Ministry on Campus ~~ and new campus daughters

2 Corinthians 4:1 ¶ Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not...

It has been a busy time of ministry, but what better way to spend our days in this life?! I was available to help with the college ministry of being at the welcome table for parents of new students. A week ago right now, we volunteers met with the lady who heads it up and received our assignment of times to "man" the "orange juice table." We did that through Tuesday and what a joy it was to greet the parents of new students coming in from all over the country and many from around the world. Having been in their shoes when we brought Amy down for her freshman year in 1993, I was aware of some of their concerns and emotions and hope that I was able to deliver some comfort and assurance as they would be leaving their off-spring here and returning home without them. It was a great week of ministering in that light.

Speaking of ministry, the Lord used circumstances to bring us six new freshman girls to be our campus daughters this school year. One girl is Jennifer from Indiana. *Yellow shirt in the picture) Our son Chip had a girl in his youth group at his church in IN whose friend was coming down for school so Chip called us and "alerted" us that Jennifer was coming. He was able to provide an email address so we got to know Jennifer (and her parents!) before Jennifer ever got on the plane to fly down by herself. Richard and I picked her up at the airport and at the same time saw a girl who had arrived and was looking for a way to the college so since we already had Jennifer with us, we invited Jessica to ride with us to the college. She did and she is now our new campus daughter from Connecticut. Jess is in the red shirt.

Darla, a freshman daughter from last year, had emailed us a few weeks ago that two girls from her Christian school in TN were coming as freshmen. I was actually "working" the "orange juice table" when the twins and their parents arrived on campus. We had not corresponded but when I met them, I knew their last name and with the two girls there, I knew it was the folks that Darla had told me about. So I was able to be their official greeter on campus and tell them that I was their campus mom. That was neat!! The twins are Kelsey and Kaylee. Their parents were so nice and actually the four of us (without the girls) went to dinner together on Thursday night before they returned home to Memphis on Thursday. I didn't have my camera to make pics of Kelsey and Kaylee nor of their parents at the time. :(

And then we have a new girl from South Carolina. Candiace was here on campus working all summer when we met her through a friend.We were able to have her over and to take her out to eat over the summer and so we requested her for a campus daughter. We are also "adopting" Katharina the "friend" who is a senior this year. Katharina is from Canada and has never had a campus family. So we decided "better late than never" and she will be an unofficial campus daughter this year. (Candiace on left and Katharina on the right in the pic.)

And #6 is Julie from Texas. Last Sunday, we took to Sunday dinner at a restaurant the two girls (Jennifer and Jess) that we had picked up at the airport on Saturday. Jennifer asked if she could bring a roommate. We said, "Certainly" and that's how we met Julie from Texas and asked if she would like to request us for campus parents. She did and that's how she became freshman daughter #6. (I forgot to take my camera on Sunday so didn't get a pic of Julie.)

We have 2 freshman daughters from last year who are back. They are Darla from Tennessee and Melissa from Wisconsin. And to round off our group, we have 2 other girls we had "adopted" as campus daughters last year: Diana from Ohio and Melannie from Peru for a total of 11 girls this year who will be our daughters.

We are having them all over for Sunday dinner in our home this week so I am trying to decide what to cook for the girls. I can't wait and know it will be a fun time. I'm sure I'll post some pics from that first event with all of the girls. It will be fun to introduce them to each other and then to turn them loose to form some fast friendships with their campus sisters.