OLSP

We spent this summer serving the Lord in Branson, MO on Ozark Lake Summer Project. This is a classic staple for our region for Campus Crusade. We have been on this project once before two years ago and absolutely loved it. As staff it’s a great time to connect with other staff from our region, and also to get extensive time investing in the lives of college students.

Vince and Autumn with the SFA students on OLSP

There was however once major difference for us this time around. Over the past 2 years there have been only 2 men Project Directors and in the past decade there has been 1 woman who has been the Assistant Project Director. These people are staff that we look up to and tend to put on the Cru pedestal. This year signaled a change. There was a new PD whom we think highly of, and there is a new APD whom I (Vince) am married to. Autumn had a large task that she undertook this past 6 months and might I say, I think she nailed it. She did a great job balancing being on campus and planning summer project. She did an even better job this summer leading, teaching, and sheparding the staff and students of this project.

We love this project because it gives us a chance to train students  how to have a ministry in a simulated real life scenario. This summer we had 32 students from different schools such as LSU, Texas Tech, UT, OSU, SFA, UTA, Tx St. They all lived with the staff in the Honeysuckle Inn in Branson. We got each student a local job at places like Mcdonalds, Silver Dollar City, Branson Belle Showboat, and the YMCA. Their jobs weren’t just a place to work, but it was their ministry place. Our job as staff was to train and equip these students on how to share their faith, share their testimony, how to invest in the lives of people so that they would reach their fellow employee’s, and eventually their campus, and then the rest of their life.

It was amazing to see the Lord empower our students with the Holy Spirit as they shared their faith boldly not only with their co-workers, but the people of branson. The students stepped up into leadership positions as the staff left in early July, to lead the “Project” in various area’s of ministry. Some lead their small groups, men’s/womens times, outreach, and weekly meeting. The Lord used them in mighty ways, and we believe that not only were lives of people in Branson changed, but the lives of our students were as well.