Edition 2 | October 2011

OUR NEWSLETTER
THE LIFE AND MINISTRY OF BLANE & HANNAH

Our Group Picture

#XABR11 (AKA CHI ALPHA BEACH RETREAT 11)

Earlier this month, we took over 40 students to our annual fall beach retreat! Lets just say that I heard hours of students singing Disney songs and I dont know if I will ever watch another Disney movie again! This was a wonderful opportunity for us to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city and focus on connecting with each other and connecting with God in a deeper way. There is something to be said for taking a weekend and really just asking God to show up as we gather in community. At the end of the retreat, we all sat on the beach for our last service together. We had heard amazing sermons about the purpose God has for us and how that purpose is fullled. The times we spent in worship were unhurried and you could just feel that Gods presence was at work in the lives of all those in the room. As we were getting ready to close, we heard from three of our students. They shared their heart, their story and the things God was showing them at retreat. Each of them was about to take the faith step of water baptism. What an incredible joy to be a part of this spiritual event in their lives! Just the other day, weeks after the retreat was over and we had all caught up on sleep, I heard a student expressing how his time at the retreat changed his idea of what it means to be a Christian. At our weekly worship service, one of our students shared that God specically placed on her heart that she was going to be a missionary. And thats when I was reminded that this is why we do what we do . This is why we put up with hours of trafc to get to the beach. This is why you give and invest in the ministry here in Washington, DC. So that together, we can see the lives of students changed by the grace of God.

Watch A Recap
http://bit.ly/xabr11

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ENGAGING OUR CAMPUS

One of the things that our campus pastor, Mike Godzwa, has been teaching us is that we exist in community so that we can make a difference. And sometimes, with a dozen events on the calendar and being involved in a small group, it can seem that as long as we are there, the mission has been accomplished. But its more than that. Bill Hybels said it like this, The church is the only organization in the world that exists for its nonmembers. This last week, we began to discuss what we wanted to leave behind at American University when our time here was up. Too often, we focus on what do we want to get out of this experience instead of, what type of legacy do we want to start living today so that we can leave it for those that are here tomorrow. Several of the guys said that they wanted to be remembered for their convictions or that they simply wanted to be remembered. Others mentioned that they wanted to let others know that it is okay to be a Christian on a campus like American University. And then, as a group, we started to discuss what we wanted to be known for. That, when the semester was over, what would people remember about the group of guys that met on Tuesdays. Each of the guys had ideas on how and why we should engage our campus. And we determined that our focus should be starting conversations and relationships with those that are not yet in our community, specically, those that are not yet Christians. And we started to brainstorm what we have dubbed, the experiments. One of them, is that we are going to cook food and play games in one of the common areas in a dorm so that we can invite others into relationship. Another is for us to hand out water to those that that are returning at 3am on Fridays from parties. Have these ideas been done? Probably. But it is not about being innovative, it is about creating spaces where we can intentionally build relationships in settings with non-Christians. We are stepping out and asking God to show up. Its scary and exciting at the same time, but shouldnt our lives as Christians be described that way?

HANNAHS COLUMN
Blane and I have had a great time getting to know the students here in DC. We love how passionate they are about so many issues. Recently I participated with some of the students in the DC Walk to Stop Modern Slavery. There is an estimated 27 million slaves around the world today; so to raise awareness about modern day slavery we walked a 5K around the National Mall - past the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and even the new MLK statue! I had a great time with the students as we took a stand about an important topic. Few people know, but this is an issue that is truly affecting us here in the United States, specically in DC. Just a few weeks ago, a massage parlor about four miles from our apartment was shut down because the employees had been trafcked! Even though weve been very busy here in DC I still have time do one of my favorite things - read. Im working part time at a bookstore and I recently attended a training session to become a volunteer with the Library of Congress. I will be working at the information desk where I will interact with tourists from all over the world, lead tours of the librarys collections, and share my love of books with others. It is a great opportunity! All in all, I am denitely enjoying our new home. While I miss our family and friends, I love being in a city where students are passionate about reaching those around them! Thank you so much for supporting us so we can live and do ministry in such a strategic place!

OUR CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS

My Small Group. As we continue to study through the Gospel of John together, our primary focus is to get an accurate picture of Jesus through Johns eyes and hopefully, differentiate that image with the cultural image of Jesus in America. My hope and prayer is that as we see Jesus for who He really is, that our encounters with Him in worship and prayer would be life-changing. Mosiac. Over Thanksgiving, I am assisting in an event that is perhaps, one of the most strategic events of the semester. Dozens of international students that are involved with Chi Alpha from across the country are gathering to worship, to connect and to hear the testimonies of other international students who found God while on campus in America. Some of the students attending are for the rst time, considering the Christian faith and others, are seeking training so that when they return home, they can share the Good News with family and friends. Our Support Team. In this area, our prayer is that we continue to see God provide nancially through individuals, families and churches across the world (in fact, we even have one supporter that lives in the Netherlands!). And as we work to raise about $350 in monthly support, that people would respond to our invitation to either join the team or raise their current level of support.

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At The Walk

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