Africa Recap: Part 2

Saying I loved our team this summer is a huge understatement. We prayed for unity and enjoyment of each other, but I never could have imagined how much our team would feel like a family. We brought 9 students with us: 5 girls, 4 guys. 6 students were from Missouri State which was really fun for me. I’ve been able to see these students this semester and see how summer project continues to have an impact in their lives. The other three students were from schools in our region: Wichita State, Colorado School of Mines, and Mizzou. I was also really blessed to help lead this project with some incredible Cru staff. Danny and Nicole were our team leaders. They courageously brought their sweet baby boy, Charlie. He brought so much joy to our team with his bright smile and infectious giggles. Regan and his wife Sheila live in Colorado also joined us on this trip. Regan used to be on staff at MSU and let the athletes Bible study I was a part of. And finally, Davy and I finished up the team. Davy is a fellow staff member at MSU and just so happens to be my boyfriend. However, we didn’t start the trip that way. More on that in the next post when I share about what God did in my life personally.  

This was a pretty common sight. Oh, the joys of airplane travel. 

Our amazing staff. From L to R: Danny, Regan, Davy, me, Sheila, Nicole, and Charlie (look a little closer).

This sweet boy brought immense joy to our team.

Our team and a few of the staff from the house we stayed at our last day in Africa. 

I’ve said it before, but before I left I had this idea that ministry was going to be mostly with Ivorian students. As you read in my last post ministry to the Ivorians was incredible, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that God changed the lives of our American students as well. It brought so much joy to my heart to be able to invest in the Ivorians and the students we brought with us to Cote d’Ivoire. Our schedule was geared toward their growth. Each student had a staff person discipling them. We met one on one weekly to go through a Bible study and process life while on project. Our nightly schedule also promoted growth and team unity. After we got home from campus and ate dinner we had some sort of team event in the evenings.

• Mondays: Bible study for the whole team. The students planned and led this time. It was a perfect opportunity for them to learn how to lead Bible study. I think it definitely equipped them to be able to do that back in the States.
• Tuesdays: “fresh bread” which essentially means you share what’s on your heart. It’s the good, bad, ugly, and vulnerable side of life. Every person gets the opportunity to share whatever they feel like sharing. It’s a wonderful chance to get to know your team and support each other in all aspects of life. And it sometimes involved fresh baked croissants which was a plus. Fresh bread is always better with literal fresh bread.
•  Wednesdays: night off.
•  Thursdays: men’s/women’s times. The men and women split up into different groups and did a Bible study together. The women went through a John Piper book called A Sweet and Bitter Providence. It’s all about God’s goodness and sovereignty as seen in the book of Ruth. We had ton of fun meeting as women and it was actually really good for my growth. I’ll share more on that in my next post.
• Fridays: dinner and hang outs at the Hauqwitz’s house (American staff couple living in Cote d’Ivoire full time). Bryn is one of the most incredible cooks I have ever met. I’m not sure how she manages to make pizza or chicken pot pie that tastes like it’s from home, but she does. Bryn and her husband Craig, have 3 beautiful children. We all loved Friday nights because we got to spend time with this wonderful family.
• Saturdays: night off.
• Sundays: family night. The staff planned different fun events (movies, game nights, water balloon fights, puzzles, etc). More bonding!
• 
  

  

  The women on project. I SO enjoyed living life with these women.

  

  Cote d'Ivoire means "Ivory Coast" in French. Here's a beautiful shot of the coast. We got to spend one weekend at the beach. 

  

  The team spent one Saturday morning at an orphanage, loving on the children and encouraging the staff. 

As I’m sure you can tell our team got incredibly close. It was so fun to see the transformation in students over the six weeks. Many of them went from nervous about sharing their faith to boldly sharing and discipling others. This is the kind of experience that changes your life. I saw that very intimately with the girls I discipled: Kelsey, Leslie, and Renee. I had the privilege of meeting with each of them weekly, one on one. I obviously can’t share some of the very personal things they walked through, but I assure you by God’s grace these women walked away absolutely transformed. It was a joy to be a part of that process. Each girl:

• Experienced freedom from sin they had never told anyone about before.
• Learned how to lead a Bible study and disciple someone.
• Learned how to share their faith.
• Grew in leadership skills.
• Was challenged and had their faith in God stretched.
• Experienced authentic, life-giving Christian community.
• Took huge steps of faith.
• Walked away from project with a plan on how to take what they learned back to the USA.
• Expressed excitement about how the Lord is going to use them to change the lives of college students on their campus.

And the coolest part is I’ve seen all of these continue since they’ve gotten back. I see Kelsey and Renee frequently because they go to MSU and I got to sit down with Leslie a few weeks ago at a conference in Kansas City and catch up. I’m thankful for how God is continuing to work in their hearts. Project has been a springboard of growth for them and I can’t wait to see how God uses them for his glory in the future.

I love these girls. From L to R: Leslie, Renee, me, and Kelsey.

Hanging out on the beach with Charlie.

This team LOVED to worship. We spent a lot of time praising the Lord together. I'm thankful for the musically gifted people on our team.

To wrap this post up, I’ll tell you about Istanbul... beautiful, wonderful Istanbul. After 6 weeks in Africa we spent 1 week debriefing in Istanbul, Turkey. Debrief is important because it gives students a chance to process what God has taught them and challenged them to change the past 6 weeks. We got to enjoy each other’s company as we rested from an exhausting 6 weeks. We also led students through processing questions and prepared them for re-entry into the “normal” life. Many times students suffer from “post-project blues.” Sometimes it’s hard to come back from a spiritual high like project and thrive in the day to day grind. So we did our best to equip students with the tools they needed to live intentionally and missionally at home. I’m not sure if Istanbul is in fact as beautiful as I thought. It may have been the fact we were in Africa for 6 weeks which isn’t the most beautiful or glamorous place in the world. Maybe Istanbul was wonderful because it contrasted with Africa. Or maybe it really is that great. Until I return I guess I’ll never know. It’s best described in pictures so… enjoy! 

Fountain outside the Hagai Sophia. 

Shopping at the Grand Bazaar. SO MANY THINGS TO LOOK AT! You could have spent days in here.  

The Blue Mosque. 

The streets were beautiful!

Every meal seemed to be on a rooftop. After dinner tea was a given.

We got to see the Europe AND Asia side of Istanbul. Four continents in a week: Africa, Europe, Asia, and America. Whew! Oh... and this is Davy, my boyfriend. Thankful we got to experience so many cool places together. 

November Newsletter

Fresh Bread

In the momentum of a school year November tends to be a harder month. It’s getting cold. Students are busy with school. The promise of Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks loom in the distance making distraction certain. As I encouraged my girls to persevere through November I heard the Lord tell me, “Melissa, this goes for you too!”

            

I realized that our spiritual walk has ups and downs just like a school year. I don’t want to just  survive this month, but really thrive. In the day to day grind I want to   experience passion and joy in the Lord. Please pray for me that my personal walk with the Lord would really thrive this month. That as I encourage my disciples to persevere, I would do the same. That in the midst of the busyness and routine I would connect with God. That I would be like a “tree planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” (Psalm 1:3).

From Campus

I wanted to give Karly, the starting point guard on the women’s basketball team, an opportunity to share what has been happening on her team. God has been using her in huge ways to make and impact and Karly has grown a ton in the process. Here’s what she had to say about it:

When Melissa first approached me about helping out with the athlete ministry at MSU I was pretty apprehensive. After all, where would I find the time to commit to something like this? Between my senior year class schedule, 3 hour basketball practices, weights/conditioning, film sessions, game days, long road trips, and not to mention all the countless other obligations a D1 athlete has to fulfill, I would have been more than happy just showing up to the athlete Bible study on Wednesday nights and listening to Melissa bring the Word like I had done my previous 3 years of college. However, The Lord had  other plans. I knew that my basketball team was my mission field so what better way to get them to come to the study then for me to tell them I was going to be helping lead it? Besides, I knew this opportunity would be a big source of spiritual growth for me personally.

I told Melissa I was in, to which she replied something like "Great. You are going to lead a small Bible study just for your basketball team next year". Umm..... excuse me? How would this  ever work? For one, I had been inviting my teammates to come to the Bible study, CRU, and church with me for the past 3 years with no success. And secondly, I believed my spiritual leadership skills where less than adequate to take on something like this. After expressing my fears and concerns with Melissa she eased my anxiety and encouraged me that the Lord could and would work through me. After all, if I could just get one of my teammates to consistently come to our team study, then the number of Lady Bears to be involved in the study would double. So at the beginning of this school year I told my team about the Bible study starting up in our locker room on Wednesday nights and received a few passive "okays" in reply. After feeling out the team and   talking to some of the girls I thought that I could get 5 of them to at least check out the first study. When I walked into the locker room that first Wednesday night I was shocked to see 10 of my 12 teammates there ready to jump into the book of James. I was blown away. Not only were my   teammates there, but they were asking great questions and engaging in discussions and for the first time it felt like we were just able to be real with each other.

During this study we talked about trials and how it was possible to actually consider them joy. One of my teammates spoke up and told us that she had been wanting to tell us something for along time but just didn't know how. As she started to cry she informed us that she had been diagnosed with cervical cancer during the summer and that she was going to have surgery within the next couple of weeks. With tears rolling down faces, the room was speechless. She then said that she knows God wants her to be closer to Him and although her situation was by no means a good thing, God was going to use it for her good in the end. Wow. I was awestruck by God's faithfulness as I left that first study. Since then, I have learned so much more about my teammates and have been able to connect with them on an entirely new level thanks to the study. There has been a consistent 6-8 girls joining me in the word each Wednesday and our teams chemistry has drastically changed for the better. God is moving on the athletic teams here at Missouri State and He is definitely moving in the hearts of the Lady Bears. It just goes to show what one small act of obedience and what stepping up to a challenge can do.

I got to spend this past weekend at the Beyond Conference in Kansas City, MO with 130 upperclassmen from Missouri and surrounding states. These students are seeking the Lord about their future plans and are considering spending at year or two serving with Cru. I was lucky enough to see some of my students and fellow staff from the Cote d’Ivoire summer project. I’m so thankful that students all over our region are choosing to surrender the futures to the Lord. 

Ways you can pray:

• Pray for the 130 students that went to the Beyond Conference. Pray they would continue to seek the Lord as they decide what’s next after college.

• Pray Matthew 9:38: “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." 

• Pray for our upcoming Denver Christmas Conference (Dec 27-Jan 2). This conference is a greenhouse of growth for students and we’d love to see a large number from MSU join us.