Spring 2016 in Review!

I can't believe the Spring semester finished up last week! Where did the months go? Mark and I are so thankful for the time we have had with the students in the UH and HBU BSMs this school year. God has done so much and we are filled with joy because He provided us the opportunity to walk with students seeking Him and also to share His love with so many others on our campuses. 

To give you a glimpse of all that's happened this semester, we wanted to share a few photos with you. Enjoy! 

BSM at Houston Baptist University 

Summit 2015

Summit is our state-wide leadership training for the campus missionary interns and students serving on the state leadership team. Top Photo- Mark got to lead and help train a small group of students who served on the 2015 state leadership team.

Bottom Photo- These are all of the state lead team students and campus missionary interns for 2015!

2015-2016 HBU BSM Staff

This is our HBU BSM Staff for 2015-2016. From left to right: Selena, my campus missionary, myself (Mark), then Sebastian, my volunteer intern, and then Jeru, our student intern/state lead team student.

Fuego

Fuego is our monthly night of worship, led by Refuge, our student worship band. On this particular night, a student made the decision to follow Christ! 

Free Lunch!

One of the best way to minister to college students is with free food! Free Lunch (aka Commuter Lunch) is our weekly luncheon held every Tuesday at the commuter lounge. We have local area churches provide the food and share about their church with around 250 students each week.

Coffee Outreach

Coffee outreach is one of three outreach options we challenge our students to commit to each week. At Coffee Outreach, we set up a table in the middle of campus, offer free coffee and start conversations with people about their thoughts on Christ.

A fun surprise!

One of my awesome students surprised me with an authentic high tea! Jasmine (middle right) is originally from England and knew that I loved English Tea time!

Fun at Beach Reach

During our Spring Break, I (Mark) led a team of HBU and UH students to South Padre Island for our Beach Reach mission trip. In this photo I am enjoying lunch with a few of the crazy kids on my team.

Beach Reach 2016

During our Spring Break, I (Mark) led a team of HBU and UH students to South Padre Island for our Beach Reach mission trip. This is our entire team!

Freshmen Bible Study Fun

One of the most important weekly gatherings we have is our Freshmen Bible Study. At Freshmen Bible Study we have about 30 freshmen gather together for a goofy ice-breaker game, I introduce the week's lesson, and then we break into 3 small groups led by upperclassmen. In this photo, our game of the week is a paper airplane battle!

Our Leadership Team!

This is our leadership team for the upcoming 2016-2017 school year. In this photo, we had just finished up an afternoon planning meeting where our new freshmen leadership team students joined our existing leadership team to plan for the Fall semester.

Covenant Fellows

One of the neat things I get to lead at HBU is a special program for future, vocational ministers, called Covenant Fellows. In this program, I get to disciple, minister to, and equip future ministers! These are my 2015-2016 Freshmen Covenant Fellows students.

BSM at the University of Houston

Chinese New Year celebration

At our weekly BSM/Bridges International Hangout, we often have cultural celebrations, allowing students to share their special holidays with the group. In February, the Chinese students hosted a Chinese New Year celebration complete with Chinese food, and activities like making dumplings, drawing calligraphy and learning Chinese etiquette. 

Girls' Retreat

At the end of February, many of the girls in the BSM traveled to Canyon Lakes, TX for a weekend of rest, relaxing, Bible study, community and lots of laughter! 

International Girls' Night

In March, we BSM staff sent the boys bowling during one of the International Hangout Nights, and we girls stayed at the BSM for a night of girliness! One of the volunteers is a professional photographer and she taught us how to pose so that we look good in any picture. We also enjoyed manicures, henna and lots of chocolate treats. 

Houston Rodeo

One of the ways we serve international students is to guide them through American culture. One of the fun ways we do this is to take students to the Houston Rodeo and Livestock show where they can experience Western culture first hand. Here, I introduced a student from India to a longhorn cow! 

Spring Break International Trip to Big Bend

During Spring Break, the UH BSM partnered with the Aggie BSM to take a group of 33 students and staff on a trip to West Texas. There we enjoyed star gazing, horseback riding, hiking, and much more for several days. It was a special experience as we shared many deep heart conversations during these days.

Campfire

During Spring Break, we stayed at a dude ranch in West Texas. One of the special experiences was a night of cowboy poetry complete with s'more making around the campfire. 

Easter Party

My favorite celebration we get to host for international students in Easter Party. Because Jesus is my life, I get so excited to introduce students to this holiday that is so connected to this. A lovely family offered their home for an Easter egg hunt and potluck dinner. During the evening, we then get to share the meaning of the holiday. The ladies in the picture are just a few friends who enjoyed the celebration.

Nowruz - Persian New Year Celebration

In April, several Iranian students hosted a Nowruz celebration, introducing us to Persian food, traditions and dancing!

English Club

Each week we host two Conversational English Clubs to help international students with questions they have about American culture and American idioms. This picture shows a few of the students and scholars who attend the Wednesday morning English Club. 

Hangout Celebration

At the last BSM/Bridges Hangout of the year, we introduced a new international student lead team that will plan and carry out the efforts of hangout in the next school year. This group of 10 students did a great job of decorating, planning and hosting the year-end party! We're looking forward to working with this group next year! 

Lovely ladies

At the BSM student banquet, we had a Hawaiian celebration. The evening was so special as we celebrated what God had done in our lives throughout the year and then honored the graduates and those serving on summer missions. 

2016 BSM Seniors

This year, we had a wonderful group of seniors. Pictured here are those who made it to the BSM banquet! I'm so thankful for the ways these students have invested in the the BSM efforts, and they will be greatly missed as they move on to the next season.