Trevor's Urbana

I really felt like scripture came alive more than ever, especially in our bible studies. Things that came up from different people's interpretations of scripture and some research that our leader did on the history and culture of the time really stuck out to me. I had never gone that in-depth into a study before.

Also, I thought it was amazing to see 17,000 excited Christians gathered together to learn more about God.

~Trevor, WVU Freshman~

Urbana: Stories and Lessons learned

First I want to apologize for taking so long in giving an update after Urbana. These things tend to get away from me, especially when I'm lacking artistic and creative writing inspiration.

It's been a couple of weeks since Urbana and I just want to share with you a few stories and lessons learned...

Story 1: Alec Hill (national president of IVCF/USA) has a pretty awesome wife that likes to give fist bumps to those who pick her up at the airport. (PS. also was able to give a lift to the previous Urbana Director, David Howard on the same trip)


Story 2: Shane Claiborne, although a good speaker, likes to jaywalk across the street...but to his defense he wasn't aware that he was supposed to stay on the sidewalk (it was a turn around type area)...although I would think that about 20 people suited in bright yellow vests and carrying walky talkies lining the sidewalks would be a clue....but it wasn't to a lot of people so...much love to Shane, much love. :)

Trevor, Melody, and Karla...taking a short Urbana breather.

Lesson learned 1: God really taught me what sacrificial serving really means through my job at Urbana. Because I worked from 7am-3ishpm I missed a lot of the things most people go for...morning Bible studies, community time, morning plenaries, and seminars. However, I am not complaining about missing these things. Yes I was looking forward to them, but God taught me so much more as I learned to put others above myself, and learn what it takes to do everything I can so that they are enabled to have as much as a transformative encounter with God at Urbana 2009, as I did at Urbana 2006...and I was happy to do it.

Story 3: when in a clumped line of mass people waiting to go into the Dome, it is inevitable that songs sung in KiSwahili and spanish will break out, resulting in a domino effect of off-beat and different keys of the same song (sometimes with...altered words :p)

**If you listen hard in the video you can hear the singing...it seemed much louder in person**




Story 4: Our wimpy puny cameras can not reach the stage!

Lesson 2: A speaker, Sunder, challenged our lack of creativity and smallness when we pray. He really moved me to thinking bigger and expecting bigger when I pray, going beyond the initial issue and getting to the bigger issue causing the smaller one. One story he shared of a friend who was jailed overseas for sharing the gospel. He was isolated from everyone else, and Sunder prayed that God would give this man creative thinking of ways he could preach and others listen. A few weeks later he learned that his friend discovered in the small cell, a vent at the bottom of the wall, and if he laid on the floor just right he was able to preach through the vent allowing the entire jail to hear the gospel! Awesome!

Story 5: Tech difficulties happen even at national, professionally run conferences.

Story 6: where there is a room full of artists of all kinds, there is a party happening (namingly in the artist's lounge)


**Me and Mikaela (Pitt student) in the Art Lounge**

Lesson 3: Shane Claiborne, although a jay walker ;p, shared of how often times we will pray for something or a situation, and then feel accomplished that we did our part. Where in reality, we are often times the answer to our own prayers! prayer is needed and can be all we can do a t times, but when we pray we need to look at what we are praying about and ask ourselves, how may God be leading me to be the solution to this prayer.

Story 7: over 300 people came to Christ at Urbana!

Story 8: Greg Jao is the best emcee in the world...complete with his santa hat and quick wit.

Story 9: When you go to a missions conference...don't expect it to go on forever! If it doesn't end then it's a failure. You're there to learn how to go out and bring people into the kingdom...not to be constantly learning about it surrounded by Christians.

And those are just a few things I've encountered. Our 8 students who went have learned even more than this, to which I hope I will be able to share them with you soon.

***Yes this is Greg Jao telling us to leave Urbana***

Urbana 2009

I just wanted to give a quick update...

We are now in St. Louis, MO for the Urbana '09 Missions conference. This is the largest missions conference in the world, hosted by InterVarsity, where there are currently close to 17,000 people in attendance! So far everything has been running fairly smoothly and everyone seems to be having a good time and enjoying the teachings they are receiving, along side the multi-cultural worship sessions.

Continue to be praying for us, our health, energy, and a great movement from God in the lives of our students and other participants.

Reflecting on Advent

Well it is now finals week on WVU's campus. This semester's student appointments and on campus time are now over, and I am focusing more on fund development, Urbana, and prepping for next semester. As I begin to settle in to this advent season I thought I would share of one of my reflections of the season.

In an attempt to gain more of an appreciation of Advent I began reading "Advent and Christmas: Wisdom from Henri J. M. Nouwen". Each chapter coincides with the day of advent and offers insight and biblical reading and reflection for the day. One that struck me in particular was titled "Do you love me?"

In this chapter Nouwen begins by saying we must remember the commandment to love our God with all our heart, soul, and mind, which is indeed the 1st commandment. He continues on in sharing how often times we love other will all our heart, mind, and soul while trying to remember God. This in fact is a terrible fallacy on our part! The Bible clearly tells us to be in a much more radical state of mind where we are to love God and God alone with all we are, our hearts minds and souls, and nothing else!

What a thought! I reflected on this a bit and it came to me that I do in fact try to love others and remember God, where it should be the other way around. How often do we find ourselves in constant motion in trying to help those around us, to care for them and love them well, and yet feel an emptiness in side. Like none of it really matters. Why so downcast O my soul? Because you have forgotten to love God first, above all others, and singly.

Does this mean we should only be concerned with our relationship with God and not love those around us, fight for injustice, or care for the poor and voiceless? Far be it! What this means is that we MUST first put our relationship with God before all others and all things. He must be our life's focus. When we do that fully, give him everything we are and have, the rest will fall into place. The 2nd commandment Jesus says is like the first and that we should love others like ourselves.

When we love God first and give him everything, he gives us His heart and eyes for the rest of the world and those around us. He gives us leading to care for others, calls us to help those who have no voice of their own, and bring a piece of restoration to our world. And then, he calls us to himself, to take time out and spend time with him, to rest in him, and allow him to restore our bodies and souls.

So where do you fit here? Are you loving others before God, even if unintentionally? Or do you find yourself constantly yearning for the Father's voice resting in him and following his leading in life?

I admit the former is me. I often find myself tired and not wanting to fulfill the mission. I get tired easily of being around people, and will fall so deeply that I don't even care about them anymore. But by God's grace he knows what we need the most, and reminds me in those times of weariness where my loyalties lie, and helps me to correct them.

May the remainder of Advent bring you full surrender to Jesus, and a refreshed listening ear and heart to what he may be teaching you during the season.

New people in the kingdom

Yesterday was a great day!

Beth Roselius, our arts and evangelism coordinator with IV, came up with 2 new proxe stations. Before we can send them out as a working model they must be tested on a campus. Since Beth is here in WV we decided to test these new proxes at WVU.

Last week was a difficult test run for the 1st new proxe. People didn't really want to talk with us and Beth was in a particularly difficult conversation. We left tired and a little beat up.

Yesterday was the 2nd proxe's turn to be tested. It was a station about scars, physical, emotional, and scars we put on others and how they are connected spiritually. we set the booth up around 10:30am in Towers and by 11AM I found myself praying with a Jr. in Intelligence to receive Jesus for the first time. Not too long after Karla also had the privilege to lead a student to Christ!

All day was one conversation after another. People were willing to share their favorite scar stories, and most would talk with us further. Not only did we encounter these two now new believers, but all three of us had great pastoral conversations throughout the day. One student told Karla that he **Jessica (IV Frosh on left) in a conversation at the Proxe**
had prayed the day before that God would show him He still cared. Isn't it amazing how God works?!

We also had a freshman student in IV join us to try her hand for the first time at having spiritual conversations through a proxe. she got into a couple very good conversations, and she is ready to do more. She told me before we packed up that that she wants to do more of these next semester. It is so great to see our youngest members so excited to share Jesus with their peers.

Please Keep Mark and Brittany (new believers) in your prayers as they embark on a new journey in Christ.

News UPdate!!!

Last night I received a phone call from a steward at my church. He informed me that they are giving me an increase in their giving so I can be fully funded as a part time staff!!!!!! I'm at 100% baby!!!! AHHHHHHHHH!

Thank you Jesus for your promises and provisions!

Caring for more than me

Last week was a full week. Every Tuesday I meet with a student, Shelly, for discipleship and Small group planning. Shelly is an amazing person who loves Jesus with all that she is and wants nothing more than to make a difference on campus and see people to come to Him. We have been reading York Moore's "Growing your faith by giving it away", and it has had a profound impact in her life. Last week, instead of our normal meeting we went out to the Mt. Lair and did conversational evangelism. We talked to 2 people in roughly 2 hours about their background, what they believe and why, and the story of the gospel, our inevitable death and judgment, and the life of forgiveness and leadership God has offered us through Jesus' death and resurrection. They were great and challenging conversations! Even though neither made a decision to follow God, they are now one step closer to that decision.

Those conversations were even good for the growth of Shelly...and myself. Hard questions were asked that really challenged us, but with God's grace and leading I was able to respond to them. After we left the Lair, Shelly and I talked about some of those questions and how I shared the gospel and pushed back when we were challenged. She learned a lot in those short 2 hours, and I think if anything that day was not just for those we talked to, but mostly for Shelly's training, understanding, and growth in evangelism.

Experiencing these things gave Shelly a taste of God's kingdom work and living in humility and caring for others enough to put aside her own pride (as well as myself being reminded) in order to share the sad position we are in as humans and the good and fulfilled life that God offers those who call on His name.

On wed. we have our weekly small group in Pierpont. Dwight and Shelly have been leading this group as we study through John. 2 weeks ago Dwight had the idea of serving others through the Christmas Child program many churches run around the Christmas season. He brought this up with the rest of the group and they all jumped for the opportunity of caring for young ones all over the world. And so last week, instead of our usual study, we set out to the dollar store and acquired many nice things for the children. I think we actually got a little excited ourselves and may have over done it a little :p

Dwight and Shelly with the Operation Christmas Child gifts.

After our shopping spree, we headed back to the dorm and put together the boxes, praying over each child that they would be sent to, and discussing how they will be received and fantasizing the day the received them.

I am finding more that our students are beginning to see themselves no greater than others, even to the point of pointing aside our normal activities, to minister to others and grow the kingdom of God. Very exciting :)