Summer Plans

Hey all! I thought I'd give an update on the summer.

The school year finished well. It is amazing to look back over the year and praise God for all of the great things He did and provided. I was so blessed to be able to meet with 3-4 students on a regular basis. I thought I would introduce you to a few of them so that you can be praying for them this summer.

Hannah. Hannah, a junior, and I met last summer at the student leadership retreat, and learned that we would be co-leading a freshman Bible study together in Kellum, a dorm on campus. She is the student "insider" I've partnered with to meet and minister to the freshman women in Kellum. What a year it has been! We have both learned so much about God, his word, leadership, and freshman girls! We would meet together regularly to prep for Bible study and share life and encouragements. I honestly looked forward to every single time I was able to spend with Hannah! She is such a joy and a light.

You can be praying for Hannah this summer! She just landed in Japan a few hours ago. She and 6 other men and women are part of a summer mission trip team with the Navigators who are going to be working with and ministering to college students at Utsunomiya University. To learn more about her summer visit this link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_111766245571142&view=doc&id=111767128904387. Pray for Hannah's (and her whole team's) safety in Japan, for deep relationships to be cultivated with the Japanese students, and opportunities to share the Gospel. Please also continue to pray for the Japanese as many have lost so much and many loved ones in the devastating earthquake in March. Pray that this would be an opportunity to share with students about God's great love for them; pray that their hearts would be softened, and not hardened.

Tiffany. Tiffany, a senior, and I started meeting at the beginning of the spring semester. She was finishing her last semester at Florida State and starting to think about life after graduation. Since I have recent experience in this area, we met once a week to talk and pray about the future, fears, life, and how God plays the central role in it all. We talked about how to trust God when life seems so uncertain and full of questions, got in His word together, and prayed about all the possibilities available to Tiffany.

Great news! Tiffany graduated 3 weeks ago and God has provided a job for her! She just started working at a doctor's office here in Tallahassee last week. This is such an answer to prayer. She will be able to work, gain experience, trust God, and remain in community with her friends from school. Pray for her relationships with her co-workers, that God would use her as a light in the work field.

Emily. Emily, a junior, and I met together all year, spending time in God's word and learning how to apply it to our lives. Honestly, it was such sweet time because it always centered around the Bible; we read, shared and prayed Scripture together. Emily is an awesome young woman who has a heart for God's word and for people. I'm excited to continue to grow with her next year!

This summer, Emily is interning with CMT in Nashville, TN! You can pray that God would use her as a light in the lives of the other interns and co-workers. Pray also that God would provide a good community of believers through the local church for her. Pray for her heart and her personal time with God; she's on her own and away from friends and family.

Ruthie. Ruthie, a freshman, and I met a couple times together at the end of the spring semester. I shared in earlier posts that she recently suffered the great loss of her brother. We spent some really sweet time processing, grieving, praying, and reading God's word. She has a beautiful heart, but is definitely hurting from this loss.

Please pray for Ruthie. She is taking a trip to Costa Rica- so pray for her safety on this trip. She will also be spending time at home, so please also pray for this- it's the first time she will be spending an extended time at home since her brother passed away. Pray for her heart, that God would continue to heal her and draw her closer to Himself in this season of grief.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your continued prayers for these students! I am blessed by each one of them. It has been such a great experience joining what the Lord is doing at Florida State and ministering to each of their needs. I couldn't be doing this without your prayers and support!

As for me, I will be spending the next few weeks in Tallahassee working on funding, as well as taking a trip down to Tampa and Orlando. I will be spending the month of July in Pigeon Forge, TN working with college students at the Summer Training Program. These students have been given the opportunity to spend their summer investing in their relationship with God by working full time at Dollywood and ministering to co-workers, growing together with a team of guys or girls, studying the Bible, growing in leadership, and sharing the Gospel. I am so excited to see what this summer holds!

Please pray for my funding (stories to come!) and travels. If God has led you to give, follow this link: http://www.navigators.org/us/staff/dempsey (thank you!!). Pray also for my heart as I continue to process. I'm looking to meet with a counselor here in Tallahassee; please pray that God would provide the right one. I'm also having to begin thinking about what the year after this one will look like; pray for guidance and peace about the future.

That's all for now! Keep checking for updates (there are a lot more to come!).