Jay & Kelley Reapsome- serving with Campus Crusade for Christ/Bridges International
Dear Friend,
On October 1st & 2nd we had a great time with 25 international students from Penn State at our fall retreat! Though it was a dreary weekend outside, it was anything but dreary inside at the retreat site. Along with a lot of fun games and activities we looked at the first two chapters of Joshua and followed the call of God to remain faithful to Him throughout the rest of the book of Joshua. In addition, our director led a seminar on how to answer common questions among internationals like: “How do we know that God exists?” and “How can we say that Jesus is the only way to God?”
After the retreat, Brad, a Chinese grad student who recently became a Christian, commented, “This was a great time. I really enjoyed everything!” Julia, the wife of a Chinese visiting scholar and a professor herself in central China, also remarked, “I’m not sure that God exists yet, but I’m closer to becoming a Christian.”
Another young Chinese undergrad Christian, Carol, said, “This retreat was too short! I wish we could have stayed here longer!” What a joy to see these young believers and seekers enjoying and wanting more time learning about God and fellowshipping with other Christians. Thank you for making it possible for us to help students focus on worshipping the Lord and understanding God’s Word through praise, prayer and study together. Please pray for these students to understand more about God’s desire for them to live a life that’s pleasing and fully surrendered to Him!
Chris, a Chinese grad student who I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with this week, said “I know that Jesus was a good teacher, but I can’t believe that He was God. How can I know that the miracles were real and that He truly is the Son of God without being able to see these things myself?” I shared with Chris about Josh McDowell’s journey to faith in Christ as the Son of God through his study and research while seeking to disprove Jesus’ trustworthiness.
Chris is willing to read the book summarizing Josh’s research called “More Than a Carpenter”. Please join us in asking God to lift the veil that Satan has draped over the eyes of this student and open his heart and mind to the truth of scripture and all the evidence that supports it!
On the home-front, we had a wonderful day for our daughter’s wedding on Saturday, September 24th. After some last minute preparation surprises and challenges, everything came together. Kelley worked long days in preparing for the event and did a wonderful job in helping with so many details. I was grateful for her perseverance and the Lord’s provision of strength for her to make it through those last couple of weeks of late nights, early mornings and long days in what seemed, at the time, to be endless work. Thanks you for your prayers for her and for Laura and Will as they committed their lives to each other before the Lord and those who were present
The service was beautiful ceremony that focused on Laura and Will’s gratitude to and worship of the Lord as the Sovereign King who brought them together. Please ask the Lord to help them continue to grow toward oneness and to be a good witness to the world around them of God’s work of love and forgiveness in the through their lives!
Thanks again for sending us here to reach and disciple students like Brad, Julia, Carol, Chris and others. We appreciate you and would love to hear from you if you have a chance to write, e-mail or text message us! May the Lord bless you and give you a beautiful fall season!
Until the whole world knows,
Jay
More from the Kelley Reapsome
Dear Friend,
The crisp morning air with the smell of burning wood and the breathtaking transformation of the woods from dark green to hues of gold, bronze, orange and red bring joy to my heart! While cheerful pumpkins brighten walkways and porches, numerous varieties of local apples and apple cider refresh me. These evidences of yet another season of harvest remind me of the Lord’s work in the spiritual harvest we are partnering in. I am grateful that you share our vision to reach the nations through international student ministry at Penn State, and that you have prayerfully invested with us in this work. Your faithfulness never ceases to amaze me and I am humbled and encouraged by it. Thank you!
I have been asked by many to supply a family update, so since there is room in this month’s envelope and I have the opportunity, I will do so now! Thank you too for your love and care for our family. We are blessed!
Both Lacey and Laura have graduated from college now, Lacey in May of 2010 with a BS in Political Science and minor in International Relations. Two days later she began work as a civic and legislative liason and lobbyist for Clark Resources in Harrisburg. She loves working in the political arena so far. Laura graduated in December of 2010 with a BA in Elementary Education and minor in English. She has now qualified to also teach English and Math at the Middle School level. She has been substitute teaching and really loves a challenge. Both girls became engaged this spring, Lacey to Christopher Seiff with a May 2012 wedding date and Laura to William Tilghman, whom she married on September 24th. They are living near Middletown, PA and are both substitute teaching for now. Needless to say, it’s been an exciting year with more to come!
Benjamin and Jonathan have graduated from high school, Ben from West Perry High School in June of 2010 and Jon from State Collage Area High School in June of 2011. They are taking a break before starting college and are subletting a room in State College while working and deciding their next steps. While Jon continues to work at Dairy Queen and Penn State Parking, Ben is trying his hand at being a DJ, which suits him well. We can see that being out on their own has been a good move for them and we anticipate great things. Hopefully they will soon be able to start college.
Amy is in 11th grade and is happy to finally have her license. Field hockey and challenging class load has kept her too busy to think much about driving, however. Hanging out with friends and siblings and having quiet, creative time at home helps to refuel her. Anna is also busy with field hockey and a challenging class schedule, but still manages to fit in sleepovers and girl time. She thrives on ‘face time’ with her friends and sibling. Both girls are growing up into responsible and beautiful young women, inside and out! I hope to get some nice pics of these girls in their homecoming dance dresses! I love it!
Daniel is “growing like a weed’ these days, 5 inches in about 8 months! He is in the 7th grade now and enjoys being able to change rooms/teachers for each subject. After several seasons of playing soccer he has begun to play football through the local Assembly of God youth football program. We like the fact that the coaches pray with teams and are very encouraging, Daniel loves sacking the quarterback and getting to tackle the opponents! He plans to continue playing winter indoor soccer and hopes to add lacrosse to his favorite sports in the spring. His newest computer interest seems to be writing dubstep and other types of music through internet sound/mixing resources.
Jays days are determined by the Lord in his work with international students here at Penn State. He has three mornings a week when he meets with his teammates for prayer and planning, and afternoons are on-campus time with at least two evenings a week included. Prep time and administrative work is also fairly challenging. When a student does not show up, Jay has enjoyed taking random surveys with international students in the HUB and having conversations about spiritual things with them. Weekend retreats and conferences also factor in to his time. It is wonderful that Jay loves what he does and is not getting burned out after all of these years! When Jay does get some time at home he can usually be found running around our property as he checks work off of his ‘to do’ list or makes a list for things he needs to purchase or repair. We have had some huge home-maintenance issues surface this fall and combined with the continued need for Radon mitigation and water filtration systems we at times wonder why we thought home ownership was a good idea. But since the Lord clearly led us to purchase this home, and it has been great for ministry, we will trust Him to also provide the heater/ac unit and septic tank parts/work that needs to be done.
My life ebbs and flows between family and ministry needs. We were blessed to go to California for Christmas last December, also celebrating my mother’s 80th birthday. It was the first time I had been in Cali with my family since before I was engaged, which makes it December of 1985 and 25 years prior! Being with by brother and sister and their families and Dad’s brother, Uncle Norman, on Christmas day was also a highlight. We had an Ingham reunion the day after Christmas (my mom’s side of the family) which was great! Aunt Elsie and Aunt Edna are both in their 90’s and it was wonderful to see them. It was a ‘once in a lifetime’ trip for our family and I was really thankful that it worked out. Here in State College, Women’s Bible Study on Thursday mornings helps me stay in the Word, and I appreciate the small group discussions and prayer support. Wedding preparations have also been an enjoyable addition to my days, but now that Laura’s wedding is over I will attempt to start meeting with some students again. Our Bridges ‘coaching’ phone interviews also provide accountability and fellowship within our ministry as one woman connects with me and I in turn connect with two other women for focus and support. And of course the usual household and children support work continues hourly and daily, keeping me on my toes! I love my life and every minute of it! I am so blessed with a great husband, wonderful children, and a great place to minister and get to know the Lord better!
We feel blessed to be able to continue in ministry as the US and global economies struggle and many face foreclosures and loss of employment. Thanks again for your faithful investments in reaching students from many nations here at Penn State and caring for the family our Lord has blessed us with.
You are a blessing!
In Christ,
Kelley