Well, we all survived the weekend. 10
students from Hamline and 8 from St. Olaf joined a group of 345
students that descended on Lake Geneva Christian Camp in Alexandria,
MN, for some very intense training and some good community building.
Most of my students spent the weekend in On Campus, On Purpose, a
teaching track dedicated to deepening their understanding of how God
is at work on campus and how they might join in with that work. The
hope is that students coming out of that track will recognize that
they are missionaries called to their campuses and that God has given
each of them unique gifts and abilities to be used to share the
Gospel with those around them. As I've gotten feedback from students
about the weekend, their excitement about returning to campus is
energizing. They were all challenged in their understanding of what
opportunities for sharing the Gospel they have around them and they
left with a much deeper understanding of InterVarsity's vision of
seeing students' lives transformed by God.
Personally, I spent the weekend
teaching 14 older students about healthy ways to transition out of
college while still investing in InterVarsity. Many of these
students came in with questions about purpose, relationships,
vocation, and God's will. Anticipating this, we led them through an
exploration of their expectations, values, and relationships, while
emphasizing the importance of spiritual disciplines and staying
engaged in communities. Much of our teaching was based on Paul's
teachings in 2 Timothy and encouragements he provides to Timothy as
he reflects back on his ministry. While we didn't answer all of
their questions, we gave them many tools that will be helpful as they
take their next steps.
One of the other tracks from the
weekend invited students with little or no exposure to Jesus to come
and explore what the Bible really has to say about him. While I
don't know the overall content of the weekend, I do know that 11
students made commitments to faith as a result of the teaching. This
opportunity is always one of the highlights of CrossTraining as year
after year God blesses many students who take the faithful step of
being open to exploring scripture.
Thank you all for your prayers and
support throughout the weekend. It is such a blessing to be
surrounded by so many who are excited about partnering with God's
work on campus (and at conferences).
Deron
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