Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you guys know that CSFPA has another way of supporting campus ministers (such as myself)! You can now give money through paypal! I've embedded a link on the right of the page for your convenience if you wish to support Emily and I that way! Thanks you guys! I hope to be able to give you more updates soon!!! Until next time!
Pat
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Ponderings from the crazy mind of Pat...
Many people have often wondered how my brain works. Anytime anyone would ask, I would simply and politely reply, "Trust me, you DON'T want to know." Well today my friends, you all are in for a treat. I'm going to show you just how crazy my mind can be. Therefore, this blog entry might seem to follow a random flow, but that just goes to show you how random my brain flows. =)
I was thinking today about support raising. I'm still stuck in a hard spot right now (having less than 10% of my total support pledged and/or in, so obviously it's been on my mind a lot recently. It can be pretty stressful at times, and that makes sense come to think of it. I mean look at it this way. My wife and I are about to move in t-minus 2 weeks, we don't have our support in as of yet, she's still trying to secure some kind of job or something, and in the midst of it all I'm trying to keep on my grad school stuff and finish up tail-end wedding stuff (thank you's and such). Whew... just reading back through that and thinking about what I still have ahead of me starts my make my anxiety flare up. But then, just when I feel like the world is caving in around me, and life is going downhill fast, I remember one important thing that I've had to learn over and over in life. God's ALWAYS there! At first that might seem a little cliche and to be honest, it can be for some people. But think about it this way. If you TRULY believe that God is ALWAYS there with you, why do you/me/us always seem to get worked up, worried, stressed, and sick because of situations?
My wife and I are currently studying through Acts because we felt it would be a good book to be in as we begin working in the mission field of campus ministry. What better book? The church being born and growing/expanding into new and bigger mission fields and the amazing results that came from that! Every night as we read, I can't help but think, "WOW! The God that instilled passions and motivation in these early Christians is the God that's doing the same in me! These guys had it rough and still made it through by faith and hope in Christ. I can do the same!" It's really cool whenever these little reminders flare up in your mind. You find yourself stressing and then all of a sudden you remember who it is that told you to go down this road/path and trust Him, and all of a sudden.... there's a peace.
Now I have to be honest. I haven't fully mastered this. There are still plenty of times where I stress and worry and take my eyes of Christ to put them on the troublesome situations that I find myself in. But then some sort of reminder like this one comes up and gives me a fresh perspective on my life and the path that I chose to live out.
I'm sending out more letters, trying to convey the urgency that my wife and I are in. I'm going to praying of each letter, that God would use the person(s) to whom they are addressed to join in with us in His mission field of campus ministry. I'm praying that God would bless the recipients and that out of that blessing, they would feel led to bless others through this ministry. I'd appreciate any other prayers that you all could give. I'm hoping that this blog will continue to take shape and show you guys the frustrations and yet ultimate joys that come from following God's calling for your life. It's going to be one fun ride, so buckle up! Until next time!!! =)
Pat
I was thinking today about support raising. I'm still stuck in a hard spot right now (having less than 10% of my total support pledged and/or in, so obviously it's been on my mind a lot recently. It can be pretty stressful at times, and that makes sense come to think of it. I mean look at it this way. My wife and I are about to move in t-minus 2 weeks, we don't have our support in as of yet, she's still trying to secure some kind of job or something, and in the midst of it all I'm trying to keep on my grad school stuff and finish up tail-end wedding stuff (thank you's and such). Whew... just reading back through that and thinking about what I still have ahead of me starts my make my anxiety flare up. But then, just when I feel like the world is caving in around me, and life is going downhill fast, I remember one important thing that I've had to learn over and over in life. God's ALWAYS there! At first that might seem a little cliche and to be honest, it can be for some people. But think about it this way. If you TRULY believe that God is ALWAYS there with you, why do you/me/us always seem to get worked up, worried, stressed, and sick because of situations?
My wife and I are currently studying through Acts because we felt it would be a good book to be in as we begin working in the mission field of campus ministry. What better book? The church being born and growing/expanding into new and bigger mission fields and the amazing results that came from that! Every night as we read, I can't help but think, "WOW! The God that instilled passions and motivation in these early Christians is the God that's doing the same in me! These guys had it rough and still made it through by faith and hope in Christ. I can do the same!" It's really cool whenever these little reminders flare up in your mind. You find yourself stressing and then all of a sudden you remember who it is that told you to go down this road/path and trust Him, and all of a sudden.... there's a peace.
Now I have to be honest. I haven't fully mastered this. There are still plenty of times where I stress and worry and take my eyes of Christ to put them on the troublesome situations that I find myself in. But then some sort of reminder like this one comes up and gives me a fresh perspective on my life and the path that I chose to live out.
I'm sending out more letters, trying to convey the urgency that my wife and I are in. I'm going to praying of each letter, that God would use the person(s) to whom they are addressed to join in with us in His mission field of campus ministry. I'm praying that God would bless the recipients and that out of that blessing, they would feel led to bless others through this ministry. I'd appreciate any other prayers that you all could give. I'm hoping that this blog will continue to take shape and show you guys the frustrations and yet ultimate joys that come from following God's calling for your life. It's going to be one fun ride, so buckle up! Until next time!!! =)
Pat
Monday, July 11, 2011
Long and Overdue (but brief) Update
Well we're finally married!!! =) Still super pumped and excited about it and REALLY enjoying it! Gosh, where do I begin? It's been nearly a month and a half since the last entry. A LOT has happened since then. Emily and I officially have a home! WOOT!!! =) It's a two-bedroom townhouse located in Avis, PA (about 9 miles away from campus). We're set to move in August 1st, and we CAN'T WAIT!!! For now we've been enjoying the life of two newly-weds and working on getting ourselves ready for life in PA. Just yesterday we woke up at the crack of dawn (OK, it was only 6:45 am) to attend and present at the mission's meeting at my home church. It went alright, I think, haha. I'm still trying to find leads and share my passion and calling with people, praying that God would use them and bless them with the means of partnering with Emily and I in this ministry. I got an update today that was VERY disheartening, letting me know that I only had $600 raised thus far. Talk about stress and uneasiness. Something that you all can do along with Emily and I is keep praying that God will open up more avenues and opportunities and will put people along our path that are eager to join in this missions opportunity and impact the lives of students who may be in a prime season in their lives for encountering Jesus. Thanks for reading, following, praying, and supporting my wife and I on this exciting and amazing adventure!!! =) Love you guys!
Pat
Pat
Monday, May 23, 2011
Counting Down the Days...
So I officially only have 26 days left until I'm married to the greatest girl in the world! =) It's really crazy just how fast it has seem to go. Today I'm mailing out a LARGE stack of letters for support. I'm pretty excited about it! =) My prayer is that the people who receive these will be able to partner up with Emily and me in this ministry. I'm also looking at yet another apartment lead. I applied for an apartment in Williamsport last week. Today I found another one that is newer and is A LOT closer to Lock Haven. It's in a little town called Avis which is in between Lock Haven and Williamsport, but only 9.6 miles away from campus! I would appreciate any prayer as I try to hunt down the right place for Emily and I. I hope to update you more and with more cool info before too long! =) I hope you're doing well and that God is blessing you and using you to do incredible things! =) Till next time!
Pat
Pat
Saturday, April 16, 2011
The Search
And the search.... well.... the search continues. I'm still looking up places to live in PA. At the moment I'm looking into some promising leads over in Williamsport, PA. It's about 30 min or so from Lock Haven campus. Some have asked me why I was looking at a place that was that far away. The truth is that I have many reasons, most of which to prolong my longevity in campus ministry. One of the things that I learned about myself during premarital counseling a little over 3 weeks ago, is that I and a severe introvert. Well OK, I didn't "LEARN" that, I guess I just learned some new information about it. Now to clarify a possibly misconception that I myself had for a while, introverted does not mean that you are extremely afraid to be around or in front of people. It simply means that you get tired quicker when you're around people and that you need to get away to rest and re-energize. One of the suggestions that the counselor gave Emily during counseling, was to give me about 30 min and rest and relax before wanting to have "meaningful talk" and/or go out and do something together. Now it's important for you to know that Emily is the exact opposite of me. She's an extreme extrovert, so she actually gets energy and thrives off of being around people. This is one of the biggest reasons as to why I am looking at finding a place to live on the west side of Williamsport. The 30 min drive would give me that chance to be alone and re-energize before I get home to my wife. Also, Williamsport is bigger than Lock Haven, so there might be more opportunities for Emily to find a job. Last, but not least, I have had more promising prospects that are cheaper to select as Emily and my home for the next little bit of our lives. So, who knows? Even though it's going to be a little drive, it's not going to bother me much because I'm used to driving that distance/length to go somewhere and do something, from living in Grasyon, KY for 4 years. =) I suppose this is enough for now, haha. Hope to update you on something more sometime soon! Love you all!!!
Pat
Pat
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
The Beginning
As of June 1, 2011, I will be the new campus minister at Lock Haven University. I'm pretty excited about it!!! I'm also getting married on June 18, 2011 to Emily Nassiff in Ankeny, Iowa! I'm pretty excited about that too! =) I suppose this first blog should say something about my hopes, aspirations, and goals that I have for the campus ministry and the students, but to tell you the truth, I'm not really sure I have too many of those. Basically, I honestly feel that I am walking by faith (no cliche intended) because I've never dreamed of doing anything like this before. Since I've never dreamed of it, I've never thought through what kind of goals that I have rather than just being led by God and His Spirit and doing what He sets before me. Well currently I'm finishing up my undergraduate schooling at Kentucky Christian University. I have about 4 more weeks left and I'm sitting here thinking to myself, where has the time gone?!?! I'm going to miss parts of it. Other parts, not as much, haha. Well I had better get back to studying Greek since have I have class here in an hour. I hope to be able to update you all on my journeys leading up to my wedding, and then my wife and I's journey into this mission field. I'd love any prayers that you'd might be able and willing to give! It's going to be a fun ride! =)
Pat
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