New friends in Joplin :)

Today was definitely my favorite of the trip so far! For most of the day, our group split in half. Five of us spent the day mudding and sanding drywall as we worked with Americorps to help Dan (a really cool old guy) rebuild his house. The other half of our group helped Eric ( a young hairdresser and artist,)fix up the outside of his house to deter the city from demolishing it.

Then, we spent an amazing evening with Carol, a woman we met while helping the Salvation Army yesterday. She has a huge heart for God and people and she's always expressing how thankful she is for volunteers! She invited us to eat dinner at her church, where we met a lot of loving people with amazing stories (they even made special placemats just for us...see picture) Then she showed us all around Joplin, telling us her story and others' stories along the way. We are so very thankful for Carol and her church, St. Paul United Methodist, for making this trip so special!

Check back for more details and updates after we get back to Morgantown!

Love,
Julie

Spring Break 2012

CSFers at recent fundraising bake sale.

We’ve been to New Orleans.

We’ve been to Maytown.

This year, Christian Student Fellowship is going to Joplin, MO for Spring Break 2012. As many of you know, Joplin was hit hard last year by an F-5 tornado that completely leveled the town. Hundreds of people tragically lost their lives, and even more lost their homes, their jobs, and their way of life.

Joplin has a huge need, and CSF is totally pumped to help meet that need. On March 24th, we are leaving from Morgantown to hook up with a group called Rebuild Joplin to connect with, work with, and love the people of Joplin.

We have about 11 people going with us this year, 4 of which have never been on a mission trip with us.  A couple have never been on a mission trip ever! Not only is this going to be a great opportunity to meet and love new people, but also it will be a week of facing new challenges, exploring our faith, and growing with each other in Christ.

--
Matt Law

 

Joplin pictures from Josh Walker. Taken with 36 hours of the tornado:

 

Surrounded By Your Glory

Gary, Krissy, Ginger, & Clayton Gross

Our bio might typically include: Krissy earned an Education Degree from Kentucky Christian University, built homes in Mexico for Crossroads Missions, interned at Georgia Tech Christian Campus Fellowship (CCF), and started a campus ministry in Santiago, Chile with Globalscope.  
 
Gary’s education includes Atlanta Christian College, an Aerospace Engineering degree from Georgia Tech, and current seminary work at Cincinnati Bible Seminary. Gary had a one year internship at CCF and 3 month internship at Southwest Christian Church in Atlanta. Gary interned for 3 and worked full time for 2 engineering companies.
 
Krissy and Gary volunteered with youth at New Hope Fellowship Church in Maryland while Krissy taught English as a Second Language, and Gary was Flight Software Engineer for the AQUA satellite at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. 
 
Then God knocks in 2006 and calls us away from those careers to West Virginia University (WVU) to serve at the Christian Student Fellowship (CSF) where I now teach racquetball classes for WVU as well. Through this winding journey, Krissy and I have been surrounded by His Glory. God has flooded our lives with people and experiences, all in preparation for serving Him.
 
I love waking up with and coming home to Krissy, and our children Ginger and Clayton (named after a family mentioned here), who constantly surround me with His glory and the joy of family! Our family surrounds us with unwavering love and commitment. I’ve been surrounded by long time friends Justin Shewell and Ed Yeargan. In college I was surrounded by His glory when Ken & Signa Yingling took me to church for the first time. I was unknowingly surrounded by His Glory in high school by Marc Buckler who I followed to Georgia Tech and CCF. CCF surrounded us with His Glory, pointed me to God for the first time, and grew in us a passion for people. Rick Harper, that anonymous letter writer, Heather Pearce, Laura Carey, Randy Arrowood, Neal Baker, Ryan & Bethany Kiesshauer, Courtney Wilson and family, and the Clayton family who can not help but to surround others with His Glory. We were surrounded by His Glory with people at New Hope Fellowship, who embraced and endured my first church experience! The Mills, and others like them, surrounded us with His Glory. Now at CSF we have been surrounded by His Glory with Sandy and Susan Bigelow and more. That letter, you servants, and those rare gems that support God’s work in uncanny ways that no one else knows about (don’t ever stop trusting God like that!). Giving, loving, and praying for the Glory of God. Many have surrounded us and the CSF. We stand on the shoulders of others, surrounded by His Glory. 
 
Our bio looks something like that – a sweeping and vivid portrait of God’s Kingdom and purpose spread across miles, years, lives, and experiences. We are grateful to be surrounded by His Glory, 
-- 
Gary Gross
Campus Minister CSF
 
Luke 12:48 “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”   

Jesus Prom

Michael, Renee, Stacy, Matt, and I traveled to Charleston, WV last Sunday to assist Gateway Christian Church with their annual Jesus Prom.   You may be wondering: “What is a Jesus Prom?”  It is a huge event, similar to prom, for people with special needs and their caretakers.  Gateway certainly didn’t hold back from giving these deserving people an amazing experience.  We escorted guests down the red carpet and to their tables, served a 3-course dinner, and danced with the guests to a live band.  It was amazing!
 
Renee had this to say about the event:
I was so amazed at everyone that volunteered for this event! It’s great when you see a church do wonderful things for people who are truly deserving, but it’s even greater when you see the whole community selflessly loving others like God intended. 
When the guests arrived, they had the option for free hair and make-up.  Then, one of the church youth/volunteers escorted each guest down the red carpet to rounds of applause and cheering.  Every guest even had the opportunity to do an interview while “paparazzi” flashed their cameras.
 
 
I spent most of my time with two guests: Jimmy, who I escorted, and Addison, who I danced with.  Jimmy was amazingly enthusiastic and friendly.  He knew everyone and asked me if he could call me “Sister Julie”. I even met his sweetheart, Thelma!  I  was very fortunate to meet Addison, a sweet older gentleman, and we tore up the dance floor together :) His caretaker informed me that he nearly died from pneumonia and had to learn to walk again.  What a miracle that he was able to dance!
 
After experiencing Jesus Prom myself, I believe it’s something everyone should experience at least once in his or her life.  It is a beautiful example of God’s love demonstrated by His church!
 
-- Julie Adams, CSF Intern