“How’d it go?”

After a busy first 8 weeks, Fall Retreat, and 25 visiting staff ”blitzing” four DC campuses for 3 days, there’s never been a more reasonable question to ask.  And I’ve never felt less sure how to answer.  Can I let you eavesdrop a little while I think on it?

Carrie, do you love me?

Yes, Lord… Why do you ask?

More than your success?  More than a “well done”?  More than the Mission itself?  (It is not the end, I AM.)

Carrie, do you love me?

Uh…

Will you feed my lambs?  Even when you are wearied by their indecision?  Grieved by their idolatry?  Sickened by their sexual deviance? Annoyed by their immaturity?  Embarrassed by the family resemblance?  Feed my sheep. MY sheep. (They are not your trophy or widget.)

Carrie, do you love me?

Lord, you know…  But what about these other ministries? They have so many freshmen — students are leading, stuff is happening! They must get something we don’t…”

If it is my will that they remain fruitful, what is that to you? You follow me! In a city of competence and résumés, will you resolve to know nothing but Christ crucified? Will you pour out your precious time with the runaways, internationals, and non-traditionals who will interrupt, drop out, move away and never give back to the “success” of “your movement”?

So, how did it go?

All of us at Fall Retreat

Well, we went (with less students than last year) to Fall Retreat, where one of our sophomore leaders realized for the first time that “God wants all of me,” and has been repenting of hidden sin and trusting God to give up substance abuse.

Our small group Bible study at Georgetown (which has been averaging about 3 actual GU students) has collected an 18-year-old gay runaway we met during “Blitz Week” who wants nothing more than to love Jesus wholeheartedly and start learning the Bible.

And in the past week, God gave opportunities for me to discuss the good news of grace clearly with three people: a bright young man studying audio technology at the University of MD (not our school), a Georgetown non-traditional student who lives across the city and whose only class is during our only group time, and an exchange student (also a Blitz Week contact) who will move back to China in just over a month.  None of these dear folks are likely to be involved with the movement.

The Lord brings hurting people out of the woodwork to consider message of Jesus. These people need more one-on-one dialogue time than ever (years, it seems), and yet this city is such a transient place! Movements do not happen without qualified leaders, and qualified leaders do not happen apart from laboring in prayer and waiting on the Holy Spirit. So please continue to pray with us for patience, wisdom, and perseverance, as we follow a God who does not disappoint! Thanks again for being in this with us!

Pray for:

• Praise God for good health so far this year!
• Pray for the students mentioned above, and several other potential leaders.
• Pray for our slowly-forming volunteer army – their spiritual health & our practical wisdom in how to best fit them in.
• Pray for our staff team’s upcoming visit to the VA Beach area to give lift to friends and help with a cross-cultural movement launch.

This month, the letter we sent out via was pretty much entirely photos. We’ll share the ones from that letter here as well as some added ones since we’re not limited in regards to space.

[View with PicLens]

“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” – B. Franklin

The sign that said that caught students’ attention too. On April 24, we spent about 10 hours at Georgetown University for Georgetown Day, the campus’ annual excuse for an all-day block party on the quad complete with bands, free food and about 10,000 people. Georgetown Day sees a lot of alcohol consumed by students (as we got to campus at 10:30 a.m., the liquor store’s line was out the door).  Beer is on many minds already; God, maybe not.

Needless to say, our table about beer, God and happiness provoked some interesting conversations. With a survey about the Ben Franklin quote, we requested thoughts on God, the nature of love and happiness, and even the meaning of Jesus’ death. Below is a quote from a corresponding website, BeerIsProof.org:

“To Ben the issue was simple. Simple enough that a cold beer from the local pub was proof that God loved him. What about you? Consider laughter, music, sunsets at the beach and the miraculous combination of chocolate and peanut butter. Do these things suggest that the genius behind it all wants us to be happy?”

Without endorsing drinking, we managed to have over 100 conversations and at least one person who said that he wanted to invite Christ into his life.  Apparently anything can start a conversation about Jesus.

Go big or go home – and bring someone with you.

The semester is over. Students have moved home, gone to their summer projects or graduated and started “real life.” Last week at an end-of-the year retreat to help us look back before we look forward, we named as our greatest “wins” things that happened in our homes and extended “off hours” hangout times – out on the quad until midnight, at our place drinking tea over movies and life discussions, at campfires at the staff guys’ house, or at gatherings sharing home-cooked meals on couches rather than in fluorescent-lit meeting rooms facing front.

Year Two has seen God answer our prayer for genuine community marked by transformation.  Internationals, skeptics of all varieties and even a few Jewish students have hung around to consider the claims of Jesus. Things have come into the open that normally don’t.  We haven’t seen the masses come to meetings, but lives are changing. Praise God!

Lean, mean and on the scene!

This year we had a ready-made community of 9 staff and interns and three apartments to invite students into.  With the close of the year comes (hopefully temporary) end of this fun chapter. This fall, it will be just 3 of us. Some of the interns will be fundraising and going elsewhere, one is moving on to pursue a masters and the other couple will be moving to an established ministry where their gifts will be a better fit.  Every change comes with pros and cons, but we’re excited to see what the year will bring! Pray that God would fight our battles for us, and provide a way to move closer into the city.

Pray for:

• As we hope to move from Arlington into DC at some point, pray that we’d find affordable housing that can fit lots of students.
• This summer we’ll be taking classes again – this time to help us learn how to lead a team and structure a movement. We’re pining for summer project but recognize our need for training.
• We’ll be working on developing a larger support base in DC this summer before and after our assignment, pray for contacts and perseverance in that work.

Note: First off, it’s a miracle! We’re actually putting out our March Prayer Letter in March! Secondly, we’ll be posting some pictures of our trip to North Africa soon, we have to edit out ones that would identify too specifically where it was that we went, even though we were very very safe, there are still security issues involved.

To the Ends of the Earth

What would college ministry be without a few ridiculous “pick-up-and-go” weeks every so often? Last year, spring break came to our team.  This year with no incoming students, we decided it would be the perfect year to divide, conquer, and see the world: two bussed it to a conference in Panama City, FL for Cru’s annual outreach to the American beach partiers, a few went to Venezuela, and a handful of us headed to North Africa to experience the culture and see what ministry looks like there.

As we regrouped, the contrast was incredible.  The Florida group found about what you would expect from Americans – a fair amount of spiritual interest dulled by an assumption that they’ve heard it all before. Meanwhile the Venezuela group marveled at the openness, watching 30 students express the desire to start a relationship with Jesus.  As for our N. Africa trip, Jayson may have been the only one to even talk about the gospel, and only once, to correct an error in a Religion text book.

This isn’t surprising, considering the high cost of discipleship for those who profess Christ in North Africa. While foreigners have a certain degree of religious freedom, nationals only worship Jesus in the safety of homes for fear of being cut off from society by families and often left with no livelihood.

Thoughts on Reentry

It’s hard to not be shaken by the contrast in Jesus’ approach to sharing the message and that of the 21st Century American church.  He remains honest and unapologetic about the difficult aspects of the faith, comfortable saying, “take it or leave it.”  We hurry to assuage all objections with comfort and user-friendliness to assure even the most demanding spiritual consumers. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with eliminating barriers that would deter a seeker. But the message of Jesus is neither a product, idea or personality accessory to add to our repertoire, nor an experience to make us more well-rounded, self-actualized or nice.  It is a call to respond in either marriage or rejection to the God who is romancing us, a decision about what we will leave and to whom we will cleave.

Oddly enough, this thought gives me great hope for our movement and the city of Washington, DC.  Over the past months, our team has groaned and pleaded with the Lord over many students who linger unfulfilled in indecision about Jesus. But as they ask the right questions week after week, I can’t help but look forward to the energetic certainty that will follow when they take their vows, having fully counted the cost.  Given the masses whose complain (rightfully) of Christian hypocrisy, I will take three slow-cooked, thorough believers who knew what they were getting into over 50 fast floaters into a comfortable faith, not expecting spiritual resurrection to require death or sacrifice of any kind.

Rubber Meets Road

Last month, we mentioned our February conference (called “neXt”). Here “M,” a new Chinese believer decided to tell her parents about her faith, thus instigating her parents to cut off all financial and emotional support.  Now, a month before graduation, she finds herself sleeping on friends’ floors, trying to get a work visa in order to stay here and minister to other internationals, while I am challenged by her sturdy confidence in a God she has just met.  Please pray for M and for her parents, (prominent figures in the Chinese government) to come to faith.  We serve a God who specializes in the unlikely!

Pray For

• Health & National leadership for movements in North Africa and Venezuela.
• Freedom of staff there (and here) from judging their worth by performance or people’s response.
• Courage for students who have much at stake in livelihood & reputation if they profess following Jesus.