We have a three-pronged approach and are asking our Lord to bless our efforts as we strive to please Him. In years past brothers (men now approaching their 'Caleb like years', see Joshua 14:10-12) such as Harold Lile, Eddie Morocco, Sam Powell, Wyndham Shaw, Gary Knutson, Doug Jacoby, Mitch Mitchell, Doug Arthur, Bob Wheless, Martin Bentley, Dan Allison and Scott Green among others roamed these campuses here in the Triangle. By the strong hand of our Lord, we are back.
First, we sought and brought in reinforcements with character, heart and faith. We sought workers with character (whose 'yes is yes and no is no', Matthew 5:37), who are willing to work hard until the work is done, and who are humble and hungry to learn and grow. We searched for disciples of Jesus with heart, heart for the lost and heart to rise up and strengthen young disciples. We prayed for servants with faith, faith that God alone can do, "Immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20). Our God is indeed faithful (Psalm 145:13). After a nationwide search for workers (Matthew 9:37) the call was answered from the West Coast by Chelsea Blanco, Cal State Fullerton, from the East Coast by Olivia Graham, UNC-Wilmington, and from the Gulf Coast by Mark Abril, Florida International University. These three are hard at work applying their character, heart and faith on our campuses here in NC.Second, with the help of our friend Jarrod Robinson of Clemson SC, we are installing 'Cross Training' to help us focus, be effective brother's keepers, and learn to develop convictions from the scriptures within our own hearts. Jarrod, along with his 'Proverbs 31' wife Stacey, have had a fruitful and profound impact on Clemson over the last few years. They are moving to Gainesville, FL to lead the church there later this summer. On a recent Saturday via Skype, we learned as Jarrod and his trusty student panel of Lisa Duenas, Megan Carter and Alex Burk shared their hearts and experiences with 'Cross Training', 'groups of three', and developing convictions. Both locations were filled with laughter, passion and fellowship, even though 300 miles apart. We are profoundly grateful for the kindness and patience of our Clemson brothers and sisters as they teach and arm us!
Thirdly, the majority of our students are sacrificing (is it really a sacrifice to join together with hundreds of other campus disciples for fellowship, faith and fun?)... We will be going to the ICMC over July 4th weekend in Orlando, Florida. We are busy with 'rent a student' and washing cars to provide our way. The church here is indeed gracious and generous in encouraging and supporting our campus students. We are going to the ICMC to learn, grow, connect, encourage and have a blast (and even experience some mild sleep deprivation along the way).
We trust our God will bless our plans and efforts as we reload, rearm and rise up for battle.
Respectfully,
Kris Bailey