They’re back! All roads leading to campus are teaming with U-Hauls, pick-up trucks loaded to the brim with furniture, clothes, and enough ramen noodles to serve a small army. August is one of my favorite months of the year to be on campus. It’s exciting, the weather is great for the most part, and it brings up so many emotions, all of which link back to my first taste of Purdue and all of the adventures that followed.

All nostalgia aside, as a full-time staff member of Campus House and Greyhouse, I have certainly begun to see the month of August from behind a different lens. The past couple of weeks, I have been trying to sort through the above mentioned emotions and feelings of being new to Purdue in an effort to really find out what makes a new student tick! Likely, they are being bombarded by what must seem like an overwhelming number of offers to join different clubs, organizations, councils, jobs and sporting leagues. Oh, and they are full time students at a top notch engineering and research institution. So what makes a student decide that there is room on their plate for Christ?

More importantly, how can I best encourage students to even go through that thought process? I haven’t come to a good conclusion yet, but I am still thinking about it I assure you! As a student I had ample opportunity to talk to fellow students, in and outside church, but I have found that those days are gone and any chance I have to interact with a student won’t present itself unless I go out of my way to make it happen. This holds especially true for someone who is constantly behind the scenes like myself.

In the few months I have been on staff, I have already accrued more projects than I could ever accomplish in two years. Reaching out and involving students in those “behind-the-scenes” projects has proven to be the best method to interact with them directly. It gives them a chance to get a behind the scenes look at ministry, while also learning about service from a different perspective. I am very excited to serve the church in this capacity, and see what kind of work Christ has us all do within the coming months.

For those of you who have been keeping Campus House and Greyhouse in your prayers, I thank you. With help from many of you, I have received pledges that equal out to about $390 per month, which is about 40% of the full amount that I need to raise in my first year (my overall goal is $958/month or $11,500/year). I am grateful for this support, but still need more help. Would you consider donating monthly towards my support, and praying for me? If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at the email address below. I can’t wait to report to you next month about all of the exciting things that happen from now and until then.