Bipolar Tabling

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

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