Hello, friends!
Yesterday was one of those bipolar days where you look back and say, "why was I so worried?" The honest truth is that God has some big plans, even if I can't see everything in front of me.
We decided to do some tabling yesterday. I had done some tabling for BCM earlier in the semester but it was a really unfruitful experience. As in literally zero people showed up. At the time, I was convinced that tabling was not the way to go as far as breaking into the black community was concerned.
So, what made me decide to do it again? Really, it wasn't my idea. A few weeks back I was having dinner with Shawn and he invited a few of his friends who were interested in BCM. I cast the vision for the fellowship and they bought in pretty quickly. They thought one of the first things that we needed to do was table and take some spiritual surveys. If students have an idea to be missional, I am not going to turn them down. =0).
Things definitely started poorly though. We were supposed to table from 12-2. I got to our spot at about 5 to 12 but no one was there. It wasn't until 12:10 that Shamari showed up but she left right away to get her lunch. At this point, I was not excited for our prospects. As we started to set up the table, I talked to Shamari and she asked me about some rumors she had heard about BCM. Apparently, during my first few weeks of meeting students I said some things that were mis-interpreted by some folk and it put a bad taste in their mouths. I had no idea that I had said anything wrong but the day just kept getting worst.
(There were two misinterpretations. On our promo card it says that we want to be a REAL community that follows the REAL Jesus in a REAL way. Some folk from Impact, another black student ministry affiliated with Cru, thought that I was insinuating that Impact was fake in some way or that I was saying BCM was the only true community for black Christians. The second was that when I was talking to students I told them that I wanted to get a feel for the spiritual climate on campus. This led to some students wondering if I was really a Christian.)
Friends, to be honest, I was feeling pretty discouraged at this point. I had to step away from the table for a bit to collect my thoughts and spend some time in prayer. I honestly felt like I had ruined things in a really big way. It turns out that taking a time out was the best decision I could have made for the day and really turned things around.
I returned to our table and decided that I would sit a little bit off to the side, still attached, but not front and center. I would let Shamari take the sole spot. She also suggested that we get some tunes for our table, so I borrowed a laptop from the student center and she started spinning some jams on YouTube. Brittaney came and moved our prayer box front and center. Then both ladies started calling over everyone they knew to fill out some prayer requests.
From there, I was able to have some good conversations with some students about what we were doing on campus, our mission, and how they could be a part of it. A few even signed up to get some more info.
By the time we had finished, I definitely learned a few things:
- I need to remember that I am in a cross cultural planting situation. Unlike the Asian/Asian American community at Mizzou, most of the black students have grown up in a church culture. That changes what I say and how I say it.
- Added to that, I should never go tabling or recruiting without black students with me. I don't have the credibility to make it happen.
- Finally, I have to remember that God has good plans for BCM. I could have folded but if I did, I would have missed out on the great momentum that we built yesterday.
A few points for prayer:
- I am still discerning as to whether or not I need to seek out those students who misinterpreted what I said earlier this semester. Please pray for guidance, wisdom, and discernment.
- Pray for the new contacts we received yesterday. Pray that they will have a vision for the campus and join us in community.
- Please pray for continued momentum. With Thanksgiving on its way and the end of the semester looming, it would be a tragedy for us to lose momentum just as we start to gain it.
- One last thing. My sister is super pregnant and due any day now with my first niece! Please pray for health for T and baby Chuang.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Invitation at its finest!
Hello, friends!
Sorry it has been a bit since I've posted about my BCM experiences. God has definitely been moving though!
Today we had one of the best BCM bible studies that I think we've had yet! It wasn't so much what we studied, (Genesis 7), or who showed up, but it was how we got to who showed up.
Every Tuesday, Edward and I do a quick bible study. We use Thirsty, a great resource provided to us by the good people of IFES, the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, to which InterVarsity is a sister organization. The bible studies are literally usually only 20 minutes or so, but Edward enjoys them and I love talking about the Word with folk.
Shawn told me he was going to join us today, which is always a good thing. Shawn has definitely been stepping up his game as of late. So, I was expecting the 3 of us to have a bible study and that God would bless us in the midst of that. Little did I know that God has something more in store for us.
When I saw Edward, he was sitting with a group of his friends, working out their schedules for next semester. As soon as he saw me, he started inviting all the other folk at his table, asking if they wanted to do a bible study with us. When they each politely turned him down, he actually double asked, making the point that it was a short bible study and that it would be good for them. Even though no one joined us, I was very proud of Edward.
Shawn also saw one of his friends, Shamari, who actually I have met and recently has become involved in our group. He also invited her and she said yes! She only had a bit of time before heading to work, but she sat in with us.
Bible study started, and as we got going, Shamari saw her friend Alex and Shawn saw his friend Dre. Both invited their friends to join, and both of them sat and talked the bible with us. What's great is that Alex is definitely Jewish but joined in anyway. =0).
So, our bible study that is normally 2, turned into a bible study of 6, at least for one day.
God is good my friends. He is very good. A few prayer requests:
- Monday we are going to be doing some tabling. I am excited because this time I will have students helping, which should go much better than last time. Please pray for divine appointments and great conversations.
- Apparently November is the new October. Last week I had 4 straight days of migraines, which was less than exciting. Please pray for protection and health. We want to finish the semester strong.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Sorry it has been a bit since I've posted about my BCM experiences. God has definitely been moving though!
Today we had one of the best BCM bible studies that I think we've had yet! It wasn't so much what we studied, (Genesis 7), or who showed up, but it was how we got to who showed up.
Every Tuesday, Edward and I do a quick bible study. We use Thirsty, a great resource provided to us by the good people of IFES, the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, to which InterVarsity is a sister organization. The bible studies are literally usually only 20 minutes or so, but Edward enjoys them and I love talking about the Word with folk.
Shawn told me he was going to join us today, which is always a good thing. Shawn has definitely been stepping up his game as of late. So, I was expecting the 3 of us to have a bible study and that God would bless us in the midst of that. Little did I know that God has something more in store for us.
When I saw Edward, he was sitting with a group of his friends, working out their schedules for next semester. As soon as he saw me, he started inviting all the other folk at his table, asking if they wanted to do a bible study with us. When they each politely turned him down, he actually double asked, making the point that it was a short bible study and that it would be good for them. Even though no one joined us, I was very proud of Edward.
Shawn also saw one of his friends, Shamari, who actually I have met and recently has become involved in our group. He also invited her and she said yes! She only had a bit of time before heading to work, but she sat in with us.
Bible study started, and as we got going, Shamari saw her friend Alex and Shawn saw his friend Dre. Both invited their friends to join, and both of them sat and talked the bible with us. What's great is that Alex is definitely Jewish but joined in anyway. =0).
So, our bible study that is normally 2, turned into a bible study of 6, at least for one day.
God is good my friends. He is very good. A few prayer requests:
- Monday we are going to be doing some tabling. I am excited because this time I will have students helping, which should go much better than last time. Please pray for divine appointments and great conversations.
- Apparently November is the new October. Last week I had 4 straight days of migraines, which was less than exciting. Please pray for protection and health. We want to finish the semester strong.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
The joy of funnelcake...
Hello, friends!
I have a fun story to tell you all! Isn't it fun when God does amazing things and puts divine appointments in our lives?
Most of my interaction with the Black Christian Community at Mizzou has been through the Gospel Choir. I have been sick and out of town the past few weeks, so I was really excited to get back to being a part of the choir today. I may not be much of a singer, but I sure do love hearing the harmonies. I have also made a good number of inroads through the Gospel Choir. I don't know if I'm quite "one of them" just yet, but things are certainly moving in that direction.
Today, during rehearsal, I stepped out to use the restroom. On my way back in, I noticed that folk were selling funnelcake! It turns out that Mizzou's NAACP chapter was doing a fundraiser. If you know me, you know that I love me some sweets and that I love me some funnelcake. There was a bit of an internal battle for me at this point. I know it's terrible for me, but it looked so good! I figured that it would be worth my time, so I bought me some deliciousness.
While I was waiting for it to cook, I started a conversation with the two students who were running the fundraiser, Taylor and Marquita. I mentioned that I was a campus minister and starting BCM here at Mizzou when Taylor said, "Oh, man, I need to talk to you!" This, of course, caught my attention. I asked her a few follow up questions and she talked about how she had a desire to get plugged into a ministry while she was here.
At this point, I had a decision to make. I was already away from rehearsal for a long time, but I wanted to continue my conversation with her. To make things ever more complicated, the fundraiser was over and she was actually on her way to a different meeting. I decided to walk with her and hope that I had enough relational collateral with the Gospel Choir that they would be ok with me skipping out.
That was a decision that was absolutely worth it. I was able to talk to Taylor more and hear her story. She had only recently been saved and was looking for a way to make sure that her faith was real and stuck. She was going through some family stuff and wanted to make sure that didn't keep her down. She was definitely someone who BCM was designed to reach.
I got her contact information and will be following up with her these next few days. Praise Jesus for the ways that He puts people into our lives!
A few points for prayer:
- Please be praying for Taylor. Pray that God will meet her in the ways that she needs and that BCM will be a good place for her to find community and grow.
- Pray for me this weekend. I will be leading some training in Saint Louis for the state of Missouri. Pray that students will be receptive and that God will do some amazing things.
- Praise Jesus, October is almost over and I only had two migraines!
Have an excellent day
~Adam
I have a fun story to tell you all! Isn't it fun when God does amazing things and puts divine appointments in our lives?
Most of my interaction with the Black Christian Community at Mizzou has been through the Gospel Choir. I have been sick and out of town the past few weeks, so I was really excited to get back to being a part of the choir today. I may not be much of a singer, but I sure do love hearing the harmonies. I have also made a good number of inroads through the Gospel Choir. I don't know if I'm quite "one of them" just yet, but things are certainly moving in that direction.
Today, during rehearsal, I stepped out to use the restroom. On my way back in, I noticed that folk were selling funnelcake! It turns out that Mizzou's NAACP chapter was doing a fundraiser. If you know me, you know that I love me some sweets and that I love me some funnelcake. There was a bit of an internal battle for me at this point. I know it's terrible for me, but it looked so good! I figured that it would be worth my time, so I bought me some deliciousness.
While I was waiting for it to cook, I started a conversation with the two students who were running the fundraiser, Taylor and Marquita. I mentioned that I was a campus minister and starting BCM here at Mizzou when Taylor said, "Oh, man, I need to talk to you!" This, of course, caught my attention. I asked her a few follow up questions and she talked about how she had a desire to get plugged into a ministry while she was here.
At this point, I had a decision to make. I was already away from rehearsal for a long time, but I wanted to continue my conversation with her. To make things ever more complicated, the fundraiser was over and she was actually on her way to a different meeting. I decided to walk with her and hope that I had enough relational collateral with the Gospel Choir that they would be ok with me skipping out.
That was a decision that was absolutely worth it. I was able to talk to Taylor more and hear her story. She had only recently been saved and was looking for a way to make sure that her faith was real and stuck. She was going through some family stuff and wanted to make sure that didn't keep her down. She was definitely someone who BCM was designed to reach.
I got her contact information and will be following up with her these next few days. Praise Jesus for the ways that He puts people into our lives!
A few points for prayer:
- Please be praying for Taylor. Pray that God will meet her in the ways that she needs and that BCM will be a good place for her to find community and grow.
- Pray for me this weekend. I will be leading some training in Saint Louis for the state of Missouri. Pray that students will be receptive and that God will do some amazing things.
- Praise Jesus, October is almost over and I only had two migraines!
Have an excellent day
~Adam
Friday, September 30, 2011
The simple joy of frozen yogurt...
Hello, friends!
One of the things that I love about planting is that most of the cool things that happen, happen spontaneously. We don't have large groups or small groups, or any structures really, so anything that happens is 1) totally Spirit led and 2) probably unplanned. Last night we had one of those sweet moments.
Like I've said before, I've been involved in the Gospel Choir at Mizzou to try and learn about the black Christian culture on campus. I'm not much of a singer, but I try hard and I show up, two things that apparently are a big deal. At the last rehearsal they said one of their fundraisers was going to be a group fro-yo run to Red Mango on Thursday night. I figured this would be a great chance for me to get some of the students I had been investing in together for another chance at fellowship and community. Who doesn't like frozen yogurt, right?
So I sent out the text messages and received a bunch of "maybes." Maybes for me are as good as a "no" because very rarely does it turn into a "yes." Still, I figured at the very least I would get some fro-yo, so it wouldn't be all bad.
At the end of the night, only two of the students whom I had been investing in so far this semester showed up but that wasn't the cool part. The cool part was me being able to spend a solid hour and a half with the OTHER Gospel Choir folk who were there, namely two of the presidents of the Gospel Choir. We didn't talk about anything of great consequence. I didn't go deep or try to set up any inroads. I just ate my Red Mango and we enjoyed each others' company.
But that was the beauty of the evening. It was like I belonged. They didn't mind that I was there and they went about their normal business like I was one of them. It may seem like a small step, but it is a step in the right direction. Praise Jesus for making inroads!
A few points for prayer:
- We have ONE BCM student going to Fall Conference. Obviously I would prefer more, but one student is one student. Pray that God will work in Shawn and he will catch a vision for what BCM could be at Mizzou.
- Tomorrow is October, which begins migraine season. Please pray that history does not repeat itself and that I will have a healthy and migraine free month.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
One of the things that I love about planting is that most of the cool things that happen, happen spontaneously. We don't have large groups or small groups, or any structures really, so anything that happens is 1) totally Spirit led and 2) probably unplanned. Last night we had one of those sweet moments.
Like I've said before, I've been involved in the Gospel Choir at Mizzou to try and learn about the black Christian culture on campus. I'm not much of a singer, but I try hard and I show up, two things that apparently are a big deal. At the last rehearsal they said one of their fundraisers was going to be a group fro-yo run to Red Mango on Thursday night. I figured this would be a great chance for me to get some of the students I had been investing in together for another chance at fellowship and community. Who doesn't like frozen yogurt, right?
So I sent out the text messages and received a bunch of "maybes." Maybes for me are as good as a "no" because very rarely does it turn into a "yes." Still, I figured at the very least I would get some fro-yo, so it wouldn't be all bad.
At the end of the night, only two of the students whom I had been investing in so far this semester showed up but that wasn't the cool part. The cool part was me being able to spend a solid hour and a half with the OTHER Gospel Choir folk who were there, namely two of the presidents of the Gospel Choir. We didn't talk about anything of great consequence. I didn't go deep or try to set up any inroads. I just ate my Red Mango and we enjoyed each others' company.
But that was the beauty of the evening. It was like I belonged. They didn't mind that I was there and they went about their normal business like I was one of them. It may seem like a small step, but it is a step in the right direction. Praise Jesus for making inroads!
A few points for prayer:
- We have ONE BCM student going to Fall Conference. Obviously I would prefer more, but one student is one student. Pray that God will work in Shawn and he will catch a vision for what BCM could be at Mizzou.
- Tomorrow is October, which begins migraine season. Please pray that history does not repeat itself and that I will have a healthy and migraine free month.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Lip Synching a Duet
Hello, friends!
A funny story to share with you from the land of BCM!
One of the ways that I have been trying to get myself plugged into the Black Christian community on campus is to join the Legion of Black Collegians Gospel Choir (LBCGC). I talked to my old supervisor and he said that there really is no better way to get the pulse of the Black Christians on campus then being a part of the Gospel Choir. As someone who is trying to plant cross culturally, this is extra important since I do not have an automatic in into that community.
So I've been a part of the Gospel Choir and it has been a blast. The voices that I am around are amazing and the songs that we do are complex, simple, and beautiful at the same time. The only downside is that I'm not a very good singer. I can sing when I need to but a two hour rehearsal puts a strain on my pipes. Also, I can't hear the notes I'm supposed to sing really well so singing those notes back is usually an adventure.
I can get around that by sometimes taking a few notes off. If I don't hear a phrase really well, I can lip synch the words and focus on my listening instead of on my singing. Eventually I hear what I'm supposed to sing and I can come back in.
Last Tuesday I was freaking out at the beginning of rehearsal. Why? THERE WAS ONLY ONE OTHER GUY PRESENT! My whole plan was ruined! How would I be able to lip synch when I was supposed to be providing half of the vocals? There was no way around it; I was just going to have to try my best and hope that I don't get called out.
Thankfully, two things happened that eased my fear a bit. The first is that the first song we did was a review song. I remembered most of the notes from that song and instead of going through section by section we just ran through the song, which meant I could hide a little bit if I needed to. The second thing that worked in my favor is that other guys started showing up. Thank you, Jesus! =0).
All said and done, I'm really enjoying my time in the LBCGC and I think I'm starting to make inroads. On Tuesday it felt like I actually a part of the community and I wasn't getting nearly as many "What is the Asian guy doing here" looks. Jesus is working and I am excited!
A few prayer points:
- Pray for the choir. Much like most of the student groups here on campus, they are starting to feel the stress of the midterm season. Please pray that students will receive a peace that surpasses all understanding when it comes to their studies.
- Pray for my throat. Like I said, 2 hours of rehearsal wreaks havoc on the throat of a guy who isn't a very good singer to start. Pray that I will be able to continue to sing so I can be a part of the community.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
A funny story to share with you from the land of BCM!
One of the ways that I have been trying to get myself plugged into the Black Christian community on campus is to join the Legion of Black Collegians Gospel Choir (LBCGC). I talked to my old supervisor and he said that there really is no better way to get the pulse of the Black Christians on campus then being a part of the Gospel Choir. As someone who is trying to plant cross culturally, this is extra important since I do not have an automatic in into that community.
So I've been a part of the Gospel Choir and it has been a blast. The voices that I am around are amazing and the songs that we do are complex, simple, and beautiful at the same time. The only downside is that I'm not a very good singer. I can sing when I need to but a two hour rehearsal puts a strain on my pipes. Also, I can't hear the notes I'm supposed to sing really well so singing those notes back is usually an adventure.
I can get around that by sometimes taking a few notes off. If I don't hear a phrase really well, I can lip synch the words and focus on my listening instead of on my singing. Eventually I hear what I'm supposed to sing and I can come back in.
Last Tuesday I was freaking out at the beginning of rehearsal. Why? THERE WAS ONLY ONE OTHER GUY PRESENT! My whole plan was ruined! How would I be able to lip synch when I was supposed to be providing half of the vocals? There was no way around it; I was just going to have to try my best and hope that I don't get called out.
Thankfully, two things happened that eased my fear a bit. The first is that the first song we did was a review song. I remembered most of the notes from that song and instead of going through section by section we just ran through the song, which meant I could hide a little bit if I needed to. The second thing that worked in my favor is that other guys started showing up. Thank you, Jesus! =0).
All said and done, I'm really enjoying my time in the LBCGC and I think I'm starting to make inroads. On Tuesday it felt like I actually a part of the community and I wasn't getting nearly as many "What is the Asian guy doing here" looks. Jesus is working and I am excited!
A few prayer points:
- Pray for the choir. Much like most of the student groups here on campus, they are starting to feel the stress of the midterm season. Please pray that students will receive a peace that surpasses all understanding when it comes to their studies.
- Pray for my throat. Like I said, 2 hours of rehearsal wreaks havoc on the throat of a guy who isn't a very good singer to start. Pray that I will be able to continue to sing so I can be a part of the community.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)