#ReflectCampusMissions - Fall Update

This semester has been really busy for us but very exciting!

What's been going on?

This fall semester we’ve been connecting with and growing relationships with a lot of new students. We’ve been really encouraged to see a new freshman class coming in that really seems to be connecting well and has a serious desire to learn more about Jesus. One of the things that I find encouraging about these freshmen is because Jesus had about 3 years with his disciples and then he sent them out, we (Lord willing) will be able to grow and equip these students for at least 4. It's exciting to think about what types of disciples these students will grow to be over the next few years.

One of our big focus points this semester has been to really grow in our relationships with our current students and to try and push them to become more confident leaders in ministry. We don't want students that just come to our Bible studies or events and leave with a little more knowledge or have fun (that’s all great stuff) but we want to equip our students with the ability to have conversations outside of our group when they’re out in their everyday life. One of the ways we’re trying to challenge our students with this is by having them lead the discussion groups that we have every Tuesday night. Casey, Ann, and myself are normally the ones that lead our group discussions following a short Bible study on Tuesdays but this semester we have been asking different students to lead the discussion. It’s not too challenging in itself but it can still be intimidating for some. We provide a short lesson before the group and then give the group leaders a list of questions to follow. As the group leader, they get to be the one that asks the questions of the group, tries to encourage responses, keeps track of our time, and can choose to reword or skip a question if we’re running short on time. It might not seem like a lot but we believe that this little experience can help build up their confidence in leading groups in the future.

We do cool stuff too

Aside from our regular Bible studies and big group meeting that we do every week, we have been doing some cool events and have more planned for in the future. We recently took a group of our students to Rehoboth Beach for our Solitude Saturday. When we have one of our Solitude Saturday events, we focus on intentionally getting alone with God and spending some personal time with him in prayer. Luke 5:16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Getting in nature and seeing his creation can be a great way to connect with him on a more personal level. Some walk the beach alone, some read a book, some sit and watch the water. We love what this does for our own relationship with God and love to

see how our students come away encouraged and energized from it.

Some other great things that we have planned for are our trips to Israel and Florida this January. I have the privilege to lead a group of our students on a ten day trip to Israel where our students are going to get to visit historical and biblical sites as well as learn about Israel’s rich history and culture. Then just two days after we get back, we’re going to Florida for the Gulf Coast Getaway Conference. The conference is for college Christians and normally has attendance of around 1,200+ college students from all around the nation and the world. There’s always wonderful speakers, breakout lessons, and amazing worship. We are so excited to have our students from UD get to meet other Christians from other universities and have their faith challenged and encouraged by this trip.