It begins

Hello again everyone,

It's official, the year has begun!

Over the weekend, thousands of college students moved into dorm rooms and apartments all across the state. Some are coming back to a place they love, some are leaving home for the first time, and in the midst of it all, God is at work calling students to himself and transforming them to live missional lives.

Quite simply, this is the time of year that we InterVarsity staff love: the energy, potential, and excitement on campus is palpable, and each year, it's fascinating to watch God work through simple things like info tables, knocking on doors, and "chance" meetings in the union.

Just today, I was on campus at Central and walking to my car at a place I've never parked before to head home for lunch...a student (obviously lost!) approached me and asked where the gym was, so I offered him a ride. Turns out, he's a new freshman from Cedar Rapids, knows next to no one on campus, but was very interested in hearing about our ministry...

Jesus said the kingdom of God is "like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants..."

This is exactly what the job of my staff is over the next few weeks...to plant hundreds and thousands of mustard seeds in the hearts of students and watch God do the unthinkable--bring forth the fruit of transformation and mission.

Please join me in praying for two things over these next days:

First, please pray that our staff team would connect with MISSIONAL STUDENTS who follow Jesus and want to live for his purposes on campus.
Second, please pray that God would give us "divine appointments" with SEEKING STUDENTS who are exploring what it means to follow Jesus and live a life of faith.

I can't wait to share the stories in the upcoming weeks...

With great anticipation!
Jon