We have shifted from renovation to ministry and are thrilled to start up the semester. Rachel is working with student leaders at IUPUI, trying to jump-start their ministry. She is also working with another staff member trying to launch a new movement at Ivy Tech. Ryan has already completed a poster campaign for Northwestern University and a staff directory of those on the regional team.
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After two years of waiting, the Lord has granted us the desires of our hearts! We are settled into our home in Indianapolis, we are finished raising our initial support, and we have begun our ministry on campus and in the office. What a wonderful answer to so many prayers!
So far, the first two weeks have gone well, with Ryan adjusting quickly to his role on the regional team and Rachel trying to find her place on campus with the students and her teammates.
The first week or so on every campus always includes activity fairs, where a multitude of organizations show up to inform students of their existence. We use this opportunity not only to locate interested students, especially freshmen, but also to give away evangelistic materials to anyone and everyone. We hand out Freshman Survival Kits (FSKs) to students who are willing to fill out a survey. The kits included a New Testament, an apologetic book, a DVD or CD, and a toy. In return, they answer a few questions about their interest in spirituality and whether or not they might be interested in talking to someone about God or being involved with Crusade.
One of the schools that Rachel will be working at is called Ivy Tech at Indianapolis. This is the largest community college in Indianapolis, with over 20 campuses. Since Campus Crusade is mostly at four-year schools, this is a time of experimentation, trying to see how we can reach those students, over 6,000 on this campus, that attend community colleges.
Both of us spent time at Ivy Tech Indy, handing out FSKs and surveys. By the end of the day, we handed out close to 300! That means that over 300 people received evangelistic materials and found out about the weekly Bible study we hope to start on that campus!
Indiana University and Purdue University in Indianapolis (IUPUI) currently has a small movement of about 10 interested students. By using FSKs, we were able to receive information from many interested students. Most of the students involved at IUPUI are nursing students, so Rachel is very excited to be pouring into these girls.
Ryan’s week at the office went great. He attended a conference on Photoshop, so he can better use the program to serve the ministry. He also helped out on campus and took some time to settle into his new desk and start working on several projects which include three websites, a print campaign for Northwestern University and a staff directory of the regional team which will be in print and interactive format.
It has been a great start and we look forward to sharing this adventure with you. Your prayers and encouragement held us up during a difficult period of our lives and we know that we wouldn’t be here without you and without the Lord so graciously providing for and blessing us abundantly.
Please Pray
> For the ministries at Ivy Tech Indy and IUPUI to get off the ground and for students to gain a vision for their campus.
> For Rachel as she figures out where she fits in with her team and on campus.
> For Ryan as he transitions to a new routine and figures out how the spend his time wisely and balanced.