon
learned that God had been calling Rob Hamm, a Cru staff in the region, to the
UofO. What great provision for the campus and the students we love. We believe
that Rob isn’t just filling an empty spot, but his giftings will build off of
what Jesus has started in these students and take it further and deeper.
When we began to share with others about what God was calling us
to, we were affirmed over and over. Though not without a few tears,(some ours,
some theirs), friends, the church body and ministry partners who have been with
us for years and those who are new could see how God was in this next
chapter.
We are so thankful for the community, the family, the church and
the neighborhood that we have been a part of these last nine years. To be
honored and cared for by the Body meant so much to us. We keep recounting that
we were sent off with so much love. Our
hearts overflow.
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