Story time....

Wow....where to begin when it comes to sharing about the past 4 weeks. I'll start with a quick recap of January.

Leading in to the month, plans were in place to spend a lot of time focusing on prayer...prayer times, Bible studies, the works. Students ended up being a lot busier than we all thought they would be. Fortunately, I wasn't the only one planning on emphasizing prayer. God was at work through the church that several students attend, and a great deal of time was spent fasting and praying. It was very exciting to hear so many students sharing about how God was challenging to take action through prayer. One story that stands out:

Ethan (a sophomore) was sitting in the Klas Center one afternoon reading his Bible, and he was getting some strange looks from some members of the baseball team. After he packed up, he stopped by their table to ask a simple question: "Do any of you have anything I can be praying for?" His question was met with some more strange looks, but after processing the question, one of the players responded "Yeah. Could you pray for my family?" Ethan was very excited about the response, and as he continues in prayer for this student, please be praying for Ethan and others that they would have boldness in prayer and in talking with others.

This past weekend was a great way to cap off J-Term and prepare for the Spring semester. 12 students from Hamline converged on Brainerd from Friday-Sunday for Breakaway 2011, the North Central region's annual winter retreat. Here it is by the numbers:

250 students
30 staff/volunteers
11 hours of sleep (unscientific average)
7 random karoke songs
2 new ice skaters
1 frosting fight

...and the really exciting number:

2 new Christians

2 students from schools in South Dakota came to faith in Christ this past weekend, and I've heard reports of several other students who are in the process of wrestling with the idea of becoming a Christian. This weekend was a great time for them to get more answers and to be challenged by the Spirit. Students from Hamline are still resting and processing the weekend, so in a couple days I'll post a story or 2 and get some pictures up as well.

This Thursday night, I'll be speaking at a worship gathering on campus. As part of my message, I will be introducing the idea of Christ's death for sin. Please be praying that many students respond to invitations from their friends and are there to hear this message.

Thank you so much for your prayers for this past weekend and for your continued prayers for students at Hamline.
Deron

A Quick Post...

Greetings. Just wanted to put up a quick prayer request. This weekend, approximately 250 students from campuses in the Dakotoas and Minnesota (as well as UW Superior) will be gathering in Brainerd for InterVarsity's annual Winter Conference. Breakaway is a time where students come together to worship and learn more about God's purpose for their life and work on campus. Elective teaching times cover topics ranging from the practice of prayer to the art of apologetics.

There are a dozen students from Hamline attending, and they are all quite excited about how God will use that time in their lives. Please be in prayer for the following:

--Safe travel for students
--Open hearts and minds for the Spirit to work
--Many opportunities to grow as a community

I will write again next week, hopefully with stories about this conference and from J-Term.

-Deron