On Thursday we drove from Flagstaff to Phoenix (2.5 hours), flew to Nashville, and finished with a drive to Chattanooga (2.5 hours), where Precept's headquarters is located. We were set to meetup with Ritchie Johnson, the college program director for Precept, at a Campus Crusades meeting on the University of Tennessee Chattanooga Campus that night. Unfortunately we ran into quite the delay, with a rollover accident on the highway that killed at least one passenger. We were parked for nearly two hours, and scooted into the CRU meeting for the last ten minutes. CRU is very alive on that campus, with over 250 students showing up for their meetings! It blew me away! We had been speaking on the phone with Ritchie for about six months, but that evening was the first time that all of us met each other in person.
What a great experience! The best way to describe him and his wife Ashley is, to us, to say they're kindred spirits; honest, hospitable, down-to-earth, fun, God fearing people with whom we had a lot in common. We love it when we meet other believers and can tell that they are just by looking at their eyes; they have the light of Christ in them! It radiated from these two. They were also our hosts for the weekend. We had the joy of staying in their home with their three kids, Jacob, Hinsley, and Hollyn (sorry if I misspelled those Johnsons!). Late night conversations with this couple was one of our favorite parts of this trip! This is Ritchie and Ashley with us, on the last night we were there.
We arrived Thursday night, and then Friday morning we started our Leadership training class from 8am to 5 pm. Long day, but filled with great training and truth. Our heads were spinning with information and growth; we felt so spiritually filled up from the depth of their studies. They are definitely unlike any studies we have ever done before! Filled with deep Biblical "meat" as the Word says.
Throughout the training we were in the same class with about 30 other adults, whom we were able to meet and share Saddle Lights with. The response was amazing, and the excitement over what this program could offer to college students (especially the spiritual growth) and what God is already doing through it was beyond our expectations! The people in our class were wonderful, and had such encouraging insights about new doors to knock on for our fundraising needs.
Friday at lunch Ritchie, Ashley, and their kids joined us for lunch, to meet with Diane Vereen, who oversees many of Precept's product lines. We were so excited to meet with her and Ritchie, to discuss a plan for how Saddle Lights should operate the tours with their studies (i.e. the structure of the study program during the tours). We whittled down our ideas to using their 40 minute studies and the NISS studies in tandem, allowing for leadership development through topical discussions among our student riders (40 minute studies), as well as training for inductive Bible studying on the foundations of our faith- Romans (the NISS studies). This is Ritchie, Jesse, and myself with Diane Vereen after our lunch together.
Saturday's class was just as great and deep as Friday's class had been. And Saturday, over the lunch hour, we had worked with Ritchie to schedule a lunch date with Jack and Kay Arthur. It was more for personal reasons than for Saddle Lights, but Saddle Lights was definitely the most discussed topic of our lunch hour! My mom and Dad have a long history with Jack and Kay, so I really wanted to meet them while we were there, even though Saddle Lights was, again, the focus of our conversation.
She is so energetic and driven, and filled with wisdom and truth! We shared a little bit of personal history, and then the questions came out about Saddle Lights. It was so fun to see their faces light up when they got the details about it, and could hear how the truth would be getting to these students. We shared with them our hopes for developing leaders out of the students, building up the foundations of their faith, and teaching them how to study God's word deeply on their own. They told us that Romans was the NISS material we should be working through; this was quickly followed up with her offer to get all four (yes I did say four) parts of the Romans study for us, with emphatic instructions for us to study through it together before our first tour begins. We laughed out loud and happily accepted her offer, only realizing the magnitude of her instructions when all four parts were in our hands; at least a solid years worth of study. Wow. That's all we have to say about that. She also gifted a book with a personal note in it to my mom, because they've known each other for a long time.
They shared with us great empathy and encouragement in starting a ministry from scratch, without a congregation or alumni to call on for fundraising needs, as they had done that with Precept. They also offered some good ideas for avenues to try in the future.
By far, the most appreciated thing they did with us was to pray over Saddle Lights as a ministry, and over us as we walk this road that God is calling us down! We appreciate your prayers (and need them) just as much! This is Jesse and myself with Kay and Jack after lunch.
We shared great conversations that night with Ritchie and Ashley, enjoyed breakfast Sunday morning, and departed for the Nashville airport. It was a long journey home, but we left feeling an incredible peace and the joy of the Lord overflowing from our fatigued bodies.
Thank you again, everyone, for your encouragement, prayers and support. We have felt so affirmed, time and time again, in this calling. We are so excited to see you all on the road, but we need your financial support as well. Spread the word and share with others what we're doing. We'd always love to talk to anyone that wants to know more!
Blessings,
Jesse & Kelly
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