Let the school year begin!

How do I explain what God is doing on the campus of UNC-CH?  I don't quite know, but I am going to try! 

This school year has already been AWESOME!  So far, I have been able to introduce myself to both the Navy and Army ROTC commanders.  During the first week of class, I was given the opportunity to introduce myself, and The Navigators, to the Navy ROTC midshipmen (or students).  I addressed 30-40 midshipmen, and invited them to attend the weekly Bible study I lead every Tuesday night on campus.  There have been 5-7 students showing up every Tuesday since we began 3 weeks ago (praying for more to attend, and hopefully branch out to more than one Bible study a week!)!  So far, we have studied: Christ being the center of our lives, God's Word, prayer, and this week we will be studying living in fellowship/community with the body of believers.  I have also been able to meet one-on-one with several students on a weekly basis in order to help them strengthen their relationship with the living God.

In addition to the students, I have been establishing relationships with the active duty staff (otherwise known as the instructors).  At any point in time, the instructors have the ability to shut me down if they see fit; therefore, I must tread softly in order to appease them and be seen as a viable asset, and not seem like a threat.  The good news is, the instructors see me as a volunteer "Chaplain".  They are use to having Chaplains in the active duty military, so I do have some wiggle room, and I have not had many barriers thus far.  Two weeks ago I was able to introduce myself to the Lieutenant Colonel over the Army ROTC program (LTC Megan Stallings - we just call her Colonel :-) ).  She graciously gave me 15 minutes of her time to tell her who I am, and who The Navigators are.  To my surprise she is very fond of The Navigators, and was involved with them in college.  Did I mention she graduated from West Point (extremely impressive!)?!?  LTC Stallings told me that she would allow me to introduce myself to the Army ROTC cadets in the spring semester during the first week of classes!  She did advise me that I would have to go through her two top ranking cadets (her CO and XO) in order for the introduction to take place though.  As an Officer in the military, and an instructor for the University, she is not allowed to force any student to listen to what I have to say, or publicly back a religious organization (i.e. The Navs.). Hence the reason why she has to steer me towards her CO and XO (who are students), and they are allowed to introduce me to the Battalion, and ask them to give me their attention.

One of the toughest lessons I am attempting to learn at the moment is "ministry of presence", which means just showing up, being there, and engaging in conversation.  After every home football game, I volunteer to help cleanup the football stadium on Sunday mornings with the Navy ROTC midshipmen (soon to be some Army ROTC cadets in the mix as well).  Stadium cleanup starts promptly at 0730 (that's 7:30am for us civilians).  I can't always see what God is doing while I am there (especially that early in the morning!), but I am attempting to simply be present, and allow God to show me what He wants me to do for His glory.  Although I want to bring out my Bible and engage with students about God, I feel the Holy Spirit telling me to just enjoy helping the students, and see how I can serve them.  

I wanted to attempt to bring you all up to speed with what God is doing on campus, and how He is using me to glorify His Kingdom.  I hope this has been a good snapshot of what God has been doing on the campus of UNC-CH, and how He has been using me to further His Kingdom!

I will try to get better about blogging more in the future...sorry! This has been a very busy time of the year with getting things up and running with the ministry...on top of family and work. Thank you for your grace!

Naval ROTC Kickoff Cookout

Picture from the kickoff cookout at the start of the school year that we hosted at our house with some of the Naval ROTC midshipmen...

A Note From U.S. Navigator's President

Dear Friend,

In 2009, The Navigators played an important role in touching thousands of lives with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Students, servicemen and women, business professionals, the poor and vulnerable, and people in nations around the world met Christ for the first time or walked with God more personally and deeply than before because God used the ministry of The Navigators in their lives.

I'm excited by knowing that more people will experience Jesus in years to come as Navigators continue to build into the lives of these believers, equipping them to teach others what they have learned. The ripple effect will be phenomenal!

Whether you know The Navigators well, or are just learning about us, this four-minute video will give you a glimpse of what God has done in the most recent years of our 76-year history. Celebrate with us all the ways God has advanced the Gospel through our worldwide ministries.

And there's still more to do! As we look forward, we see a world in need and unprecedented opportunities to continue extending Christ's love to those who don't know Him yet.

After reviewing the video, we ask you to prayerfully consider increasing your giving either to a staff friend or to one of the ministries mentioned. If God leads you to change your giving, please visit www.navigators.org and click "Donate". You may also call 719-598-1212.

Thank you for your partnership with The Navigators. Together, through God's enablement, we are making a difference!

For Him,

Doug Nuenke, President

U.S. Navigators

A Little Navigator History

The Navigators started in the pre-World War II Navy at Long Beach, CA. Our ministry grew quite rapidly among the battleship sailors of the Pacific Fleet. After Pearl Harbor, our work spread throughout the Navy and the Army. Following the war, our first Navigator missionary to China in 1949 was Lieutenant Roy Robertson, a former F-6 Hellcat pilot.

Over the ensuing years The Navigators have grown to have an ongoing presence in 108 countries, including working on U.S. campuses, military bases, and in cities’.

Over the years we have learned how to work closely with military leaders and earn trust and respect as we help young sailors, soldiers, airmen, and marines. Our work actually helps improve the readiness of our armed forces and strengthened families through developing character and confidence, all at no cost to the military.

How will God's Mission Affect Every Aspect of Your Life on Your Campus and Your City?

God works in amazing ways!

Just wanted to give you all an update on how things have been going with our ministry. First, thank you all for your continued prayers!

I am excited to update you on this past week's events. Last Thursday, I had the privilege of meeting with 2 seniors (Jeff and Kyle) from the Naval ROTC department who are currently leading a Bible study. Jeff and Kyle will be graduating in May, and will be commissioning into the US armed forces and will be leaving the area shortly thereafter. They were excited to meet someone who is willing to dedicate themselves to the spiritual, emotional and intellectual growth of the ROTC students who will still be at UNC-CH after they graduate. They were kind enough to invite me to their current Bible study last night on campus. I was able to meet several other ROTC students who have a passion for learning and growing closer to God. I was blown away by the depth and interest to learn about God's wisdom (last night's topical discussion).

After the study, I was able to talk to Jeff and Kyle about how they saw my future involvement with the Bible study. To my surprise, they informed me that they would like for me to take over the study once they graduate! They said I was an answer to their prayers since they had been seeking someone to take over the study, and provide continuity for the ROTC students for years to come. God works in amazing ways! This is an answered prayer, because this now gives me a minimum of 7-10 students already thirsty and hungry for God. This is also a "foot in the door" to the ROTC unit and the possible beginnings of a Navigator ministry!

Thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for my ability to relate, encourage and disciple these students. Through these relationships that I am currently developing and fostering, please pray for me to be able to reach even more students.

In Him Alone!

Ben and Shannon Smith

Prayer Support Update

Shannon and I would like to thank you all for your continued prayer support, even though our updates have been lacking lately. This is something that we know we need to work on, and we thank you for your patience and your encouragement to continue sending updates. We know that it is only through prayer and petition that God speaks to us and shows us His plans. We would like to update you on our prayer requests that we currently have, as well as some praises.

Prayer Requests:

1) Please pray that I will remember to focus always on Christ and the ministry that He is calling me to.

2) Courage as we continue to approach potential ministry partners. We are asking for people to come alongside us and support the work that God is calling us to do. (Hebrews 13:20-21)

3) Please pray for the ministry partners that are out there - those that we are already in touch with, as well as those whose hearts God is already working in. Pray that we will have ears to hear and an open heart, as God is bringing people into our lives.

4) Please continue to pray that we will maintain our focus and priorities.  Pray that we will receive knowledge and wisdom on how to be parents, and how to rear Jacob in a household which serves Christ.

5) Please pray for the couples group that we are leading. Pray that God will continue to guide us in how to best serve the other members of the group, and that we will be open and vulnerable with the other couples as well. Pray that God will use this group to help us remember to place a priority on our marriage, and always remember to put Him at the center of all our relationships.

6) I have reached out to the cadet commander at UNC-CH to gain permission to attend their cadet/midshipmen ministry. Please pray that I will be able to meet some of the cadets, and find ways to get involved in what they are doing. This is the avenue I am hoping to take next semester with getting on campus, and hopefully starting up a Navigator ministry.

7) Please keep Shannon and Jacob in your prayers. Jacob is teething, and having a tough time. Please pray for God's healing hands to be upon Jacob. Pray also for Shannon as she go throughout the day. Pray that she will continue to have patience and kindness when Jacob is struggling. Pray for her also to remember that this phase of his life is short in the grand scheme of things, and will pass. Finally, please pray that I will be able to come alongside of Shannon and support her when she needs a break.

Praises:

1) At the beginning of the year, we bought our first home! We are now living in southwest Durham (about 5 minutes from Southpoint). It has been a wonderful transition for our whole family. Shannon and Jacob are able to go to the mall playground a couple times a week, so Jacob can play with other kids there. Very good friends of ours now live less than 10 minutes away. Shannon and Jacob also get to spend a couple days a week hanging out with their little girl, since Shannon nanny's for her. It has been a true blessing!

2) God has provided a job for me back at Brio waiting tables. We are thankful because of the flexibility with hours. I now have the flexibility in my schedule to allow me to get on campus. We are also able to spend more time together as a family, which has been a true blessing. I get to spend every morning with Shannon and Jacob - we have a nice family breakfast together, which is a nice change. It's great to be able to be much more involved in their lives.

3) My meeting with the ROTC instructor went great! He gave me permission to meet with some of the cadets, as well as go to some of their meetings. I have contacted the cadet commander to ask his permission to attend their meetings, so I can reach out and meet some of the cadets and get a pulse of where to begin with the ministry next semester.

We thank you all so much for your continued prayers as Shannon and I move closer to the work God is calling us to. We would also like to be praying for each of you. Please let us know if there is anything that we can pray for you about, as well as any praises that we can join with you and glorify God!

Blessings,

Ben and Shannon Smith