January 2006

Christmas Conference

Over 1800 students joined us in Indianapolis this year for Christmas Conference. Around 120 students came from the schools our team works on in Michigan. As always, it was a significant time for many of our students as they heard from great speakers, attended helpful seminars and had good times interacting with each other.

The most significant time came on the evening of December 30^th. Steve Douglas, the president of Campus Crusade spoke and challenged students to be a part of “The Ambassador’s Pledge”.  Here’s what the pledge says: “I choose this day by faith to go where Christ wants me to go, to do what He wants me to do, to say what He wants me to say, to give what He wants me to give, to be a laborer in the Harvest, for the glory of Christ. This is my pledge.” 1,107 students took the Pledge! Other commitments that were made were 402 students wanting to go on a summer project with Campus Crusade, 180 desiring to do a one year internship and 111 wanting to join staff! God worked in awesome ways to move students to walk more closely with Him, surrender their will to His will for them and share the gospel with others as an ambassador for His kingdom! 

I was particularly grateful to see how our Michigan students responded to this night. Steve Douglas shared about his experience in a Master’s program at Harvard. He talked about the expectations of his fellow students and the faculty that he would go on and become successful in the business world. He shared about how he had to be willing to let them down to do what God had called him to do in joining Campus Crusade full-time. The struggles he shared about are very similar to struggles our students undergo as they deal with expectations from parents, their classmates and their professors. We want our students to be successful in whatever they do and we want many of them to go and have an influence for Christ in the business world. But we also don’t want them to fail to do what God would want them to do because of the  expectations of others.

Please pray for our students, especially our seniors as they consider their future. Many of our seniors are considering joining us for a one-year internship or as full-time staff. We would love to see many of them do this as we continue to reach our partnership country in western Asia, EMU, WMU and other schools in the state of Michigan.

Staff in Training

I have just begun to train Scott Wyatt, new staff here at Michigan and at Western Michigan University. This is in addition to me training Tom Smyly at Eastern Michigan University. Scott and his wife Robin graduated from U-M and both did a STINT in our partnership country with Campus Crusade. They finished their support in December and have begun their ministry this semester. They will each split time between U-M and WMU this semester. They will likely begin working full-time at Western next school year, being a part of our first staff team at that school in many years. It will also be the first launch of any new staffed campus in many years in our region.

Scott, like all new staff, is required to go through two years of training at the beginning of his ministry. This involves reading through books and a training notebook on many different subjects including his relationship with God, evangelism, developing students, ministry philosophy and much more. In addition to gaining knowledge he is also required to experience many different aspects of ministry and discuss these experiences with me. We will also have a chance to do ministry together as we share our faith in the dorms at Michigan. This semester Scott will raise up a new Bible study in one of the dorms on my area of campus.

Long-term Scott and Robin would like to return to our partnership country in western Asia to reach national college students in the large cosmopolitan city in that country.

Thank God for raising the Wyatt’s support and be praying for them as they go through the normal adjustment of being in campus ministry full-time.

Thank You!

God has provided for us over and above what we could ever imagine during the past two months! Thank you for sharing with us from the blessings God has given you. Our staff account is now in a much healthier place and we will be able to stay on campus through this entire semester.

Kids' Column

Lauren and I got a bunk bed. I get to sleep on top because I am the oldest. My new bed is a lot of fun! Lindsey got my old bed. Did you know that Ohio State won their football game? We had fun watching the game until bed time. I usually wear Ohio State colors as much as possible. If only Mommy washed laundry more often I could wear them every day!

I have a new Dora the Explorer comforter for my bunk bed. It is cuddly. I really like December—lots of parties! We skipped dinner New Year’s Eve and ate junk food all night. Mommy made a big cookie, too, with our help. I really liked the Corn Poppers! I have learned my numbers and am going to start to learn my letters. I think I will like it better now. I have learned some of them already from playing on the computer. Maybe I will know the alphabet by the time summer gets here!

I am 2! We celebrated my birthday with a special breakfast since Daddy was leaving for Christmas Conference. I decided to embrace being 2 and spent most of my birthday either in the corner or getting spankings. For some reason I am not in charge in this family and I can’t say “No” when I am told to do something. Will my mommy and daddy come around in time? I’ll keep trying. I am learning new words, although I still prefer to scream. I have even talked to my grandparents on the phone.

Andrew makes sugar cookies with the girls

Lauren talks to Santa on Christmas eve at her great grandparents’ house

Lindsey enjoys one of many dogs given to her at Christmas

The kids check out the new bunk bed for Andrew and Lauren

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