Campus Target » Cozy

An Update I Forgot!

RA — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:32:08 +0000

I am back in Michigan trying to get used to living here again. It’s all the same, but I’m definitely different. However, I know God has plenty for me to do now that I’m here. I’m looking forward to teaching the high school class at my church, and I will be working at least two weeks at Christian camps. God hasn’t finished inside of me, either. I know I am going to be learning and growing even more as I continue growing in my faith and trust in Him. He’s so much more powerful than I give Him credit for!

I just realized that I haven’t given you an update about Jenny! She is the one who accepted the Gospel when I told her about it in March. I finally got to baptize her in my friends’ bathtub! While we were filling up the bathtub, my roommate and I talked to her about baptism, the Holy Spirit, and anything else she might have questions about. When we asked her about what she had been reading in the Bible, she surprised us with how much the Spirit has been teaching her. She pulled out two passages – one about how it’s the sick who need a doctor, not the healthy, and one about the harvest being plentiful but the workers being few. She explained to us that she thought God was telling her to go tell others about Jesus. And we said, “Yes! That’s exactly what it means!” Since then, she’s been spreading the good news about God’s love, and I know God has big plans for her!

It’s so great to know that I’m not the one responsible for doing things in people’s hearts – God is. He has been revealing that to me as I learn to trust Him more and more with things that aren’t in my control. He is so trustworthy and faithful! I am looking forward to Him using me more and drawing me closer to Him this summer.

Thanks again for all your prayers! I look forward to talking to you soon!

In Christ,

~Cozy

I’m Back!

RA — Sun, 30 May 2010 14:24:56 +0000

I am back in America! I safely fared the 40 hours of travel from China to America and arrived near Rochester, New York. Right now I am at the few days of debriefing with everyone else in Campus Target who just got back to America. We are all taking the time to process our year, our return, and the reverse culture shock we’re all going through. It’s truly interesting how different America feels. Perhaps it’s because I’ve changed more than I realized. Either way, I’m back and I know God has good things planned for me. I’d love to see you sometime soon! It’d be great to hear about your year as well as share some things God has taught me over the past nine months.

Thank you so much for praying for me this year! God has been so faithful in my life and in the lives of my Chinese friends. It’s so great to know that even though I am away from my Chinese friends, God isn’t. He’s still over there working in their lives. If you want to keep praying for my friends (specifically Summer, Ellen, Jenny, and Cathy), that would be so great! Let me know if you want more details about them. I know God is still doing amazing things in their hearts – the Kingdom is near!

God Bless!

~Cozy

P.S. If you are interested in supporting Campus Target or any of my friends who are going back to China next year, that would be a huge blessing to them and also to me since I won’t be returning this next year. Please let me know!

Urgency

RA — Mon, 03 May 2010 14:00:04 +0000

It is finally May. I have been looking forward to this month for a long time, but now I don’t want it to be here yet. Many of us have finally found our “groove” in this work, but it’s going to be ending very shortly. Earlier this week I was scheduling meetings with friends and I realized that I only have one or two more times to meet with each of them. I suddenly felt a strong sense of urgency in my work here. Many of my friends have grown exponentially this year, but have I shared all I can with them? Is there anything else they need to hear, even if they don’t accept it while I’m here? Have I planted all the seeds God has called me to? These are questions that have gone through my mind since realizing how little time we have left here this year.

My team has two more Book Clubs with our friends, and we are trying hard to listen to God. What significant things have we not told our friends? This week we will discuss the importance of making a decision for God, and we will demonstrate ways we spend time with God, letting them try it themselves. We hope that, God-willing, it will be very impactful. Please be praying that we would be listening closely to the Spirit during these last two-ish weeks, and that He would open the hearts of each of our friends. Pray that we and our friends would fully realize the urgency in our message of Truth.

We know that even if our friends don’t make decisions for Him this year, God has used us to plant seeds that He will water in His perfect timing. We can do nothing without Him – He is doing the work here, not us. This is why your prayers are SO important. Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts this year. But we are not done yet! God has much more in store, even if we don’t see it before we leave. I hope to have many more amazing stories to tell you by the time I come back to Michigan!

In Christ,

~Cozy!

Setting an Example

RA — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:50:41 +0000

Mid-February is the Chinese New Year, more commonly called Spring Festival. During Spring Festival, we are encouraged to spend a few days with a Chinese friend in their hometown, experiencing how they celebrate the holiday with their families. So this past February, Sydney and I headed off with our friend Angela to her hometown about two hours away from K-Town. We ate the traditionally huge dinner with her family on the eve of the New Year, and then stayed one night in her home. Every morning I get up early to spend about an hour with God, and I did not let the morning I woke up in her home be an exception. I got up before anyone else in the house and found an empty room with a couch, pulled out my journal and Bible, and asked God what He had in mind for the day. I was in the middle of my time with God when Angela stuck her head in the room and asked what I was doing. I explained it to her, and she left.

Today, I had lunch with Angela. Recently she bought a Bible and has been reading it a bit. Today she told me that this morning she woke up at about 6 AM and couldn’t get back to sleep, so she pulled out her Bible and read a little bit this morning, just like I had when I was in her home two months ago. How encouraging! Because I was faithful with spending time with God one morning, my friend was able to follow my example and delve more into His Word!

We never know who is going to pick up on the little things we do. Every action may be contemplated, copied, or scrutinized. I never thought that getting up early two months ago would have any effect except for keeping me on track with God for the day. Praise God for making me a good example to Angela! In the five remaining weeks we have here, we still need to be conscious of what we’re demonstrating to our friends. Please keep us in your prayers as we run the last leg of the race this year; there are still SO many things God is going to do through us and in our friends!

My team has a few friends who are consistently coming to our recently-combined, now-co-ed Book Club. They are very hungry for God but have not yet made a decision for Him. Shawn and Michael know they will need to decide, but they are making excuses why now is not the best time for a decision. Angela, Summer, and Cathy know about God and what He’s done, but it hasn’t clicked for them yet that Jesus’s gift is for them, personally. Becky is already in the family, but she does not see a reason to demonstrate or live out her faith. Please pray for these friends and that we would see all of their lives changed by the time we leave next month!

Thanks so much!

In Christ,

Cozy!

P.S. We finally were able to dunk Jenny last weekend! God’s been revealing so much to her, it’s so amazing! Praise the Lord!

Jenny!

RA — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:52:03 +0000

As Jenny and I were sitting in the Korean restaurant, I asked her how she liked the Bible study Sydney had taught on salvation. Jenny replied that she agreed with it – it went along with what she’s seen in her life. I used a few illustration tools to make sure Jenny understood what Jesus had done for her. When I asked her if she wanted to receive this free gift from God, she said yes, but that she wasn’t qualified. It finally clicked for her when I wrote out a resume with Jesus’s name on top with all of His qualifications for Heaven and then crossed out His name and wrote hers instead. When I handed her the resume, she wanted it! We prayed together at the restaurant, and we are planning on dunking her next week when she gets back from a big trip she’s on right now. Yay! Praise the Lord!

We workers in C-Land have passed the 70-days-to-go mark, and since then, God has been doing some really big things! The ‘Du has started a new house church, I led Jenny to God, and we have at least three more new brothers in Christ. And we’re not even done yet! I have seen changes in many of my friends’ hearts, and I know He’s not done working in them. He’s also been revealing a lot to me about who I am in Him and reviewing what He’s been teaching me all year. I’m excited to see what else He’s got up His sleeve!

As you may know, I am planning on returning to Central Michigan University in the fall. What you might not know is that God has been speaking vision into my life about this summer and also my year at CMU. Coming home does not mean I’m going to stop working for the Kingdom! For a while, I was not exactly sure what God wanted me to do next year. However, since about last week, I have had true peace (and excitement to boot!) about going back to school.

To bring all of this together, it would be great if you could pray for my Chinese friends, specifically Angela, Summer, and Ellen. God is definitely working in their hearts, and it would be fantastic to see them come to Him this year before we leave. Also pray for all of the work He’s doing in K-Town and the other two cities we’re in, and strength for those of us who doing the work here. Pray for the plans He’s put on my heart for this summer and the fall, and that I’d be emboldened to carry them out!

I appreciate every email I get from your side of the world – I love being in your life! Feel free to shoot me an e-mail with how you’re doing or about anything else! Thanks so much for being there for me this year!

In Christ,

Cozy!

Pictures!

RA — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:45:34 +0000

It was getting to the end of our three-day trip, but we were still in the village with Summer’s family, and they all wanted pictures with us! We ended up being in their huge family picture along with multiple pictures of the smaller families. Sydney and I went to our friend Summer’s grandmother’s house for their Spring Festival get-together, and her whole family was there. We got to walk around the village, eat a huge meal with all thirty of them, and participate in their family picture. It was so fun being included in everything! It was very enjoyable, and an eye-opening experience for me, since I have not really been out of the city I live in. The village was much different from K-Town!

In the beginning of this month, everyone in my organization got together in T-Land for a ten-day retreat. It was so refreshing to be with everyone, have fun in town, and hear God-inspired speakers from different parts of the world. I even rode an elephant while I was there! We had four days to rest, and those were really great – I needed them. As an added bonus, God even gave us vision to empower us to come back to C-Land!

Now we are all back here in C-Land, but our friends have not yet returned for their next semester of school. To take advantage of this time, we are having a week and a half of special training in our individual cities. Today was just the first day, and today’s speaker was fantastic! I am excited to see how God is going to keep preparing us for when our friends come back. Please pray for us, that God would continue to change us to be like Him, and that He’d give us vision for the next three months we’re here. Also continue to keep our Chinese friends in your prayers as they are still at home – we’re hoping God’s doing some amazing things during this time!

In Christ,

~Cozy!

P.S. I took lots of pictures of T-Land and my whole Spring Festival trip and put them up on my Shutterfly page. If you want to know more about Spring Festival here, I’ve also put an entry about it on under the Blog Extension tab. Check it out!

Experiencing C-Land

RA — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:35:05 +0000

I walked around, trying to really experience C-Land for the first time since I got here. I walked around my campus, asking God for vision. I started seeing students less as just people, and more as individuals God loves. I started seeing the dorms as future places of little fellowships gathering every week all over campus! I followed where I felt God pulling me – to a huge set of stairs going down from a building. I walked down, and there was a man feeding several squirrels peanuts and crackers. One thing I’ve learned about C-Land: you rarely see a squirrel without people gathered around it with cameras and feeding it crackers. So I watched him and how joyful he was feeding about five squirrels there. He let me take a few pictures of him and then gave ME the rest of the peanuts. It was SO fun! Then God led me to watch the seagulls that gather at a nearby lake at this time of the year. That day I also bought a few things for crazy cheap prices, and went to the fruit market (many different people set up shop in there, all trying to sell their food). All in all, I really experienced K-Town and began to get more of a heart for it. It was good – I am sure it will make all the difference in the months to come!

Things have been different in K-Town recently. Because their semester is over, most of our friends have gone home and will be back in a little more than a month, so now we have fewer friends to meet with every week. With the extra time, we have been encouraged to seek God for vision and passion and to talk to Him about our friends.

Next week, our whole team (from all three cities) is going to Thailand for a ten-day retreat (yay!). Please be praying for us all to be refreshed and encouraged so we can come back raring to go! Also keep our friends in your prayers, that God would do things in their lives in this time they have at home. Thanks so much!

In Christ,

~Cozy!

P.S. To see pictures of the man and me feeding the squirrels and my other recent adventures, please visit my Shutterfly page!

French Sylvia

RA — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:42:58 +0000

I have a friend we call French Sylvia (we already knew a Sylva when we met her, and her major is French). She’s an interesting girl. I have gone shopping and have eaten a few meals with her, and someday soon, I will show her how to make the sweet potato casserole she tried at our Thanksgiving party. She is interested in different faiths – it is clear she is searching for something. I had the opportunity to share the gospel with her a while ago, and I added that she could talk to God, too – He can hear her. Together, we asked God to do something in her life to show her that He cares for her and wants her as His own.

It had been about a month since then when I got a text from her: “Yes, I want to meet with you – and I have something exciting to tell you about God!” I was so excited! We sat down to dinner that night, and she told me that she’s had a problem with her ear for several months, and it has been making her depressed. Then she asked God to heal it, and when she woke up on Christmas Eve, her ear was perfect!

“Did you pray for my ear?” she asked.

“No, I didn’t know about your ear!” I answered. “It was totally God!” How cool! Praise the Lord!

We only have a few weeks with our friends now until their semester ends. They are all very busy studying and writing papers in preparation for their finals. Because of this, these next few weeks will be very important since our friends will leave K-Town for more than a month. God has been doing things in our friends’ lives (like French Sylvia!), and now is the time to go even deeper with them, trusting that God will continue His work. Please be praying for us as we press hard this month, and for our friends – that God would appeal to their hearts before they go home for their vacation. Thanks so much for your prayers!

God bless,

~Cozy!

Asian Shepherd

RA — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:40:51 +0000

“I found the baby!” the shepherd cried as he reached into the makeshift manger, picked up the sock baby we had made, and waved it in the air.

“Give the baby back!” I called through the uproarious laughter in the room, “It’s Mary’s baby!”

Handing the sock back to Mary, he looked at me, wondering what to do next. I continued the narration: “Then the shepherds went and told everyone in the town what they had seen.” To act it out, he went over to the rest of the room and told his audience, “I found the baby!” And everyone continued to laugh.

That was the high point of one of our Christmas parties this year! At that and one other large party, we taught our Asian friends some Christmas songs, told them the Christmas story, and had THEM act it out. It was hilarious both times!

All together, I’ve been a co-host of five Christmas parties, two large and three small. After five parties, I can definitely say that the season has been a busy one for my team. However, God has made it SO fruitful. Enrique and Buckeye are meeting with a few guys who are very hungry for God, and Sydney and I finally have girls for a Bible study! Praise the Lord! We were also able to see hunger in some girls we don’t know too well but invited to a party anyway. Next to do is getting this Bible study up and running, and going deeper in our friends’ lives. Please be praying for post-Christmas energy for all of us who are over here, and for continued growth in our relationships with our friends. We will also need boldness from God to go deeper with them this next month.

I have been doing really well recently! I’ve finally been able to trust God with what He’s doing in my friends’ lives and now I realize that it’s not up to me to convince them of Him. I sometimes feel inadequate for the task at hand, but He’s showing me that His strength is best shown in my weakness and He’s given me everything I need to forge ahead. It’s so great to be able to see how He provides for me financially as well! Thank you to all of you who’ve helped me out this month –– you’re all fantastic and a real blessing!

I’m looking forward to hearing from you! Merry (late) Christmas and Happy New Year!

~Cozy!

Rest, Christmas, and Difficulties

RA — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:22:44 +0000

Because the busy Christmas season is pretty much here, last week we all had a nice break. We went to Dal*, which is a 5-hour bus ride from where we live. It was fantastic! Some climbed the nearby mountains or walked around the lake, but I just slept in and walked around the Old Town for the three days we were there. It was really relaxing, and the lodge we stayed at smelled like America! In the last week we also went to HK to renew our visas. That was great, too – I got to go to Starbucks for the first time in about two months! It was nice to have a little bit of time off before December really got started.

My group has planned about four Christmas parties for this month, ranging from large to small. We will also continue to meet with our friends on a one-on-one basis, so the month will be very busy. My group has not seen any of our friends join the Family yet, but we are very hopeful. Please be praying that this holiday time will be very fruitful – that God would personally speak into the lives of our friends and we’d be obedient to take every opportunity He gives us.

Healthwise, I’m not exactly sure what’s up with me. On Thanksgiving Day, I went to the doctor’s to get something checked out. They found that I have an enlarged gall bladder, but I don’t have gallstones or anything, and I’m not in any pain. Please keep this in your thoughts, too. I don’t know what it is, but I’m trusting God in it.

I also want to let all of you know that my money situation is not very good. If God puts it on your heart to help me out in any way, please let me know. Actually, I am now looking for two new monthly supporters (each for $50 to $75 a month) to partner with me for my last six months here. Please pray that God would provide two people for me, and listen if He asks you to be one of them. I’m depending on Him – He told me to come here, and I know He’s going to pull through.

I’m so glad all of you are behind me even while I’m completely on the other side of the world. It’s so cool to hear responses from you! I hope your Christmas season is getting off to a great start!

God bless,

Cozy