Breather
Everybody needs a
breather sometimes, and that’s definitely where we are as we finish up the Fall
semester of The Salt Company (TSC) and enjoy some time “off” over Christmas
break. I call it a breather instead of a break because we are excited and
anxious to see what happens in and through TSC this next semester, we are just
in need of catching our breath before running the gauntlet that will be Spring
2013.
This first semester of TSC has been one filled with anticipation
and wonder and frustration and joy and awe, and I’ll take a minute to explain
how those emotions all played out.
Anticipation and
wonder
Simply put, no matter how much planning and praying and
organizing we did going into the fall semester, we had NO IDEA what TSC was
going to look like at Simpson College in our first semester. We committed that
we would be faithful in teaching the Word, that we would work to create an
environment and culture of unashamed worship of the Holy One, and that we would
start weekly small groups for students, and how that all played out and looked
was up to God. We looked forward to it all with anticipation and wonder.
Frustration
To put it lightly, there have been times where the college
and it’s faculty have flat-out frustrated us. From speaking lies about our
ministry to warning students not to get involved with us to threatening to sue
us for including the word “Simpson” on our Facebook page, there have been times
this semester where I’ve wanted to make a very public display of what they were
saying and doing, to fight back in every way I could, but each time I was
reminded that wasn’t the most effective way to win their hearts and souls for
the Lord. In the midst of the frustration, we took joy in knowing that this was
a battle worth fighting because Satan wasn’t happy with what was going on and
he wasn’t going down without a fight. Game on.
Joy and Awe
From the first night when students we’d never met filed into
the little Friends Church on Boston Avenue to the weekly small groups where
hearts and souls were poured out and prayed for to the night I sat in the
middle of the sanctuary reading the things that students needed to give up and
get out of the way of their relationship with God, the fullness of the joy we’ve
experienced is really difficult to describe. All of it left us standing and
sitting and kneeling before our God in adoration and worship and awe as what
was done, in our very first semester, was only in and through and because of
HIM.
About halfway through the semester we conducted a survey of
our students to gather some information and to hear some feedback as to what
God was doing in them, and I wanted to share some of those responses with all
of you.
In response to the question, “What sort of positive impact
has TSC had on your life”, here are a few of the dozens of responses:
“It's given me SUCH excitement for
the Gospel in action for now and for future generations.”
“The Salt Company has given me a
community I had yet to find on Simpson's campus. I went to campus worship
before because I felt obligated and that it excused me from finding a church
home in Indianola. The Salt Company has reversed both of these ideas for me.
Not only do I have time set aside each week to worship Jesus with my friends, I
also have a wonderful group of young women who are supporting my walk with
Christ on a very spiritually dead campus, and a church home on Sunday mornings.
I am so thankful for The Salt Company and the people who take time out of their
lives each and every day to support and pray for the students on our campus-
even those who don't yet attend Salt or those who don't even know about it.”
“God has provided great Christian
friends through The Salt Company and has blessed me with a chance to have
fellowship with them through connection groups. I feel that The Salt Company is
playing a huge role in my walk with Christ.”
“I've begun to see changes in how I
live my life! The Word has come to life for me and without Salt, New Heights
and connection group I would still be very lost in my faith!”
“Really has lit the fire and showed
me how much He loves me. And given me a whole new love of life and appreciation
for each day.”
Again, after reading those for the 10th time at
least, I’m left with such joy and awe.
Last time we wrote an update we asked for prayers for
student leaders, and I can’t properly express through words how excited I am
that 11 students are going to step up and go through a discipleship and
leadership class we’ll be offering in January, which is the first step towards
becoming a student leader. My prayer is that by the end of that class and
discipleship process 8 of those students will be ready to lead or co-lead a
connection group, so we can launch 3 or 4 new groups in February. To double the
number of connection groups, and consequently to double the number of students
in those groups, would be a huge accomplishment for TSC for Spring 2013. Will
you please join us in that prayer?
Earlier I called Spring 2013 a gauntlet, and we expect it to
be just that. We are looking forward to a longer semester (we’ll start the
second week of January and go through the third week of May) with less breaks,
which will help the ministry continue to build on the momentum that’s already
been gained, but it also means more teaching times to prepare for, more small
groups to lead, and a longer period before another breather. Add that on top of
tax season and it should prove to be a long semester, but one that will
definitely be worth it.
As we sit here praying and planning for our second semester
for The Salt Company, we have much anticipation and wonder as, again, we really
don’t know what God will do. We’re sure this semester will come with some
frustration, and even more positive that in 5 months we’ll be filled with more
joy and awe than we’ve got now.
Thanks so much for your prayer and financial support, your
encouraging words and notes, and all that you do for our family, we couldn’t do
it without you all!
