I'm Going to Kenya!

It has been a dream since I was in grade school to visit Kenya and the time has finally arrived. I wanted to post a copy of our itinerary so you can be praying for us. I look forward to sharing lots of stories with you when I return.

There are still a few uniforms that are needed for this trip. It is only $10 for each uniform. Please consider helping us with this project. You can give HERE.

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May 17-18: Travel to Nairobi. The team will travel in pairs to Amsterdam and fly together to Nairobi.

May 19: We will worship together with a church in Nairobi and Impact’s president, Bill Westfall, will be preaching that morning. We will have lunch with the church leaders after church and spend the afternoon exploring, picking up last minute supplies and adjusting to the time change.

May 20: We will spend the day at New Life Homes, touring the facility and getting a picture of their work. We’ve volunteered our time to help wherever we can while we are there.

May 21-23: During the three days we will be working with Missions of Hope International (MOHI). After going through an orientation, we will spend time visiting families that are living in the slums of Nairobi. We will also visit some of the schools that MOHI has established and gain an understanding the programs they are utilizing to combat poverty. 

May 24: We will fly to Lodwar (Turkana) on Friday and begin to adjust to the heat of Turkana. (Yes, I am very excited about being in the 90 degree heat!)

May 25 - 26: We will spend time in Turkana visiting MOHI's school, as well as the Turkana Bible Training Institute. We may have a small work project at the TBTI. Our time here will focus on the importance of local leadership, as well as some historical perspective on missions in Africa. Sunday, we will visit a church in a village. During these days we’ll be visiting the school in Choki-Chok, where many of you have helped provide uniforms for students.

May 27: We will spend some more time with our host families and fly back to Nairobi. We’ll spend the night there and prepare to head to Narok the next day.

May 28-29: We’ll travel to Narok to be with New Mission Systems International’s ministry, AfricaHope. We will have a variety of activities here, mostly focusing on the topic of AIDS, and its impact on much of Africa.

May 30: We will rise early and head back toward Nairobi...the slow way. We will spend the day site seeing (on safari).

May 31: This will be our final day in Kenya. We will have the day to do some final shopping, site seeing, and debriefing.

June 1: Back home!

Impact Stories: Colleen's Baptism

Photo by Leanna Vite - www.leannavite.com

This weekend our SMiCpact family had the chance to gather and celebrate the baptism of one of our students, Colleen Donohue. It has been such a huge honor to watch Colleen learn and grow this last year. I asked her to share a little bit of her story with you. Colleen is a junior at St. Mary's College studying Communication Disorders.

Like most students who go to college, it was the first time I was really on my own. However, it took me until my junior year to realize that I wanted to commit myself completely to Christ, and this is why I have decided, on my own accord, to get baptized (this Sunday!).  

I did not grow up with a strong faith, so when I came to college, it was the first time that I was responsible for directing my faith. My family was not committed about going to church or having Jesus be the center of our lives. My mom was raised Catholic and therefore I was Catholic for the first six years of my life.  When my mom got remarried to my stepfather, whom was Lutheran, our family joined his church. My mother was very avid about going to church when we were younger, but my stepfather ridiculed her and poked fun at her faith. I remember my mother, younger brother, and I coming home from church and my stepfather teasing us when we got home saying that we were “goodie two shoes”. It felt degrading and made me feel ashamed of wanting Jesus in my life. After years of his comments, my mom, my brother Ryan, and I stopped going to church. I felt isolated and lost for a long time.

When I came to Saint Mary’s, the community and faith was welcoming and powerful. Freshman year, I tried to find a place where I fit in, like most people. I wasn’t Catholic, but I didn’t consider myself Lutheran. I joined the campus Bible study and attended Catholic mass, but I never felt at home. I continued to stay strong to my morals, even though many of my friends did things I was uncomfortable with. I decided to become a Resident Advisor and join a group of girls who shared many of the beliefs that I did. I was lucky enough to be placed in the same dorm as Allison Zandarski. Till this day, I cannot thank her enough for how much she influenced me that year. I went with her one Sunday to Granger Community Church.  I have never been touched so deeply by a service as I was that day. I honestly believe it changed my life.  I remember vividly when I saw the baptisms outside of GCC and knew that one day I was going to do that, but I knew I wasn’t ready yet.

              
Actually, about a month later, I pushed in the opposite direction, further away from God.  Last Easter, my stepfather sat all five of my siblings, my mother, and myself down and told us that he messed up and that he had been cheating on my mom for about a year. I couldn’t rationalize the feelings that I felt, but I know I didn’t turn to God for help; I rebelled against Him in anger and frustration. I struggled with trust and forgiveness, but I realized that if I could forgive my abusive, drug addict, biological father, that I could and would forgive my stepfather, my Real father, the man who raised me and loved me. God made me realize that it wasn’t the person I was angry with, but the actions that they committed. He carried me when I was broken and showed me that I was capable of forgiveness and that the only person I needed to put trust in was Him.

After that realization, my pursuit of Christ has basically become an obsession. I have a different bible study almost every night of the week, I have joined the Special Friends program at GCC (Thanks to my friend Gianna,) and I found my calling to become a Speech and Language Pathologist to help give voice to those who do not have one. It has been though these experiences this year that I have pushed my faith to a limit I never thought possible before. This year has made me realize that I want to make a personal, physical, emotional, and verbal commitment to live each day for Christ. While I wasn’t ready my sophomore year when I first witnessed the baptisms, I know now that I am and that my relationship with Christ is where I want it to be. I believe that getting baptized and fully giving my life to God will further deepen my relationship with Him and continue to help me wash away the things in my life - my fear, my trust issues, and my self forgiveness - that have held me back for so long and will allow me to trust in Him completely. 

Photo by Leanna Vite - www.leannavite.com

Part of the SMiCpact family after service

Celebrating Passover

Monday night was the beginning of Passover and once again I hosted a Seder for our student leaders and a couple friends from my church who love college students. Only a couple of the ladies had ever attended a Seder, which made for a really fun evening of watching girls make new connections and learn more about our story as God’s people.

Even though favorite gluten-free matzah recipe did NOT work this year, everyone enjoyed trying traditional dishes and learning about the symbolism of different foods in the meal. The students asked some incredible questions that fueled some great dialogue. One of my friends who joined us has traveled to Israel and it was fun to hear about her experience there and have her share more about the things she has studied. 

I appreciated the conversations that stemmed about what it may have been like to sit around the table with Christ and His disciples during that meal and what it would have been like to try to watch the events we celebrate each Holy Week unfold as you are in the midst of it. Despite the fact that none of us at the Seder were Jewish, we challenged each other to remember that the Exodus story is our story. Israel’s wandering in the dessert is part of our journey.  He is our God and we are His people.

SMiCpact Night of Prayer

After our Collegiate Day of Prayer gathering, our student leaders wanted to set aside another night to pray specifically for the St. Mary's campus. Tonight we did that and had an incredibly powerful time of confession and encouragement. I'm excited to see what the rest of the semester brings.

Prayers of Thanksgiving

Prayers for the Oppressed

Prayers of Submission

Prayers for Unity

Prayers of Adoration

One Year of SMiCpact

Tonight at our Impact St. Mary's gathering we celebrated one year of being an official student organization. To celebrate we ate plenty of Hacienda chips and salsa and took time to tell our story. The ladies made a huge time line of the last year marking major events and times when they encountered God in powerful ways.

Let's go to Kenya!

Inside the school at Choki-Chok, a village we will visit.

Impact Campus Ministries’ president, Bill Westfall, has been dreaming, studying, and working diligently for nearly three years developing a special initiative called Impact The World. I cannot tell you how excited I am to have been asked to participate in the pilot group’s trip to Kenya as Bill continues to refine and develop the program.

Impact the World is a discipleship tool that Impact will use in the years ahead to equip college students for a life-long commitment to Jesus as Lord of their life. Specifically, it is a service-learning experience that will utilize a cross-cultural setting with high intensity activities to capture the hearts and minds of students. It is designed to help participants understand their purpose in life and to give them the tools/skills/perspective necessary to set them on a life-long trajectory toward spiritual maturity.

Ultimately, the goal is to see the participants actually living out their faith in Jesus through a dedication to self-sacrifice and kingdom service. It purposes to engage students at multiple levels (heart, mind, and strength), and is packed with intellectually stimulating lessons that are coupled with heart-captivating activities that serve to solidify the learning process. It examines the negative elements of the student’s own culture from the perspective of a foreign culture.

We’ll be heading to Kenya on May 19^th and spend time in three different parts of the country and return on June 1^st. If you would like to hear more about the trip or help contribute to the project, contact me at sarah.koutz@impacttheu.com.

Collegiate Day of Prayer 2013

Students praying for their campus

Yesterday was the annual Collegiate Day of Prayer where Christians around the country focus their prayer efforts on colleges and universities: the campuses, students, faculty, and staff. Impact St. Mary’s decided to host a prayer room on campus that was open to both the St. Mary’s community and the public. It was a great evening watching students, supporters, community members, and their families pray alongside each other for the campus.

As a result of this event, one of our student leaders was lead to create more moments like this where there is a priority for students to come together and pray for their campus. I’m excited to see how this vision becomes reality and to see how God works through this desire to seek Him.

Praying for the oppressed and marginalized

Local families joined us to pray

Purim Celebration

Reading the book of Esther together

This last week at Impact St. Mary’s (SMiCpact), we continued our study of Women of the Text by looking at the life of Esther and her courageous obedience to risk her life for the sake of saving her people. This Saturday was the annual festival of Purim where Jews across the world celebrate God rescuing his people through Esther. As part of our study, I invited the entire SMiCpact gang over to my apartment to celebrate Purim.

It was a great night of celebration and reading the Text together. We ate way more food than we probably should, read through the book of Esther, had great conversations about the Scripture, and made gift baskets. Part of a regular Purim celebration is to share what you have with neighbors and those who might not have all that they need.

During a previous weekly study, our students decided to use this idea as an opportunity to reach out to fellow students. We filled our baskets with some good study snacks and school supplies and wrote notes of encouragement to fellow students who needed to be reminded that God loves and cares for them. The girls took their baskets back to campus and the stories have begun to pour in about how other St. Mary’s ladies were encouraged by what seemed to them like a random act of kindness.

 “If I perish, I perish.” Esther 4:16

Winter Retreat 2013

Small Group Time

Last weekend, campus ministries from across the states of Indiana and Kentucky gathered at Camp Illiana in Washington, IN for this year’s Winter Retreat. We made the trip with 14 students from our ministry and had a wonderful weekend. Tom, one of our associate campus ministers, and a handful of students lead worship through music for a couple sessions and did a wonderful job. Our students were able to connect with other college students from different campuses and we even met some students who are from South Bend and excited to come hang out with us while they are home for the summer.

During the five-hour drive to the retreat, I had the opportunity to ride along with some ladies who are newer to our ministry and begin to get to know them better, which I thoroughly enjoyed since they are from campuses other than St. Mary’s. The focus of this retreat was centered on how to build deeper, more authentic relationships in the midst of our crazy schedules, long to do lists, and a culture that doesn’t always encourage this. On the drive home, we had a great chance to unpack this idea and discover some great next steps about how to live out the things we learned over the weekend.

I really can’t explain the importance of retreating and how weekends like this do so much to help us connect with students and challenge them in their pursuit of God. So many of you helped provide funds to cover travel expenses and registration costs for students who could not. Thank you for helping us provide this space for our students. You are making a difference in the lives of these students. I love partnering with you!

Impact Stories: Learning to be a Follower

This post is part of a series of stories from our Impact St. Mary's students. These posts are all written by student. I hope you'll enjoy a closer look at what God is doing on our local college campuses.
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Bridget is a sophomore at St. Mary’s College and studying sports management.  She will be studying abroad next semester in Ireland.

I just joined Impact this year and it has been amazing all semester. I joined because a friend invited me and since I’m very involved with my church back home, I thought I would go to see what they do. I quickly became part of the Impact group of women! All the members are inviting and fun and so involved in their faith that they are just wonderful people.

Impact has taught me to really look at my life and change how I praise and worship God. This group has taught me that giving praise and loving God are the most important and that God should be in every part of my life rather than just a separate part.

I have loved my semester of Impact and it will be hard to go without it next semester in Ireland.

Impact Stories: My Impact Family

This post is part of a series of stories from our Impact St. Mary's students. These posts are all written by student. I hope you'll enjoy a closer look at what God is doing on our local college campuses.
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Chloe is a sophomore studying psychology and serves on the Impact St. Mary’s student leadership team.

There are so many things about Impact that have changed my life. Impact is my safe place. When I went through a difficult time last year, it was my Impact family that stayed by me through it all. I love everyone in our small group of girls. The support of my Christian sisters is beyond anything I have ever had before.  My relationship with Christ has grown so much. On my own, I would have never been able to be where I am today. The leaders are the most knowledgeable and caring people. Impact is my family. I am so very blessed.

Impact Stories: Go to a Bible Study?!

This post is part of a series of stories from our Impact St. Mary's students. These posts are all written by student. I hope you'll enjoy a closer look at what God is doing on our local college campuses.

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Elizabeth is a junior at St. Mary’s College and is studying accounting.

I never intended to join a Bible study…ever. My roommate is a member of Impact and welcomed me to join her on Wednesdays at Saint Mary’s. After the first few sessions, I finally made it to a meeting and couldn’t be happier. Our leader, Sarah Koutz, is phenomenal and my mind is blown every time. I couldn’t be happier with the group of girls and open conversation. I’m glad God led me to Impact in order to continue on my path of faith.

Impact Stories: Finding a Relationship with God

Over the next week or so I'll be sharing stories from our Impact St. Mary's students. These posts are all written by student. I hope you'll enjoy a closer look at what God is doing on our local college campuses.
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Ashley is a junior studying biology and serves on the Impact St. Mary’s student leadership team.

I was brought to Impact by a good friend last year and stayed when I found my relationship with God. I don’t’ know where I would be without this relationship, but I wake up everyday and thank Him for Impact and the encouragement I have found.

Maximizer's Volunteer Opportunity

Hey there Maximizer friends!

As I shared last week, there is an opportunity for all of you to partner with Impact Campus Ministries this week at our Impact Worship Night. There are two different time slots. Feel free to come to one or both.

Thursday, October 25th in Bethel College's Octorium (Middleton Hall of Science)
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM: Unload equipment, set-up and prepare dinner 
9:30 PM - 11:00 PM: Tear down, load equipment, and clean up

The event runs from 8:00-9:30 PM and we would love to have you and your families join us. The band Till Our Renewal will be leading us in a time of prayer and worship as we seek God and lift up our campuses in prayer.

If you have any questions or want more information, e-mail me at sarah.koutz@impacttheu.com.

Maximizers

Early morning coffee before Maximizers

Most of you know that I am anything but a morning person. However, every Friday morning I gather at 6:30 AM with a group of local business and community leaders called Maximizers who desire to maximize their influence and resources in order to make a difference in our area.

At the end of September, I was invited to share with this group my work with Impact Campus Ministries. I managed to bribe a few college students with some Starbucks and asked them to come share about how Impact has influenced their life. A local business leader, Mark Meyer, wrote a summary of our time together and shared some of his thoughts from our early morning chat. (You can read his entire post HERE.)

When I hear of 35,000 college students in our local community, I think about the possibilities of what it would look like to unleash hundreds of students into our community making a difference.  As we continue to connect the dots of the various efforts going on in our backyard- the options could be endless to get more of these students “in the game”.  Wow!

What could it look like to have a few business leaders connect with this group and add fuel to their efforts- to bring the talents, additional resources, and strategies to expand the message of Christ in the college sector.  Hmmmmm...

I could hardly contain my excitement as I watched a room full of people begin to share my dream for our college campuses. The students and I were overwhelmed by the encouragement and prayers of this group. I am so grateful for the chance to share with them.

If you are free on Friday mornings at 6:30 AM come join us at the Mutual Bank Building at 4100 Edison Lakes Parkway in Mishawaka.

VBS 2012

Gianna helps with decorations for the week.

Once again this summer, I returned to my hometown of Vestaburg, MI to represent Impact's work at a week of Vacation Bible School sponsored by the Vestaburg Church of Christ and Ferris Church of Christ. I brought one of our St. Mary's students, Gianna, with me to meet current and potential supporters. She did an incredible job sharing how Impact has influenced her life and I loved watching God stretch her as He continued to reveal to her His plan for her life. Here are some of her reflections on the week.

"They have this light in them that adults don't have. They don't have worries about jobs, money or life in general. They are precious children who trust God loves them and has a plan for them. The future can be scary, but I guess I need to look at life more like a child."

Read more of Gianna's reflections HERE.

Learning about Jesus feeding the crowds

A memory verse activity

Gianna was brave enough to wear her ND gear in the middle of Michigan.

 

Impact St. Mary's

Some of our St. Mary's students

 Have you ever wondered what happens in campus ministry during the summer while students are back home and campus is, for the most part, as empty as a deserted island? Well I can tell you that the ministry and conversations don't stop. Our students at St. Mary's decided the best way to encourage and stay connected to each other over the summer was to start a blog to share stories from their summers and things they are learning along the way.

Stop by their blog and send them a quick note of encouragement.
www.smicpact.wordpress.com

Summer After Freshman Year - Youth Minister Edition

Dear Youth Minister,

I’m well aware your role is to disciple middle school and high school students and build programming in your church that serves them. So I’m sure you are probably thinking, “Why is this campus minister writing me about college freshmen coming home for the summer?” I know it seems a little strange but please just try to keep an open mind.

·      You have influence – One of the first things a campus minister hears about from an incoming freshman is their youth group and their youth minister. I know there are many days you ministered to your students and thought you weren’t making a difference, but you have had an influence. When students think of spiritual mentors “back home”, they think of you. Just because a student has been away at college for a year doesn’t mean that suddenly changes.

·      Follow up – Not every church has ministry specifically focused on college students. Life at home always involved your student ministry and now they may be returning to little or no community life. Imagine communal dorm living to nothing. I’m not asking you to spend your entire summer with the college students who came through your student ministry. Since you have influence in that student’s life, a simple e-mail, a phone call, text message or greeting at church can mean the world to a student who is unsure of the transition of being home.

·      Follow through – I have had way too many students tell me they were blown off, ignored, or stood up by a youth minister. These students love you and still need your mentoring and guidance. If you tell a former student you are going to meet them for coffee or want to hang out with them, DO IT! If you don’t really mean it, don’t say it. Good intentions only hurt students who want a relationship with you!

·      Be a bridge – I know summer can be a very busy season in youth ministry and it can be a struggle to find time to hang out with your current students. The reality is, these returning freshmen do not need to be hanging out with the youth group. They need to build community with a group of peers or people who are closer to their stage of life. Help them find others in your church or community who are in the same place. It is a teaching opportunity for you and a healthy step for them.

·      Encourage them – I’m guessing you may remember what your summer after freshman year was like. It isn’t always easy. Be an encouraging voice.

As a campus minister, we are jealous you get to spend the summer with these students. Sure, everyone likes a break, but campus sure does get boring in the summer. Enjoy the summer with our students. We miss them already.

Summer After Freshman Year - Parent Edition

Dear Parents of a College Freshman,

Congratulations! Your child has survived their first year of college, even if it was just barely. Now they are packing up their dorm rooms, saying goodbye to friends, and selling textbooks for gas money to come home. While you are probably ecstatic to have your baby back home, your baby is probably facing some anxiety about summer break. There is no way in the world I will ever claim to know anything about parenting, however, I do want to share some thoughts you may or may not find helpful as you adjust to your child being back home.

·      Your student is tired – I realize they need a job, sleep until noon, and eat everything in your house AND they’ve done it three days in a row. You’re right, they probably are being lazy, but try to remember they just finished a week of finals. This probably meant at least one or two all night cramming and paper writing sessions, drinking way too much coffee, and eating way too much junk food. Then they had to pack up their entire home they’ve known for the school year and cram it in their little car. Give them a little space to rest and then kindly tell them to get a job.

·      Point out the positive – Some students go home convinced that their summer is going to be miserable because their parents are going to tell them what to do at every waking moment. They’ve automatically tuned their ears in to only hear the negative.  Catch them off guard with some positive reinforcement and encouragement. Thank them when they’ve helped around the house or praise them when you can actually see a part of their bedroom floor. It may take some time but eventually their ears won’t be listening for just the negative.

·      Communicate expectations – Your child has spent the entire school year making their own decisions about how to spend their time and resources. They may not have always been the best choices, but they aren’t use to having to tell someone where they are going all the time and what they are doing. Clearly communicate to them from the beginning of the summer what you expect them to do around the house and if they need your permission to go places.

·      Remember they are watching you – You are more aware than anyone else that your child is still learning and developing independence.  Be a good model of relationships, wise choices, and communications. They notice how you respond in situations and looking to you to understand how to practice their independence well. Be patient when they fall short. It is going to happen.

I know you love your child very much. Enjoy the time you have with them this summer. It always goes faster than you think it should.

Summer After Freshman Year - Student Edition

Dear College Freshman,

Congratulations! You finished your first year of college, which most likely means you are now actually a sophomore. I’m sure you are glad to be done with early morning classes, writing papers, and taking finals, but I’m guessing you are also sad you will be leaving your new friends. It might even be safe to say you are experiencing some anxiety or nerves about returning home to live with you parents.  Now I don’t claim to be an expert in this area, but I’ve been there. So, I thought I would give you some advice that might come in handy this summer.

·      Obey the house rules – Yes, I know you aren’t a child, but it is still their house.  It might be inconvenient and mostly annoying. You will probably feel at times like you are 12 years old again. It is only a few months and sets a great example for your younger siblings. Yes that means you can’t whine about it then!

·      Help around the house – It doesn’t matter if you had chores or not before you went to college. Simply lending a hand around the house can speak volumes to your parents. They may never say anything to you, but I bet they notice.

·      Communicate! – I’m well aware while you were at college you got to decide what you would do and when you would do it. My guess is it won’t take long before you decide to do something and your parents get upset because you didn’t ask them first. There are a few “tricks” that can help in this area. Instead of saying “I’m going to go…” try “I was thinking about…” or “I want to…does that work with your schedule?” If you start your summer this way, by the end of the summer your parents MAY even tell you there isn’t any need to ask as long as they know where you are.

·      Remember this is hard for them too – Your parents have spent the entire school year with you out of the house and worrying about how you are doing at college. Now their baby is back home and they can breathe a sigh of relief that they know what you are doing.  Just as you are learning to navigate your own life, they are learning how to let you grow up. The bottom line is they love and care for you. Give them a break.

·      Honor your father and mother – Come on! It is one of the Ten Commandments. Remember the choices you make this summer will affect your parents and the amount of tension you will have to live with while you are home. Love them. Honor them.

Enjoy your summer break and the time you have with your family. The books will be calling your name before you know it.