Rejoicing...

Hello again everyone!

I'm glad to report that I'm writing at a far more reasonable hour this time, and that the pace and strain of ministry on my family has been noticeably better since I last wrote. Thank you to those of you who have prayed for our family; I believe God has been at work! In particular, the last 24 hours or so have been incredibly sweet: Elijah is sleeping much better, is constantly saying "dac-to" (aka "tractor"), and can now take 5 unassisted steps before he dives giggling into our arms. Parenting can feel a bit paradoxical at times, but it is such a joy to love our little boy. :)

On the ministry front, we are emerging from a season that is known as NSO (New Student Outreach), and there are fantastic things to report from all across our area:

* Since I last wrote, we've seen at least two people choose to follow Jesus for the first time: a Chinese international student from Coe College, and a freshman guy from Drake!
* We had 150 students from Iowa in attendance at our first-ever Regional Fall Conference (FC07)! In two cases (William Penn and Coe), the number of students at the conference actually exceeedthe number of students in the chapter at the beginning of the year!
* Grinnell College is enjoying their best Bible Study launch ever. One of their studies had 18 students attend the first meeting!

The stories literally go on and on, as I only hear bits and pieces from my staff, but join with me in thanking God for the work he's doing on the campuses of Iowa!

With Joy,

Jon