Back in Texas!

And . . . we're back in Texas! What a trip!

The bus ride back from Colorado seemed to go by much more quickly than the drive to Colorado. I must confess, I slept for most of it. I've been "counting blessings" since I returned home. As I shared in a previous note, we had several students from Carrollton accept Christ into their hearts or recommit themselves to Him at the conference. I look forward to what God is going to do in their lives and through them as we continue the process of discipleship.

I'll keep you updated on the summer discipleship events. In the mean time, enjoy these photos from Colorado :)

Photos:

Top Row (L-R): Mike Donehey (Tenth Avenue North); Beautiful mountain scenery (courtesy of Dave Bryant); Tenth Avenue North (the band that led us in worship for the whole week, and led our hearts to the foot of the cross. One student shared that as she sang the song "Let It Go" along with the band, God worked to break the unforgiveness she had been carrying in her heart. Praise God for a Christian band that makes it a priority to glorify God and speak the truth of His Word!)

Bottom Row (L-R): Danny, Rani, Natalia, Dave, Cameron, Jevarcus (after climbing Bear Lake); Pretty picture (courtesy of Dave).

News From Colorado!

We've been here three days in Estes Park, nestled in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Colorado, and God has been at work! On the first night of our arrival, one of our Carrollton students accepted Christ for the first time, and three others rededicated their lives to Christ :) This set the stage for what has been a learning experience--watching God at work in the lives of students.

When Jesus told his disciples how difficult it would be for the rich man to enter heaven, they cried out in consternation, "Who then can be saved?"

I am afraid I often fall into the same error of despair when I observe high school students, listen to their stories, needs, and hurts. I am reminded of the evil forces of this world that are fighting for their souls, and I feel momentary panic: How in the world will these students ever choose Christ in the face of all these allurements?

Then comes the reassuring answer:

"With man, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible" (John 19:26).

Praise the Lord!!!

Please continue to pray for the conference, and specifically for the following:

Pray that the Holy Spirit would break every barrier or distraction in the lives of the students, and they would be receptive to what God is doing.

A few of the students have expressed anxiety about not being able to maintain their commitment to God once they return home to the issues they've been away from this week. Pray that God would begin to prepare Christian friends, understanding parents, supportive churches, to come alongside the students and help them in their walk with God.

Pray for God's continued protection over all the students and staff.

Thanks for being an important part of this life-changing week!

What's So Special About June?

A lot.

My mom just left after a week-long visit, and I'll be rejoining with her and my dad in New York later this month! For those of you who know how rarely I get to see my folks, you understand how excited I've been :)

A few students who have been a part of our ministry would also call this month special--they graduated from high school almost a week ago! To the glory of God, they all graduated in the top percentile of their class. One of our student-leaders, Dave, was among the graduands. He had the opportunity to share the gospel with his classmates one last time at a baccalaureate service the week before. He will be helping to lead the Student Venture summer ministry and he is eager to continue his ministry in college this fall.

One more reason this month is so special is GetAway, the incredible, life-changing conference you've been praying about alongside hundreds of Student Venture ministry partners around the world. We'll be leaving for Colorado tomorrow to join students from around the country to worship God and grow as spiritual leaders. Students will have the opportunity to attend electives that will provide the training they need to be missionaries on their campuses. They will also participate in recreation activities, quiet times, prayer, small group discussions, and, in some cases, leadership roles during the conference. Most importantly, students will have the opportunity to accept Christ into their lives for the first time!

Prayer Requests

• Please intercede on behalf of students who do not know Christ who will be attending the conference. Ask that this week will be a time of DIVINE APPOINTMENT for them.
• Pray for protection for those of us traveling on the bus, and those traveling by air; ask for safe travel to and from the conference.
• Pray that this would be a time of personal retreat for me; that I would make time to "be still" with God in this beautiful mountainous place.
• For balance, wisdom, and properly-aligned priorities for me in this busy month.

I will try to keep you posted while I am in Colorado.

"Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast. . ."

Psalm 139:7-10

Thank you for continuing to uphold me with prayer and with encouraging words. May you always experience God's abiding presence, no matter how far away you think you are from Him.

May Update

Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke . . . .Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter . . . . and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday(Isaiah 58:6,7).



He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).



In the past year, God has continued to impress upon my heart His passion for the needy, and the role He expects believers to play in meeting needs in His Name. I have been blown away by the intensity of God's feelings about this. Over and over again, throughout Scripture, God demonstrates His righteous wrath toward those who inflict injustice, and His earnest desire for His body of believers to be vanguards of peace and altruism. God not only desires it; He commands it.



As my mother said to me out of the blue a couple of weeks ago during a telephone conversation. "Simi, give. Don't wait until you have a lot; give now from whatever little you have." I think this applies not only to material giving, but to "spending ourselves" on the behalf of others by giving time, encouragement, love . . . even when we don't have a lot of these commodities, ourselves. Seeking ways to obey God in this has been a joyous experience for me!

In the time since I began writing this particular blog, I found out that my dear cousin, one of my greatest "spiritual heroes", passed away. He was a partner in ministry, and he was instrumental in affirming me when I had doubts about being called to ministry. I pause now to reflect on his life and his love for God. My "Uncle Philip" is an example of a man who spent himself on behalf of others, and he encouraged me to do the same. "Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death" (Isaiah 57:2).

Gearing Up for Summer
In a few weeks, high school students in the Dallas area will be out of school for the summer. This summer, Student Venture Dallas will be inaugurating a summer-long ministry initiative called "Summer Venture". We will kick off with GetAway, our summer conference in Colorado, and continue through the summer with metro-wide outreach events, Bible studies, and one-on-one discipleship. I look forward to what God is going to do this summer.

Please Pray . . .

• That God will be sovereign over all our upcoming end-of-school-year activities.
• Next Monday, students will have the opportunity to bring their friends who are "seeking" to CiCi's pizza after school and participate in sharing the gospel of Christ with them. Ask that God will open up hearts to receive Him.
• We will be having a GetAway pre-party to next Friday to spur enthusiasm for the summer conference. It will be a time for students going to the conference from different cities to meet one another, and for those who have not committed to attend to be convinced, if God wills for them to attend.

Thank you for your friendship and partnership in ministry. I am grateful to God for all of you! God bless you.

April Update

"As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." Genesis 8:22

I've got to be honest--I am really glad God threw "heat" into the mix. I'm relishing these 82-degree Texas spring days; plus--the interesting phenomena of bluebonnet-covered lawns is keeping me amused.

It's been a busy and eventful month since I last wrote. There were quite a few celebrations: I turned a quarter-of-a-century on March 10th. I am enjoying being twenty-five. Easter was also a wonderful time of celebration with friends; we rejoiced together over what God did for us through His Son. At the end of March, I had the double-joy of attending the wedding of two dear friends, Laura and Matthew.

On the ministry front, I'm still loving the opportunity to disciple young ladies through weekly Bible studies. Last Wednesday, we held our annual March Madness Basketball Tournament at Newman Smith High School. It was a well attended outreach, with a personal testimony and a gospel presentation given by students.

There were three new decisions for Christ and many indications of interest in becoming a part of Student Venture :) The next couple of weeks will be spent following up with these students who have just begun or are seeking to grow in their relationship with God.

Summer will be here before we know it. Recruiting for the summer conference, GetAway, has been going wonderfully well--praise God! So far, more than twenty students have signed up . . . and counting.

Prayer Requests

I would appreciate your prayers for the girls I am currently discipling through Bible studies. As they continue to seek to grow in their faith, the enemy has been on the attack with stress, discouragement, and temptations in their personal lives. Praise God that we are overcomers, in Christ! Please pray for the continued realization of victory in the lives of the students.

Please pray for God to direct my steps and my words as I follow up with a few students this week. Pray that I will be able to clearly explain what a relationship with Christ means in their lives, and that they will be interested in continuing one-on-one and group discipleship.

March Newsletter

March already!

It's been an interesting month since I last wrote. Particularly in the past week, the weather has been erratic -- sultry heat one day, and snow the next :)

I am enjoying getting to know the girls in the Freshman Girls and Sophomore Girls Bible studies that got started in January. As I shared in a previous newsletter, the girls are at so many different levels in their relationship with God. Some are from non-Christian backgrounds; some just received Christ/rededicated their lives to Him in the past couple of months; and some are growing Christians. One thing is common to them all-- they are all hungry for spiritual things.
I have been reminded over and over again not to rely on my own understanding; to step back sometimes and allow God to work on the hearts of the students since He knows their needs better than I do.

Sometime in early April, we will be having a "March Madness" basketball tournament as an outreach. It has been a very fruitful outreach in the past, and we are excited about this year's event. The tournament is usually held in the gym at Newman Smith High School. Teams sign up to compete about a week or two in advance, and about 120 or more students gather on the selected day to play or to cheer. During "half-time", SV student leaders share their testimonies and give a gospel presentation.

We are also gearing up for Getaway, a summer conference in Colorado (June 14-20). You may remember my report on last year's Getaway conference. It is exciting to see students who received Christ at the conference last year actively recruiting their friends and classmates to come and experience God this summer. We held one informational "Pre-Party" last Monday, and we hope to hold another one sometime in April. Our first fundraiser for the conference is on March 29th --the students will be sponsored to build a house for a single mother and her daughter!

Please pray about the events we have coming up, and also pray for the new Bible studies (there are also a couple of new boys' Bible studies). I particularly want to request prayer for three freshman girls who have not yet accepted Christ, but are searching; ask that God would break through barriers and reveal Himself to them.
I would also appreciate your prayers for focus, patience, and energy as God continue's to unfold His plans in His own ways and in His own timing. I'm glad to be a part of what God is doing, and I'm glad you're a part of it as well!

February Update

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" - Jesus (John 15:13).



I asked the freshman girls in my Bible study yesterday in what ways they have demonstrated love toward others, or had love demonstrated toward them. One girl shared that her mother had changed her mind about an initial decision to abort her. Another girl said her father had left his country and his loved ones to be with his family in the United States. One girl said her dog shows its love by licking her face :)



Together, we looked at Paul's exhortation in Romans 12 to give ourselves to God as "living sacrifices"--in essence, to place our lives on the altar for His use. When we do so, honoring God and honoring others above ourselves (v.10), God blesses us and enables us to participate in that great love which involves laying down one's life for friends. The ultimate expression of love was exemplified by Christ and is manifested in many ways, including serving others, encouraging others, giving, and blessing (vv. 7-21), in those who have placed themselves on the altar of sacrifice.


The freshman girls were awed by the reminder of how Jesus demonstrated His love; they were equally amazed that God can use them to love in like manner as they offer themselves as living sacrifices.



Praise Reports

I apologize for the tardiness of this particular report: God answered our prayers for Fastbreak beyond my wildest dreams! (Picture on right: Recreation at Fastbreak). The conference was life-changing for the 50+ students and volunteers who went from Carrollton. One student received Christ, several recommitted their lives to Him, and many had the opportunity to share their faith and lead others to receive Christ for the first time. Upon our return to Carrollton, a few students indicated a desire to begin a Bible study, so 3 new Bible studies have resulted from the Fastbreak conference. Staff members and volunteers have received calls from parents who are excited by the change they see in the lives of their children. And this is only the beginning!

Still riding on the momentum from Fastbreak, the students invited their friends to a Superbowl party on February 2nd. Students Dave, Jordan, Natalia, and RJ shared their testimonies and the gospel and six students prayed to accept Christ into their hearts! Jordan was sharing his testimony for the first time. He is one of the students who received Christ at the Getaway conference last summer, and this year, he saw his friend receive Christ at Fastbreak :) Oh, the joy of "mulitplication"!

Prayer Requests

• Please pray that God will continue His work of transformation in the lives of the students who accepted Christ or recommitted their lives to Him at Fastbreak.
  
• Pray that the Bible studies will not grow stagnant, but they will be training grounds for the students to equip them as laborers who will go out and disciple others.


• One of the leadership students who graduated last year recently found out that her 27 year-old sister was diagnosed with a terminal illness, and has been given one more year to live. We are trusting God for healing and resting in the promise that He "works all things for the good of those who are called according to His purpose." Please join us in prayer.