croquet = better than ok!

I got into croquet this summer.  Little did I know, God would use it as a great ministry tool!

We've used my birthday croquet set to meet students this year.  When we ask someone to play croquet, they give us a weird look.  Most remember playing some sort of informal croquet when they were 8.   Almost everyone who's gotten past that initial thought has really enjoyed themselves.  Unlike other sports (or should I say games?) croquet provides a great opportunity to converse as we're playing.  And it's competitive enough that it keeps our interest.  :)  It's been great to see some of the guys we played with the first weekend stay involved with us and join Bible Studies!

In other news, many of our students have begun informal Bible discussions with people in their classes and on their floors.  They'll be looking into the Bible at encounters Jesus had with different people.  Please pray for these discussions!  God's Word is powerful (Heb. 4:12) and we're trusting God to impact the hearts of those reading it in these discussions.

Pray also for The Weekender, our regional Fall Conference that will be happening October 10-12.  We're praying for 300+ students to attend from around the region.  "The Word is Life" is the theme.  Norman and Katie Hubbard (our future staff trainers at the University of Illinois!) will be our keynote speakers.  I'm in charge of the program (the main meetings).  Please pray that I'll be completely prepared for the weekend.