| I will be with you |

On Thursday I decided that I would go back to Davis to check out Michael Koh speak at Intervarsity's large group. I thought it would be a while before I'd be back at Davis for a large group, but I had to come and hear this guy. He's an awesome speaker. There aren't many people that I remember giving talks, but he is definitely one that I do. He gave an awesome talk at spring conference a few years back. One of his main points was about prayer. If we really pray with all of our hearts, big things can happen. He was speaking about Exodus 3 this time. Where Moses first encounters God through the burning bush. He asks God: "Who am I?" and God tells him, "I am with you".

I really think that's applicable to me.

I was thinking the other day, I don't know what I'm doing with myself. I thought that I had made a mistake in coming to Sacramento and going to Sierra College. I didn't think that I was connecting with students at all. For some reason, I just believed that there was no way I'd feel like I was being disconnected at all if I were still in Davis. Things would just be getting started, and I'd be right in the thick of it, loving every moment of it. The truth is, I was just feeling like I didn't want to be here. However, what was awesome about that was the fact that I totally was honest with God and with Troy (my boss) from the beginning. I told him that I didn't have a heart for community college students, but that doesn't mean that I couldn't let Him grow it in me. That was a huge thing for me to remember, because it wasn't like it was some secret shame or anything. It was good! It was freeing to know that my starting line had been defined.

I feel like God has really been with me these past couple of weeks. Working in Davis and making deliveries to campus, right when the school year is starting was not weird at all. Generally, NSO is my favorite time around campus. I love helping freshmen move in and helping them with things their first week of being college students. I loved helping to get people plugged in with stuff through IV. However, I was a little nostalgic when I would see lots of the preparation. I knew that this was not the place for me anymore. I wasn't too sad about things at all. I thought it'd be kinda painful, but it wasn't. Going to the first large group, it was amazing that I was able to see the fellowship, and where God was bringing it, and not be sad that I wasn't part of the movement. I was proud that I was part of the legacy of this place and these people that I'd loved were growing and going strong. Before the end of last year, God told me that I wasn't needed there. He was telling me how He had things under control and that it was ok for me to move on. I saw that on Thursday.

I am also seeing how He's with me at Sierra. Bible studies have been going pretty well. The interest in things is also way up! We've had about 80 people sign up with interest in the Bible studies and have consistently had about 16 people coming to the studies. It's really awesome, and God has been right in the middle of all of that. Today we had a general get together. It was just what we needed. I feel like a lot of the students have been wondering what we were going to do outside of Bible study. A good number of them came out today, we had a dessert potluck, and we played some games. It was just good fun. I have to make sure that we get more of those kinds of times together, cause that's what cements a great community.

I really am thankful that i've gotten the chance to see God walk beside me as I'm trying to test the waters as a campus minister. Sierra College is not UC Davis, but that's an awesome thing. I'm really feeling as the weeks go on, that I'm a Wolverine now, and not so much an Aggie. Sierra is becoming my school, and these students are really becoming my heart.

I'm out...