Hey everybody!
Summer is in full swing and we are running around doing all the traditional summer events. We have had weddings, helped with moves, worked Vacation Bible Schools, painted things, and did loads of sweating. So far it is shaping up to be a great summer!
The biggest highlight of June was the birth of Thomas and Amy Pruett's new baby girl Moriah Hope Pruett. Hooray! Everyone is healthy and doing well and we are all very excited for this newest addition to this lovely family.
The Pruett Family
Back at the campus house, our painting and remodeling projects are still cooking right along. The goal is to get this place looking extra sharp by the beginning of the school year. We still have plenty of work ahead of us, but I think we are starting to turn the corner on this thing.
We have also spent a lot of time helping folks move this summer, including myself. One of our students, Zach, moved from one spot to another here in Spearfish. Sarah and I just sold our house and are in the process of moving out while trying to buy a new one (the idea is to down-size and use the extra money to clear out some of our gobs of student debt). Jacob and Kasha Wels, who used to be part of our college group a couple of years back, are moving to Sturgis, so the church headed out there to help with that. And the coolest move, from my perspective, was for a lady none of us knows.
The church got a call from a lady who needed help moving. She has some connection with an area church of Christ, but none of us knew her well. Despite that, our sweet congregation jumped into action and headed over there. The college students and I went over and help too and for three hours we all worked side by side to help someone we didn't know. And one of our girls who isn't sure about God was right there in the middle of it working away with us. It was a beautiful sight to see!
“And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
- Hebrews 13:16
Another big June event, was the Faith Vacation Bible School. Their theme was “Mega Sport Camp.” It was a sports camp and Vacation Bible School hybrid. Everyone was a little nervous about the new format, but it went great. I don't know what the numbers were, but I know we had a whole football field full of kids running around practicing their sports and learning about God. They practiced volleyball, soccer, baseball, and lassoing while learning lessons from the life of King David.
I'm a big fan. I'm constantly looking for new ideas and new ways of doing things that work better with our changing culture and this lined up nicely. The event needed less set up, less volunteers, and was less time-intensive for everyone while simultaneously making it more accessible for community members and more engaging for the kids who just have to be moving all the time. As a bonus, all that running around outside time dropped the number of discipline issues we ran into dramatically. We still had plenty of Bible lessons as well, so all told, I thought it went swimmingly.
Nick And Missy's Wedding
Another proud moment for the campus ministry in June was the wedding of our students, Nick and Missy. They have been looking forward to this day for ages and you can actually see them glowing with joy right now. They joined our group two years ago and have been a big part of us ever since, with their great attitudes and thoughtful questions. We are tremendously proud of this sweet couple and could not be happier for them. Thomas even got to perform both their premarital counseling and their ceremony, so that was a good moment for us too.
And then lastly, I made a quick trip over to Gillette, WY to teach their Sunday morning class and do the sermon. Ernie Bishop, their preacher, was on a trip, so they invited me to come talk for a bit. It is always a treat spending time with those good folks in Gillette. And that's about all for June.
You have a great day and thanks for reading!
-Silas