Saturday, September 27, 2014

Late September Update

This semester is off and running... we're already going on our 6th week of the fall semester! Emily and I were talking the other day, and we came to the conclusion that based upon what we've experienced so far this semester, our excitement for campus ministry has nearly returned to where it once was when we first began! I don't say this out of spite for any former students or anything like that, but unlike the previous two years, we've been able to overcome and avoid a great many of difficulties and stressful situations that we ran into previously! So in light of this rediscovered passion and excitement, we've been able to see again the FULL joy that serving on the mission field in campus ministry can bring!

This semester, we've begun going through a series called "Why Does It Matter?" Each week, we've been taking a look at various aspects of the Christian faith and determine why they really matter. I have to give Emily any credit that doesn't go to God in my own prayers that were asking for guidance, because she was a big help and 'dreamer' for this series, which has 'paid-off' greatly thus far! I've seen students wrestle with things that they thought they knew/believed, but realized that they were taking it for granted and only going through the motions because they were 'told' to believe it. We've also had a number of new students choose to join us on Wednesday nights and in our small groups on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays! Thus far this semester we've covered the topics of 1) Belief, 2) Discipleship, 3) Baptism, 4) Forgiveness, and 5) Community.

On the family front, Benjamin is doing better! He's back on trial feeds with the bottle with 'half-strength' formula! Just last week, his blood count did drop, but for the two weeks before that, it rose on its own! Even though his blood count did drop, it's still above the warning line that the doctors gave us, so that's still a relief. I just want to say that I appreciate your prayers and support, and I hope that you will continue to pray for Benjamin, Emily, myself, and the entire CSF Campus Ministry as we follow God's leading and serve in our roles as Campus Ministers! Thanks for reading this quick/short update, and I hope that I'll be more disciplined in updating you more as the semester continues to unfold! =)


Patrick