Praises:
- Praise God for the soft-hearted student leaders at Utah Tech
- Praise God for putting it on Justin's heart several years ago to get to know these leaders
- Praise God for the amazing celebration of life we had for Matt and for the glory God is receiving through this situation
- Praise God for all those who grew closer to Jesus because of Matt
- Praise God for the outpouring of prayer, service and generosity we have experienced personally, as an area, and towards the students at Utah Tech
- Praise God for the churches, families, and professors in St. George who want to see God continue to move the ministry at Utah Tech forward
- Praise God that Ken and Kenzie Meyers moved to Cedar City on June 28th
- Praise God for all the ways that he used the Provo GP to reach students at BYU
- Praise God for our parents, who drove a total of 16 hours to be with our kids while we were with our team, attended the funeral, and met with student leaders
- Praise God for the way He has worked in Autumn's (our 6 year old) heart to use this experience to teach her and grow her closer to Him
Prayers:
- Please pray for the Utah Tech student leaders. What they have been through is traumatic, especially those who were first responders. InterVarsity has committed to getting them counseling and prayer ministry. Please pray we can get them set up with Christian counselors as soon as possible, whether that be online or in person. Also pray for them as they continue to host events and lead students into spaces where sorrow and joy are held hand in hand. Pray that they would continue to be soft-hearted, to grow in trusting God and in trusting Justin as they work together closely this year.
- Please pray for our area team. This is hitting all of us incredibly hard. We will be at a conference together July 29th and it will just be so clear that Matt should have been there and isn't.
- Pray for Justin. Justin was close to Matt, met weekly with him, discipled him, and had incredible hopes for his future. And while he is mourning, he is also in many pastoral roles with students and staff. Pray for his wisdom and discernment. He is also teaching at our regional conference July 29-August 1st. Pray for the Holy Spirit to speak through him.
- Pray for the Meyers as they settle in to Cedar City. Literally their first experience in that place was Matt's death. They don't yet have friends or a church. Matt was going to be the closest InterVarsity staff to them. Pray for community and friendship for them. They are also still fundraising and that feels hard to get back into after all that has happened. Pray for God's provision.
- Pray for Abbie. She was very close with Matt. She is also fundraising. Pray that God provides
- Continue to pray for our kids as they experience grief (at least our grief) and as they have more babysitters, grandparents watching, etc. as we take time to be with staff and students.
- Pray for me. I have experienced health issues which we think are related to an autoimmune disorder (but we don't know which one). I am having a hard time finding an appointment with a rheumatologist (pray for that). I was doing better before Matt's death but have been worse after. Pray that I would just trust in God until I can see a doctor and figure out what is going on. I also started a diet July 1st (horrible timing) that may help symptoms. Pray that it does help and that I can be faithful to it. Pray that God would give me the energy and capacity to be with my kids, homeschool, and also to do my job well and love our staff and students.
- I really felt compelled to be present at our regional conference July 29-Aug. 1st. This means having my mom here watching the kids. It also means she will be away from my dad, who has advanced prostate cancer. Please pray for strength for her as she watches all 3 kids (she's never watched them all for this long) and for my dad to have lots of good days while she's gone.
- New student outreach is drawing near. We would love to take our whole family to St. George to participate in their first week or two of outreach. Pray God provides what we need to make that happen and for discernment as we decide how long to stay.
- Lastly, keep praying for revival. As Matt would say, it's just around the corner.
Love you all! Thank you in advance for all your prayers!
