Waaaay Behind....

Today I was reading the blogs of my friends and thinking about my blog. I haven't been so great at keeping up with it but today I feel more motivated so perhaps things will change for the better. :)

So, what has been up in my world? Well, a lot actually. In February I wrote that I felt very behind in life and with God. Shortly after that post I got really sick. After a lot of doctor's visits and tests the diagnosis was: "either mono or some other virus". So, unfortunately I spend the rest of the spring semester here in Missoula feeling pretty under the weather. By the end of April I felt a TON better but still not my normal self. Please pray for my health. It's nice to know that its nothing serious but so frustrating to not be as active as I'm used to.

In light of my health issues the last few months, there were some changes made to what I would be doing this summer. You see every summer Campus Crusade staff receive a summer assignment. We get to give leadership to different Summer Projects and work with students either in the states or overseas. You might recall that last summer I was in Lake Tahoe. Another option is for staff to take seminary classes or leadership classes to further our development. Originally I was supposed to go to Croatia but because of my health it was decided that it would be better for me to stay in the states. Instead, I will be going through what is called The Leadership Track in Ft. Collins, Colorado. I'm not exactly sure what the class will be like but I know that I will be developing my own leadership style and growing in that area. I think it will be a great opportunity for me, especially because this year I have been asking a lot of questions of myself when it comes to my leadership ability.

The school year wrapped up nicely about a month ago now. I'll have to write more about that in the next blog. It has been so great to reflect on what the Lord has done on this campus this year. Praise Him with me for His greatness and the ways He changes the lives of people every day.

As I think back on the year, I am more in love with my job and my life than I was at the beginning. That's a great feeling! I am more certain that this is truly what God has called me to do and I absolutely love it. Please continue to pray for my work with college students at the University of Montana. Pray also for my financial support. Thankfully, God daily provides for me in amazing ways but I will need to spend some time working on this and would appreciate your prayers for that.

Well, this is a quick update but I just wanted you to know that I am alive and well. I will write more in the days to come and of course there will be pictures. Have a great day! :)

Life...

Do you ever have times in your life when you think that it is impossible to do all that is before you? I am feeling that way tonight...wait, who am I kidding, I've been feeling that way since January!

I feel behind...with you, my faithful readers; with my family; with friends; with ministry. And maybe the biggest part of the problem is that I feel behind with God. I hate that! Why does God seem to be the first thing I push down on my daily list and yet He's the one thing that would truly help me in all the other areas??? It's not just tasks that seem hard lately either. Being with God has been hard. Listening to God has been hard.

Every day I tell God that I'm not sure I can do the things He is asking me to do. And every day, I am reminded that I definitely CANNOT do the things He's asking of me, but that He never expected me to do them.

There's not a huge epiphany coming here. No, mostly I just needed to tell you that, like you, not every day is easy. But following Christ is definately worth it. I thought maybe you could pray for me and I could pray for you. What should we pray? Well, it's funny because I have this verse taped to my bookshelf next to my bed. It's a verse that another staff person, this summer, encouraged me to meditate on and pray through.

"My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip-- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Istrael will neither slumber nor sleep." - Psalm 121: 2-4

Isn't that a great word from the Lord? I thought so too! Okay, friend, thanks for your listening ear. Have a great day and I'll be back soon.

Remember, I'm praying for you!

Just one of those days...

"We could keep meeting but I just don't see the point. I mean, I enjoy talking about this stuff but I don't think I will ever change my mind about God." said Nichole as I sat across from her and her roommate in their dorm room. Colleen, one of my staff team members, and I first met Nichole a week ago today. She had come to the Porn Nation event and requested a book written by the speaker at the event so we had gone to her room last week to drop it off.

When we dropped the book off we asked if we could ask her thoughts on a few questions which began a conversation that we picked up again today. Last week Nichole had told us that she liked controversy and enjoys talking about religion with people but warned us that people can get mad at her. I assurred her that I wasn't in this for an argument and that I have heard almost everything from people when it comes to God. At one point last week I said this to her, "If you could know a relationship with someone who loves you and wants to know you and is more than a set of rules, would you want to learn more about a God like that?" She said she would love to hear about our thoughts and would love to hear why God is important to us. When we left her room last Thursday we were very hopeful and encouraged by this open door into her life.

To be honest, today, as I walked over to her dorm, I didn't feel as hopeful. I was worried she wouldn't be there and that she would decide not to talk with us. Basically I had very little faith that anything would happen today. BUT, thankfully I serve a God who is much bigger than my mind allows Him to be. Not only was she there, but so was her roommate AND they were expecting us! What??? They invited us into their dorm room and we sat down and heard a little about Brianna's background and her thoughts on God. Then we dove right in. Nichole had a lot of questions and I tried to answer as honestly as I could. They both let us in to pain they've experienced in their past. Nichole asked us toward the end of our conversation, "What is the benefit of a relationship with God?" Colleen and I both shared about what a relationship with God brought to our lives and the girls were pretty engaged.

Sadly though, at the end, I felt like they were closing the door on further discussion. I've been sad about it all afternoon because I genuinely like these girls! I would love to get to know them and be in their life but we don't have their permission for that at this point so I will pray for them. It was heartbreaking to hear the pain and to know that God so desperately wants to meet them in that but He can't do that unless they let Him. Would you join me in praying for these girls? This is just an example of the "hard" part of my job. I have to watch people I like walk away from God whom I love. If it breaks my heart, someone who just met these girls a week ago, just imagine what it does to the One who created them. Please pray.

My Staff Team

(Front: John, Rachel, Jamie, Me, Jason /Middle: Kevin, Justin, Adam/Back: Amy W.)

One of my favorite things about being on staff with Campus Crusade is the people I get to do life with on a regular basis. My staff team is wonderful! We have a lot of fun together and we really enjoy being together. I always joke that I love our staff meetings because we get to be together. That would be the extrovert in me talking! Speaking of our staff meetings though, this picture (above) was taken at a recent one. Notice that most of us are wearing Montana gear. Well, this was right before the big football game between UofM and Montana State University. It's a pretty big rivalry and I had a fun idea. There is a Crusade staff team at MSU and we decided we would send a little "gift" to the MSU team in honor of the Griz/Cat game. We baked some cookies and sent the package along with an appropriate amount of Griz gear and this picture of course! I'm still waiting to see how they respond to us. Oh but the Griz BEAT the Bobcats handily! Go Griz!

(Left to Right: John, Rachel, Jamie, Devon, Colleen, Me, Amy W., Kevin, Kristi, Adam, Amy R.)

Okay, so this picture brings my heart joy for a couple different reasons. First, let me explain why we look so funny. Amy W. (one of my roommates) recently turned 30 and we had a Decades Party in celebration. Everyone was to come dressed as your favorite decade. Can you guess what decade I am? Anyway, almost our whole staff team was able to come to the party AND most of them dressed up!!!! It was a fun night. Please pray for our team-that we would continue to care for one another and that nothing would interfere in how God wants to use us together and individually here in Missoula.

FALLAPALOOZA 08

The first six weeks on campus go by so quickly and we meet so many students. Those first weeks are a time to connect with new freshmen, share the gospel A LOT, and re-connect with some of our older students too. They are busy weeks and then we hit FALLAPALOOZA! This is a weekend getaway that we plan for our students. It's a time to get away from Missoula and the normal grind of college life. Although this weekend is full of fun acitivities it is a refreshing time for our students. It was refreshing for me also as I got to spend a lot of great time with girls that I am working with this year.

One of the highlights for students is the opportunity to hear from a speaker. This year, Marty Brown, (a fellow staff member with Campus Crusade) shared his heart with students. He shared a lot from the life of David, specifically the courage he had in facing Goliath. Marty is a great storyteller and I feel like he really connected with students hearts as he shared experiences from his own life about missed opportunities to share the gospel and how to live a courageous like for the Kingdom of God. Another great part of the weekend is the extended time students have to worship and spend time alone with God. Flathead Lake is a great backdrop for students to enjoy time of reflection and fun with friends.

Are you wondering what these pictures are about? Well, our staff team planned a little competition for our students one of the afternoons during the retreat. The 80 students were divided into five teams and they were cycled through a series of challenges. The challenges ranged from spitting kix onto someones shaving cream covered face to spam carving to a dance competition among other things. The teams were each awarded points and then the top teams got a sweet prize which I will explain in just a minute. I got to be a judge for the dance competition and it was hilarious to watch them show off their skills!

Okay, I'm learning something funny about Montanans...they like to shoot at things. :) Our staff team came up with this brilliant idea to allow the winning teams to shoot us with paintball guns! So I put on as many articles of clothing that I could fit, for extra padding, and prepared for the fact that some students would be gunning for me...pun intended! The rules were simple, students from each team lined up to shoot us and we ran in front of them dressed in ridiculous things. Yes, that is me in the cow costume. Mostly I ran as fast as I could, screaming all the way. The first time I ran across, I think every person shot at me, as I was hit about 500 times with paint. When all was said and done, the students were pleased, and I had 10 welts to show for my devotion to the gospel! Haha...it was really fun and I feel more like a Montanan now.

In the Old Testament, God has the Israelites build an ebeneezer with stones to remember what God had done while they were traveling in the desert. In the same vain, we asked the students to take some time with the Lord the last morning of the retreat and listen to what He was saying to them. Then they brought a stone and built the ebeneezer shown above. Our hope is that students will see this image and be reminded of how the Lord spoke to them during this weekend on Flathead Lake. I think it's cool to look at those stones and know they represent so many different emotions, commitments, and expressions of devotion. Please pray for the students to be reminded often of that weekend.

Well, that was Fallapalooza. Thank you so much for praying for me and giving so that I can be a part of times like this. It is such a privilege to engage in life with these students and to engage in the wonder of God's plan for this campus. THANK YOU!!

Back to school!

We are in WEEK 8 of classes here at the University of Montana! I can't believe how the time has flown by! Here is a quick recap of the start to the school year...

August 18th: Our staff team started meeting to plan the upcoming semester of events!

August 21st: We invited our student leaders to a dinner to hang out and catch up after the summer away. These students are so important to our ministry and such a blessing. Some of them are living in the dorms for the purpose of doing ministry; some are athletes trying to influence other athletes; some are Greeks trying to reach out to the men and women in fraternities and sororities. ALL of them are trying to walk with God and share His love with those around them!

August 22nd & 24th: We passed out nearly 700 Freshmen Survival Kits. We do this every year as students are moving in to the dorms. Freshmen are able to get a laundry bag with a Bible, a book like Blue Like Jazz or The Case for Faith, a fun gift, and a set of hangers. The best part is that these are completely FREE!!!! Students fill out a quick questionnaire about their spiritual beliefs and let us know if they are wanting to get involved in a Bible study or if they want to talk with someone about a relationship with God. This year we had positive responses from more than half of the students who filled out the questionnaire.

August 25th: Classes start! Campus was buzzing the first day of class and our staff team gathered to pray together for the coming year. We also went out together to follow-up students who said they wanted more information about Campus Crusade or talk to someone about a relationship with God.

August 27th: Our first FUEL meeting! FUEL is the weekly meeting of Campus Crusade here at the University of Montana. Every Wednesday night at 8pm students come from all over campus to worship, hear from a speaker, and get re-charged in their faith. We have a band that is made up of students who lead us in worship! They are extremely talented. We meet in the largest lecture hall on campus and are praying that one day every seat would be filled with a student wanting to walk with God. This first meeting there were about 150 or so students!

September 2nd: I had my first Life Group in Knowles Hall! Life Groups are what we call Bible Studies. Our heart is that these would be places where students would be living life together and learning about God. I was so shocked when 5 girls showed up for that first meeting! This is my second year in Knowles and God has blown me away with His faithfulness. The following weeks I was able to see at least 9 girls come to Life Group! Please pray for Katie, Hillary, Meg, Kayla, Ashley, Megan, Maria, Sarah, Kathryn, Morgan, Jacki, Amelia, Melissa, and Emily.

September 6th: The Amazing Raft Race! This is one of our biggest events of the year and students look forward to it and talk about it all year long. This is a raft race that takes place on the Blackfoot river. Our student leaders captain boats and fill them with friends and hopefully freshmen. Then they take off down the river and have to complete different tasks ranging from trivia questions, finding $1 in change buried in the sand using only their feet, bobbing for onions and other things. The winners not only get bragging rights for the year but get to take their team out for a nice dinner. This year we had nearly 100 students come, many of them new to Campus Crusade!

September 12th: Bonfire time! This was so much fun! We wanted to do something fun and offer an alternative to the party-scene so we built a fire, ate some s'mores, and just hung out together. It was such a great time of community building for our students. About 60 students came throughout the night!

September 20th: MY FIRST GRIZ GAME!!! I now officially feel like a true Montanan after attending my first Griz football game. Not only did I get to go to a game, but I got to go to the Homecoming Game AND sit in the student section. Since I am a lover of sports, it was so fun to watch a football game, however, it was hard to watch the students around me. For the first time I really saw the depravity and darkness that students face every day in college. Please pray for this campus; that God would unleash His power into the hearts of students.

October 3rd-5th: Fallapalooza!!! Every year, we plan a weekend getaway for our students. We head up to a camp on Flathead Lake and spend a weekend hearing from a speaker, worshipping together, playing together, and enjoying God. I need a whole blog to write about this so check back soon! :)

October 13th-18th: We just wrapped up the iPod Outreach to the students living in the dorms. For one week students had opportunity to enter to win a brand new iPod if they would take a minute to fill out a spiritual survey online. I really wanted to enter, but I'll just have to get my iPod the old fashioned way. :) There were about 218 students who entered and we're praying that this will give us more opportunities to share the gospel with students who are desiring to learn more about God. Would you pray with us?

Well, that brings us up to date. Whew! That was a LONG blog. Thanks for sticking with it. I hope you're encouraged by what God is doing and how He is using YOU to help change lives here at the University of Montana. I couldn't do this without you.

Let's Catch Up....

Welcome to the first posting of Stephanie's Scrapbook! I'm hoping that you will enjoy reading about my adventures in Missoula and beyond. I'm praying that through this blog you will feel even more connected to what God is doing at the University of Montana and beyond.

But first, let's catch up....I wanted to share some pictures from my summer adventures with you. As you might know, I work with Campus Crusade for Christ and spent this last summer on a summer project in Lake Tahoe! I know what you're thinking, "Wow, what a cool way to spend the summer months!" I felt so blessed this summer and God really refreshed my heart through the students I worked with and the other staff I learned from.

Wait a second...what's a summer project? Good question (always feel free to stop me when I'm getting ahead of myself :) )! Summer projects are short term mission trips through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Students can pretty much go anywhere in the United States and overseas. For summer projects spent overseas, students go to a location for about 6 weeks, with a team of Crusade staff and other college students and they learn about the culture, engage with people, and share about Jesus with others. Stateside summer projects, like Lake Tahoe, are a bit different. Students spend about 10 weeks in a location in the U.S. They get jobs in the community, participate in personal development, and do outreaches where they can share about Jesus with others. This summer 69 students came to Lake Tahoe. They got jobs at places like McDonalds, Taco Bell, local hotels, KMart, Jamba Juice, Cold Stone, and others. They learn how to share their beliefs in the context of natural relationships and get to earn some money as well. During the week in Lake Tahoe, there were things planned to help students grow in their personal walk with God and we also did things in the community to serve and share about Jesus. This is where the Crusade staff come in. For the first 5 weeks we are doing ministry alongside the students then we hand over the responsibilities to them and they are "in charge" for the last 5 weeks! These projects are often considered "greenhouses" for students' faith as God uses this time to really develop and refine them. So, does that information help?

Okay, so I know you're probably really wanting to see more pictures. Aside from all the cool stuff I saw God do in the lives of students, Tahoe is just a beautiful place to experience God's creation. I also learned a lot from the 25 other Crusade staff that I got to live with, work with, and play with. It was so fun! Here are some pictures. Enjoy...