LooP '09

Staff Orientation for Waterloo Project (LooP '09) begins this Thursday and we are excited to be taking part in this very different national project.

Waterloo Project is a project that focuses mainly on equipping the Campus Ministry through the gifts and talents of staff and students to provide resources for all campus staff and students to use - whether that be putting together an outreach package that contains everything a campus would need to put on a large outreach on their campus (banner designs, posters, talk outlines, bible studies, website details, etc.) or it could be reworking Bible studies or creating Bible studies that are meant for men in our ministry.

As this will be a project that is closer to home (we are only 30 minutes from Waterloo) there will continue to be costs for us (we will be moving to the dorms in Waterloo for the duration of the project) and we will need some special one-time gifts.

If you would like to partner with us in this way to provide for some of these needs, you can do so at: https://powertochange.com/corporate/canada/giving/support-staff/ online or call 1-800-563-1106 to give via credit card. If you'd like to mail a cheque you can do so at:

Jamie & Vanessa Strickland
6-8 Brant Ave.
Guelph, ON N1E 1E7

We'll be sending all our supporters a letter in the next week detailing our costs and what our exact needs are.

Thank you for your partnership! We love you and treasure your faithfulness to us through prayers and finances.

The Gospel Coalition

The Gospel Coalition was a great experience for our family!

Jamie enjoyed the conference with some other men on staff while Vanessa and Noah stayed with some friends in Chicago about 30 minutes away from the conference.

"It was great to get to hear from so many of my favourite preachers and authors.
During a message from John Piper, I was encouraged to overcome fear and passivity by remembering that God called me to proclaim the gospel from before the foundation of the world and He that called me will also provide what I need to do so."
- Jamie

"I didn't know what to expect from the week away from Jamie with 2 other Moms (one also pregnant and due at the end of July) and 2 other little kids but it turned out to be such a refreshing week full of laughter, conversation and a lot of much needed time with other women. Noah was such a champ in the car and absolutely adored playing and interacting with the other kids. What a blessing!"
- Vanessa

Please continue to pray for us as we finish off this semester, prepare for Waterloo Project and get ready for baby number 2 this summer!

Baby Strickland at 19 weeks

Stories from the Grads of '09 (Matt's story)

Jamie’s been working with Matt for a few years now and has seen him grow from a first year to this year’s key student leader of Campus for Christ. Matt had this to say when asked about his involvement with Campus for Christ:

“Over my past four years of involvement with C4C I have been convicted, challenged and equipped to actively be part of fulfilling the Great Commission for the rest of my life; the stakes have been set for me. I have also been built into by the staff and peers that I have met through C4C, gaining a solid biblical foundation for my life. Going to Scotland on project stretched me to share boldly with others. My leadership abilities have also grown through leading discipleship groups, prayer and being on the Servant team the past two years.

My fiancée Nicky and I plan on joining staff with C4C and I see this as a great opportunity to be part of fulfilling the Great Commission and the strategic nature of reaching the university. My heart for the church has continued to grow throughout my university career and I desire to see the Canadian church be intentional about reaching our country and world. God has also been growing my heart for families and particularly the marriage relationship more recently.

I would like to thank you for being a part of Jamie and Vanessa's support team. Without dedicated staff members like them, it would be much more difficult for the students here at the U of G to do ministry on our campus.”

Please be in prayer for Matt & Nicky as they finish the school year and prepare for their wedding and the rest of their lives together in ministry.

Stories from the Grads of '09 (Emily's story)

When Vanessa first started working with Campus for Christ at Guelph she met Emily, a first year student with spunk and immediately took to her. Vanessa was able to personally disciple Emily for 2 years before moving off campus to take on the role of full-time wife and mother. Three and a half years later, Emily is graduating. When asked about her involvement with Campus for Christ she was full of stories of how God has used C4C in her life. Here is just a bit of what she had to say:

“When I came to university I had no idea the journey God wanted to take me on during the 4 years to follow.

The most life-changing lesson I learned through Campus for Christ was that the Christian life wasn’t meant to be lived on my own strength, but through the power of the Holy Spirit working through me.

Without Campus for Christ and the staff and students who poured their lives into me during my past four years at university I would still be the way I was before- trying to live the Christian life on my own and experiencing frustration and failure instead of the peace and joy God intends for us.”

Emily has gone on several missions trips with C4C and is pursuing full-time ministry after she graduates this coming April. Pray for Emily as she transitions into post-education life and ministry.

What's Up With The Strickland's?

With a busy Christmas season come and gone and spring just around the corner (hey, we can dream, can’t we?) we are already thinking and planning for what’s to come during May and June. That is, summer projects with Campus for Christ! This year we will be keeping things a little more local and joining the Waterloo Project (or LooP ‘09) and “moving” to Waterloo for May & June. We are excited about this project so stay tuned for more details!

In other news, we are excited to announce that another Baby Strickland is on the way! We are thrilled for another addition to our little family and anticipate his/her arrival at the end of July. Please pray for us as we begin to prepare for this baby and for health for Vanessa and baby.

Soul Cravings

You were made to GROW, to dream, to achieve. Your soul is letting you know you come from God and your life is intended to be God-sized and God-inspired.
- Erwin McManus, Soul Cravings

On January 27th Campus for Christ hosted author Erwin McManus to talk to hundreds of students about Soul Cravings—or the idea that our souls crave three basic things that can only really be found in God: intimacy, destiny and meaning. From the turnout of so many students (and people from the community) it seemed as if his words were hitting home for many people.
A student in our ministry, Nick shares what happened when he followed up with a typical Guelph student:

"After being raised going to church, he drifted as he got older and developed his life without a focus on God. However, he claims he is comfortable with his current position.
His question essentially is why would someone content with their life need to accept Jesus? What do you tell the people who claim to be happy and successful but don’t know Jesus?"

Please pray for the many students who don’t know Jesus. Pray that they would realize there is a God who loves and wants to know them. Pray that we would connect with students who are searching for more in life; those who want to know Jesus.

The Encounter

Winter Conference 2009: The Encounter

500 students from across Eastern Canada came to encounter the true and living Jesus Christ, the only hope for our world and the sole means of our salvation. For one week of training students were built up in evangelism and discipleship, pumped to reach to their campuses for Christ in the New Year!

During one main session, students were challenged to be willing to say “Lord, here I am, send me.” 2/3 of the students stood to acknowledge that they would lay down their lives and go the ends of the earth to see the Great Commission fulfilled! Praise God for students encountering Jesus, heightening their compassion for people, and never being the same.

Students starting up an impromptu worship session downstairs outside our main meeting room.

A group of students (led my U of G's Sam Foster) on the TTC subway for the Day of Outreach.

The Encounter

Well, Winter Conference (The Encounter) has come and gone and it's already mid-January.
Stay tuned for details of how lives were changed at this amazing conference downtown Toronto.

*Picture was taken from our hotel room window.

time gone by....

Life has seemingly gone by way too quickly!
Since I last posted all this has happened:

• I have started working part-time from home doing everything from admin, newsletter writing/designing, managing our Guelph Facebook Group, updating our Guelph Campus for Christ website and organizing/directing the childcare for about 20 children for Campus For Christ's Winter Conference among many other things.
  
• Jamie and one of the men he disciples (Ryder) led another guy to Christ a few weeks ago! Praise God for the first male new believer this year!
• Noah turned 1 year old! He's walking everywhere and babbling (mostly incoherently) quite a bit.
• We are seriously thinking/planning/preparing for our winter outreach that will happen in January with Erwin McManus called My Cravings - a take off of one of his newer books/media series called Soul Cravings (I will be managing the web side of things for this outreach).

So many things have happened and so much is still yet to come. I have added a timeline on the sidebar so you can stay updated with what's coming up for us and how you can pray accordingly.

Stats and stories

For those of you who enjoy stats, I have a few details about our Summit weekend and the following week. Out of the 326 students who attended our Summit, 96 of these were first year students! Be in prayer for these 96 first years, that they would feel connected with God but also connected with other students in Campus for Christ and that these next 4 years would be years of huge growth for them in their walks with God.

Also, the week that follows Summit is traditionally a week of evangelism. Students sign up for different time slots and go out onto campus and strike up conversations with students that happen to be sitting around in hopes that they will have an opportunity to share the gospel with them. At the University of Guelph, there were 53 groups of 2 (we usually go out in pairs - not too big, not too small) that went out during the week and 3 people came to know Christ in a personal way!

As soon as I get the details of these new brothers and sisters, I will post the stories.

Stay tuned for the exciting details!

Nicky's Story

Here is what 4th year Guelph student, Nicky had to say about her final Summit:



Being in my 4th and final year, I'm going through a lot of 'last' experiences, and this past weekend was my last Summit as a student, and perhaps the most powerful. Looking back on it in years to come, I know that what I will remember about this Summit is the impact that the main sessions had on me. The key note speakers really hit home in speaking about idolatry in our lives and how destructive and disobedient it is in our relationship with Christ. Moreso than the message itself, I was compelled by the utter transparency that Eric and Allan spoke with; they didn't pretend to be perfect or have it all figured out, they simply shared with us the reality and danger of this sin, how they're struggling with it, and what the Bible says about it. This has compelled me to be a more transparent leader. In my leading of a 3rd year female leaders DG this year, I have little to work on in the area of creating community and unity because the girls already love each other and have been through a lot together, but the Lord has challenged me to lead them deeper, more vulnerable and 'messy' with each other, and that is going to require me going there first. Eric and Allan's transparency in their talks has given me a great example by which to do this. Through this the Lord is teaching me that he's not looking for perfect people to lead, he just wants surrendered and honest souls willing to admit their struggles and show others the work Christ is doing in that area. Praise the Lord that he redeems!

Sam's Story

Here is one story from a 3rd year student, Sam Foster of her experience at Summit this year:

I was really looking forward to Summit this year, because last year’s Summit changed my life. God used that time last year to speak me about my faith barrier of sharing to students on campus. I have seen more incredible things that God has done in this past year than in my whole life as a Christian. The most exciting part is that God used me to answer my own prayers of wanting to see students come into a relationship with Christ.

This Summit God had a big challenge for me. I didn’t think much about this faith barrier that I had, but God totally set it before me this past weekend. God has called me to not only make disciples on campus but He has called me to share my faith with my family. My relatives are not believers. My aunts, uncles and cousins do not know Jesus. God has put this burden on my heart for them. When I think about sharing with them, I worry what they will think of me. Will they think of me as the crazy niece/cousin? Will they not want to hear any of it? But Jesus says in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” So when I think about sharing to them in that perspective I get totally excited to go home and share Jesus with them. Wow. God is Good!