pithy statements and other idle thoughts

So my friends have been telling me that I'm woefully behind in keeping up with my blog... which is absolutely correct.

I initially started this blog to keep up with ministry partners and friends and thus seem to only think of blogging when some event has occured in the campus ministry. Not so today. Today I had a chance encounter with a lovely Korean woman who greatly encouraged me in my faith.

I had to get a bridesmaid dress altered and since I'm new to Austin, just searched around online to find a tailor close to me. I probably looked at 10-15 websites and locations of tailors and dress alterations places before choosing the tailor that I went to today. I'm normally not picky about my tailors, but had a wonderful one in Houston and was looking to find something similar here: family owned, small, not busy so I can drop in anytime, opportunity to build a relationship with the tailor. I ended up picking a place that seemed good and was the closest to my house.

This morning as she pinned my dress, I shared with her what I do with Campus Crusade and she replied that she is a Christian and her Korean church regularly goes out to UT and shares their faith with students there. We both encouraged each other, chatting while she continued pinning my dress. I left the shop with her business card in hand and she with mine, promising to connect me with her pastor so that we can partner together to reach college students at UT.

Of all the shops I could have walked into today, and I chose hers... or rather was guided to hers. I'm looking foward to connecting with this Korean Presbyterian Church and seeing how we can work together this year.

oh and I don't have anything pithy to say, I just like that word :)

May Prayer Letter

Dear Special Friends,

An expectant air filled the room as 13 of us gathered for the first time to dream and plan for how to share Jesus with more than 40,000 ethnic students in the Austin area. Vision, strategy, and focused prayer for revival were among the topics my new staff team discussed during our planning retreat the first week of May.

As I listened to them share ideas, I was overwhelmed by the privilege of the task before me, not only of reaching out to that many college students, but of leading and caring for my staff team. One of my roles as a team leader will be to train and equip the 7 other women in ministry skills as well as develop them in their walk with the Lord. That is why I am so thankful to spend part of my summer taking classes at Campus Crusade’s Institute of Biblical Studies in Orlando, Florida.

I will be taking four foundational seminary courses that will ground me in Scripture, teach me how to answer students’ hard questions, and how to clearly communicate as I teach the Word. It feels a bit strange to not be heading overseas for a summer missions project, however I am looking forward to being spiritually developed myself this summer.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. I couldn’t minister full time without you! ---Angela

Praise God
* Even though I’m sad to leave Houston, God has provided sweet friends to encourage me through the transition.

Please Pray
* That I would walk closely with God in the midst of all of the change.

* That I would learn and grow a lot through taking the summer seminar courses.

Musings about this past year

I'm transitioning to my new role as a Missional Team Leader for the University of Texas Ethnic Student Ministry staff team and was thinking about all the things I've seen happen in Houston this past year.

* 12 students place their faith in Christ
* several students take steps of faith to go on summer missions projects and let God provide their finances for the trips
* new Destino movement start at the University of Houston
* I got to lead a sweet small group with girls from my church
* Saw God provide personal financial support this entire year
* saw students pull together at University of Houston to put on a huge campus-wide evangelism outreach event... the LOVE Project
* I had to trust God with a huge decision to move to Austin and have already seen him provide housing, roommate and friends in Austin before I've even moved.
* God provided funding for our Houston Metro ministry through a Golf Tournament and generous board members.
* New students have taken leadership roles and grown tremendously in their faith


There are many more things I could list here but these are the first things that come to mind... Praise God for how he has worked in the lives of college students this year. As I think about next year and remember the past I am confident that God will move in the lives of ethnic students in Austin like he has here in Houston. I can't wait to see how it will play out ;)

Wisdom from Campus Crusade in Italy

We are about building movements. We want the Gospel to impact students, influencers and families in a real way in Italy and for movements to spread. Unlike our US counterparts, movements in Italy, as far as we have seen, are not necessarily defined by a geographical location. We believe these movements will happen through relational networks. For example, in student ministry, the campus may be the best place to meet students initially, but it may not be the best place to continue to process the Gospel. Because of this reality, consider these questions:

Within your missional audience where do people gather?

Within your missional audience where do people conduct their relationships?

We must distinguish between these two questions because the answer may not be the same place. You may meet a student at a certain faculty, but his entire group of friends gathers someplace else when they get together. Most likely, movements will start and grow where the relationships are conducted. What things do we need to do or change to fit this reality into our strategies?

To get movements started everywhere, all over Italy, we must keep meeting Italians and sharing the Truth of Jesus Christ with them. As most of us have experienced by now, the average Italian response to the Gospel is a foggy cloud of defenses. They have certain walls up, specific issues in their hearts that are both personal and cultural. In these moments of communicating the Truth, what context are we creating for the Gospel to be seen and heard?

We are asking students and families to embrace something they may have never seen or experienced. What if service was one of the contexts in which the Gospel was understood? This is where we need to continue to learn and try new things and ask how we can do better.

How can we invite them into service with us--through good deeds?

How can we serve them--our missional audience--through good deeds?

“Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39