Far too long

 Hi everyone. Sorry I haven't updated this in a while. Keeping people posted and up to date on my life in the form of writing is a bit unnatural for me... But I'm learning. Cru has kept me very busy and occupied. I love my job. It does have its challenges though. Like I've mentioned before, I only am getting paid part time. The cru team here has been through a lot of changes this semester. We lost Phil and Liz washburn in June, they moved to Ohio. Then of course, the Pelton family has been in Albuquerque because of all the medical conditions thier son Jude had and then Jude just recently passed away. So the Cru team basically just had two senior staff. Vince and Holly Hoppe. Nick, Sarah, and myself are the new cru interns. So this semester we lost 4 senior staff members and gained 3 part time interns. And Vince and Holly had a new baby. :) thats very exciting, but as you can tell through all this, I've been overwhelmed at trying to help out. Some weeks I've worked more than full time. I'm ok with that. The job is very awesome, but I still dont have a second part time job and I litrally am living paycheck by paycheck. So please pray that the Lord will provide more support and or a second part time job will arise. I feel like there is a million little jobs for me to do each day. Most of it is very tedius. All I want to do is serve this campus, meet with students, and teach them on spiritual things and talk about Christ to those who dont know him.... But support raising, paying bills, budgetting, and simply surviving one paycheck at a time, is all really stressful and distracting more than anything. I want those to all just go away... but its not. I know the Lord has me here for a reason. Though its very uncomfortable, its very good. Christ is leading me through this. I finally graduated and yet here I am, poorer than Ive ever been before... as far as wealth is concerned. My need for Christ is greater. My thirst for his guidence and wisdom is greater than its ever been.... If having money means loosing devotion toward Christ, than I dont want money.

So, this semester, two people have accepted Christ as thier savior through cru. :) very awesome. I've had a lot of good spiritual discussions as well. There is one student and friend that is very close to accepting Christ as thier savior. He has come to me to find out who Christ is... it very amazing to see a life transform right in front of you. To see Christ moving in someones heart directly through you is very awe inspiring. Its very exciting to see Christ work... And all us new interns are a bit stressed at times. We all have training thats crammed in a part time schedule.... Now though all this seems crazy. Its been really neat to see the Lord working through it all. Christ has been moving in great ways. The peltons baby, Jude, Though only living to be 67 days old, inpacted many many lives. Through his short little life i've seen first hand, Christ move though his story. And I'm sure he will continue to move using Judes story. And us new interns are having to step up and take on stuff a lot faster than normal because of the lack in manpower. But its helping us learn a lot and fast. :) though there is struggle, its always followed by a greater amount of growth.... I'm very excited to be on the nmsu cru team.

This is what Christ is teaching me in my life rigth now. Hes been really teaching me more about prayer.When I fail to pray, my best is all I can offer. When I do pray, its no long the best I can do, its the best God can do. How arrogant can I be to think that doing my best is good enough. I want to be the man Christ wants me to be. I want to rely on the paower of God and not the power of me. So I've been really trying to be more conciouse of prayer... Prayer has always been very present in my life... but recently I haven't been praying as much and have been working harder... I want the exact oposite to happen. I want to stop trying to fix the world myself but allow God to fix the world through me. I need to stop trying so hard. Who am I compared to God... thats right, nothin. But with God, there is nothing I cant do.

Christ, my muse

     So interning for Cru is going well. Been on campus a ton, been in a lot of meetings and have talked to a lot of students and am lovin it. I am currently seeking out two students to disciple and looking for possibly one more. I hope they to will disciple 3 students and so on and so forth. I officially got hired to work with Cru as a part time staff this week and thats all based on my support. I am about a third of the way to my final goal, so please continue to pray and if you can help me with any referrals and or support, please contact me.

Christ is continueing to bless me. Continuing to help me increase.... this week I started going to a doctrine study with Vincent Hoppe. Good stuff. Talked about how we have personalities because we were created by one who Has personality. How can personality come on its own? Also that God is usearchable and no one has the authority to challenge Him. (Rom 11:33-34, 1 Cor 2:16 ) We were created by God and given personality. God is also Infinite, unsearchable, never ending, ect.. Now, how can we know God? How can we know Christ if he is unsearchable, infinite, and never ending? We only can because He gave us the ability to know him. Created by Him, for Him and given the ability to know Him. Not know Him fully but only learn that in which he reveals to us. So the BEST and GREATEST thing for us to do is to dwell in Christ. Its what we were made for and we are at our greatest in doing what Christ made and called us to do. We can only learn pieces of the infinite God only becaus he reaveals himself to us. The more we learn of Christ the more we grow, the greater we become, and the more we realize that there is even more to learn. The more we dig the more is revealed. The deeper we go the greater our joy goes and the deeper our love goes. Its like a never ending path to paradise, and the only way to get there is because of Christ.... Anyway, amazing stuff. I thought I'd share something I wrote last week.

My Hero

I know this guy
This guy has never lied
He never stole or lusted
He never had pride
He can always be trusted

I know him to be caring
I know him to be compassionate
I know him to be worth sharing
I know him to never quit

He gave of himself for others always
He loved those who hated and glared
He always prayed and gave praise
He never ran and was never scared

Never impaired and always prepared
Never did sin, and always has been
Always loved, praised, prayed, gave, and saved
Is ever watchful, thoughtful, merciful, and delightful

He is the son of the living God
He is the firstborn of every creature
He is the Lord and savior
He is Jehovah and redeemer

He is my life, muse, and savior
I live for Him, care for Him and love Him
He tought me the best behavior
He is my ever recurring whim

He is the friend that doesn't leave you
He is the guard that always protects you
He is the relationship thats always worth it
He is the well that never runs dry.

His words stand through time
His power unmatched

His name is Christ Jesus
His comands are unstoppable
His burden is non rigorous
His mind is immovable

His workers are few
His field is very great
No one he doesn't pursue
Nothing he didn't create

We were created to seek Him
Designed to love Him
Called to represent Him
And true peace within Him

To follow Christ is my life
Nothing else is even an option
Why continue in lifes strife
When Christ is accepting you in adoption?

Deep is His JOY

So I'm back in Las Cruces and have started working with Cru part time. I did not hit my goal for the full time position in time. But I have enough to jump on board as part time. So thanks everyone who helped support me. Its been a real blessing.

Since I've been back I have been in a ton of meetings. Been planning the weekly meeting for Cru, and the High Country Adventure trip we have each fall semester. We also have started a freshmen only group called Fresh. This group is a very social group where we have free food parties, games, trips ect... And will be getting them plugged into Cru as well. The freshmen class this year is the biggest one NMSU has ever seen. So please pray that we have a good positive influence for these freshmen by letting Christ shine more than us. 80% of the habbits college students fall into start thier freshmen year. So we desperatly want them to get into the habbit of serving Christ. Get them in a habbit and hunger of uncovering our Lord and Savior.

Cru had a few tables set up this week that had info on Cru and we were passing out Cru discount cards we put together as well. The tabling was a huge success. Talked to hundreds of students and passed out hundreds of Cru cards. I hope the word spreads and we see those students coming to Cru. I've been tabling so much that i have a very crazy flip flop tan and my exposed skin got a few shades darker this week, and its been in the upper 90s and lower 100s this week. But it was all worth it.

A story I thought I'd share.

After our first Cru meeting this last thursday, we went to Village Inn to hang out and socialize. I was running late because I had to load all the Cru equipment and drop it off where we store it each week. So as I was pulling into the parking lot I saw three of my friends from Cru talking to a man I've never seen before. So I parked and walked over to see whats up. The man was named Martin, and he was from Denver. He had a lot of trouble in Denver and met a women who gave him $100 to travel to Las Cruces, NM to get into an amazing ministry here. So we quickly found out he was a follower of Christ. He also said once he got to Las Cruces, he coulden't find that ministry he was looking for, and that lady didn't actually have one for him. And she just left him to fend for himself once he was here in Las Cruces. So Martin is now in a city he has never been to before and knows no one and has no place to go. But he had Christ. He met someone that was kind enough to let him stay at his place, and he found another kind soul that gave him a bike. And then he found us in a Village Inn parking lot, a group of three that turned into four.... than five... then six... So six of us heard his story, bought him groceries and prayed for him and he prayed for all of us. Running into Martin was kind of a reality check for me. Here I am with a house, a degree, good health, a job, and great friends and family and there are others less blessed out there... a lot of others. Running into Martin reminded me of that. I am blessed with so much, and I know I'm blessed with it all from Christ himself. But did he bless me so I can stay comfy and cozey? No, I'm blessed with more than I need so I may help those who are in need. After helping Martin and giving him my time and some groceries, guess what? I still have a lot I'm blessed with. This little encounter helped remind me of a lot. It was very humbling. Helping Martin was a small feat for us, yet made a huge inpact on his life. So much so, that Martin was in tears when we helped him. Every time he thanked us (Which was a lot) he would tear up. Helping people as Christ helped people doesnt actually take much out of you. So why arent we helping more?.... Thats a question I"ve always have been asking myself. And its a question Christ has been helping me with. And the greatest thing I've learned that helps me help others, is love. I know it sounds cliche but its true. Its not a love like you have for a friend or family. Its a super natural love that I know can only come from Christ. A love that equips you to love your enemies, love total strangers, like Martin.... So this little random meeting with Martin didnt just inpact him... It inpacted all 6 of use that were with him. We saw Christs love at work right before our eyes and it was one of the most beautiful things that I've ever seen.

Stroy number two:

I dont know if you guys know the Peltons but they are part of the Cru staff here at NMSU. Brandon, Mandy, Caleb and Jude Pelton. Thier newest edition to the family is Jude. Cute little guy. But Jude isnt your typical baby. He was brought into this world about a week ago. His story is very intense and still ongoing. I ask all of you to check out Mandys blog: Mandypelton.blogspot.com if you want to hear the whole story. Jude has down syndrom and had to get sergury on his brain, he has blood pockets in his brain, and he has a heart defect. He was born with a very low platelet count so they could do surgery right away but they needed to. So he got a blood tranfusion and that was a tough ordeal but he made it through and then he got his first brain sergury, again that was very rough but again he made it through..... I just told you a quick snapshot on whats going on but i ask you to please read Mandy's blog so you can pray and hear from someone who is there every step of the way.... I cant even imagin what the Peltons are going through. Even when I try I break down in tears, so I know the Peltons are really filled with all sorts of crazy emotions through this intense ordeal. But every time I read her blog, I see Christ right there with them. No matter what happens they have Joy. It clear proof that Joy runs deeper than pain and sarrow... I am humbled evertime I read her blog. I pray evertime I read her blog. I feel a bit more of Christ every time I read her blog.... Some people ask, Why is this happening? Why is Christ doing this? ... I don't know why Christ is doing this but I do know a little of what he has done through Jude. Jude isn't even a week old and he has brought people together in prayer, has humbled many people and alowed Christ to reveal himself in a very vivid way. I've prayed more this week than I have in a long time because of what Jude is going through. I've seen groups of people stop in thier bussiness to talk to Christ because of Jude's situation.... So even from a new born Christ is moving.... Every time I think on this I cry. No matter what, Christ moves. There is an emense amout of joy and love that pours from Christ. And no matter how bad things get, Christ always covers it with love and joy. It really does run deeper than anything I've ever witnessed before.

About time

Ok, so I should of updated this a long time ago. I'm sorry for all of you who are actually trying to follow this. So.... Support is still tough as ever. In fact, I think its at its toughest. Im coming up to the end of the deadline and am still far from my goal. But I'm still learning a lot in this process and learning to let go and let Christ handle things in day to day life more than I ever have before... and you know what? I love that! I want to keep giving Christ control more and more.... back to whats tough, one of the reasons support raising is tough and slow going for me is because I've never done this before. Another thing is I'm a major doer more than a talker... I love serving in church, at cru, on campus and off campus. I love making videos, animations, art, poems, and getting projects going ect. I can do that stuff forever. And I do it natrually all the time. But in order for me to continue with the awesome ministry in las cruces, I need to raise my support. In order to raise the support, people need to know about it, and for people to know about it, I need to tell them, and to do that I need to talk... I need to talk to person after person after person. So, thats why its kinda tough. I have a tough time just talking. I get antsy and want to just make stuff or setup something, ect... And this is the very reason why support raising is very good for me. Its really making me grow in an area I'm weak in. So for all of you reading this please pray that the growing continues and that I continue to be moldable. I dont ever want to get to set in my own ways that I block out Christs voice even a little. Again, any help would be appreciated, and please pray! One of the most powerful thing you can do to help me is to just pray for me. ;) Also, if any of you know someone who would be interested in supporting a missionary like me, let me know. THANKS!