"A Week in the Life of a 50-something Campus Missionary" | The Curran Events May 2015

The Curran Events May 2015 "A Week in the Life of a 50-something Campus Missionary…"

Note: This is a letter composed by Margee last May...                                 ...Daniel's laptop got stolen and we never sent it out. -D & M Hello all!! (from Margee) It has been a big year of transition for me!!  As many of you have figured out by now, I’m not serving over at UC Berkeley with Athletes in Action anymore, but up at UC Davis.  I commute an hour each way, 3 days-a-week and love Davis. I thought I would give you a little peek into one of my weeks SUNDAY, May 17: 5pm: UC Davis Farewell Fiesta: I serve on a team of 16 CRU campus missionaries and Interns.  We celebrated the end of an amazing year at Lori & Jeremiah Kepners home and said goodbye to 5 of our Interns.    It was a great time of food, fellowship and reflecting on what the Lord did in and through us this year. We ate too much and laughed a lot!!  Love this team. MONDAY, May 18: 9am Monday: I worked out with my maters swim team and prepped for teaching “The Master Plan of  Evangelism” (MPE). It’s a great little book about how Jesus discipled a few to reach many. On Mondays, I usually visit Daniel’s mom in Walnut Creek. Katherine, Rebecca and Deborah Katherine, Rebecca and Deborah have been such fun to meet with each week this year.  We have had a great time studying various passages of scripture and relating them to our lives. I always look forward to my discipleship times with them!! TUESDAY, May 19:  After a 6:45am swim, I loaded my dad’s trusty old bike from the 1980’s on my bike rack, drove to Davis, parked, unloaded my bike and rode off to campus. I ran a stop sign right before campus and got issued a ticket by a policeman “hiding” behind a sign.  Oh dear, not a good start to the day. At 11am, I met with 3 other CRU women for our weekly “Greek Prayer Time” and prayed for sorority women to come to Christ.  Afterwards, I got a ride with Jenn Floth (one of my directors) to the Kepner’s house where Lori, Jenn and I (the 3 staff moms) meet twice a month to encourage one another to excel still more.  At 2pm,  I met with Cameron, a married new staff woman to talk about life and discuss “The MPE”.  Fun fact- Cameron led Hannah’s freshmen bible study when they were both students. I usually meet Tuesdays at 3 with a Discipleship Group of 3 sophomores. This week they invited me over for a home-cooked meal at an apartment. to celebrate. It was delicious and such a treat!! WEDNESDAY, May 20:  I co-lead a Women’s Bible Study on Wednesday mornings at our church (for the last 6 years).  It has a great place to connect with women and study the word together. I also host a Mom’s in Prayer group at our house from11:15-12:30.  I have been praying with some of these moms for 17 years. We have seen the Lord do the exceedingly abundant in answering our prayers for our children.  This is one of my most important hours of my week because I need their camaraderie to pray for our young adult kids!! THURSDAY, May 21: After my morning swim I once again loaded my bike onto my car.  I drove to the Martinez Amtrak Station and caught my 10:04 train. It’s a 45-minute, peaceful ride.  I hopped off and rode from the Davis Station to campus, …careful to STOP at every stop-sign this time!! At 11am,  I had a Bible Study with Jessica and Jen. Jen graduated in March and Jessica is in her 4th of 5 years. We talked about the last 2 chapters in MPE. At noon, I met with aGroup of Sophomores, Allie, Sierra and Kimberly (below)   to “cover” for Taiko, a wonderful staff woman who is off campus raising support full time.  It has been so MUCH fun!!  Sophomore Bible Study, Allie, Sierra and Kimberly At 1pm, I usually try to have lunch with international students. This week, Kay who has been involved with CRU in Hong Kong joined me and Anna Kehl.  Often we lunch with women from Turkey, Japan and Saudi Arabia.  Each week is different! lunch with international students At 2pm, I met with “The Cookie Club” : Anna Kehl, Anna Olsen and Taylor. These 3 CRU interns  “named” our group back in October: each week I make cookies for all of the bible studies I lead- and  I often share the recipes!!  The cookies are a big hit!  What fun we 4 have had this year! I taught them how to study the scriptures by “color-coding” the text and we have been enjoying our discussions about MPE immensely this quarter!  “The Cookie Club” One of my favorite groups this year has been our FridayMorning Breakfast Club, pictured above: Taiko, Jordan, Lisa, Hannah, & Annika. Taiko is on staff with CRU and is one of Hannah’s current roommates.  Jordan, Lisa, Hannah & Annika all lived together for 3 years as undergrads!!  I usually cook breakfast and then we head to the word for perspective! This quarter we have loved discussing MPE!!  It is so much fun to have my daughter in a bible study!! Friday Morning Breakfast Club Thank you so much for praying and giving so this 50+ year old campus missionary can have the privilege of having such an impact on college women, Love, Margee ----Our mission Donation Portal: https://give.cru.org/0259597 ---- PS  (Coming in our next Curran e-Vents, ...a report on our summer mission in Santa Monica!) Old Prayer Request: Pray for us- on June 2nd, we arrive to serve for 5 weeks with the Santa Monica Summer Mission’s Leadership Team.  Pray for Jesus to refresh us and to give us energy to serve our 25- member staff team and 80 college missionaries. Pray for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to go forth powerfully in Santa Monica!! Daniel & Margee Curran, ...serving as campus missionaries with Cru in the Pacific Southwest Region Daniel Curran Latest Posts  This week is the Campus Ministers Summit!! - I had to cancel my trip to Georgia, ...it would be great if two colleagues could go in my place[see more]11/8/15 5:36PM  Orange Glow in Orange County #officinginirvine #flyinghome[see more]11/6/15 4:39PM  Missing Margee MacFarland Curran as she teaches at UC Davis right now. Finding solace in creative fusion food and rich literature on multicultural community[see more]11/5/15 8:36PM  " grace is having mercy on ourselves in our pursuit of excellence" -Kris Gamble11/4/15 9:19PM  UCSB Men and Women Split Blue-Green Rivalry Meet Against Cal Poly[see more]11/1/15 7:39PM

The Curran Events, ...from Margee's Heart

The Curran Events, ...from Margee’s Heart

“My soul waits in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my Rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken.” Psalm 62: 5-6

Greetings!!

Last month you had an opportunity to hear from Daniel as he recapped his summer and his new ministry with GradCRU at UC Berkeley. We wanted Margee to take a turn writing this month’s newsletter to update you about what God has been doing IN and thru her life, ...on campus and off. The first part is about her dad whom she is very close to...

A Daughter’s Heart

In mid July, my dad, George was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. THIS HAS ROCKED MY WORLD. The first few weeks after his diagnosis were incredibly emotional as we learned about his type of cancer, the prognosis, got MRI and PET scan results and he began treatment. As I look back on those weeks, the thing that most stands out to me, is GOD graciously and miraculously moving out ahead of us. He has been a step ahead OF US THE WHOLE TIME. Although this is not a journey of our own choosing, God is WITH us; sustaining us, providing for us, and surprising us with HIS exceeding abundance.

I started a caringbridge site: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/georgemacfarland for my dad and asked a few people to join us in praying for a few very specific requests: mainly that my dad would be able to get into see a lung cancer specialist at UCSF, Dr. Jahan, BEFORE he was scheduled to start chemo. We posted that request on Sunday. God heard the prayers of his saints and my dad got a call on Monday for a Friday appointment. That was the first of a string of blessings God continues to bestow on us! I was “excused” from CCC’s staff conference in Colorado in mid-July and was able to spend 10 days at my parents; went to doctors appointments, chemo, cooked, climbed into their big bed with them at night to watch movies, took walks and bike rides with my dad, ate frozen yogurts with my mom, talked, cried, and just spent uninterrupted time with my parents. It was my favorite part of summer. God was so kind; He was and continues to be my rock and stronghold.

We got disappointing news two weeks ago that the first line of chemo has stopped shrinking the cancer cells. He will start a new chemo drug on Nov. 9. The VERY good news we got yesterday is that his brain MRI has not changed since late August. (The radiation oncologist told us he was 98% sure there was cancer in his brain based on some suspicious spots on an MRI in early October) The “spots” did not show up on his MRI this week!! My dad’s faith is strong and he is feeling pretty good. We are thankful for every day that God gives us.

A Campus Minister’s Heart

I continue to work with Athletes in Action at UC Berkeley. I LOVE what I do!!! Often driving home from appointments with students, I think, “I can’t get over the fact that I actually get to minister to female athletes at CAL.” 30 years ago this Fall, I was a freshman athlete at CAL. WILD!! There is a strong student leadership team (SALT) at CAL. They are doing a fabulous job running the Wednesday night meetings, securing speakers, planning social events and leading the charge. I come alongside of them and mentor and train some of the female student leaders. Last year I met Taylor, a freshman rower. She came to college already following Christ. Her roommate Brittany, also a rower, was interested in Jesus but did not know Him. In the Spring, Taylor and I had a chance to explain to Brittany what knowing Christ personally involved. A few weeks later Brittany placed her faith in Jesus. I, like Brittany, had a Christian roommate, Cheryl my freshman year and I too came to faith in the Spring of 1980!! VERY COOL!

A Swimmer’s Heart

I continue to swim several times a week. God has increased my heart for my teammates and my desire to be a fragrant aroma of Christ to them. I blow it a lot, ...I am too competitive sometimes. Our Walnut Creek Masters Swimming Bible study finished up our 2-year study of the book of Acts and now are moving on to studying the book of Ephesians. Jesus uses my prep time to OPEN my eyes to HIMSELF; I often find myself weeping as I sit and type up the lesson, overwhelmed by His Word!!

I am also attending a women’s Bible study at our church. We are currently working our way through a study by Cynthia Heald, Becoming a Woman of Simplicity. The key verse of study is, ‘”I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” (2 Cor 11:3). Daily, God is using this study to remind me that He wants me to live a “GOD paced life that has time for solitude and respite from our noisy world.” The study is loaded with choice quotes and meaty scriptures that I so need to read.


A Mother’s Heart

For the past 12 years I have prayed weekly during the school year for my children with a Moms In Touch group. It may well be my most “important “ hour of the week!! I am so weak and undisciplined in prayer that I need these other moms to pray with. Our group could write pages about how God has taken our feeble prayers and changed our children for HIS glory. I am so thankful!

I LOVE being a mom. I think it’s the best, hardest, most rewarding and humbling job on the planet. I miss my college age kids but am thrilled to see where GOD has them. He is so wonderfully growing them up in Himself. Hope is a sophomore and Hannah is a senior in high school. We continue to host our monthly Dinner With Jesus gatherings in our home for their high school peers. Talk about a WILD night at the Curran house!!

We are in constant amazement that God has led and sustained us as His missionaries here in the Bay Area for the past 12 years. This is all by God’s grace working through your faithful prayers, friendship and support. We are SO grateful and blessed!

Prayer requests from my heart, ...please pray for me:

1. That I would continue to learn how to become a woman of simplicity in my devotion to Christ.

2. That I would live one day at a time (Matthew 6:34), not worrying about tomorrow, especially in regards to my dad’s cancer.

3. For God to WOO and draw many Cal athletes to faith in Jesus and for BOLDNESS to be faithful in bringing His Good News to the Cal athletic department.

Jesus' Shalom! -Margee Curran