Mitchell Family

Year One Internship

Scott & Andi — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:06:56 +0000

Year One Internship

One of the many internship opportunities that Cru offers is called Year One. College graduates spend a year serving at our headquarters in many roles. Mary Leigh Hatchett, one of our Year One interns this year, shared recently about her experience with the internship:

“I am so thankful to be able to now confess that I believe.”

My heart filled with joy when I heard her pray these words, and I knew if for no other reason than this, if for no other reason than her, my year here in Orlando had been worth it.

It was through God bringing me to the Year One program that I got to share the Gospel with a Japanese girl named Nao and lead her to Christ!

Year One is a yearlong internship program at Headquarters that combines an operational job, field ministry work, and spiritual and leadership development into one crazy, packed-full year. The best part? It’s all done in community with other interns.

Since August, I have been serving on the Web Publishing Team managing Cru’s social media and writing for www.cru.org. On Fridays, we receive ministry training from Cru’s Walt Disney World outreach team and actively engage in field ministry with international students interning at Disney World, interns like Nao.

Having the opportunity to use my unique degree and skillsets to further the Kingdom of Heaven has been a blessing. Getting to talk about Jesus with internationals who have never heard about Him has been a joy. Receiving coaching from an older staff woman has challenged me in the greatest way imaginable.

And through it all, Year One has given me nine months and counting of tremendous personal and spiritual growth. I have been brought back to the feet of Jesus on a daily basis. I have learned how to trust Him more, and how to honor Him through obedience. I have learned that He cares most about love, and I have learned how to better love other.

I have watched God bring so much glory out of His calling me to Year One. One of our “mantras” in Year One is: “Growth is hard and painful, but the results are worth it.” I have no better summary for this year. God has loved me through this program, sometimes in tough ways, but always in good ways, and that leaves my heart filled with nothing but thanks.

It is clearly evident that God has used Year One in many ways. Many of our interns extend their service after their intern year by joining our staff. Please let us know if you know any administratively minded students who are looking for opportunities after they graduate. We would love to connect them with Year One!

Personally, we are gearing up for the summer in Fort Collins, Colorado. Scott will have an administrative role and I will work with students. Macey and Eden are doing well and continue to be the best of friends. We hope that that lasts, especially because they now share a bunk bed and a room together! Macey has been enjoying baseball at our local YMCA and got an out at 2nd base in her last game!

We are so thankful for your prayers, support and friendship. Please let us know how we can pray for you.

In Christ,
Andi, Scott, Macey “Pete,” and Eden “Re-Pete” Mitchell

Prayer Requests:
*Safe travel and a productive summer for Jesus. We will be away May 31-July 27.
*Good health
*For God to continue to use the Year One internship

Big Break

Scott & Andi — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 18:02:13 +0000

Big Break

Happy Easter! We are so thankful for the work that Christ did on the cross to atone for our sins. We hope that you had a meaningful and enjoyable celebration. We had just returned the day before from Panama City Beach, where we spent two weeks serving at our annual spring break conference, Big Break.

This year we saw over 3,000 staff and students take part in Big Break over the month. We do the conference four times since schools have their breaks different weeks. The main thrust of Big Break is for students to learn to share their faith. They spend time in worship, training, and hear teaching from the Word. In the afternoons, the students have the opportunity to share their faith with other spring breakers, often in town to party, get drunk, and engage in other inappropriate behavior.

The hands-on evangelism is often intimidating. Many students have never shared their faith before and the environment appears hostile. The truth, however, is that most people are very spiritually open and willing to have a conversation about spiritual things. We have the opportunity to hear from students during the evening meeting about their conversations.

One student explained that he had been out sharing his faith one night when a police officer stopped him and shined a light in his face, asking, “Are you Tim Tebow?” This student had some features making him look like the now NFL quarterback who became famous in college at the University of Florida. The student answered with, “No, I’m not, but we believe a lot of the same things. Would you mind if shared those things with you?” the police officer agreed and God used their conversation to help draw the officer into a personal relationship with Himself.

Over the course of the month our students took steps of faith to talk with close to 13,000 people. They were able to share the gospel with 4,700 of those people with 380 people giving their lives to Christ. Of course, we are excited to know numerically the work that the Lord did on the beach, but we are even more excited to know that 3000+ students are heading back to their campuses equipped to share their faith as a way of life.

One student said, “God took my life and turned it upside down during Big Break 13… By Thursday, I was a different person. I was excited to go out sharing, and was filled with enthusiasm, confidence, and wisdom. I went into Big Break with an uncertainty about how I felt about evangelizing. This conference made me desire to go evangelize. I am eager to share the good news at any opportunity I get now, and feel that I was given the tools to do so in an approachable way. What an amazing experience!”

We are so thankful that the Lord gave us the opportunity to make Big Break happen so that students could be prepared to be the Lord’s ambassadors wherever He takes them!

We have been home less than a week, but are feeling relatively settled. We will be home just 8 weeks before heading to our summer assignments in Ft. Collins, CO. Our girls are doing well and there is never a dull moment. Macey is almost through with her kindergarten year and is learning to read, write, and do basic math. She also just started t-ball and is in Girl Scouts. Eden is talking more and more and has a lot of personality and spunk. She wants to be just like her big sister.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. Please let us know how we can pray for you.

In Christ,
Andi, Scott, Macey “Slugger” Mitchell and Eden “Mascot” Mitchell

Prayer Requests:
*For our Big Break students to live full out for God and share their faith as a way of life
*For the people with whom our students had spiritual conversations in Panama City Beach, that they would grow spiritually and walk with God
*For us to grow in our relationship with each other and the Lord

Summer Projects

Scott & Andi — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:37:51 +0000

Summer Projects

“We’ve always believed the best, the most fruitful and effective way to reach lost college students around the world with the reality of Jesus Christ is by sending college students to take that message to them. Students reaching student, it just makes sense.”
Shane Sebastian – Cru Global Missions National Director

One of the ways that Cru mobilizes students to share their faith is through summer projects. Students generally spend 6-10 weeks during the summer with a group of other liked-minded students growing in their faith and reaching out to others. They usually have a job or internship (unless they are serving overseas) and spend their days working in a store or restaurant getting to know and ministering to those with whom they work.

After their work hours, students on the project are involved in Bible studies, outreaches, and fun social events. They also all live together so a dynamic community is created. Staff teams help facilitate these activities.

In 2012 more than 3200 students went on summer projects, serving all over the world. During the 2012 summer projects 98,240 people were exposed to the gospel with 35,082 involved in one-on-one conversations. By God‘s grace, 11,109 of those people who heard the gospel gave their lives to Christ. Of course it is always wonderful when people give their lives to the Lord, but it is also very exciting that those students who went on the summer projects are equipped and ready to share their faith with others for a lifetime.

A student named Emily went on a summer project to Bosnia and met Majra. Emily asked Marja if she wanted to accept Jesus as her Savior and Majra said YES.

She later told Emily, “No one has ever asked me if I wanted to accept him into my life.”

This summer Andi will be working with about 20 other staff to facilitate the summer project experience for 60 students in Ft. Collins, CO. She is excited to have this opportunity and to trust God to change hers and the students’ lives as well as those with whom we interact this summer.

We are doing well at home. The weather has been wonderful and we are not sad to be missing the colder temperatures in our hometown. Our kids continue to keep our home a constant party and continually bring a smile to our faces. They say the “funniest” things!

Both of us and our kids will be heading to Panama City Beach, FL for the last two weeks of March to recruit (ie: invite and encourage) students in attendance at our spring break missions conference, Big Break, to join us in Cru opportunities such as a summer project, STINT (1-year overseas assignment), Year One (1-year internship at our office), or even to consider joining us full-time. We are looking forward to the opportunity to invite students into God’s harvest.

We appreciate you more than words can express. Please let us know how we can pray for you!

Our Prayer Requests:
* No illness in our home
* For God to work at Big Break
We are running out of space for students to attend the Big Break conferences.
Help us to handle the hundreds special cases.
Many friends and opportunities will be left behind as students are turned away.
Help our team to support and encourage each other.

In Christ,

Andi, Scott, Macey “I love Eden” and Eden “I love Macey” Mitchell

Service Anniversary

Scott & Andi — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 17:18:53 +0000

Service Anniversary

January 2013 marks special service anniversaries for both of us. Scott joined Campus Crusade staff in January 1993 and I joined in 2003. We are so blessed to be celebrating 20 and 10 years of service! We extend a sincere THANK YOU to all who have been in partnership with us throughout our years. God has grown, stretched, and used us in many ways. Below are some reflections of our journey with Cru.
Q. What is one of your favorite ministry memories?

Andi:I had my first opportunity to serve as an event planner at Big Break, our spring break conference, in March 2007. The Lord showed me through this opportunity that event planning was a wonderful fit for me despite having no prior experience. My experience at Big Break that year proceeded to completely redirect my path. God greatly blessed those in attendance at Big Break and many students learned to share their faith, resulting in many others coming to faith.

Scott: One of my favorite memories is from a trip in 1998 to Bhutan in the Himalayan mountains. Three of us went on a ten-day cultural tour to pray and seek ministry opportunities. Our tour guide told us about their history and heritage, all revolving around Buddhism. During our first day we visited a Buddhist temple. It was eerie and sad. We observed a monk bowing before a golden idol. The wooden floor was worn with footprints where people had bowed in the same spot for many years, possibly hundreds of years. Afterwards, our guide told us that he knew the Bible told a creation story and he believed that mankind started with Adam and Eve. I felt great hope for these people.
Q. What lesson has God taught you through your time with Campus Crusade (Cru)?

Andi: God has taught me a lot about my calling in life. I have a passion to live full out for Him and walk in the way that He has for me. I have learned that God made me with a purpose and it blesses Him, me, and others to live with significance and direction. The Lord has used His Word, personal assessments, and people to help me grow in this understanding.

Scott: God wants to be very involved in our lives. He wants me to look to him for everything. He wants to provide materially and emotionally. He drew me to Himself by His grace and He wants me to daily experience His grace. He wants to act through us to bless those around us materially, emotionally, spiritually.
Q. How has being on Crusade staff been a blessing in your life?

Andi: God has blessed my time on Campus Crusade (Cru) staff more than I could ever have imagined. First, I am surrounded by a wonderful community of people including ministry partners. Second, I have been able to mature in at atmosphere that encourages spiritual growth. Third I have the opportunity to serve God on a daily basis using the gifting that He gave me. Last, but not least, I am able to live out my calling as a wife and mom and have “the best of both worlds” as I can be at home with my kids while still being able to play a significant role in Campus-Crusade related ministry.

Scott: I love the family, friends and coworkers that the Lord has placed around me, especially Andi. I love my work with technology which uses my gifts and bears fruit worldwide.
Q. What are your hopes and dreams for the future?

Andi: I have the desire to continue serving the Lord for a lifetime. I believe, at this point in time, that I will continue serving through Campus Crusade for many more years, and Lord-willing into my “retirement” years. My passion for growth stirs a desire for Christ-centered change. I also want to “bloom where I’m planted,” allowing the Lord to use me in my neighborhood, kids’ schools, etc.

Scott:I hope to always be faithful in whatever Christ calls me to. I dream that late in my life I will look back and see how He impacted many lives through us.
Thank you so much for your love and care for us over the last 30 (combined) years! We are so appreciative of your partnership in the gospel!

In Christ,
Andi, Scott, Macey “No Training Wheels,” and Eden “Two, but Not Too Terrible” Mitchell

PRAYER REQUESTS
*Continued good health!
*Continued connection with our neighbors. Thank you for praying for our Live Nativity last month. We are thankful that 10-12 kids took part and that many of their families came to watch. We also had a couple families come who did not even have kids in the play. Scott also had the opportunity to connect with the HOA president’s husband who stayed to help us clean up.
*Good connection as a family, wisdom in raising kids, etc.

Live Nativity – Merry Christmas

Scott & Andi — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 04:00:51 +0000

Dear Friends,

Merry Christmas!

We hope that you are doing well and have the opportunity to let the reason for the season to sink in. We have enjoyed a few Christmas parties, including one including a synthetic ice rink at our office. As much as we enjoy those times, we desire to focus on the richness of God’s love in Him sending His son to us.

Tonight we will be hosting a live nativity at our home. Children from the neighborhood will arrive at around 6 and will do a small “performance” for their parents at around 7:15. We appreciate your prayers for fellowship and for open hearts in those who do not yet know Christ. We are so thankful that our church is so mission-minded and equips us with all that we need for this fun time! The kit includes backdrops, a manger, lights, and 30 costumes! Friends from church will come to help us direct the potential chaos:-) We are thankful for this opportunity.

We are thankful to finally be well and would also appreciate your prayers for us to continue in this fashion! This has been a really tough season for us in terms of sickness. Andi, in particular has really struggled. In the course of 6 weeks she endured the flu, which turned into a sinus infection and then a cold, which turned into bronchitis. We will also be traveling home (KY and VA) for Christmas and appreciate prayers for safety, wellness, and fun!

Please let us know how we can pray for you.

In Christ,

Scott, Andi, Macey “Little Shepherd” and Eden “Sheep with Stage-fright” Mitchell

PS: Last Sunday we experienced our church’s children’s Christmas program. Macey was a shepherd and Eden was supposed to be a sheep, but decided not to participate:-)

MAZE

Scott & Andi — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 08:30:03 +0000

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for because the Lord really has blessed us.

We are doing well and are thankful to be over a bought of sickness that we had earlier this month. Get your flu shot if you haven’t already!

Macey is learning so much at school and it’s amazing to see her learning to read and write. Eden is talking more and more. She continues to make us smile with her antics. Most recently, she has alerted us to her addiction to clementines and lollipops! Who knew that a 2 year old could retrieve and peel her own orange!

We are staying busy on the ministry-front. Andi’s team has helped host a meal for 450 soccer players from Christian colleges. In addition we have both helped with a 2-day marriage conference at our office. November 28-30 is a conference for those involved in Mobile Ministry. Andi has been working on this event for much of the year and it’s great to see things come together.

We are so thankful for you and know without a shadow of a doubt that the Lord has placed you in our lives!

Please let us know how we can pray for you.

In Christ,

Scott and Andi

Click here for our newsletter with prayer requests.

London Eternal Triumph

Scott & Andi — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 15:35:04 +0000

Dear Family and Friends,

Our newsletter is attached.

In Christ,
Scott, Andi, Macey and Eden

Click here for our newsletter with prayer requests.

Summer Project – Changed Lives

Scott & Andi — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 15:03:17 +0000

Dear Family and Friends,

Greetings from Kentucky! We have been enjoying our time here as we work and play. Our girls have enjoyed spending time with their cousins and we have enjoyed time with family, friends, and ministry partners.

We have had an enjoyable summer, including working with our summer interns. God has worked mightily in and through them. We hope that you can read our attached letter to learn more.

Please let us know how we can pray for you.

In Christ,
Scott, Andi, Macey and Eden

Click here for our newsletter with prayer requests.

154 Summer Projects Starting

Scott & Andi — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 02:09:08 +0000

Dear Family and Friends,

Summer is in full force and we have started our summer routine. This includes working with 20 student interns who will spend 7 weeks as a part of a Cru internship program called the Orlando Summer Project. We have fond memories of this project as Andi took part of it 11 years ago as a student. We have also helped lead the project since then.

Macey graduated from preschool and is a month away from her 5th birthday. Where does the time go? She is enrolled in 3 weeks of Vacation Bible School (VBS) as three different local churches. The first week is underway and she loves it!

Eden is a doll, although it appears that she may have an early start on the “Terrific Twos.” She keeps us on our toes and keeps us smiling.

We appreciate you. Please let us know how we can pray for and if your summer travels bring you to Orlando!

In Christ,
Scott, Andi, Macey and Eden

Click here for our newsletter with prayer requests.

Big Break 2012

Scott & Andi — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:31:21 +0000

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that you are well. We have experienced a few health challenges recently, but are doing better now. The weather has been quite delightful lately, which we’ve been thankful for b/c usually are over a month into the scorching temperatures of summer!

We have been keeping busy with ministry and life and enjoy where God has us now. Our schedule will soon change for the summer at the end of the month. Macey will culminate her year of preschool with a graduation ceremony at the end of May. Andi will change gears to help out with our summer internship program. We are expecting 21 students to arrive in June. The program has a special place in our hearts, as it’s where we first met 11 years ago! Scott will continue in his regular office role in the Global Technology Office. We also plan to host a Backyard Summer Club (similar to VBS, but smaller) in August for our neighborhood. Macey is currently signed up for two local Vacation Bible School (VBS) programs. Eden will just continue being cute:-)

We are so thankful for your love and support of our family. Please drop us a line to let us know how you are doing and we can pray for you.

Blessings to you,
Scott, Andi, Macey and Eden
Click here for our newsletter with prayer requests.