January - March Prayer Letter
COVID-19 Update
When we began this semester we never could have guessed the changes this COVID-19 virus would bring to all of our lives. We rest in the sovereignty of our good God and cling to the truth found in Psalm 46 which says,
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way… The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; He utters His voice and the earth melts… ‘Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!’ The LORD of hosts is with us the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
We pray that in the uncertainty you are experiencing the peace that the Lord of hosts can bring.
We wanted to give you an update of what this means for us as we navigate new realities. First, we have changed the ways we interact with students. Universities in Nebraska have closed and are now online-only classes. Cru has also asked us to restrict our travel in order to practice social distancing and lessen the spread of the virus. Because of this, we will not be stepping foot on any of our campuses this spring. Please pray for us as we now invest in the lives of students while not being able to interact with them in-person. We have been utilizing Instagram, Zoom, and FaceTime to continue to connect with our current leaders and students, train and equip them in the faith, and help them explore ways to evangelize to their peers virtually. We have started weekly prayer meetings, theology discussions, a statewide weekly virtual gathering and other events!
Second, Davy’s spring break trip to Cote d’Ivoire was cancelled. Also, our summer trip to Cote d’Ivoire has also been cancelled. This brings a HUGE amount of disappointment to us and the team there. Will you pray for us as we mourn this? We know the Lord is in control but we still are wading through the sadness of not being able to return to a place that we still consider home.
Please feel free to contact us with questions. We appreciate your prayers during this time. We are lifting up each of you in our prayers as well. We pray that you stay well and that the Lord uses this season for his glory and your good. We would love to hear from you and how you are doing. Please let us know how you are processing this pandemic and let us know how we can specifically pray for you. You can contact us by clicking the About tab and sending us an email in the contact section.
We are thankful for you,
Davy & Melissa
A Variety of Activities
Melissa and I have both been able to visit a campus six+ hours away, Chadron, on separate occasions to help give lift to what the student leaders and our volunteers are doing.
We hosted The Traveling Team (visit their website for some amazing global missions resources) who visited several of our campuses over a week-span.
Davy spoke at our state Men’s Retreat on knowing the Father, by knowing the Son, and knowing the Word.
Melissa spoke at our state's Women's Retreat on how God is our creator, redeemer, and restorer.
Davy met with a student and our High School director in Omaha to talk about launching a new collaborative team in that city starting next year.
Melissa continues to meet with her disciples over FaceTime.
Powerlifting & Jesus
Davy and I took a trip together last month to Midland University, which is the campus I am responsible for coaching. We have a faculty volunteer who has gathered several co-workers to begin discipling students and launch movements. I was able to follow-up a freshman girl on the powerlifting team who attended a recent worship night. When I asked her what her vision for the campus was she replied, “I want Midland to be a place where it’s easy for Christians to get connected and for the lost to meet Jesus.” She explained how her first semester was so difficult because there weren’t any Christian groups on campus for her to get connected to. When I asked her if she wanted to launch a movement on her campus she agreed and even had an idea of a friend she wanted to help her. We got her connected to a faculty who is going to coach and disciple her. She recently attended our Nebraska women’s retreat and brought two friends with her. Pray for Amanda as she seeks to see her vision fulfilled on her campus.
“The gospel… I’m in awe.”
Said by someone who just prayed to surrender to Christ for the first time? Nope. Said recently by one of our most seasoned leaders that Melissa coaches at UNL. Reminds us that gazing upon the beauty of the story God wrote in sending Jesus on our behalf is an ongoing Christian activity, not for the new believer alone.
Jordan, a freshman at Wayne, experienced that realization for the first time at our Winter Conference two months ago. He said of the conference, “(it) open(ed) my eyes to the glory of God and shared to me the good news of the gospel.” He gave his life to Christ during that week. Students are encountering the living Jesus.