Mercy Charge

It is amazing to be working in a place and time where the call is to reap a harvest! God is doing an awesome work around me and it continues to to completely overwhelm my expectations. Story after story of God doing an amazing work continues. I just finished leading our second “scripture application study” in Loomis, the dorm where I am focusing my energy (Nathaniel and Rachel are leading the same study in Slocum as I write). We studied mark 9:1-13 two stories of Jesus leading people in showing mercy: in one case to a paralytic, in the other at a party to “tax collectors and sinners.” Please pray for us on Saturday night, as we go to apply this scripture by baking sweet things, and otherwise hosting a party in the dorm (right in the middle of what is already known as the crazy party hall) and maybe going out to a party as a group. Pray that we “go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”

God is bringing together an awesome group of people who are exited about this experiment. I am exited about the revolution that is about to happen.

Current prayer requests (not removing any past ones:):

~That we would clearly hear God's leading as we administer mercy (including the Saturday experiment).

~That people would continue to be inspired by both the vision and actuality of what is occurring.

~That we would consistently be actively witnessing to people around us.

~That people would get exited not only about our scripture experiment but also about the community prayer we are doing in conjunction with my Church.

~That people would get exited about “Fall Conference” which is an amazing event for evangelism as well as discipleship of Christians (especially if they bring seeking friends). Our goal is to, by the shear grace of God, bring 60 people; 20 Christians who each bring two seeking friends. Pray that God would work!

~For spiritual protection and guidance of Sarah, Rachel, Nathaniel and myself as we lead, and for the freshmen we are leading. Jesus is working through us and I know the enemy hates to see that. I cannot believe how hard it was for me to sit down and write this email; the enemy does not want you all praying.

Thank you for your prayers, they are powerful and effective.

-Andrew

NSO week report

Thank you for your prayers! New Student Outreach has been an amazing time of watching God work. A group of students, much bigger then I had dreamed (about 15), have gathered together who are exited about in our radical "following Jesus" groups in the two freshman dorms.
It has been really wild watching God work. So far as either Nathaniel or my personal ingeunuity is concerned, there had been very little. God has given us a vision in an awsome scary way, we have communicated that vision, and the spirit has made people exited about it. My personol favorite story begins as I am dancing at the periphery of the "vidio dance party" which is put on by the school primarily for first years. Two hippy girls from the northeast start dancing with me, then we start talking. I tell them I am a seinior, and naturally, they are curious why I am on campus (most upperclassmen moved in yesterday); so I tell them. I am on campus leading a radical experiment in actually doing what the bible says... they immdedatly stop dancing and stare, wide jawed, "are you seriously doing that," one of them says, "I cant belive you are actually doing that. Thats so cool." So I suppose that is the response to christians doing what we are called to.
During the second part of the week while freshmen were off campus we hosted an event where leaders from different ministries that are serving students at Colorado College got together and were able to share there heart, vision, and stratigy for the work they are doing on campus (or off, as the case may be :). It was an amazing, rich time, where we were able to recieve much greater perspective of what God is doing throught this community. As a result of that we are now planning to meet together to pray on a blockly basis. Establishing something like that had been one of my key goals for this year, now I have to dream bigger!

Finally, please continue to pray. Because NSO was "sucsessfull" I now desperatly hope that the Holy Sprit will show up in our bible study application groups. If he doesent, we will look dang stupid. Please pray that students will stay exited, will bring friends, and that God will give us all his vision for what he wishes to do with our community. Please pray that God will indeed birng the various ministers together to pray regularly for the campus. Also, please pray for Nathaniel and I as we plan out the semester's studies and figure out a fiew more logistical detales for InterVarsity here at CC. Of particular concern for us are figuring out how to best serve upperclassmen who have been connected to IV, planning the structure and function of our leaders meeting, and figuring out how to connect simi-connected upperclassmen who want to be serving along side us.

Shalom,
Andrew