I hope this finds you and your family well! Who would have thought our lives would change in such a short amount of time? Around the world so much of everyone’s “normal” has now changed.
The change began at the end of the day on the 12th when the University of Central Arkansas switched everything to online and gave every student the option to go home. We were also informed that all scheduled Chi Alpha events/gatherings had been canceled for the rest of the semester. In a matter of moments, many things changed and campus became as quiet as if it were summer time. Instead of students moving home with a sense of excitement for the summer their was a sense of fear and uncertainty. Students went home with no plans of returning till August. It felt like the school year was over in a second. Everyone had a couple of hours to say their goodbyes to friends and then they were off.
We sat in Staff meeting that next Monday to talk about what our options were and to ask the Lord what we should do. Within that meeting we saw just how quickly things were changing. When we walked into that meeting we could meet in groups of 50 or less and had a church who opened their doors to us. By the end of that same meeting, we were unable to meet in groups larger than 10 and the church was no longer an option for meetings.
As we prayed, the Lord revealed what we would do during all the change and uncertainty. We will follow the second commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself”. We are reaching out to our literal neighbors and out to our community. We are getting in touch with families who are in need of someone to watch their children while they are at work; we are offering to run errands and pick up groceries for the elders in our community. We are looking for needs and doing our best with the Lord’s help to meet them.
There are students still in Conway who are filled with compassion for those around them with servant hearts. We have good direction, smaller communities (10 or less) and more freedom to be in the word. We are encouraged to see how this expands the Kingdom of God.
What do you still have resolve in when it’s all taken away?
When church services are no longer available…will we still encounter the presence of God? When the church is no longer a building…will you continue to be the church? When we are no longer hearing a sermon each week…will we still pursue revelation from the word on our own? When we are no longer surrounded by community multiple times a week…will we still find ways to have purposeful and meaningful conversations with friends? How will I continue to pursue the Lord on my own? These are questions I have been asking myself and asking my girls this week. As we are looking ahead we are making plans to stay invested in the word and devoted in prayer.
Please Pray!
Pray for the International Students on university campuses
who are unable to go home right now.
Pray for our Communities and our Leaders.
Pray for Healing!
Thank you for passing on the heart of God to the next generation!
I would not want to do this without such a wonderful support team!
- Alyssa
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