Japanese friend named “M." We spent the summer of '06 together in Tokyo, and he's flown out to Arizona to visit twice. This last week I traveled to Long Beach and Irvine to visit him. He's shown here with '09 setter Dan.
6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
After seeing more doctors and giving more blood than I ever want to again, the verdict for now is that I can go to CA this weekend for our annual Navigators Regional Kickoff (yay!) and I don't need to get more antivenom. So that's really good! My blood is still screwy (read: really thin), but the doctor told me as long as I'm careful and avoid major activities for the next 2-3 weeks I'll be fine and it should thicken out eventually.
Thanks for your prayers!
Keep praying I recover quickly from this dumb snake bite. I’ve been dizzy and way weaker than I though i would be. Today I had to cancel 2 out of my 3 meeting time with students. It’s even more frustrating because I’m heading out of town next week and don’t feel like I’ve had much time to “sow” during this extremely valuable sowing season. Pray for energy and that God would lead clearly on who to be investing in during this precious time at the beginning of the semester.
And for your viewing pleasure, my best scar from this whole experience is in fact totally unrelated to the rattlesnake bite. While in the ambulance the EMT tried putting in an IV right when we went over a bumpy bridge. The result was an IV that slipped out, lots of blood, a ruined shirt, and a sweet bruise :)
Thanks for your prayers these first two weeks of school. Things are still pretty crazy here, but as the dust settles it's looking like we'll have a great freshman class. A few days ago I ran into a guy named Tony who, though first seemed extremely antagonistic towards God, after talking was interested in getting together to read the Bible. Praise God!
I got bit by a rattlesnake two days ago. Just got out of the ICU about an hour ago. Thanks for your prayers; the nurses said it was one of the best cases they'd seen (as in, not blue and my blood returned to normal fairly quickly). However as a result I had to cancel my plane ticket to Hawaii that was supposed to leave this morning :(. Me, another staff, and our campus director were going to Hawaii on a training trip to encourage and see the ministry of two of my close friends. Pray they would have a good time and that I would heal quickly. It's pretty painful to walk on my foot. Right now I'm immobile nearly all the time, which is humbling and annoying.
Also, please be praying for Ariel's parents and cousins. 3 weeks ago they lost their grandma very sudden, and now just got word Ariel's cousin's grandma had a very serious stroke and probably won't make it much longer. Recently it's been a very difficult time for Ariel's family.
I’ve never really done that before. I’ve tried before, but in the past people will find a reason to leave, or something will come up, or whatever. We randomly met a guy on the mall the other day who started bashing a campus wide worship event that had happened a few days ago. I felt particularly blunt for some reason and called him arrogant for thinking that (not the approach I would recommend taking…). Neither of us were picking a fight, however, and eventually I ended up telling him the Judge story, which he found fascinating—Explaining how a Holy God can be both totally righteous and totally loving, expressed through Jesus. I got his number and he said he’d be up for reading through the Bible sometime. He ended up staying for dinner, meeting everyone else, and playing board games in the dorms with everyone after I had left.
And by God’s grace I’ve run into him on campus nearly every day after. Pray he would come to know Jesus as Lord.
I’ve never been more excited to seek out the lost than I have been this year.
So I finally sort of know what my role this year is. Turns out (despite what I thought) I will not in fact be leading a freshman Bible Study. I will instead by helping two of our juniors, Micah and Reed, lead their freshman study. I will assume more of a “coach” role with them. I’ll be meeting with one or two of the guys in the study and help Micah and Reed through every step of the process.
Their study is meeting for the first time tonight at 7pm in Gila dorm. I’ve been heavily involved in the recruiting time and have met all of the guys that are planning on coming out to the study, and I think it should be a great time. Please be praying this group of guys bonds quickly with each other and sees each other as men who they can trust and grow with over these four years of college.
Philippians mentions a man as being a brother, co-laborer, and fellow soldier. Micah and Reed have a healthy friendship with each other and this year will become co-laborers. Pray the men in the study would see themselves as fellow soldiers after four years together.
So ends day 3 of recruitment. I’ve met several freshman in Yuma dorm, none of whom seem to be believers, which is pretty cool. Pray I can continue to develop relationships with them. Pray I would be more aware of how to introduce the Gospel into everyday conversation and be very aware of the Spirits leading on when to further develop a relationship versus when to simply throw down the Gospel on them.
(For example, yesterday we were throwing a football with four freshman we had just met in Yuma. I was talking a lot to a guy named Tim who seemed open. I had no idea if he had any sort of interest in God and asked him if he wanted to be a part of a weekly Bible Study. He said “no” but maybe later in the year. It’s tricky to tell whether that was the best rout or whether I could’ve developed a relationship with him over the years and asked at a later time.)
