Nick and Becky Laurenzana

The Moody Encouragment Tour

2009-10-25T22:25:00.000-05:00

We saw a posting from Rick Scott from Cadence International on my Facebook page saying he was downtown at Moody for missions conference. So we made our way downtown a few times during missions conference week at Moody. It was good to be back and a little weird talking with students at missions conference instead of being talked at. We saw some students and employees that we know, and met some new friends as well.

After Rick was done presenting at the final session I stayed behind to talk with a few people & Becky made a quick exit to see if some professors were around to say hello to. Her first stop was Dr. V's office. Sure enough he was there. He is on sabbatical but by providence was down at Moody picking up a few things, and Becky happen to catch him in his office. I met up with them and the three of us spoke for almost an hour. We were very encouraged with what he shared with us, and appreciated him praying for us as well. Next stop was Dr. Sauer's office. He was at Moody as well. He remembered Becky he did not remember me as much. It was great seeing them both, being encouraged about where we are at in raising support, and having them pray for us as well.

Downtown Fun...

2009-09-01T11:03:00.000-05:00

Before the weather got bad and we leave for the mission field, we wanted to get a day of fun in downtown Chicago. Becky was downtown anyway so I met up with her there. We hung out at Navy Pier and got some Garrett's Popcorn, so good! Millennium Park was beautiful, and we took some crazy shots by the Bean. Buckingham Fountain was open still so we went over there. We finished our evening with meeting up with good friends from Moody & supporters of ours David & Jessica. It was an awesome day. Enjoy the pics!

East Coast pt. 2

2009-08-31T15:24:00.000-05:00

After my, my mom's, and my sister's, trip to Virginia to see our cousin get married we drove up to Maryland to visit my best friend Mark. We went to Moody at the same time and have remained very close. Mark and his wife Brandy have a new son Matthan who we were very eager to meet. Here are some shots from our visit with Mark, Brandy, Matthan and Mark's family at his family's dairy farm. Fun stuff!

At the Char-Mar Dairy Farm trying to feed some cows. Us on top of Mt. Poop

Me and Mark - My Mom & Matthan

Me and Matthan

East Coast pt. 1

2009-08-27T14:10:00.000-05:00

After a crazy busy work month at Feldco in July, and the crazy busyness that spills over into the first two weeks of August, it was time to take a little break. NOT! It was travel and wedding time. My cousin DJ got hitched in Virginia.

Me and my Cousin DJ

DJ and I (Nick) are pretty much the same age and spent a lot of our childhood together. It was great to go out there to see him get married. Becky and I pray for DJ & Christine that they would have a blessed marriage.

Me and my sis Katie and then Me and My Grandpa

One good story from the trip was when my grandparents picked me up for the wedding on Saturday afternoon (wedding was Sat. night). My Grandma was driving and we needed to get off at a certain exit. It was one of those exits where the right lane is divided about a mile before the exit. Well we missed when the lane first divided. But there was one very narrow/dangerous way to still get to the exit ramp, which was basically going perpendicular to the traffic and getting to the ramp after the divider ended at the very last second. Well MY Grandma did some awesome "un-grandma" like driving and cut over fast to get to the exit ramp. It was awesome. Sweet driving Grandma!

My Grandma who does the sweet driving!

On The Fourth of July

2009-07-07T16:02:00.006-05:00

Every year the fourth of July comes and goes. Memorial Day, D-Day are times that we take to remember American men and women who have made sacrifices for freedom in the United States and around the world. Men and woman who bravely go into battle despite the fears of death and harm. Men and woman who dedicate their lives for people who will never say thanks, who they will never meet. Men and woman who made choices of greater good over themselves.

The very great thing about this country is that no matter what political or moral view that you hold, each and every one of us wants the best for our men and women in uniform. We know in our hearts that we either can't or won't make the sacrifices they make every single day. There is always a lot of emphasis on the physical, spiritual, and psychological sacrifice that the troops make. At times the families of troops get left out of the conversation.

Even if the Fourth has past you can still honor soldiers and their families that make a great sacrifice. Why do I include the families? Well because families take on the psychological, spiritual, and mental burden as well when a father or mother is in the military. Families lose out on one or both parents. This means not a lot of together time with kids and spouses. Family meals, game nights, plays, recitals, etc. mom, dad or both are not able to be there. It can take a toll on military kids. Packing up and moving numerous times in your life, your whole world changing around you every 18 months. Families make sacrifices as well.

Honor soldiers and their families by writing a letter saying you are praying for the whole family to be safe, thank the whole family for their sacrifice--tell them how much it means to you. Give a thank you goodie basket to a military family, include something for the kids. Supporting the troops and their families can be done in a lot of different ways. We are excited to serve military families first hand by running the youth ministry on a military base's chapel. There is something you can do, which goes beyond words, to support the troops.

So find out you can do that goes beyond just saying "Support the Troops", on the Fourth of July, D-Day, Memorial Day or everyday.

Southbridge Church

2009-06-29T20:40:00.006-05:00

In the month of June we were able to present at Southbridge Church. We were very excited about this opportunity because for the past six months Southbridge has been our church home. It was very encouraging to share with the church not just what we are going to do but that there is a missions agency out there that focuses on military families. Most of the people that we got to speak with had either been in the military themselves or currently have loved ones serving over seas. With each encounter they shared their excitement about how military missions is badly needed. For Nick and I, it was great to be refreshed by their stories and passion for reaching the military community. Here are a couple pictures we took of us presenting and the our display table. Thanks to Rick Scott for hooking us up with the banners!

Spending time with family

2009-06-22T17:32:00.002-05:00

The month of June has been the month of spending time with our family. Early on in the month, Becky and Nick's sister Katie took a trip to the Adler Planetarium just off the lake in down town Chicago. We learned that the center of our galaxy is a giant black hole! It was humbling to see that Earth is just a speck towards the edge of the Milky Way and that our universe is made up of millions of other galaxies. It was a good reminder that no matter how large the universe is, it is still held together by the One who created it.

Also in June, Becky's brother Billy who lives in England randomly flew in to surprise us all with a visit. We had a fun time catching up and reminiscing about stories from our childhood. Here are a few pictures from our time together.

(Becky and Billy)

(Becky, Billy, and Nick)

(Becky "trying" to eat watermelon)

Mother's Day With Our Families

2009-05-13T21:27:00.005-05:00

So far May has been a month of busyness. It has been a stressful busy and at times a crazy fun busy! Work has begun to pick up for both of us. With the spring time finally hitting Chicago, people have been opening their windows to let in the fresh air only to learn that they need new windows! Roll the Superman theme song and imagine Nick flying up to a home with the Feldco logo across his chest and a window sample in his hand! Poised and ready he is to save worried home owners from drafty and dingy windows! Ah, but if only he really could fly. His poor car is on it's last leg (or should I say, wheel) and yet it keeps going! We call it the Beast because no matter what happens it keeps on starting! It is the hand of God that truly keeps that car running and it reminds us that He is the one who really is in control!

The fun side of our busy world has been a mix of exciting things. Last Wednesday, Nick filled in as guest speaker for the Southbridge Church Jr. High youth group. Their youth pastor Eric was out of town and Nick was thrilled with the chance to help out. I went along as well for support. The kids have all reported back to Eric about how much fun they had with us! But we would have to say that it was much more exciting for us! We were so energized to get back into youth ministry and to press on raising support so we can get to Germany!

My Grandma came up from Kentucky for a weekend visit. It was such a blessing to see her and to spend time with her! On Mother's day we went out to Jer and Tina's house for a family breakfast with Grandma. From there we were off to church and then right on to lunch with Nick's Mother and family. As busy as these weeks have been we were glad to have time with our families.

Crazy April

2009-04-30T23:09:00.002-05:00

We are glad that April is gone as a month. We were all over the place. It started with Becky spending the first weekend visiting her grandma in Kentucky and hitting a bunch of nasty weather driving there and back.

Nick's job picked up big time so he has been driving all over the greater Chicago-land and Northwest Indiana area. Even clocking a crazy 1,000 miles in 8 days all within a 40 mile radius of our home.

We also had a chance to do some ministry at Elim, Nick got an opportunity to preach there for two weeks in a row. It awesome to be with our Elim family again. We also had a few support raising meetings with future potential partners.

All in all April was a crazy month. We are excited about the energy that we have been seeing throughout the month and we are looking forward to carrying that energy and ministry potential to May and beyond.

Birthday

2009-03-31T01:13:00.005-05:00

We celebrated my 26th Birthday on March 25th. That's right I am 26 years old. We invited family and friends over to our place for dessert and fun. We had a great time. We had a really good time on my birthday mainly because we had the gathering at our home, something we had not done in the past.
I asked everyone to chip in for an iPod touch as a birthday gift. I kept getting teased that I was getting a journal. A lot of my friends and family were very generous and all contributed for an iPod touch. It is a very cool gift to get. All in all I had an awesome birthday!

At The Southside Irish Parade

2009-03-19T21:34:00.003-05:00

This is an event that we usually put on our avoid list. Our area of the city every year gets invaded by 340,000 people. So it is a little hard to maneuver this particular Sunday. Most of the time we plan on staying far away. However this Parade Day we were tapped to work at both Feldco and Starbucks. So we embraced our Irish heritage and went to work.

It was actually very fun. We got a chance to spend time with some co-workers at Feldco and meet some new people on their way to the parade. We passed out balloons and flyers for Feldco. After we met people at the parade Becky went to work at Starbucks. Becky has some really good stories about the drunk people who caused chaos in the Starbucks.

The Very First Starbucks

2009-02-27T16:56:00.003-06:00

During our trip in the beginning of February we visited Pike's Place Market in Seattle. We were able to go to the very first Starbucks. The one reason this is kind of cool is because Becky right now is presently employed by Starbucks. So for us to go to the place where it all started is kind of cool.
Unfortunately the first store is nothing special to behold. It is a long room with old wood floors where they used to sell just the Starbucks Coffee beans. There was a display with some old pictures and history of Starbucks. The experience was still very cool, and we were glad we went.

The Pacific Northwest

2009-02-06T09:27:00.005-06:00

Last weekend (Superbowl Weekend) we visited Keith and Lauren Atneosen. Keith and Lauren are great friends for many years. They recently moved to Lynden, WA which is about 2 hours north of Seattle close to the Canadian border.

Keith and Lauren hosted a small group meeting of people from their home church and another church in the area as well. We had fun building relationships with new friends, and seeking new supporters for the ministry.

The other time in the weekend was spent touring some nice scenes in the pacific coast's puget sound. They are some beautiful sights. Take a look for yourself.

Thanks Keith & Lauren for the hospitality, love and support you have always shown us! We had a great time and look forward to the next time we can come visit. Too bad about the Cardinals.

Getting Encouragement

2009-01-27T12:12:00.002-06:00

It is one of the most refreshing things that could happen to you. It comes on suddenly, without warning, and brings you to a state of humility almost immediately. At least that is what we have come to find whenever we receive encouragement. Receiving encouragement is like having a huge rock on your back and someone taking it off and saying "now it up and go!" Encouragement relieves fears that holds us back, and springs new life into a goal.

To be honest it is difficult to describe what encouragement has done for us over this past month. We have met with close family and friends concerning partnership involvement in our ministry. In all of those meetings we have come away feeling encouraged. The emotions and realization that go along with encouragement are life changing. "We can succeed?" "We are worth something?" "We are on the right track?" It confirms what we can not say to ourselves about ourselves. It takes any negative self-talk and spins it around to be positive.

This encouragement could not have come at a better time. It is a new year, with new goals, and a new fuel for getting to where God wants us to be. That fuel is encouragement. So here we go!

A Friend Leaves Chicago

2009-01-13T16:42:00.004-06:00

During our time at Elim from fall 2004 to spring 2008 we became good friends with Matt Swider. Matt was the worship pastor when we started our ministry at Elim. When we stepped down from full-time ministry he was Elim's Teaching Pastor.

Matt and I became very good friends. We worked together closely in different ministries at Elim. Matt had a heart for youth ministry as well because that is what sparked his interest in ministry. Matt challenged a lot of my thinking on scripture and theology. Matt is a great teacher and a caring person. We laughed a lot and had a lot of fun while both doing ministry at Elim. He was a great help in getting Becky a position with Starbucks. He educated us on the greatness of Starbucks.
This is a picture of Matt and I at his going away party at Elim last month. Matt moved last week to Helena, Montana where he started a position as an associate pastor. We will miss Matt here in Chicago, but we know that God will do a great work through him in Helena. God Bless Brother...enjoy the cold dark Montana weather

Holiday Blessings

2009-01-01T11:04:00.002-06:00

In a matter of ten days this Christmas season we had seven holiday parties that we were a part of. Here are some of the highlights.

On Dec. 21st we went to Becky's Dad & Step Mom's home in Sandwich. We began our hour and a half journey west on the coldest day of the year! Everything was frozen over. We were very glad the Jeep started, and when we got inside Becky's parent's home the only other time we were leaving was when we had to start the Jeep and leave. Because it was so cold we considered spending the night. We ended up going home but very slowly on the main roads all the way to the expressway.

Christmas day was different. Becky had to work 8am-12pm, so we went over to my parents house a little later in the afternoon. So we opened presents at 2pm. It was kinda weird, but all of my siblings are older, so everyone enjoyed the extra sleep. Christmas day is a day of rest and relaxation. We chill out, laugh, eat, play games. And this year was no different it was very fun.

On Dec. 26th we had some friends over to our home who are closer to our age. One of our former students Amy and my former roommate at Moody Ben were tied in points in a Christmas Quiz game with a huge basket of Starbucks goodies at stake. The tie breaker question allowed Amy to take back to her dorm at Wheaton a sweet basket of Starbucks goodies. It was great spending time with our friends!

The time we had over the holiday was fun and tiring. We are actually just recovering now. Our home is back to normal, and we even did a little house cleansing. We are hoping to start the new year right. Setting goals, evaluating ourselves, keeping up with our relationships, raising support, being involved in youth ministry (hopefully on an American military installation in Germany!), etc.

Thank you for your prayers, love, support in 2008, we are looking forward to what God will do in 2009!

Emergency Room?

2008-12-14T10:31:00.004-06:00

So I (Nick) am not big on doctors, medications, hospitals or basically anything that has to do with medicine, or the human anatomy for that matter. It grosses me out--OK!

So last week when I began having some upper abdominal pain, I thought I just needed some antacid. That was my first of many concessions when it comes to "medicine". My pain got worse and worse, so much so that I had to cancel my sales appointment. I could hardly move, and when I did it was an attempt at stopping the pain. Nothing was working, and it felt like it was getting worse.

So finally I caved and Becky and I decided to go to the emergency room. Ugggg...why do they call it an emergency room. No one is in any haste to treat people so that negates the emergency part. I waited longer than I was treated. It started in triage. Where they ask you what is hurting, and they always ask the assumptive question in the stop faking it tone, "what is going on tonight?" or "do you drink a lot of alcohol?" For both questions there seems to be no good answer when you are look for relief from pain.

After triage there was some more waiting, then the phlebotomist (vampire), took some blood for tests. I hate getting my blood drawn, it is gross, I can not even watch or think about the blood getting taken from my body. Yuck. After this, more waiting.

Finally we get taken out of the waiting room, into the real emergency room. Room number 6. Where we...yep you guessed it...waited another hour and a half. Finally the doctor came in, felt my stomach, said he was going to run some more tests. After he left...oh yes...more waiting!

They did a few tests to make sure nothing major was going on. Everything came back fine. Then they tried sticking an I.V. in me and missed twice. Once they succeeded the third time they gave me a bunch of drugs. Here is a little sample of what it was like.

Pretty funny huh. Basically I had a slight case of food poisoning which caused a lot of gas in my stomach. So both of those factors caused me to have a lot of pain. I am feeling much better now, and looking forward to a great Christmas Holiday.

Thanksgiving In Kentucky

2008-12-04T00:04:00.003-06:00

At the end of November we did a little road trip. The main destination was Columbia, KY. Where Becky's Grandma lives. But first we made a little detour to Noblesville, IN. Where our friend Ben & Christina Malan live. We stayed there for a night inbetween our drive from Chicago to Kentucky. Ben & Christina had to work the next day so we spent sometime before sleep to see their new home, and to catch up on life. The next morning Becky and I went to leave, but we didn't want to just lock their door handle to their house, we wanted to leave the deadbolt locked. So we made our own olympic event of trying to jump over the sensor of their garage door. We exited the house sucussfully, after a few attempts and we were on to Grandma's house. But there was one more important stop before that.

CHICK-FIL-A! Yes jeleous readers. We went to Chick-Fil-A. Not once, but twice. We enjoyed some fresh chicken with some delicious buffulo & bbq sauce as well. God Bless Chick-Fil-A.

We got to Becky's Grandma's home in Kentucky. First let me say it is awesome to stay there. It's like we can put our crazy lives on pause for a few days. This allows us to catch our breath, recharge our batteries, and have lots of fun. There is no pressure, no expectations, and no work.

This year we got to visit Lake Cumberland State Park in Kentucky, it is about 40 minutes from Grandma's house. It was very beautiful.

Our extended weekend there consisted of a huge thanksgiving meal, staying up late playing games (mainly Capitalism & Texas Hold'em), having late night talks, and the Black Friday 5am trip to Wal-Mart.

The trip to Wal-Mart is funny. It is like the chaos of every other big city store on black friday, but since it is a much smaller community than the Chicago suburbs it is a lot nicer. People are friendly when they are pushing each other over, and very nice and polite as they squeeze past you. Plus it seems like a lot of people know each other. So instead of "Hey I Had That Toy First", it was "Hey how is your family". Very interesting, and cool.

Any way on the way back we carvaned with Jeremy, Tina & Allison, stopping once again, at, you guessed it Chick-Fil-A.

Weekly Rituals

2008-11-17T20:35:00.002-06:00

The biggest complaint when we were doing full-time youth ministry was that Becky and I never had a "set" schedule. Our schedule was very fluid, we could be gone a weekend, or be with students, or have an event at church. Nothing ever seemed "set". Well...the old saying seems to be coming true, be careful what you wish for.

Ever since I began my job with Feldco we have had all kinds of set time. There is a schedule, there is definite off-time, which we usually did not get with full-time ministry. The only bad part about having a set schedule is now actually having to be productive in our personal life with a set schedule. And being productive in that sometimes just feels like a ritual.

- Go to church
- Clean house
- Visit family
- Watch football
- Do laundry
- Make meals
- etc.

This is not in any particular order by the way. Because if it were up to me Watching Football would be way on top. We no longer have a fluid schedule which we learned to survive in for last 5 years. We have been trying to restructure our life to be productive in a "set" schedule lifestyle, and it has been somewhat difficult. It has been difficult because it feels like a ritual. The obstacle to overcome is to see the excitement in that we have a "set" schedule, to see that we can be more productive.

Besides who has ever described their set schedule as bring a ritual anyway? Personal free time is freedom not ritual. Freedom to watch football (and be productive too).

Student Ministry Still Alive

2008-11-13T14:54:00.002-06:00

God has been giving us different opportunities to continue our student ministry even if it is not on a full-time basis. Each month we try to make time to invite students into our home for a night of worship and discussion about faith, live, and Christ. This past Saturday we invited students in for a Saturday Late Night. We were glad to see the students we minister to, and meet a few new ones as well.

Becky also began meeting weekly with one of our previous high school students, now in college, for accountability and encouragement. Please be praying for Becky as Jesus uses her in Amy's life.

Our hope and prayer is that youth ministry continues in our life until God brings us into full-time ministry. We are still in the ministry phase of partnership development which we are getting used to. But no matter what type of ministry we are doing, we will always have a heart for youth ministry.

Slight Changes

2008-10-27T20:12:00.003-05:00

Every sales appointment I have is an opportunity for God to work through me in the lives of people, and for me to continually rely on God for provision. A few weeks ago while I was about to have a little 10 mile adventure to my next appointment, I discovered the breaks on my car all of the sudden stopped working well. So it was actually on my way to an appointment that God got a hold of us. Becky and I have known for months that my work car would probably not make it through the winter. So we had to figure out what we were going to do. Actually, more importantly we were waiting for what God was going to do.

So what Becky and I have been considering for a year God finally makes happen. For good or bad. Becky is changing Starbucks store locations. She will be working only 2 blocks away from our home. Which solves a few issues that we have, but the biggest issue is that of transportation. We will not be dependent on having two vehicles, and needing to maintain both. So this is a huge provision from God.

Our Story

2008-10-13T22:56:00.004-05:00

When we were in Colorado for Cadence International candidacy and training, we spent about an hour in front of a camera telling our story. Part of the Candidacy was having a video production of our story by an agency that specializes in story telling through video. We finally got our finished product, and we are very satisfied. It is really great having this tool as we begin to ask people for partnership with us in this ministry. This is a little screen shot of us telling our story in the video. Needless to say we are happy with the way this video has turned out and we can not wait to share this tool with potential partners.

For the most part this week was fairly uneventful. We got to some quality time with our friends & families. Nick had a lunch w/ friend and co-worker Zak. It was a great time of accountability and God speaking truth through us into each others lives. Nick got a chance to hangout with his brothers & sister, play games, and laugh. Becky's little sister Grace spent the night with us this past weekend. We had a lot of fun. We went to see our new nephew Isaac who was born last week to Becky's brother Casey and his wife Brittney.

For the most part we had a great week. We enjoy the relational opportunities God has given us to spend with friends & family. We love the times we get to do that.

Is there a worm in that Apple?

2008-10-07T09:17:00.012-05:00

Despite being sad that the summer weather is leaving, I'm learning to embrace the presence of Autumn and the fun that it brings. This past weekend I (Becky) went apple picking with my sister Tina, her husband Jer, and our good friends the Profitt's. Sadly, Nick had to work and missed out on our fun little outing. We spent most of morning walking between rows and rows of apple trees. Who knew that there were so many types of apples? The farm we were at also had pumpkins, corn, and other fall type vegetation. As we were walking around picking apples I had one of those moments that you get while your in your twenties, "I'm OLD!" With all the different types of apples and pumpkins around me, all I could do was think about the different recipes I have at home and all the treats I could make with the 10lbs. of apples in my arms!

Although overwhelmed with thoughts of age and culinary ideas, we had a blast! It was so much fun to taste test the different apples right off the trees as we walked down each row. Gavin Profitt also had had a blast. He enjoyed the free samples on the ground!

We also were able to have a bon-fire where we ate rosted hot dogs and smores! The afternoon was toped off with a hay ride through the farm. It was a wonderful day out and we all had a great time.

By the end of the day I felt so refreshed after being outside in God's creation. Even though the summer has ended I am reminded that God has blessing for us even in the Autumn.

The Start of A Different Fall

2008-09-29T12:51:00.004-05:00

It's not hard to say that we miss full time ministry with Students. Students in High School & Middle School bring excitement, energy, and fun. Just a year ago we were getting students psyched up for fall events, winter camps, and even next summers events. And now it is all different.

We have gone to visit friends at a few churches in the area. We heard all about the churches fall ministries, and the relationships that are happening really have made us miss full time ministry. We realize more and more that our passion and calling is for full time ministry to students. We get phone calls, recently some sad one's from students, and it always makes us appreciate the trust students have in us. It also helps us to realize that what we did at Elim was important, and what we will be doing with Malachi is important as well. Whenever we hang out with, or talk with, our former students we get charged up. We love to be used by God to minister to them.

So as a completely different fall begins for us a few things are clear. First, God has put a passion in us for full-time ministry. Second, we are in a transitional phase where we are not active in full time student ministry but we can still have an impact in student's lives. And third, in this transitional period our full time ministry will look a lot different, it will be focusing on building a team of partners to help us get back to full time student ministry.

We can't wait to get back to ministry to students! We miss it!

The Heavenly Man

2008-09-22T19:28:00.005-05:00

Becky and I both read the book "The Heavenly Man" a few years ago. It opened our eyes to what being a true Disciple of Christ means. Brother Yun is called the heavenly man because after a decade of preaching the Gospel in China he became a wanted man and was arrested. When he was arrested he was asked what his name was and he said heavenly man from the village of the Gospel. Brother Yun endured torture for being a disciple of Christ. You can read God's story He is telling through Brother Yun's life in the book the Heavenly Man.

We heard a few weeks ago that Brother Yun would be at Wheaton College. We were invited by Amy, a former Elim Student attending Wheaton college now. We went and heard the heart of person who has paid a huge price for following Jesus Christ. Hearing the story of his imprisonment and torture from Brother Yun himself was very powerful. A statement that stood out so cleary to Becky and I was when Brother Ren (Brother Yun's interpreter) said, "Believing in Jesus does not cost anything, being a disciple of Jesus costs everything." After hearing Brother Yun's story he invited us to become disciples of Christ in unity. The highlight of the night came when we got to meet Brother Yun and speak with him about our dreams for future ministry. Brother Yun lives in Germany where we hope to be serving, and he told us that being ministers of the Gospel to U.S. military in Germany is a very important calling. We felt once again that God was confirming in us our ministry goals of ministering to U.S. Military Students overseas.