Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Space

Now, I know Jesus didn't have an office.....He told the disciples he didn't even have a place to lay his head....He didn't have a door with his name on it, or whiteboard for people to leave him notes....but I'm pretty sure He's the one who got us an office on campus this year!!

After 14 years as the only consistant ministry on our campus, after space proposals and meetings with administrators, praying and praying and complaining (just a little!), through broken promises and empty words from people in authority...and lots of surrender....the University finally gave CSF an office!!

It's about the size of a large walk-in closet.....big enough for a desk, file cabinet, and a few chairs....but it has been transformed into a prayer room on our campus....and beginning last night at 6pm, students are taking turns filling 30-60 minute slots for 24 hours to pray for the campus. I came in for my 5am slot and the room was covered with posters and prayers and confessions and requests....students had journaled and colored and read and prayed...and it continues today.

It's really not about the office.

But with the office, I get to see students more....they have a place to hang out....we can sit and talk about real stuff and pray together without the cafeteria noise that's been in the background of those conversations for the last 14 years...I get to hear about how they're really doing, and not just what's on the surface....Students can "pop in" (and you need to know that pop-ins are a very spiritual thing for me) when they need to talk and not feel like they're bothering us or interefering with our family time...

So this morning as I prayed for our campus and for those students, surrounded by their written prayers and thoughts, their encouraging notes to each other and colored pictures, I remembered how incredibly blessed we are to get to do this campus ministry thing - - I love my life!!

4 comments:

gigglechirp said...

Congrats on the space and all the good that will come out of it!

b-dizzle said...

Awesome, Gretchen. What a gift to be able to be part of such a wonderful ministry, and what a gift those kids have in you guys. Not to mention a new office - woohoo!

atHisrighthand said...

Awesome story. What a wonderful thing to be a part of! Oh and I love the slide show!
How fun!
Elise

Julie said...

How exciting to finally get your own little space.

Yes, we are excited to finally get the home study done. Most of our other paperwork is already done for the dossier, I just need to have it notarized, so I hope to have everything done within a few months. Hopefully CIS will be quick about getting our 1-1600 to us. I'll be praying you guys get all your stuff together soon for the dossier.

Blessings,
Julie

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