Wow, the beginning of the semester is upon us already! It's always an extremely exciting time for us in collegiate ministry! Christ is ready to do amazing things on the campus of Fort Lewis College!
This summer, we've been busy taking care of all that our next trip requires. We've been training, running and hiking.
For most of the summer, that's been difficult finding areas that are snow-free after the big winter we had. (It's been a pretty drastic change after the fires last summer where we were trying to find areas that were smoke-free to train.)
We've also been trying to support raise for the trip. I was able to speak in some churches and Rachel ran a garage sale that was very successful.
Speaking of Rachel, she's been slowly coming off of her sabbatical. She's in a really good place right now. The sabbatical was truly a blessing. She'll continue meeting with a couple of mentors going forward and pace herself a little better as we enter the school year.
Rachel was in a wedding this summer up in Colorado Springs so we got to road trip up there for a short trip. We've had a lot of friends and family in town visiting too. Summer is kind of our time to catch up with people before we disappear back into the ministry for nine months.
On a sad note, we've been working thru the loss of our friend and Peruvian team member, Jaime, who passed away to stomach cancer in mid-August. We had been working with him down there for years.
Speaking of Rachel, she's been slowly coming off of her sabbatical. She's in a really good place right now. The sabbatical was truly a blessing. She'll continue meeting with a couple of mentors going forward and pace herself a little better as we enter the school year.
Rachel was in a wedding this summer up in Colorado Springs so we got to road trip up there for a short trip. We've had a lot of friends and family in town visiting too. Summer is kind of our time to catch up with people before we disappear back into the ministry for nine months.
On a sad note, we've been working thru the loss of our friend and Peruvian team member, Jaime, who passed away to stomach cancer in mid-August. We had been working with him down there for years.
It was just a year ago that we were down there climbing nearly 16,000 ft. passes together to share the Gospel. The cancer was something he had probably carried with him for a few years. My guess is that it was just misdiagnosed until it was too late. Despite his years of stomach issues, he was always excited to share the Gospel and have the love of Christ flow from him. Most would have just stayed home which is understandable but not Jaime. He powered thru. He saw the need for urgency in sharing the Gospel.
With him graduating this life for heaven, it leaves a big hole down in Peru with those he was close to. He was like a father to many down there. Thru the miracle of Facebook and Google Translate, we've been able to have some really good conversations with our friends down there as they grieve. They're definitely hurting, and it's been hard not to be there with them but thankfully, we've been able to still encourage them from afar.
If you haven't watched our last Peru video, there's some good footage of Jaime in the first half of it. Give it a look: Mission Peru 2018. We'll miss Jaime but we celebrate, despite the loss, knowing that Jaime is now more happy than ever worshiping Jesus in heaven. He finished his race, a good and faithful servant.
On a lighter note, we've seen technology also play a role in one of the highlights of our summer. Just recently, we were able to Skype with one of our former Japanese students, Rikako. We were super encouraged.
With him graduating this life for heaven, it leaves a big hole down in Peru with those he was close to. He was like a father to many down there. Thru the miracle of Facebook and Google Translate, we've been able to have some really good conversations with our friends down there as they grieve. They're definitely hurting, and it's been hard not to be there with them but thankfully, we've been able to still encourage them from afar.
If you haven't watched our last Peru video, there's some good footage of Jaime in the first half of it. Give it a look: Mission Peru 2018. We'll miss Jaime but we celebrate, despite the loss, knowing that Jaime is now more happy than ever worshiping Jesus in heaven. He finished his race, a good and faithful servant.
On a lighter note, we've seen technology also play a role in one of the highlights of our summer. Just recently, we were able to Skype with one of our former Japanese students, Rikako. We were super encouraged.
Rikako is doing really well. She continues to grow in her faith back in Japan. She is not only learning to listen to the Lord but also following what God shows her. She looks for opportunities to share her faith with her family and her coworkers. She's stayed connected with some of our other Japanese students who became believers. She's also found good Christian community with a solid church which is helping her grow. It's an hour away from her home but she doesn't let the distance get in her way. What can I say? She's dedicated. It's become a testimony to her family that her faith is that important to her. Rikako will be visiting us in November for a week. She's pretty excited and so are we.
In other big news, many of you know that Rachel and I have been trying to figure out why we haven't been able to have children. We still don't have any more info on that despite the medical testing. So maybe it's time to go another direction. After a lot of prayer and thought, God's shown us some things. We could spend all sorts of money trying to get pregnant with no guarantee of it actually happening. But for us, we thought, "Why spend all that money trying to bring a new life into the world when there are already lives on this earth in need of a loving home?"
Either way, it would be a miracle if it works out. And honestly, financially speaking, it will be a miracle if it happens. Most adoption agencies want you to make a certain amount of money in order to adopt. That's just one of the many hoops you have to jump thru to get approved. But God is a miracle worker, and we trust that if it is His will, He can make it happen. So that's the road we'll be traveling down once we get back from the Himalayas: international adoption.
Speaking of the Himalayas, all things are pretty much a go. Despite the long wait, our visas finally came in. We've got pretty much all of our plane tickets. We've got guides. We've still got about $400 to raise before we go but we trust that God will bring that in. After hours and hours of travel, we'll finally touch down in the Himalayas. That is weather-dependent though. The last flight gets canceled a lot due to rain and clouds in the valley we'll be flying up thru. If our flight gets delayed, we may have to spend a night in the airport.
Then, we move onto up to twelve days of trekking. The highest we'll get up to is probably between 16,000-17,000 ft. in elevation, or maybe even 18,000 ft. It's hard to know though as accurate elevation readings are hard to come by stateside. I'm sure we'll also connect with old friends, meet new ones and really get to experience the people and the culture.
In looking at flights coming back, we noticed that they take us right over where Rachel grew up in Eastern Europe. She hasn't been back in almost 15 years.
For all those years, she's been praying that one day, she could return to the countries she grew up in, reconnect with old friends, and also find some closure on that season of her life that she never really received when her family moved to the States while she was of middle school-age. We've mentioned it in past newsletters but Rachel being a TCK or third-culture kid, that's been tough on her. I won't go deep into TCKs but feel free to Google it to learn a little more. Long story short, it's often recommended that TCKs in Rachel's situation go back and visit the country or countries they grew up in as an adult to find that closure so that they can move on.
With all that said, we've got a layover in Europe for a short bit. She'll be able to show me where she grew up and introduce me to some of her old friends. It will be a whirlwind of a layover trying to work everyone in but she is beyond excited. We really hope that doors are opened for us to be a light while were are there too.
Thankfully, Eastern Europe is fairly cheap once you're there, especially when you know people. And since we were passing thru anyway, it just sort of worked out and fell into place.
As you know, we also have the start of the school year coming up on campus. Athletes have already been back for two weeks. New students move in on Thursday. Returning students are already trickling in and will continue until the start of classes Monday, the 2nd. Here's a quick rundown of our upcoming schedule and things you can be praying for:
Aug. 29th--Freshman Move-in/Poster Hangup/Campus Prayer Walking/Slacklining
Aug. 30th--Orientation Fair/Slacklining/Hangout
Aug. 31st--International Student Dinner
Sept. 1st--Church/Campus Block Party/The Summit (Worship Night)
Sept. 2nd--Classes Start/Challenge Student Officers Dinner
Sept. 3rd--Staff Meeting/Student-led Event
Sept. 4th--Dance Lessons (Taught by Jen)
Sept. 5th--First Family Dinner
Sept. 6th--Night Hike
Sept. 7th--Coffee Crawl (Sampling every coffeeshop in town)/Student-led Event
Sept. 8th--Church/The Summit
Sept. 10th--Staff Meeting
Sept. 12th--Registered Student Organization Fair/Family Dinner
Sept. 13th--Scary Movie Night
Sept. 14th--Telluride Trip
Sept. 15th--Church/The Summit
Sept. 17th--Staff Meeting
Sept. 19th--Family Dinner
Sept. 20th-22nd--Regional Western Slope Retreat
Sept. 24th--Staff Meeting
Sept. 26th--Family Dinner
Sept. 29th--Church/The Summit
Hopefully, that gives you a good idea of how to be praying for us that first month. Look for more specifics down in our prayer section below.
Over the years, God has really challenged me to be in prayer more for our ministry and to challenge our supporters to be in prayer more for the ministry. We've seen huge fruit when we've focused on that. This year, that challenge hasn't changed.
So without further delay, I give you guys this year's Christian Challenge Prayer Challenge...or The Challenge for Challenge. I want to challenge you to give 5-10 minutes a day praying for the ministry. If that sounds like not much, go for more. I suggest praying for it during your mornings so you don't forget. If the ministry comes to mind later in the day, pray for it then too. I'm challenging you to do it for 14 days. If you can make it that far, take it another 14 days. I know I might be asking a lot but it's so important and so worth it.
If you're on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and up for an extra challenge, post the time, date and hashtag it #Praying4FLC and #Challenge4Challenge every time you pray for the ministry. This will remind our staff and students that we've got people praying for us when we get on social media. And hey, maybe it gets others who see it to pray for FLC as well. If you're not into the social media thing, no worries but still be praying.
Thank you for all the support and encouragement you give! We are super thankful for that! Keep us, the ministry, and the FLC campus in your prayers!
Cheers and God Bless,
Mike and Rachel
If the Lord is leading you to give, follow this link to our giving options:
http://thewallscall.blogspot.com/p/other-giving-options.html
- We've lost a lot of student-leaders due to graduation. Pray that God would provide an awesome group of student-leaders this year.
- I won't go into it too deeply but it seems like the enemy is really trying to impede the work we're trying to do on campus. Pray against that and that we would find good favor with the administration.
- As the semester get busier, it's easy to neglect things big and small. We get so focused on ministry that we lose track of the things that help keep us going. We lose track of taking care of ourselves. Pray we have energy and get good sleep throughout the busy semester.
- Specifically, I've been struggling with my sleep lately. I normally have no probably falling asleep but wake up wide awake after only about five hours of sleep. Less than seven leaves me feeling pretty crummy. It would be nice to actually be able to fall back asleep if I'm woken while I should be sleeping. Pray that I could sleep thru the night and feel well the next day.
- With as many things as the ministry does, it's easy to take on way too much and get burnt out. This is especially true in the first month. By the end of September, we just sort of expect it. Pray that we would be good stewards with our time so that we don't fall into burnout.
- Throughout the year, the semester can wear on you and it can be easy to find yourself discouraged at times. It happens in just about any ministry at one point or another. Pray that God would keep us and our staff encouraged throughout the year.
- Being Christians, we are in a spiritual battle. When you do ministry, you become a bigger target in that battle. Keep praying for us and our team that God would protect us this year from any spiritual attacks. Pray that God would give us the strength and encouragement to endure. Also pray for everyone praying for our ministry because when you pray for the ministry, you become a bigger target as well.
- Atheism is a big belief system at FLC. On any given year, about half of the students we work with are atheists or non-believers. Pray that God would open doors for the Gospel to be received and understood. Pray that the Holy Spirit would be working on the hearts and minds of the students we are going to meet.
- Over the years, our staff has had a lot of health issues that can really be a discouragement. Our most successful years have been when we have good health. Pray that God would keep our staff safe and healthy.
- Pray that our team would continue to mesh well and adjust well to losing a couple of full-time staff.
- Pray that ministries on campus would be team players and work with each other to reach the campus for Christ. When ministries bulldoze other ministries on a small campus, it causes rifting and division which can hinder a campus from being reached effectively. Pray that the different ministries on campus would guard against that.
- We've got a lot of work a head of us with the adoption process. It at times feels like it's going to take a miracle to make it happen in many different ways. Pray that God works those miracles that we need to make the adoption happen.
- We praise God for the funding He has brought in for our upcoming trip. It's been awesome to see Him work. We are still about $400 short as of writing this...which is really almost nothing for God to bring in. We trust God to provide but would appreciate you praying as well that the funding needs would be met. If you would like to give for the coming semester or the trip, there is still time. Go to: Give Now.
In other big news, many of you know that Rachel and I have been trying to figure out why we haven't been able to have children. We still don't have any more info on that despite the medical testing. So maybe it's time to go another direction. After a lot of prayer and thought, God's shown us some things. We could spend all sorts of money trying to get pregnant with no guarantee of it actually happening. But for us, we thought, "Why spend all that money trying to bring a new life into the world when there are already lives on this earth in need of a loving home?"
Either way, it would be a miracle if it works out. And honestly, financially speaking, it will be a miracle if it happens. Most adoption agencies want you to make a certain amount of money in order to adopt. That's just one of the many hoops you have to jump thru to get approved. But God is a miracle worker, and we trust that if it is His will, He can make it happen. So that's the road we'll be traveling down once we get back from the Himalayas: international adoption.
Speaking of the Himalayas, all things are pretty much a go. Despite the long wait, our visas finally came in. We've got pretty much all of our plane tickets. We've got guides. We've still got about $400 to raise before we go but we trust that God will bring that in. After hours and hours of travel, we'll finally touch down in the Himalayas. That is weather-dependent though. The last flight gets canceled a lot due to rain and clouds in the valley we'll be flying up thru. If our flight gets delayed, we may have to spend a night in the airport.
Then, we move onto up to twelve days of trekking. The highest we'll get up to is probably between 16,000-17,000 ft. in elevation, or maybe even 18,000 ft. It's hard to know though as accurate elevation readings are hard to come by stateside. I'm sure we'll also connect with old friends, meet new ones and really get to experience the people and the culture.
In looking at flights coming back, we noticed that they take us right over where Rachel grew up in Eastern Europe. She hasn't been back in almost 15 years.
For all those years, she's been praying that one day, she could return to the countries she grew up in, reconnect with old friends, and also find some closure on that season of her life that she never really received when her family moved to the States while she was of middle school-age. We've mentioned it in past newsletters but Rachel being a TCK or third-culture kid, that's been tough on her. I won't go deep into TCKs but feel free to Google it to learn a little more. Long story short, it's often recommended that TCKs in Rachel's situation go back and visit the country or countries they grew up in as an adult to find that closure so that they can move on.
With all that said, we've got a layover in Europe for a short bit. She'll be able to show me where she grew up and introduce me to some of her old friends. It will be a whirlwind of a layover trying to work everyone in but she is beyond excited. We really hope that doors are opened for us to be a light while were are there too.
Thankfully, Eastern Europe is fairly cheap once you're there, especially when you know people. And since we were passing thru anyway, it just sort of worked out and fell into place.
As you know, we also have the start of the school year coming up on campus. Athletes have already been back for two weeks. New students move in on Thursday. Returning students are already trickling in and will continue until the start of classes Monday, the 2nd. Here's a quick rundown of our upcoming schedule and things you can be praying for:
Aug. 29th--Freshman Move-in/Poster Hangup/Campus Prayer Walking/Slacklining
Aug. 30th--Orientation Fair/Slacklining/Hangout
Aug. 31st--International Student Dinner
Sept. 1st--Church/Campus Block Party/The Summit (Worship Night)
Sept. 2nd--Classes Start/Challenge Student Officers Dinner
Sept. 3rd--Staff Meeting/Student-led Event
Sept. 4th--Dance Lessons (Taught by Jen)
Sept. 5th--First Family Dinner
Sept. 6th--Night Hike
Sept. 7th--Coffee Crawl (Sampling every coffeeshop in town)/Student-led Event
Sept. 8th--Church/The Summit
Sept. 10th--Staff Meeting
Sept. 12th--Registered Student Organization Fair/Family Dinner
Sept. 13th--Scary Movie Night
Sept. 14th--Telluride Trip
Sept. 15th--Church/The Summit
Sept. 17th--Staff Meeting
Sept. 19th--Family Dinner
Sept. 20th-22nd--Regional Western Slope Retreat
Sept. 24th--Staff Meeting
Sept. 26th--Family Dinner
Sept. 29th--Church/The Summit
Hopefully, that gives you a good idea of how to be praying for us that first month. Look for more specifics down in our prayer section below.
Over the years, God has really challenged me to be in prayer more for our ministry and to challenge our supporters to be in prayer more for the ministry. We've seen huge fruit when we've focused on that. This year, that challenge hasn't changed.
So without further delay, I give you guys this year's Christian Challenge Prayer Challenge...or The Challenge for Challenge. I want to challenge you to give 5-10 minutes a day praying for the ministry. If that sounds like not much, go for more. I suggest praying for it during your mornings so you don't forget. If the ministry comes to mind later in the day, pray for it then too. I'm challenging you to do it for 14 days. If you can make it that far, take it another 14 days. I know I might be asking a lot but it's so important and so worth it.
If you're on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and up for an extra challenge, post the time, date and hashtag it #Praying4FLC and #Challenge4Challenge every time you pray for the ministry. This will remind our staff and students that we've got people praying for us when we get on social media. And hey, maybe it gets others who see it to pray for FLC as well. If you're not into the social media thing, no worries but still be praying.
Thank you for all the support and encouragement you give! We are super thankful for that! Keep us, the ministry, and the FLC campus in your prayers!
Cheers and God Bless,
Mike and Rachel
If the Lord is leading you to give, follow this link to our giving options:
http://thewallscall.blogspot.com/p/other-giving-options.html
Prayer Requests:
- We've lost a lot of student-leaders due to graduation. Pray that God would provide an awesome group of student-leaders this year.
- I won't go into it too deeply but it seems like the enemy is really trying to impede the work we're trying to do on campus. Pray against that and that we would find good favor with the administration.
- As the semester get busier, it's easy to neglect things big and small. We get so focused on ministry that we lose track of the things that help keep us going. We lose track of taking care of ourselves. Pray we have energy and get good sleep throughout the busy semester.
- Specifically, I've been struggling with my sleep lately. I normally have no probably falling asleep but wake up wide awake after only about five hours of sleep. Less than seven leaves me feeling pretty crummy. It would be nice to actually be able to fall back asleep if I'm woken while I should be sleeping. Pray that I could sleep thru the night and feel well the next day.
- With as many things as the ministry does, it's easy to take on way too much and get burnt out. This is especially true in the first month. By the end of September, we just sort of expect it. Pray that we would be good stewards with our time so that we don't fall into burnout.
- Throughout the year, the semester can wear on you and it can be easy to find yourself discouraged at times. It happens in just about any ministry at one point or another. Pray that God would keep us and our staff encouraged throughout the year.
- Being Christians, we are in a spiritual battle. When you do ministry, you become a bigger target in that battle. Keep praying for us and our team that God would protect us this year from any spiritual attacks. Pray that God would give us the strength and encouragement to endure. Also pray for everyone praying for our ministry because when you pray for the ministry, you become a bigger target as well.
- Atheism is a big belief system at FLC. On any given year, about half of the students we work with are atheists or non-believers. Pray that God would open doors for the Gospel to be received and understood. Pray that the Holy Spirit would be working on the hearts and minds of the students we are going to meet.
- Over the years, our staff has had a lot of health issues that can really be a discouragement. Our most successful years have been when we have good health. Pray that God would keep our staff safe and healthy.
- Pray that our team would continue to mesh well and adjust well to losing a couple of full-time staff.
- Pray that ministries on campus would be team players and work with each other to reach the campus for Christ. When ministries bulldoze other ministries on a small campus, it causes rifting and division which can hinder a campus from being reached effectively. Pray that the different ministries on campus would guard against that.
- We've got a lot of work a head of us with the adoption process. It at times feels like it's going to take a miracle to make it happen in many different ways. Pray that God works those miracles that we need to make the adoption happen.
- We praise God for the funding He has brought in for our upcoming trip. It's been awesome to see Him work. We are still about $400 short as of writing this...which is really almost nothing for God to bring in. We trust God to provide but would appreciate you praying as well that the funding needs would be met. If you would like to give for the coming semester or the trip, there is still time. Go to: Give Now.
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