What’s going on? The group middle school girls I am ministering to are a mess. You know how middle school kids can be at times—cliquish, backbiting, hurtful in word and action. Sadly, many hearts are bruised from each other’s lack of love, thoughtfulness or kindness. The drama has been spiraling through the roof!

So I’m praying that they will fail.

It’s simple, they can’t love each other like Jesus loves apart from His power. John and other NT writers used the greek word agape to describe this selfless, unconditional kind of love.

I set a time for the girls to lovingly reveal their hurts to each other as well as discuss how we should treat each other. But that’s not enough. I know they can learn to change their behavior in their own strength to an extent, but their self-efforts will ultimately fall short.

Why? Because agape love only comes from God (1 John 4: 7–12). It’s only when they come to the end of themselves will their hearts be broken and ready to yield to the leading of the Holy Spirt by faith. Then Christ will be the one loving through them.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. —Galatians 2:20 ESV

Just the other day I received a prayer request from one of the girls and am so encouraged to see how the Spirit is working in her life. She said, “Please pray for peace in my life and for the various ways in which [excluding others] is causing pain and tears in many lives, including mine.”

This is exactly what I’ve been praying for— brokenness to “see.” Will you join me in praying that these precious young women will come to the end of themselves and see that loving each other with an unconditional agape kind of love is impossible apart from the power of the Holy Spirit?

Family Stuff

We’re praising God with how well Ethan is doing. Gymnastics is such a blessing for him and we’re seeing changes weekly. It is even helping his thought processing. We’re praying for increased hand strength and abilities in the next five months.

There are some logistics with the middle school ministry that are getting difficult to manage. Please pray God would work things out each week.

Repose, Lake Eola

Greg was honored with the invitation to include four of his photos in Orlando Magazine’s 7th annual Paint the Town exhibition. The show will run from March 19 through April 11 at the City Arts Factory on the corner of Pine and Orange in downtown Orlando. Admission is free. His image Repose image is also featured in the March issue of Orlando Magazine.

See all four images on Greg’s Flickr page.

It’s not a typical school morning in the Wiedle household. Three lunches, three backpacks and three students. Today Mommy is off to school too.

Kind of intimidated, but prepared, I head off to class. Campus Crusade provides theological training by offering graduate-level seminary courses to Staff Members — moms included. Among the 50 or so people taking the Christian Worldview course, I’m one of only two moms (Greg is working at home this week to free me up).

My mind feels like it’s going to burst as I take in the often confusing tenets of Marxism, Theism, Naturalism, Humanism, Deism, Pantheism, Existentialism, Nihilism, Postmodernism and Islam. I think I’m coming to a better understanding of how some people view life.

But the course is not all lectures and textbooks. A big part of the grade is interviewing three people with a questionnaire that taps into how they view the world. I’ve already interviewed two of my neighbors and my hair dresser.

One neighbor is a new believer in Christ and is excited about growing and raising her 12 week-old daughter to know Jesus. My hair dresser is a Jehovah’s Witness and I enjoyed taking the conversation deeper than we normally do.

But I really want to tell you about my friend Jessica who serves with me on the neighborhood board. Her interview lasted two and half hours because she was so interested. I listened as she shared about her shuffled, difficult journey. Recently, her four year-old daughter asked, “Who is God?” Jessica was at a loss to explain and it really got her thinking.

Jessica told me she wants to know the God who created her. Wow! The Holy Spirit enabled me to share a great deal about God’s love for her and His desire to draw her into a personal relationship with Himself. I explained how sin separates us from Him, but that God’s loving grace provided a way though Jesus to re-unite us to Him. She was amazed.

The next day Jessica sent me this note. “Thank you for sharing all you did last night. It has really made me think in a way I’ve never thought before­—in a good way.” Please pray that Jessica and I have more conversations about Jesus together. She’s also interested in attending church, although her husband is not at the same place in his journey. Would you remember this family in prayer?

Ok, got to go, it’s time to turn in my final paper!

Family Stuff

We’re not sure if Ethan will be ready for Kindergarten in the Fall. This weighs heavy on Kristie’s mind. Would you please pray for wisdom and discernment and for Ethan’s continued development?

We’re thankful that Ethan and Hannah can both be in gymnastics through June. They’re having a blast. Ethan is so motivated to attempt everything with the other kids, even though it is difficult. We hope to see increased body strength and abilities.

We are deeply grateful for your prayer and support. Thank you for being a part of our lives and ministry!

Greg & Kristie

As a kid, I took swim lessons every summer at the local high school swimming pool. By age eight, I had become a pretty good swimmer. At the end of every session was “free swim” in the amazing Olympic-size pool and the opportunity to jump off the low and high diving boards. One day—you guessed it—I chose the “giant” high board. I remember climbing up each of those 15 steps wondering what it would be like at the top. Once up the ladder, I walked out to the end of the platform.

Then, I just stood there.

I couldn’t jump. I was struck by fear. After what seemed like ten minutes, an instructor came up and held me over the side. And then down, down, down I went. After that moment, I had no problem jumping off the “giant.”

This fall semester somewhat mirrors those summer days when I first encountered that giant diving board. God has placed many opportunities before me and ordered my path enabling me to swim in this “Olympic size pool.” Along with directing the middle school Student Venture ministry at our local school and leading a group of students, God gave me a wonderful opportunity to train two young SV staff women in ministry philosophy and methods.

Kristie is training two young SV Staff women this year, Abby (left), and Kaye (right).

Abby and Kaye are both moms of young children. Their husbands are new to campus fieldwork this year. Please pray for the three of us as we meet together regularly. I’m concerned of my ability to train and know I can also become very task driven. Pray for my ability to love and encourage these special gals and that I would give them the best training possible. Pray for protection for all of our marriages in the midst of the work never seeming to be done (the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few!). Pray for good communication between these women and their husbands and that I can encourage them, through the Word, to be a helper and encourager suitable for their husbands, as God made them to be.

I love how Student Venture uniquely reaches out to students on the campus sharing the good news of Jesus. It is a special privilege to be a part of it in a more hands-on way this year! Thank you for your partnership!

How you can pray…

God creatively arranged for Coral to show up last minute to the ice cream party outreach on October 24 and she gave her life to the Lord. Coral, an 8th grader, has returned faithfully the past two weeks for Bible studies on the basics of her new faith and is bringing new friends with her who don’t know the Lord.

Praise God for Rene, a seminary student God just placed in my path. She is eager to help out with middle school ministry!

Greg is going to be in California for two weeks in November to participate in Cypress Church’s Missions Week. He will also be visiting ministry partners and will be looking to meet new partners. We are trusting God to provide some significant new monthly support. We appreciate your prayer!

Pray for Kristie as she devotes much time to Ethan’s therapy program at home. We are praying the additional home therapy can help him catch up on his cognitive development this year. Please pray too for leading and wisdom as to the best schooling situation for Ethan’s kindergarten next year.

In grateful appreciation,

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 (NIV)

My Plan
I (Kristie) was all set to kick off another year of SV ministry at the middle school—that is, until tropical storm Fay descended over central Florida. The county shut down all campuses the first week of school. Then, I learned that due to a conflict with the new school schedule, our teacher sponsor of six years was no longer available to lead the eighth grade girls. Eeek! When it rains it pours!

God Determines
God is so gracious. The storm week gave me some extra time to pray, prepare and find a new leader. Getting back on campus every week was not part of my plan for the year. But with both kids in school (or pre-school), I realized I have more time. I just needed to figure out what to do with Hannah and Ethan since their school day ends while I’m at the middle school on Friday afternoons.

Hannah is able to go to a friend’s house most Fridays after school. And, I met a new friend who picks up Ethan along with her son every Friday after school. God solved the childcare and transportation issues!

Now, He just had to work through my fear. Yes, after all these years of student ministry, I felt insecure interacting with these girls on a regular basis. It’s so much different from coaching someone else to lead for you!

After seven weeks my heart is growing fond of the girls. God is giving me a passion for their spiritual growth and is showing me areas where they need to step out in faith and trust Him.

How you can pray

• Pray with me for their spiritual growth.
• Pray for two outreach parties coming up on October 24 and November 7.
• This year our high school volunteers are in class until 5pm and can’t help with middle school ministry. We are praying for some college students to become available. Would you pray with me for God to send laborers into this spiritual harvest field?

In grateful appreciation,

We are always looking for ways to spur on Ethan’s physical development, so we signed him up for soccer. He’s all laughs and smiles while jogging around the field behind the herd during practices and games. It’s the most physically intense two hours of his week.

Ethan runs downfield against the Sharks.

Ethan also tried out gymnastics as the guest of a friend. Being around other boys in such a fun and physically challenging environment was so great for him. Would you please pray with us as we decide if gymnastics is the right opportunity for Ethan and figure out how to rearrange the finances to make that happen?

Hannah has already graduated from her first grade Dolch site words and loves to read. She’s reading so well we’re going to have to check out more difficult books from the library! She loves her brother and has the job of helping him dress Dapper Dan in the mornings when they wake up. Hannah and Ethan slept in the same room all summer and didn’t want to separate once school began. And believe it or not, they sleep better in the same room.

Greg is going to be in California for two weeks in November to participate in Cypress Church’s Missions Week. He will also be visiting ministry partners and will be looking to meet new partners. We are trusting God to provide some significant new monthly support. We appreciate your prayer!

Greg’s Current Design Project:
Essentials of Spiritual Growth and Multiplication

What it is:
A discipleship tool written by Campus Crusade for Christ President Steve Douglass to help students grow in Christ and get involved in ministry and spiritual multiplication as soon as possible.

Who it’s for:
This series takes into account that today’s high school and college students are post-modern in philosophy and are secondary oral learners (people who can read but do not prefer to learn by reading). They are highly relational and make sense of the world through their experiences, story and discussion.

How it works:
No lectures here—the group discovers Biblical truth together through a directed discussion around a passage of Scripture rather than a workbook or other written materials. Group leaders are provided with a session preparation checklist and lead from a group discussion outline. Group members keep a “mini-journal” that records what they learn from each discussion, and action to take and a person to tell.

So, what’s the big deal?
Greg created a brand identity (top of post) and layout proposal for the Essentials Leader’s Guide and related materials that will make the tool more approachable and easier to use. Greg is presenting his design concept to Steve Douglass on September 19.

Through your financial gifts and prayer, you are a vital part of engaging thousands of lost students with the grace and truth of Jesus, the Living Water. Thank you!

In grateful appreciation,