Fall 2017 Update: Irmageddon Edition
Thank you for praying for us during this time of transition to Orlando. As promised in our last communication, this prayer letter will be filled with updates from our first weeks here, including our initiation by Hurricane Irma into being Floridians and Detroit Summer Mission
Snapshots from Orlando
The last month has been busy for both Mission Expansion and the Knedgens here in Orlando. We arrived and moved in just in time to be initiated as Floridians by Irma! Things around town have been quite different following the storm. Trees were down, buildings missing walls, like the Doubletree Hotel ten minutes from our house, and school out for over a week. We are thankful to have retained power throughout the storm and little damage to our home, especially in light of the events surrounding Hurricane Harvey.
As a 9 year Houston resident, my heart breaks for the city where I learned how to drive and walk with
the Lord in deeper ways. I’m excited to share that Gospel in Action, a department within Mission Expansion is leading the efforts of the Cru Campus ministry in engaging in meeting the needs of people all over Houston following the storm. The Team Leader of the Houston Cru ministry shared this with us about their experience.
“Last Monday began an intense first week of classes, spiritual questionnaires, and outreaches at universities all over Houston. Yet only 3 to 4 days into the semester, weather forecasters began to warn of Tropical Storm Harvey hitting the Gulf Coast, with an expectation of heavy rains. Our family stocked on necessities. We canceled all Cru campus events Friday through the weekend and encouraged our students to be wise–and stay safe.
Since classes have been cancelled until after Labor Day, Cru students are eager to jump in and help in relief efforts! They’ve volunteered at shelters & nursing homes, organized donations, assembled care packages, and helped families with packing or trashing their possessions, ripping up carpet, tile, and drywall. I love how motivated everyone is to pitch in! At this point it has been challenging to logistically organize students to assist with relief, so we’ve encouraged them to serve close to where they are, or, if they are living on campus, to join us in helping the people we personally know who have flooded. We are already scheduled as volunteers to serve a night shift together at NRG, one of the largest sheltering areas. In the face of suffering and devastation, we are seeking God’s Spirit to move in this city! “
Please join with us in praying for the city of Houston and the vast needs of its people. You can learn more about Cru’s Hurricane Harvey relief efforts at cruharveyrelief.org
One part of our department, Gospel in Action is leading the Campus Ministry Response to Hurricane Harvey. Gospel in Action (GIA) is an effort to weave the compassionate works and words of the gospel into the fabric of the Campus Ministry. Our mission is to connect Win/Build/Send movements to pressing human need, helping the spiritually and physically oppressed and bringing the hope and healing of Christ to our broken world.
The ultimate purpose of GIA initiatives is making Jesus Lord over broken people, broken places, and broken systems. Our desire is to give a watching world pictures of the power of the gospel to transform people and places, and to give them a foretaste of a Kingdom where Jesus has set everything right.