The AZ

So..we're heading out to AZ today.

We'll see how it goes. Alot of what we'll be doing is re-connecting with old friends. However, I know that we'll end up sharing with them what God is is doing through us over here in SD. I pray that God would stir even just one old acquaintance to get excited over what we do, and that they would partner with us. I hope you all will join me in this prayer.

Other then that, I know it will be a great to time to re-connect. Show off my hubby ;-). and get some time of prayer and fellowship with people from all different walks with Jesus. I'm excited!

Quieres Comer?

It's been weird/cool trying to step in my role as a wife. One of the challenges has been to learn how to serve Ryan and how to serve company when they come.

When I was little I spent a huge chunk of my childhood at my Nana's and Tata's. They ALWAYS had people visiting them. Along with that, my cousins, my aunt and my great uncle lived with them for most of my elementary school life. On top of all that, my family would come over almost everyday. There were always people at their house. And with people, there was always food. First thing my Nana would ask when we stepped in the door, "quieres comer nina?" (do you want to eat?). Even if we weren't hungry who could say no to warm cream of wheat in the morning, with so much sugar that you weren't sure which were the white flakes of the wheat and which were white sugary goodness. Or her amazing sandwhichs. Masterpieces on magnificant white bread (a no-no in my parents house) with huge slabs of tomatoe, heads of lettuce, hearty bologne and that oh so good slice of all-american cheese. And these were just her everyday foods. Don't get me started on her chile rellenos, tostadas, tacos, tamales, burritos, toritillas and rice, just to name a few. My nana was always cooking, and when she wasn't cooking she was serving. She was always the last to eat and she ALWAYS, ALWAYS served my Tata first. She was hospitality and love in human form. She was never stressed and always did it with joy no matter how tired she was.

Alot of that rubbed onto my mom. When I was little, everyweek my famly would invite a family over after church for lunch or sometimes even during the week. Countless biblestudies were held in their home. As we got older my parents didn't do so as much because they treasured the nights we could all get together as a family and they didn't want to steal away from that. But even when our lives became chaotic I remember my family would always be ministering to someone. Serving someone. There's not a time in my life that I can remember where my mom WASN'T serving someone. Either taking friends home from school, chaperoning field trips, opening the house for movies and games...the list goes on and on. Selfless, sacrificial and genuine. That's my mom. My Mom is an amazing hostess. She'd ask if you wanted a glass of water even before you fully came in the door. Ryan LOVES going over because he knows that no matter what time it is he know's he can get a hot plate of food. Sometimes I would wonder if our friends would come over for me, or for my mom :-).

So that's the legacy of servanthood I come from. Very daunting as I look at it now. Both ladies served/serving the Lord with all their heart. There were both similarities and differences in how their servanthood played out. The question now is, what will that look like for me? Will God bless me with this same heart of servanthood he bestoyed on my Nana and Mom? I hope so. I feel blessed as it is for God to have given me such wonderful examples. Wonderful examples of joyous serventhood.

Conference

On Febuary 20-22 300 college students from Arizona, California and Hawaii took time to remember. To remember God and his faithfulness in our lives and the lives of the men and women in the Bible. It was called the Remember Conference and was held 45 min. outside San Diego. It is an annual thing, this being Ryan's 7th conference, and at each one God has used something durning the conference time to grow him more into the likeness of Christ. Knowing the impact of these conferences we rallied some guys and girls from SDSU with us to this conference. Crazy enough, even though one of the students was adamint about not going...God softened his heart, and much to our excitement and surprise he ended up going with us. How cool!

We also led a workshop focusing on scripture memory. During the workshop we shared a ditty like "song" to remember 2 Cor 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone and the new has come." Much to our suprise, on Sunday the conference speaker up front asked Ryan to quote this very scripture. To everyone's delight Ryan turned to the students and 40 voices rang out "singing this verse". It was hilarious, but really cool.

God led Valerie to some sweet, sweet time with girls from both SDSU, and some of the girls she used to meet with at ASU. It's amazing to see God's growth in these young women! What a privilege to be part of their lives. Ryan also had some great bonding time with the guys at SDSU and much to his surprise...his brothers. 2 of Ryan's brothers, and both of Val's brothers came to the conference. What a blessing from God. It was so relaxing and encouraging to spend some time with family, especially now that we hardly see them.

Valerie had prayed that God would grant her time to catch up with all the girls that God had laid on her heart. He did this over abundantly! She had amazing quality conversations with every girl and then some. What an awesome answer to pray. Also, we both felt like we bonded much closer with the students at SDSU and in fact had some of the guys came over last night to play games and they stayed till 1AM! It is really cool to finally begin to get to that compfortability with the students.

Fear

Why do I fear men?
There are 89 verses in the Bible about fearing God...
yet I choose to fear men.
Can man say any of this?

Job 38

4 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. 5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?

8 "Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, 9 when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, 10 when I fixed limits for it
and set its doors and bars in place, 11 when I said, 'This far you may come and no farther;
here is where your proud waves halt'?

12 "Have you ever given orders to the morning,
or shown the dawn its place,

16 "Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
or walked in the recesses of the deep?

17 Have the gates of death been shown to you?
Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death ^[b] ?

18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?
Tell me, if you know all this.

Can any man know all this? of course not! So why do I cower before a "mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes?" (James 4:14) Why do I freeze up at the thought of meeting new students? Why does the idea of sharing Christ with a stranger feel a little like walking down a dark alley? Why is my fear of man greater then my fear of God?

Fear of man, lack of fear for God. I've been struck by these thoughts this last week. I am commanded to proclaim His good news to everyone possible. Not only that, but it should be EASY to speak up for Him because of his greatness and even all the amazing thing's he's graciously done in my own life. Now, It is pretty easy for me to shepherd the hearts of women, to train them, guide them, even do all I can to help them grow. However, it's so difficult for me to evangelize to them on campus. How can that be?

Where's the synagogue? Where's a place of meeting? Isn't that where you could find Paul preaching? Isn't that where Jesus taught more often then not? Yet there are no bright lit up signs saying "Share the gospel here." But you'rw probably thinking "what does it matter where?" right? All I have to do is find one stranger, engage them in conversation and share the good news with them. Why is it so hard? I mean that's something Paul did on his DOWN time (acts 16:13) "On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there." Paul went to find a place to relax and pray. Instead he ended up sharing the gospel with this group of ladies where Lydia converted and became a faithful follower of Christ. All on his "down" time. *sigh*

This is the first job I've had where I can't evangelize to my co-workes, because they are already saved. It's kinda weird when I step back and think about it. So who do I go after then? neighbors? Just met them 2 months ago. Friends? haven't made too many of those yet. Peers? I don't know if I'd call students my peers. So who? strangers! That's all I have. One small step into conversation and magically they are no longer strangers. Yet it's so difficult for me to get over this bump.

So here I am, in a new land, with new people, and in many ways a new culture. I am a full-time missionary. (Weird. Hard.) There are no natural day-in-day out relationships that I can be praying about evangelistic opportunities for. Nope. Either I go up to a person, meet them, then share Christ, or nothing at all. It's such a weird dynamic.

So as you can tell, this week has really been a good challenge to me in regard to sharing the gospel. So often it's easy on collegiate Nav staff to focus on the disciplining and bible studies rather then the evangelism and planting of seeds. We are going through Phillipians in our large group times and it has been especially convicting for me to hear the words of Paul, "What has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel." He's in prison, yet he's still proclaiming Christ to even his prison guards. How am I serving to advance the gospel? What am I doing on a daily basis to proclaim His name?

Pray for me as I draw supernatural courage from the Holy Spirit. My goal is to meet at least one new girl a day this week. By next post I should have 7 new names I can pray over (I already have one and I just started today). And then next week, who knows, maybe I'll up the anti to 2 girls or maybe 5? All I know is that I have to take some step of faith no matter how small. Because if I don't, I'm just giving into fear of man.

Who are you fearing today, man...or God?