Leaving the WU...It's gonna be hard to do!

I am just now really starting to realize that in a little over two months, we will no longer be residents of Marion, Indiana. I never thought I would say this, but that will be a sad day. I mean, not that I don't have great memories of Marion from college, but moving here was not my first choice due to the natural beauty of South Marion! :) However, after being here 2 years, I have come to truly love the people and the town and the 2 colleges that are in the areas, being IWU and TU.

This picture of myself, Halle, and Lindsey Wachter at an IWU men's basketball game this year really epitomizes what I love about college ministry. Here is a success story in Lindsey. She comes from a non-Christian home and was in my youth group for 3 years. I prayed that she would attend a great Christian school like IWU so she could keep growing in her faith...and she did! Now she will be entering her junior year of college and wow! I am getting old. I have former youth group kids getting ready to graduate college. What is the world coming to? In fact, there are 6 alone that attend IWU. YaY God! That alone is a success in my opinion. Oh well, I do love this place, my ministry, and these kids. I can only pray God will take care of them and continue to grow them long after I am gone physically out of their lives.

It's Official!

I can't believe this is happening, but I am going back to school. I found out right before Christmas that I was accepted into Asbury Theological Seminary's Beeson Pastor Program. This means that I can obtain my Doctor of Ministry degree beginning this summer. Thus, you guessed it, I will be leaving my job as the College and Young Adult Pastor at College Wesleyan Church on June 1, 2007.
The only adjective I can think of to describe this time in my life and the life of my family is "bittersweet." I feel as though it is bitter because we have such a great thing going right now. We love our church. I love my job. We love our little house and even Marion! :) We love the students we work with and the young adults we do life with. Especially with me and 747 and the college ministry, it is hard for me to think of leaving. I compare it to having a kid, and then leaving them at 2 years old in the hands of someone else. Someone will continue to grow this child I have birthed, for lack of a better analogy! :) We have gone from nothing last September to now we are averaging over 150-160 students per week in our service on Sunday nights. We have 25 students on our leadership team for 747. We have 18 students going on a spring break missions trip to NYC. God is blessing what is happening here at CWC! Therefore, it is bitter to think of leaving at this time.
However, learning that I was accepted into a doctorate program is also sweet. Sweet because I applied two years ago to 3 doctorate programs and one master's program...and was rejected to all of them. I couldn't understand what was happening to me. Why all this rejection? Now I know. The cool thing about this program I got accepted into is that they pay for everything. All my books, tuition, travel expenses, housing, utilities, etc. are paid for during next year! I even get a free laptop computer! I simply cannot ask for anything better. And this has been a dream of mine now for years, and it is coming true!
So yes, it is official. As of June 1st, I will be moving on/back to Wilmore, Kentucky. And then who knows are that.
If time, check out the program at www.asburyseminary.edu/beeson