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Monday, November 29, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year I sure do have a lot to be thankful for.  I've got a wonderful husband who loves me very much, an awesome family who is behind me, and some of the most amazing friends you could ever ask for.  I think we often think about these types of things around Thanksgiving time, but do we take the time to be thankful for more than just those things?  What about the fact that I have a roof over my head, the fact that Lucas and I can afford to eat dinner every night, that we can have a dog, or even that we have jobs.  Sometimes, I think that we're thankful for the things that we feel we don't have control over in out lives, like family, friends, etc., those things that seem to have "just happened," but things like food and shelter...well, don't WE work to get that, so why be thankful? 

I was thinking about that this year.  This is my first Thanksgiving being on my ownish...that is not under my parents roof/support.  I haven't really had to think about where my next meal is going to come from or how much I spend on those mini marshmallows for the candied yams.  I realized that I'm constantly thinking how I wish I had more money to do this, or to do that, or get this or get that...and on Thanksgiving I really wasn't that thankful. I need to remind myself that I didn't do anything to have the funds I have, I wouldn't have the house I have, or the food I have without the Lord providing it for me.  That is why I need to be reminded to be Thankful everyday for the funds the LORD has provided for me to live where I do, eat the food that I want, and even have my dog. 

Overall, this Thanksgiving was pretty good.  I'm Super Thankful for all of my supporters who have helped me in my mission to reach the Greater Northwest. 

This week is going to be a VERY busy one, this and the next three.  We've got a lot of work to do to get ready for Cru Conference, but I'm thankful that I got a new computer to help in that, now if I can just get to work on making some movies! :-)

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Poetry Slam Video

If you want to see a video from the Poetry Slam that happened at PSU this past month, check out this video! It's pretty awesome! 


GNW Opterns version of "Home Alone"

I'm sorry I didn't post last week.  It was a very interesting time in the office because the vast majority of the staff was at a conference in Seattle.  The "Opterns," however, remained in Portland to hold down the fort.  While this doesn't really give me an excuse for missing last week, it's the main reason.  Last week the office seemed really slow and not nearly as much fun without all of the staff in the office. 

This is Justin and I talking with the two girls at PSU
So, here is a little bit about the past couple weeks.  If you receive my ministry update letter/email you read about my exciting week at the PSU Campus...that's still something that I've been thinking about.  For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, here is a quick recap.  I was sharing with another staff member with a couple girls on campus, when a guy interrupted us by yelling at us that we were lying because we didn't say we were Christians when we introduced ourselves.  One of the girls we were talking with, however, said after this guys rant, that she enjoyed talking with us and that if we had said that we were Christians she probably wouldn't have talked to us in the first place. 

So this is what I've been thinking about...Why is it expected that if you're a Christian, when you introduce yourself that you need to mention that?  I don't know of many people who say, "Hi, my name is John and I'm a (you fill in the religion of your choice).  Can I talk to you?" It has made the reality of going back on campus tomorrow a little bit less exciting.  It's not fun be yelled at.  I really don't like it. But I'm still going to go to campus and talk with people about Jesus, that's for sure!

Something really exciting that is starting is that I'm going to be involved with Disciplining some girls from the University of Portland!  I've never discipled in this way before, but I've had lot of experience living live with students, with Youth Group and OSU Cru.  I'm really excited to see how God works, not only in the lives of the women, but also in my own life. 

Well, that's all I have for now.  Perhaps I'll make up for my missing a week with another post this week.  Thanks! :)

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

New Staff Training, New House, New Month!

This last week-plus, has been a very busy one for Lucas and I both!  To start off on a personal note, Lucas and I moved into our new place and have started the process of settling in and figuring out where to put things.  We were so blessed to have awesome friends to spend time on their Sunday to help us load/unload the biggest U-Haul you can get.  The best thing was my friends from my office not only helped unload our truck, but they also helped us set up the bed, the kitchen and the living room!  Thank you Ops Team!

Now, for more of the work side of things.  This last week all of the new staff and interns in the region came together for the New Staff Training Field Trip in Portland.  It was really nice that we were able to stay in Portland for the trip, because that meant we were able to save a bit of money in the long run.  The training was pretty draining.  After having worked in the office for the past month and a half or so, I have gotten used to the 9-5, sitting at my desk at the computer, so spending hours on campus was very different.

We spent some time on Tuesday visiting different campuses in the Portland-Metro area.  I, personally, went to PCC, while two other teams went to Vancouver, one to Clark College and the other to WSU-Vancouver.  It was really encouraging to see the excitement and interest in starting Campus Crusade for Christ movements on these other campuses.  It seems like there is a real desire to have this kind of ministry here in the Portland area.  We also spent most of the day on Wednesday at PSU.  It was a little more intense than our usual Wednesday sharing times.  I was able to have several really good conversations with students about things.  One in particular was with a woman who was a pagan.  It was very interesting talking with her about her views on Christianity and the Bible.  It made me realize that there are a lot of very different views on what people think the Bible says and that I need to learn a lot more about the Bible in general. 

The highlight of the week was the first ever PDX Cru Poetry Slam.  The theme was, "Spit your best Jesus Poem...anything goes."  We had eleven poets come and share their hearts through poetry, some positive and several very negative, but a lot of, "Where are you God?" type of poems.  The winner got $300 cash, 2nd place $100 and 3rd, $50.  Then we had a featured poet come and share the gospel through his poetry.  It really got the students talking and we're really hoping to have a follow-up time where we can talk about some of the things that were brought up.  We had about an average of 80 people there!
The Cru New Staff Training field trip with Phil Long (the Sacrificial Poet) after the PDX CRU Poetry Slam!
 

Check back every week, I'm hoping to post new posts the first part of the week.  Thanks for all of your prayers for my family during my Grandpa's service.  It was really beautiful and the Lord was glorified in the service!