Two and a half weeks ago, 1,500 new freshmen arrived in Moscow, Idaho, nervously getting ready to start the next major chapter of their lives. For many, this is the first time they have felt truly independent and free to make their own decisions. Although these college years hold great potential as they aim to lay a solid foundation for their future, the college campus is also full of darkness and counterfeit hope. These first few weeks are a tug-of-war between every kind of influence imaginable. As Christians, we recognize that every single action, decision, or influence is either pushing someone toward Christ or away from Him, which is why we try so hard to meet as many people as possible in the first few weeks of school. Year after year, we’ve witnessed God do incredible things during this initial month, and this year is no exception!  Here’s a picture from our village this past week. This year we had a large student leadership team that received some leadership training during the summer so that come Week of Welcome, they were ready to hit the ground running. We’ve been moving people into their dorms, engaging on the volleyball courts, in the dining halls, and in classes. We’ve thrown parties, gone on hikes, hosted ice cream socials, held lots of board game nights, and, of course, we’ve been running Village (our church’s main vehicle for connecting non-believers to gospel-centered community). Because God has blessed us with such a big student leadership team, more than 40% of this year’s freshman class have received at least one invitation to a Resonate event, and that number is still going up! The harvest is certainly plentiful—continue to pray that God raises up leaders and laborers to be sent out into the harvest.  This year I will be discipling three of our student leaders, so you can be praying for them by name: Tim, Heath, and Jorey. These guys are very mature for their age and are actively pouring into and pursuing nonbelievers. You can definitely be praying for all the guys that Tim, Heath, Jorey, and I are connecting with, pray that God would soften their hearts for the gospel. Pray generally for rest, recovery, and endurance for me and our church. By its nature, Month of Welcome puts a lot of strain on our leadership team, spending hours each day on campus meeting people, sharing the gospel, having deep conversations with people, putting on events, etc. While it is so encouraging to see God work through the crazy and busy seasons, it is a helpful reminder that God works just as much in the more predictable and stable seasons of life.  Our Resonate Moscow staff team! Finally, you can be praying for our staff team. We have a big staff team this year and most of us are young and still trying to figure out what we’re doing. Matthew (far right) is our Pastor and he’s the greatest. Thank you all for supporting our ministry in Moscow through your prayers. I am learning now more than ever that it is only God who changes hearts, so we must go to him in prayer for everything; apart from Him we are nothing. I’ll send another news letter soon! |
Thanks for the update! Paused to pray this am. Love and miss you all!
Paul
Absolutely beautiful and very touching. We need more people like you! Please continue to share your newsletter with me.
Love getting the updates and love you! 😘 ♥️
Thanks for the update. I finally took some time of rest tonight to get to read it. I am blessed because of it.
You know your grandpa and grandma are always praying for you. Thanks for the leadership team names to pray for.
Blessings, Grandpa Coddington