After the long pause...

SO I realize it has been a while since I last updated this dear ole blog. But this does not mean that we haven't been having a great semester! Just this past weekend, we had our annual Aggie RUF crawfish boil. We had about 30-40 students come out to eat, visit and maybe dance a little bit (my favorite). I also had my last "Girl Talk" Bible study last week where we took a look at some material on love and lust from Tim Keller. The previous week we watched a documentary about sexuality and relationships which was extremely thought provoking and incredibly relevant to the college years. I have learned so much from this study and I hope the girls felt a sense of security and love as we tried to approach "taboo" topics as well as areas where discussion seems to be absent.

We are also gearing up for Summer Conference in Panama City, Florida, which is always a time of fun and growth as we explore the truth claims of Christianity in seminars, worship and small groups. We are taking a group of about 45 students this year and we are so excited. It looks like, for our week, there will be close to 1,000 students from all over the country. How encouraging! There are three weeks of SuCo (as we affectionately call it) so about 2,500+ students will be able to experience this great ministry. Please be in prayer for our trip and this conference!

I hope to post throughout the week with a few videos so that should be fun :)

Here is our tank for SuCo. We're kind of proud of these (They're even university approved!) :

Also, just in case you didn't see these on Facebook, here are a few highlights from this semester:

Thanks and Gig 'Em!

Anna

Back in Action

Howdy Blog Buddies!

What a month I have had back in College Station! 
To give you a quick rundown:

Events- From the very get-go we had a "Welcome Back" pancake brunch (affectionately called the Pancake Crunch Brunchfest) on the first weekend after school started. This was such a great time for fellowship and just good ol' eatin. We also threw a Super Bowl party, hosted by one of the families in our church (Westminster Presbyterian). We grilled hot dogs, jumped on the trampoline, ate snacks and ultimately watched Beyonce at halftime...Or at least that was my agenda. We have weekly Zumba after my Bible study which is always a real hoot. I made a promo video for it here. We also have weekly lunch meetings for different groups as well as a walking group and Angleball group! Later this month we will have our annual Freshmen/Sophomore Retreat so we are all looking forward to that.

Zumba at my house

My design for our series this semester.

Weekly Ministry- This semester our large group series "What's Up with the Old Testament?" focuses on the connection between the cross and the Old Testament which is the ultimate unfolding of God's redemptive plan. It has been so cool to see how God is working all things together from the very beginning to the very end. I am co-leading a Bible study on girl's struggles with my co-intern, Lauren. This has been a really refreshing time for us to come together and be honest with one another about the issues we face as women. We see that Christ meets us in all things and speaks truth into the darkness that we are sold by the world, ourselves, and the enemy. Jeremy, my other co-intern is leading a similar study on defeating sin, specifically catering to guys. This, I have heard, has been a real time of encouragement and good application of God's ultimate reign over sin. We have Freshmen Bible Study again this semester and it has been so good to go through the foundations of our faith. We have multiple other student led small groups as well as our outreach to the lower income kids of Bryan, the city adjacent to College Station.

To say the least, I am very encouraged this semester. It is amazing how getting one semester under your belt really helps you feel a little more at home! (No more using the GPS to go to the grocery store.) I am challenged in different ways this semester, though. Just to name a few: I am leading a study for the first time in the internship, I am getting more comfortable (so I am more tempted to lean on my own ability), I am sometimes given new jobs that I am unfamiliar with (running the powerpoint can be very sanctifying), as well as my own personal struggles and walk with the Lord. 

Here are ways you can pray:
-Please pray for my personal ministry, that students would see Christ high and lifted up-that HE alone can heal
-Please pray for our staff: Ben, Beth, Lauren, Jeremy, and myself
-Please pray for new students to come to RUF and RUF functions 
-Pray for the Spirit's presence in our ministry and in the hearts of students
-Lastly, I still need just shy of $900 to make it until June 1 without going into deficit. So if you would be in prayer for that last bit of support. Visit www.ruf.org/donate and choose my name from the drop down menu under field staff if you would like to give online! Otherwise, visit my Support tab to get more info!

I am so so grateful for YOU!

"But this I call to mind,

and therefore I have hope:
his mercies never come to an end;

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness

'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul,

'therefore I will hope in him.'" Lamentations 3:21-22

Grace and Peace,

Anna

"Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by thy help I've come."

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us." 1 Samuel 7:12
 “If we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” – 2 Timothy 2:13

I could say so much about all that has happened here in Aggieland over the past few months. We have had so many fun events, a retreat, large groups, small groups, and the list goes on and on.

Fall Conference

Cat Choir Performing at KANM (The College Station of College Station)

Midnight Yell with freshmen girls

Freshmen "Fish Bus" at Santa's Wonderland

RUF group at Santa's Wonderland

Above all things this semester, I have experienced the faithfulness of God. As I work with students, I watch the Lord go before me and behind me and work in spite of/through my shortcomings and my sin. I am reminded constantly that the Lord is with us and for us even in the midst of great pain. I know He is faithful because He has given us everything in Christ but I see Him pouring out His new mercies every morning and honestly His goodness feels too beautiful to comprehend at times.

 Now this does not mean that everything is easy, not at all actually. There has been much brokenness, lies from the adversary, and many trials. But I know that our Lord has defeated death and will one day wipe away every tear. He is making all things new and He is redeeming an ugly world full of injustice and sin. He will not leave us as orphans and this hope will not fail us. I am constantly reminded in my time here of the Ebenezer stone- the stone of help- and think of the Lord’s continued faithfulness from generation to generation. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Praise God, who is unwavering from age to age.

I would ask you to join me in praying for God’s continued faithfulness in providing financially for this ministry. I am still short about $3,000 and need this to be able to stay through next semester. You all have been so gracious to give and to pray for this ministry already and I know the Lord will continue to provide. If you are interested in giving, no matter how much or how little, please visit the “Support RUF” tab for instructions. (Note- you can still pledge even though we are halfway through! Just send a note to bstandridge@ruf.org  and notify her of your monthly giving plans)

Grace and peace to all of you! God is faithful!

Anna

Two and a half weeks in AGGIELAND

HOWDY!
So before I give my usual spill, lets have an A&M fact, shall we?

Here in Aggieland, "Howdy" is the official greeting, as it says here on the traditions council website (oh yeah, I do research):

"Howdy" is the official greeting of Texas A&M University. It is our way of ensuring that no one feels like a stranger. The exact origin on this tradition is not known. However, "Howdy" is what sets us apart as the friendliest campus in the world.

It's everywhere. I walked into the bank to set up an account and what to my wondering ears did I hear but a friendly "HOWDY! How can we help you today?" Whenever anyone needs to get the attention of a large group, guess what they say?? HOWWDDYY!! Then they reply "HOOWWDDYYY!" Simply put, I really hope they make a t-shirt that says, "You had me at Howdy."

I want to go ahead and apologize for the delay in my posting here. Quite honestly, moving to a new city and trying to figure out life is kind of crazy. Then trying to learn how to do ministry in that new environment is a whole other challenge considering there is a lot of new things going on around me (not to mention the crazy stuff going on in my heart that I had no idea about)...but I digress/I'll share more later.

This is my new room! I downloaded a special panorama app just so I could post this picture for y'all. I have loved living here. I drive to campus every day but it is only a 7 minute drive. My roommates are so wonderful and all work in ministry which is a really cool connector.
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The weekend before school started, we took our ministry team to Boerne (pronounced like Bernie), Texas for our ministry team retreat. We played games, ate good food, bonded (of course), and watched this video on vulnerability. You should watch it.


So if you watched the video, hope it resonated with you as much as it did with us. It really opened up the floor for a lot of encouragement and transparency among our team which is always difficult but necessary to emulate the Gospel.

A shot of our ministry team
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Large group this semester is on the book of Ephesians.

It has been such an awesome experience for me to see how consistent the Gospel is in the midst of my inconsistency. Also, it makes me appreciate this little gold nugget called RUF. We have what is called a "fixed theology with a flexible methodology." This means no matter where you go to RUF, whether it is in Mississippi (holler) or in Texas (holler again) you will hear the same message strait from the Word. It may look a little different in style or set-up but my campus minister reminded us during our ministry team retreat to "hold our preferences loosely." How often do we hold our theology loosely but our preferences with a firm grip? Interesting to think about... Pictures from large group (courtesy of an RUF student- Margaret Stroud):

announcements

 worship

 visiting before large group starts

outside of All Faiths Chapel on campus
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Y'all, Angleball. (see picture below)

We play this every Tuesday with people from RUF and Westminster PCA Church in Bryan, TX. This sport is a mix between quidditch, water polo, ultimate frisbee, yodeling, idk it's all things at once. All I know is, this is my sanctification. 

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On a more serious note, this transition has really revealed my idols. All transitions are hard and I need to give myself room to adjust and to struggle; however, I can see a little more clearly just how much I relied on other things back home or in Oxford to give me affirmation and worth. Now that I am in a new town without any real places to hide, I feel exposed and threatened which leads to questioning of who I really am. Here;s the beautiful thing though: Even though I feel like I have completely built my life around finding affirmation from things other than Jesus, it doesn't change how He feels about me. I was reading 2 Timothy 2:13 which reads- "If we are faithless, he remains faithful--for he cannot deny himself." I also find much comfort in Colossians 2:13-14- "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross." 

Praise be to God that my fickle heart is nailed to the cross and all of its sin is no longer mine to bear. I am adopted into the kingdom forever. 

So to all of you who have persevered to the end of this blog post, y'all are awesome. And to all of my supporters, whether you gave financially or have been praying, thank you for being an instrument of God in my life. I am still AMAZED that He has blessed me with friends who are willing to sacrifice time, money, energy, etc. in hopes that some may come to know Jesus as the lover of their soul.

Grace and peace in Christ who is our hope,

Anna

Texas Bound!

HOOOWWWDYYYY!!

Yes, it is official. I received the "green light" to move to campus today. I have no grid for this. 

All throughout the summer I wondered what this day would feel like. Would there be singing from the celestial choir? Would confetti fly from my bedposts as I woke up that morning? Of course these things did not happen (although it would have been awesome) but I did receive an email telling me I could head to campus. My car is packed and I leave in the morning. What an amazing thing.

As I look back over this summer one theme is consistent: He is able, He is willing, Doubt no more. His ability and my inability met this summer and it allowed me to stare my need for Him in the face. There was no hiding it, I could not do this by myself; although, I tried on almost every occasion to do it out of my own strength. He, being the gracious God that He is, was/is willing and called me to doubt no more. Those three lines are from a hymn we sing in RUF- Come Ye Sinners. That song has been such an accompaniment to my summer and I'd like to share the lyrics with you.

Come Ye Sinners

1. Come ye sinners, poor and wretched,

weak and wounded, sick and sore.

Jesus, ready, stands to save you,

Full of pity joined with power.

He is able, He is able; He is willing; Doubt no more.

2. Come ye needy, come and welcome;

God’s free bounty glorify:

True belief and true repentance,

every grace that brings you nigh.

Without money, without money

Come to Jesus Christ and buy.

3. Come ye weary, heavy laden,

Bruised and broken by the fall.

If you tarry till you’re better,

you will never come at all.

Not the righteous, not the righteous;

Sinners Jesus came to call.

4. Let not conscience make you linger,

nor of fitness fondly dream.

All the fitness He requireth

is to feel your need of Him.

This He gives you, this He gives you,

’Tis the Spirit’s rising beam.

5. Lo! The Incarnate God, ascended;

pleads the merit of His blood.

Venture on Him; venture wholly,

Let no other trust intrude.

None but Jesus, none but Jesus

Can do helpless sinners good.

What a beautiful picture of redemption and hope. I just pray that this summer would serve as a reminder to me that "all the fitness He requires is to feel (my) need of Him." Let us never forget our great great need and His plentiful grace.

Thank you all for your gifts. You were and are absolutely an answer to prayer and an encouragement of the Lord's faithfulness.

By His grace,

Anna

SO SO SO Close!

Hello Everyone!
So as you can see I only have $500 to go! I don't think I will be moving to College Station for freshman move-in this weekend but I am still trying to move to A&M in time for Aggie Welcome Week/Gig 'Em Week which means I need to meet 85% by Monday. I cannot tell y'all how much your prayers and gifts have meant to me. The Lord is so faithful and His timing is absolutely perfect. I am so grateful for you and your support during this journey!

I have broken it down to a few pledges and gifts to get me to 85%:

Pledges-

2 supporters at $15 a month= $300

2 supporters at $10 a month= $200

One time gifts-

2 gifts of $100= $200

4 gifts of $50= $200

4 gifts of $25= $100

Thank you so much for your interest and support!
www.ruf.org/donate

-Anna

The Final Stretch- It's getting SO close!

Hello Everyone!!

As I am sitting here typing this, it is hard for me to even comprehend how close I am to the end of this summer support raising process. I will be honest with you. At every benchmark, every benchmark, I didn't believe that the money was actually there. It was hard for me to imagine one day reaching 85% much less every percentage preceding that one! 

But the Lord is faithful and it is by His hand that all of this has come about. So, I am very thankful to inform you that I have reached 75% of my support as of this morning! Thank you to EVERYONE who has given. Whether it was small or large in your sight, it was and is a beautiful sacrifice and gift to the Lord. I cannot emphasize how much your gifts mean to me. I just cannot thank you enough.

I have been wrestling inwardly during this entire process, what is also known as sanctification, as the Holy Spirit has revealed to me my ugliness and sin. I have been so quick to doubt and so slow to trust. I have been so easily disappointed and so reluctant to hope. I am reminded often that we have been given everything in Christ (Ephesians 1:3) and thus adopted to be co-heirs with Him forever. Why would I doubt the depth of my Father's love and provision. He gives us what we need in His perfect time (Philippians 4:19) I so often forget that what we need (Christ) is already given to us and everything else is God's merciful and gracious blessing.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Please pray that I would remain in this posture of dependence and humility as the Lord remains faithful now and forever but especially in these next week(s) of support raising.
• Please pray that the Lord would provide the rest of this support and willing hearts to give
• Please pray for my patience during this process 
• Please pray for safe travels to Texas when I get the green light to move
• Please pray for students at A&M to know Jesus as their lover and and savior
• Pray for RUF and this internship, my co-interns (Lauren and Jeremy are also fundraising), and my campus minister's family: Ben (CM), Beth (wife), Hannah (daughter), Nathan (son)

Thank you all for being an instrument of encouragement to me in this! I look forward to the exciting days ahead!

Anna

www.ruf.org/donate