The Heart of our Marriage

Sometimes it is hard to believe that Keith and I have only been married for a little over 3 months - it seems like we have adjusted quickly to living here in Raleigh and stumbling through life together! We have both grown so much through our marriage and I am thankful for the way that God is moving in our hearts. The way that I interact with Keith reflects my relationship with God, which sounds like a good thing; however, it has shown me how selfish I tend to be with God - even though He is my Savior and Lord. Because Keith responds to and speaks directly to my selfish actions/words, I can finally see how I am cheating myself out of truly trusting in and relying on God...by simply demanding my own perspective.

Likewise, I have seen how Keith struggles to simply enjoy God (and people). He is always moving and striving in his relationships, which I usually love about him; however, it often disappoints him when people don't respond as he anticipates or when it seems there is a failure. I have realized the pressure that this causes him and I can see God asking Keith to really trust that His grace is sufficient (for him and others). Little by little, he is learning to live in that freedom...it is so fun to watch Keith grow through this time. Keith's tender heart and desire for God is such a blessing to me.

We would love your prayers as we continue to learn how to supportingly love each other and God...and, of course, as we grow in our communication :) Marriage is a huge responsibility, gift, and, most of all, symbol of God's desire to have an intimate relationship with His children. We are blessed.

Kelley Ann

The Start of a Legacy

August 18th, 2007 was a monumental day. It was the day that everyone involved with Campus Outreach Raleigh (supporters and staff) stepped on the campus of North Carolina State University for the very first time. The day started at 7:30am, with my wife and I, along with one other staff guy named Bryan Bender gathering to pray and then heading to the center of campus to register as volunteers for freshmen move-in day. The excitement was incredible, but the excitement soon was met with anxiety as hundreds of volunteers from the Greek system, churches, and on-campus ministries began to trickle in to help 5,000 freshmen get into their dorm rooms. I am not going to lie at that moment I wondered, "what in the world are we (Campus Outreach) doing here?!" I mean having all these groups and ministries reaching out to this campus is awesome, but I wasn't sure how we would or could fit into that. We definitely don't have the thousands of dollars that these organizations are spending towards events and marketing themselves (which is not a bad thing), but God quickly reminded me that He had called "us" here not to establish a huge movement but to give our lives to a few. With only about 10-20% of the student population (approx. 31,000) being reached with the Gospel, there is still a great need for life-on-life discipleship. Not only that, but also that He has already ordained people for us to meet and that He will provide in-roads for us as we continue to step out in faith. Like in Numbers 13, this land is flowing with milk and honey! The harvest is so plentiful, and God has called us here to cultivate relationships for His glory. Ministry starts and ends with relationships, and we are just asking Him for a few laborers that will change this campus and be apart of changing the world for His Kingdom.
And guess what? That is exactly what He did. We all got to meet some really cool students, and genuinely look forward to serving and loving them more in the future. Even today, Bryan and I went to a campus-wide event where we played ultimate frisbee with about 20 guys and had a great time connecting with these students. Who knows the very first guy we see come to Christ this year may have been in that game. I wish I could describe for you how amazing it is to pioneer a campus for the very first time and watch God go before you, and do things that you would not imagine. Giving your life to these students is so much fun! Thanks for your partnership supporters!

Please join us in praying for the following:

1. That God would grant us favor with the administration, organizations, and students (I meet with the administration of the university this week to discuss recognition)
2. That God would continue to provide support for the following staff members: Landon Heatherington, DT House, Zach Griep, Betsy Dobbins, Liz Dyar, and Stephanie Hood (I am trusting God that everyone will be on campus by September 13th)
3. That God would help us cultivate relationships with the following guys: Daniel, Nate, Davis, Jon Eric, Chris, Robert, Harrison, Sam, and Corey.
4. That God would help us to continue to step outside of ourselves and love people