Well, about 14 hours, I will be on my way to Jackson, Mississippi, for a one-week Habitat for Humanity work week with about 50 wonderful, talented, excited, dedicated students from ONU!
We've been working long and hard on this trip, pretty much since the day I walked onto campus. The students have worked hard raising funds (but we could always use more if you'd like to donate!), contacting the local affiliates, making arrangements for meals–everything you could think of to make a trip like this successful. And, they've been doing all this not just for the Jackson trip, but for Davidson, North Carolina, Greenville, South Carolina, and Albany, Georgia!
I am looking forward to a week of bonding with the students–something that really breathes life into my ministry as chaplain. I am also looking forward to seeing the life changes that will take place–with the homeowners, and with the students–as we work to make a small but significant difference. Most of all, though, I am looking forward to the little surprising moments when God will break into our ordinary, everyday lives, and remind us that we are created in God's image–blessed to be a blessing.
Please keep us in your prayers this week. We will surely need them, especially as arms and legs and bodies get tired toward the end of the week. Pray for the unity of our groups, that we might treat one another with respect and love, even when things seem bleak and dim. Keep the homeowners in your prayers, as fifty college students and a hapless advisor stumble into their homes to help out. Most of all, pray that lives will be changed, that eyes will be opened, and that a difference will be made.