Organic Summer Projects

I just spent an incredible three days with student mission projects in San Jose and Long Beach. Both of these new projects are approaching ministry on a very simple church / organic level - to varying degrees of success. Steve van Diest and company in Long Beach have been at it a bit longer and they have watched students experience the 'detox' of not having everything programmed for them at every moment. In fact, the project schedule is so wide open that some students floundered a bit as things were coming together. But the combination of praying for the lost, identifying your 'oikos' in the community and encouraging each other to step out, has proven to produces some significant fruit in the lives of these young leaders. Many are excited in how clearly they are hearing what the Lord is calling them to. Lead on guys!! It is really cool.

Dennis and Carita (along with Gordon & Angela Ebert and Keoke & Kris King) are just starting. Their group is smaller but they are approaching things very much the same way. Keoke helped them understand G3 (similar to Neil Cole's LTGs) and already a few students have done evangelistic gatherings with new students they have met on campus. There is a real boldness to this group that I believe will yield some interesting reslults - I look forward to what God will do in San Jose.

It was bonus to see Jaeson Ma and his crew one evening while I was there. I called Jaeson to let him know I was standing on his home campus - and lo and behold he was in town. He joined us and the rest of the project for some Ben and Jerry's and good hang time. I love it when teh Lord brings thing together in providential ways.