Students Needing Prayer

Hello friends!

Over the next month, I hope you will join me in weekly or daily prayer for three of my students. They are all leaders on campus and are all going away for the entire summer for missions work. They have a lot of money to raise by the middle or end of May. I know that all the money in the world belongs to our Father, and He is our provider. Please pray that each woman would see the abundant and miraculous provision of the Lord in their fundraising, and that they would give glory to God because of it!

This is Betsy.

Betsy is the leader of Transformed! - a student-led, traveling drama ministry. I met Betsy this summer at my cousin's wedding, and she came in this year to Eastern as a freshman. Her heart has always been for missions, and she will be spending the summer in Uganda. I just spoke with Betsy and found out she has about 50% of her support raised for this summer, which just covers her plane ticket. She is supposed to be at 75% by now and is a little concerned. Please pray that God teaches her to trust Him as He provides in His own time.

This is Emily.

Emily has been a student chaplain on Eastern's campus for the last two years, and will continue this ministry next fall as a senior. She is an anthropology and missions major. Her long-term desire is to work with Wycliffe Bible Translators and translate the Bible into unknown languages. This summer will be spent with Wycliff in Ghana. She is at 60% of her support-raising goal, and has until the end of May. She is encouraged that she has raised 60% so far, but still has a lot to go. Pray that God will continue to sustain and encourage her and that others will support her on this mission.

This is Megan.

Megan is a student chaplain, a co-leader of Watchman Prayer Ministry, and a co-leader of Precious Movements, a multicultural dancing mime ministry at Eastern. She is going to do missions full-time with her life as soon as she graduates. Previously, Megan has spent summers in Kenya and at the International House of Prayer. This summer, she will be going to Palestine with the other leader from Watchman. Megan literally decided two weeks ago to go on this trip, and she is leaving in mid-May. As far as I know, she is very early into the support-raising process. Please pray that God provides quickly, as there isn't much time and (as you can maybe tell) Megan doesn't have much extra time on her hands.

God bless!

Rachel

The Rocky Road of Relationships

There are small groups scattered throughout the lounge, each engaged in various forms of discussion, prayer, and worship. After finishing a prayer with my own group, I glance at my watch. 10:30 pm. We "ended" the official discussion over an hour ago, and still students linger to engage in conversation with us about their struggles. Despite being overcome with pregnancy-related tiredness, I am overwhelmed with joy. These are some of the best moments in campus ministry -- the unexpected, unplanned conversations that usually extend into later hours of the night. On this particular night, we (the leaders) have come alongside the students to wrestle with self-image.

Partnering with Eastern's Office of Faith and Practice, Michael (a fellow CCO staffer), Elliott, and I have developed a series of discussion nights oriented around relationships. The first night, in February, we discussed the value of singleness in the Kingdom of God. Since the Eastern student population is somewhat relationship-obsessed, and since the students often live within this "ring-by-spring" culture day-in and day-out, we wanted to bring in a different conversation. We invited three speakers to talk about what it has been like to be single and pursuing the Lord. The feedback was great from the students. One girl in particular came up to me and thanked us. "My friends have been telling me I'm crazy to be single right now," she confesses. "The pressure has been hard, but I really want to focus on the Lord at this time in my life without the distraction of a relationship. It's good to hear that I'm NOT crazy!"

In mid-March, our next discussion night was on self-image and basing our value on being made in the image of God. Four speakers came on this night, sharing their testimonies of self-image battles as well as deliverance from the Lord. After some discussion in the larger group, we broke up into small groups and each speaker (as well as myself) led a small group discussion, as well as some much needed prayer.

About 30 students have shown up to each event, which is honestly an incredible turn out on a small college campus. We have seen the Lord's hand every step of the way and are thankful that He can use us in this way to bring hope and expose truth to these students.

Tonight is our third discussion night, where we will be talking about appropriate boundaries -- both in relationships and friendships. Two weeks from tonight, our last discussion night will focus on how social networking and the internet are affecting our relationships with one another, and how a Christian ought to respond or interact with such technology.

Please pray:

1) That the Lord will continue to draw students to these discussion nights. I pray each week that if someone is debating whether or not to come, that the Lord will tug on their hearts enough to have them finally come out. The last time, one student confessed that she really didn't want to come. "But I kept staring at the flier on my desk and I knew God was urging me to come. I'm so glad I did," she told me.

2) That each night will go smoothly, and the Lord will work through us--that our words would be His words, and that His truth would be revealed to these students. Pray that we would be mere vessels for His ministry.

3) For next year -- that we can continue to work alongside the student chaplains and RAs to prepare for these discussion nights, and that God would use us effectively.

Thank you!

-Rachel

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Jubilee Testimonials

Last month, we took 23 college students to Jubilee -- the CCO conference that challenges students to live out their faith in every area of life. Two weeks before leaving, we weren't sure that we would have enough scholarships to cover the cost for all the students, most of whom could not pay out of their own pocket.

God provided abundantly through our supporters and fellow church members. Every student that wanted to go got to go! Here are some testimonials:

I saw God present the most in the reality that the kingdom of God is diverse. Every speaker offered a different perspective to the issues that Christians will face. I appreciated the fact that I was able to take a look at the ramifications of globalization from a more positive light. In many respects I think Jubilee was preparation on a small level for my spring break trip to the Dominican Republic. Many of Jubilees speakers demanded that the students understand the importance of being culturally competent. While I struggle with the word competence (because I don't think as foreigners we can ever be fully culturally competent) I appreciated the heave emphasis on remaining "unchurched" but living out Christianity. I saw that present in the DR. I speak fluent Spanish but it was not my Spanish that grabbed the attention of the women working in the kitchen-- it was my sincere love and appreciation for them that caused their hearts to be moved. Selah.

-- Angeley, Eastern University

From my time at Jubilee I have let myself be open to God. What I mean by this is that I went with the mindset to have God open my eyes to things going on in my life. Even now, after that weekend, God is continuing to reveal areas of my life where I need to change and let his love take over. This was not an easy thing to ask for from God because it is difficult and painful to change. With that being said, I know that I will be taken care of but this change can only come from God. And through this time from Jubilee I am working on that change and I am continuing to search for the woman that God has created me to be. It is going to be a life long journey but it is worth it because God will never leave me but will always be beside me in both the good and bad times. Jubilee has given me the push that I needed to face those tough areas in my life that I was unwilling to acknowledge and reminded me to stay strong in God’s love, power and mercy.
-- Sara Barnhurst, Eastern University

As a senior in college, this was my first time going to Jubilee, so it was really great to be going in with the perspective of graduating in just a few months. In many ways, the experience helped me to rethink how I would approach post-graduation with a Christian perspective. Overall, God has also used the experience to teach me more about Him. It was an exciting and encouraging experience!
-- Liz Wolensky, Haverford College

Annnnnnd if you were one of the supporters who helped get the students to Jubilee, or if you were praying for the students, here is a special thank you from Eric Mayhew, junior at Eastern University:

I hope this letter finds you well. Especially since we have been experiencing some fantastic weather. I would like to sincerely thank you for your support in this trip. I was blessed through your support and God willing I was able to gain just enough support to go and received it at just the right time, so Thank You.

Jubilee was such a great experience that I know God knew I needed. I was blessed beyond belief. I went into it not expecting anything and came out gaining a lot. God really pressed it on my heart to be more of a Godly man. He wanted me to be a firmer leader and take control, enacting justice on the behalf of others, have empathy for the hurting and by making the world a better place.

But the one thing that he really let stand out is that of being noticed. Letting everyone around me know that I am a Christian and letting their judgment not waver if I am or not. This can be done primarily through my actions and not being a “Sunday Christian”, being a Christian in church but walking out the doors not even changed.

One speaker said, “There are 50 million Christians in our country today. But… If that is a true statistic then where are they? By the state of our nation you would not know that the majority of the people in our country are in fact Christian.” He went on to say that we need to be changed to make a change and that we also need to not live a safe life. Everyone in the bible who made a different did not live a safe life. Just think of Noah, David or even Jesus. None of them lived a safe life.

This is just some of the things that God reveled to me on this trip. It was though him and through you that it was made possible and again I thank you for your help. If I could also ask for your continual support for me in my college career through your prayers. I have hit a rough patch and am not sure where God wants me right now and am having trouble deciding what to do. Your prayers would be of great assistance in this struggle. Thank You.

Sincerely,

Eric Mayhew

Enjoying our Daily Bread

"Have you been spending time with God?"

It's a simple question, and one that people would expect a campus minister to ask. But the typical response always catches me off guard. Instead of a simple answer, my question is usually greeted by a shameful look downwards or a shrug accompanied by a pitiful glance.

I try to remind the students that I'm not asking them this question to make them feel guilty, nor does God want them to shrink away from Him in their guilt. He longs to be with us, and we were designed for fellowship with Him.

So why is it so hard?

I admit that even in my own life, some days I find myself trying to remember the last time I sat still before the Lord. God has taken away the sense of guilt or shame I used to feel, and has replaced it with a sense of mourning. It is sad to go without our Father's fellowship. I want to take joy in just being in His Presence. And without the Bible, how will I recognize His voice? How will I know who He is? Without our Daily Bread, we starve ourselves.

How do we let this happen?

I think it happens because we don't let God take control. We tend to think, "I need to spend more time with God. I just need to do it." How many of us have actually asked God for help?

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide,

so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you."

John 15:16

I encourage my students to start out by doing three things:

1) Ask God to help you. We are not in control, and we can do nothing apart from Him. Ask Him to give you this spiritual blessing of spending time with Him.

2) "A Psalm a day keeps the devil away." My brother said this to me once, and I thought it sounded corny. And then I just decided to try it, and God has blessed my spiritual walk abundantly. When you have a spare five or ten minutes, whip out that Bible and read a Psalm.

3) Engage in the Word with others. It is hard to keep ourselves accountable, but what if you planned to meet with a friend once a week for one hour to dive into the Word? How would that change your daily encounter with the Lord? How much would it help a fellow sibling in Christ?

So I ask that as you and I both struggle to find our own time with the Lord, that you would join me in praying for these students that are not practicing quiet time before God. Please pray that God would impress it on their hearts, give them the motivation, and that they would follow through in engaging daily with God and His Word.

Praying for the peace that surpasses understanding -

Rachel

In Their Own Words

We told you that Elliott went on a service trip with some guys the other week (mainly planned by Jim, a junior at Villanova University who Elliott has known for 2 1/2 years!). We wanted to share with you a couple of their responses to the week...

"I believe that an integral part of any mission trip experience is learning something new in the process. In past trips, this has been fairly easy, because whatever group I have been with has gone to our location, and then spent our time in that one spot. In this way, we have the opportunity to get to know the community of the site on a deeper level. What made this trip unique for me was that we did not stay in a single location - every day was a new site, a new community, and a new purpose. While I was at first apprehensive about this, I ended up discovering something nevertheless, something which I would never have realized if it hadn't been for the constant motion of the trip.

"At every community we arrived at, we heard the story of its origin. All of them...had one commonality: they were new. ... This is where I discovered the message being delivered to me by this trip: there is hope, and things will get better. There are few places more in need of help than the Philadelphia area, and it feels like it has always been this way. But after witnessing firsthand the growth of so many new organizations that are making it their mission to bring positive change to Philadelphia, I see true reason for hope.”

- Billy Albert, Junior, Villanova University

"Revelations hit me like a wall of white-washed stones during our unique week-long service trip to Camden, Norristown, Chester, and Philadelphia. Our first mission involved white-washing two stone walls in the basement of a converted convent called the CRIB as part of our service to HopeWorks, Camden. Retrospectively, this flagship job symbolized the beginning of something new for me - a kind of fresh start on my journey of faith. While I had not been drifting, backslidden, or falling away (to use the typical Christianese), I had become set in my ways and God decided to challenge me by taking me out of the comfortable place I had built around myself.

"In short, two radical (but obvious) themes colored the week which had begun with two white-washed walls. First, the idea of excellence in our service to God and others. We explored God's call for ministerial excellence with Pete and Becky Bowersox at the Norristown Community House. The second idea grew out of a conversation I had with Eastern Professor Lindy Backues: the parish community. Essentially, the prerogative of the parish is part of the Christian's duty to impact his local community by means of the Gospel. The Christian thus becomes committed to his neighborhood, and consequently, a local church. God sent me on a trip to serve others; unexpectedly, He showed up to give me a gift of ideas with which I am applying to some tough decisions that I must make in the near future. To God be the glory!"

- Zack Groff, Junior, Temple University

Our Wishlist

During our support-raising trip in May, we had a number of supporters recommend that we do a Wishlist of things we need. This way, people that are not able to support us financially could still contribute to our ministry—possibly with things they already have in their own home! It took more months to put together than we anticipated, but without further ado, here is our Wishlist!

For our ministry...

These items will help us keep the ministry running efficiently and without added cost to our monthly budget.

• Button-down shirts for Elliott (size Medium)

• Nice pants for Elliott (size 32/32)

• Stamps (for mailing our newsletters and thank-you cards)

• Cards and stationary

• Business-sized envelopes (for mailing our newsletters)

• Gift cards to coffee shops (so we can take our students out more frequently!)

• Gift cards to book stores (so we can get books for our students)

o We particularly like to shop at Hearts and Minds Bookstores, since the owner is a partner of the CCO. http://heartsandmindsbooks.com/

• Board games (so we can have more game nights with our students)

• Printer paper (for our newsletters)

• Gas cards (for all that driving back-and-forth between home, school, and church that we do nearly every day, as well as for support-raising trips)

More personal...

Having these items will help us cut down on added expenses.

• Financial advising

• Baby stuff (for our expected arrival in June!)

• Sneakers for Elliott (size 11)

• Food items (canned vegetables, anything gluten- and corn-free for Rachel, chicken broth, spices, etc.)

• Soap, dish detergent, paper towels, etc.

Please contact us with any questions or clarifications.

Elliott can be reached at 215-756-3155 and elliottsimko@gmail.com.

Rachel can be reached at 215-756-3020 and chellysimko@gmail.com.

Over the "Break"

Our work in campus ministry follows a different sort of path. We are, in a sense, on the same schedule as our students. We take life in semesters and follow the ebb and flow of midterms, exams, and then a nice, long break. Of course, while the students are snuggled warm in their homes, we have a different sort of work to accomplish.

We kicked off the break with a massive push for support-raising. In our efforts to be faithful to God, we spent two full weeks in meetings (and traveling all the way to Richmond!), making phone calls, sending out cards, delivering Christmas yummies, and praying about meeting our support-raising goal. We have continued to hover around 40%-60% of our goal, and would sincerely appreciate the prayers as we ask God to see us through to full support.

Elliott spent a week in service with some other college-aged guys. Each day was spent serving these people in our area: Hope Works, Norristown Community House, Norristown Homeless Shelter, Broad Street Ministries, and City Team.

To see a little bit of the work the guys did that week, please go here. Trust me, the video is work a look!

We also had the opportunity to hear one of our students speak at her church service about the lessons she learned the past semester about the Lord. It was an incredible experience to hear how the Lord has used us, and I wrote a little bit about it in my personal blog.

That's it for now! More frequent updates coming soon!

-Rachel