Lee and I work with Chi Alpha Campus Ministries at the University of Louisiana Lafayette.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Thanksgiving

so much to be thankful for... I often don't know where to start!!

We are thankful for our family. Immediate and extended. We both have amazing families that we love and adore. We are so proud of our families. We love these people. They have helped shape us into who we are today. We can confidently follow Christ because of the examples we have from our parents. We are encouraged to go forward because the members of our family support us. We are loved.

We are thankful for our happy, healthy babies. Just can't be thankful enough for these little world changers. We adore our kids. Sure life is challenging at times, but the smiles that we get from these little babies make everything else melt away. They are so precious, so delightful...we love them and are blessed to be a part of their lives.

We are thankful for our support team members. We are so grateful for the sacrifices that are made on our behalf. You are making an impact on the students of UL. Your sacrifice is bringing in a return. We know that you believe in us and what we are doing. We are loved.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Coming in and Going out

The semester is almost over. It's unreal. Things are just flying by. One of the craziest things to me is the constant change that takes place in Chi Alpha every year. It's like a revolving door. Students come in, and within a short amount of time, they are graduating. They are moving on to a different stage of life. And the cycle continues with a group of new students coming in. That is the great thing about discipleship and leaders helping other students become leaders - if it wasn't for that, this ministry would be dead in 4 years. There would be no growth. But we do get to see growth.

Some of these student leaders don't have a clue how much influence they are having on this campus. It's crazy to think that there is a whole group of freshmen who don't know Tyren Snyder, but they are being impacted because of him...because he invested in Tony Jones, who is leading a group of freshmen guys this year. The list will continue to go on and on and on...

Chi Alpha becomes a safe place for these students - those who came to college with a relationship with Christ and those who have began following Christ while here...and it can be hard to move on. Sure they don't want to write papers forever, they want to get at job, get married and have a family, but it is hard to leave this comfortable, encouraging environment. But it must be done. Their new role is to continue this life-style of investing themselves in others as they live life - just like they did in college.

Our goal is not to produce a great student leader who only changes the university while they are here. It is to help that student transform into a great leader in their church, community, and workplace. They will then change the world.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Smores for the First Time

What a beautiful day it was on Friday!! The weather was just gorgeous. I knew it would be a perfect night for a little fire. Instead of having an international student cook for us tonight, we decided to share some of our culture with them. We had hot dogs, and then we taught them how to make smores. Most of them didn't have a clue what we were talking about. One of the girls from Oman said that she learned about smores last year, and taught her sister when she went home. It was really cool hearing her describe how she taught her sister about the "cookie with the chocolate"...
Everyone was around the fire with wire hangers going everywhere. There were quite a few marshmallows lost to the fire, but it was an enjoyable experience for everyone who was there, especially the international students who had their first taste of a smore. I know they are going to want more after their first one!

That's what it's about. Exchanging cultural experiences. We get to share our culture with them, and they get to share their culture with us. Spending time together is how we get to know each other better. And we get to learn so much in the process!