Nav Update Page

Click here for a bit of explanation about the Navigators ministry and philosophy at UCSD.

PRAISE & PRAYER REQUESTS

April 30, 2003
Dear Friends,
Sorry it's been about a month since I last posted. But guess what??!! This is the last week of the Living Proof study! I will be sad to see it finished but am excited to see how these eye-opening truths will impact these students' lives. I know I won't be around to see the fruit from these lessons learned, but I believe with all my heart that this study has been revolutionary for their lives. I believe it, I believe it, I believe it! Thanks for praying for this Bible study. Please continue to pray for these students - that God would give them a love for His people so overwhelming that they'd be willing to step out of their comfort zone to love others to Himself. The students in my Bible study are Sharlene, Darlene, Angie and Victor.

Thanks,
Mary Ann :)

Mar 20, 2003
Dear Friends,
Thanks once again for all your prayers in this past quarter. The students are taking their finals this week and next week is their spring break. A good handful of them are road-tripping to the Nav headquarters in Colorado with our staff directors (Ken & Cheri Chi). Pray that they will have a good time of fellowship with one another and especially with our Lord! :)

Tonight I'm having a one-on-one with Eileen. Afterwards, we are going to my coworker's house to visit her and her two daughters. Pray that we would have a fun time reaching out and loving them with Christ's love. Pray for an opportunity to share about our faith.

Margaret is filling out an application for International EdgeCorps (missions trip to Taiwan). Please pray that the Lord will lead her where He wants (whether Edgecorps or grad school). And if it's to IEdge, then He would take care of her parents' reaction.

I am planning to go to China this summer with ESI (just had a phone interview with them last night). I've quit my job. My parents are pretty unhappy with the idea. Please pray that God would give them a peace about it. Pray also for my next steps. I really have no idea what I will be doing in the fall. I don't have a place to live, a job, plans, direction, nothing. I'm considering going full-time with the Navigators as Intern Staff (which means I could get sent anywhere in the States - exciting!!). Fear to be reconciled with - would I have enough support for being a missionary in the U.S.? And the second question which plagues me - what about God's heart for the nations? I am hoping that question (as far as my life goes) will be answered with this summer trip. Does He have a place for me overseas or here in the U.S.?

One thing for sure? I love evangelism and discipleship. It stirs my soul.

Thanks for co-laboring with me. Without you, I would not get to live out these dreams.

Joyfully,
Mary Ann :)

Mar 11, 2003
Dear All,
Thanks so much for praying for the conference. God really used the entire conference (speakers, workshops, seminars, free time, spontaneous conversations, etc.) to speak to the hearts of the students. I got to see some of my students get reconciled (I was standing in the back of the sanctuary when I saw one of them go over to the other during worship and hug each other. Yes, it brought tears to my eyes!), I got to see a few make significant decisions about their future, and I got to see many get re-connected with God or finally find a connection with God (purpose to life!). It was beautiful! Here are a few testimonies from some of the students; read today or yesterday's entries... pwrchords, randplaty, tareshannon.

I had a few really good conversations with the girls. One of them was with Margaret. I got to encourage her and affirm her to apply for International EdgeCorps (to go on missions to Taiwan for this next year with Navs). We prayed together, and I prayed that God would really confirm for her that she should go. The next morning (Sunday) during her quiet time, God spoke to her through Psalm 51! All God wants is a willing spirit! It was neat to see how quickly God answered! I was so happy to be so privileged to pray with her and to get to share with her so much Bible. :) She's only a little over a year old in Christ, and she has such an amazing willing spirit to love the Lord and follow Him...

I also teared up in the last worship session upon realizing that this was my last Nav Conf. :( And as I thought of that and just thought of how many ways God has allowed me to participate in His work among these college students in these past few years in this ministry, I wondered, "Does this HAVE to be the end of my journey with the Navigators?" Later on that day, one of the other girls asked me, "So you're going to China this summer? You quit your job?" I said, "How'd you know?" Apparently, they were talking about me. "We care about you - about what's happening," she said. It just struck me at that moment (sometimes I forget) that my presence and where I go and what I do makes a difference in their lives. Amazing.

I love discipleship. I love sharing God's Word. I love challenging girls to think about their lives, where they're at, what they believe, where they're going, who they're living for. I love seeing their eyes open wide when new truths are revealed to them. I love it. I love investing in people. I want to do this for the rest of my life.

But how? I need some clear directions. Please pray for His leading as I consider what to do this fall...

Thanks,
His little one,
Mary Ann

Mar 7, 2003
Praise:
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! If you have been praying for me, I wanted to give you a huge thank you. It has made an enormous, tremendous difference for me this week. Last night I came home from the Living Proof bible study time energized. (get that: energized after investing in students!) It was the first time in a long time where I rejoiced fully at how wonderful my "job" is as a Navigator staffer. I can't believe how fun it is to get to share with students the God I know and love!!!

After the study, I got a chance to encourage one of the girls as she ventures into the new experience of becoming a discipler. When I share with someone about discipleship, it gets me all riled up about wanting to disciple! It was an encouraging conversation, and I think she left with more than enough ideas and "stuff" to think about. :)

Prayer Request:
- Please pray that God would continue to share the depth of His heart to me so that I could continue to share it with the students.
- Pray for the Nav Conf this weekend (May 7-9) (See below for details.)
- Pray that God would open an opportunity for me to ask one of my coworkers (christine) to read the Bible with me.

Mar 3, 2003
Praise God for His unending grace and mercy. I can't even begin to express what His love and intimacy has meant to me in these last few weeks. It has been a difficult journey for me. I have been so burnt out this past month that I had no motivation to update or really to do anything. Perhaps there was too much going on, but mostly, there was this sense of pressure I put on myself to perform and to commit and to follow through. I kept pushing myself to meet up with the students even though I was so exhausted (because I felt like I needed to keep up to my responsibility). The result, of course, was a very works-based way of living out my faith. God rebuked me through Galatians, and things have been better ever since. I am still taking it pretty easy these days though. I have come to realize that I need an extended period of time in order to recover from a prolonged state of burnout. I haven't stopped serving God since high school!! When the students take their final finals in June, I am going to go on sabbatical.

Prayer Request:
- I have continued the Living Proof bible study. It has been really good! Please pray for us as we seek to step out in faith to share our faith to the friends and family that we have put on our "Ten Most Wanted List" -- Most Wanted for the Kingdom!! :)
-- Pray also for this coming weekend (Mar 7, 8, 9) as we will be in Calabassas, California for our annual Nav Conference. There will be students attending from all the different campuses in California. Pray that the students will come to know Jesus in deeper, more meaningful ways. Pray also that He would orchestrate conversations with students who need to hear a Word from Him -- through me. Thanks!!

February 13, 2003
I apologize for my delinquency of updating this page. My days have been really full lately. My mind has been a mush of meandrous thoughts! :)

Praise: The Living Proof study has been fun & challenging! Although this study was foundational in my walk with Jesus, I have never actually led the study. In doing so in these last few weeks, I have learned a lot more. The concepts have become more real to me. I know I will be able to use it more precisely in the days to come - especially if I am overseas in a "closed" country. I wish I could sit each of you down and explain more clearly the concepts in this study! It will revolutionalize the way you live your life as well! I think the students in my study will certainly be prompted with a need for a paradigm shift on the way to live the "Jesus life." =) It's exciting!!

Prayer Request:
Please pray that the Living Proof students as well as myself (especially myself) would actively pursue applying these new truths we learn. Pray that we be Living Proof of the message we preach.

Pray also for my times one-on-one with Hannah. Pray that God would give her a voracious hunger for our God and King.

Pray for Cindy & Margaret as they hang out with Q. Q is in "cultivation" stage (which is the season before a person is ready for the "sowing" of the Seed). She's not ready to hear the gospel but seems to appreciate the friendship of believers.

Jan 25, 2003
Praise: It has been a great few weeks of spending time with the students and just sharing with them simply what the Lord has been teaching me and putting on my heart. With being more in sync with Him comes a confidence and an outpouring of natural love that is so effortless. I love to love them, and I believe that I am exactly where the Lord wants me to be right now.

Prayer Request:
I have been keenly aware of the fact that I only have a quarter and half with these students before my term with them is over. It has been forcing me to make the most of every opportunity and to try to not waste any of the time I have with them. I have been asking a lot of the girls, "what do you want to learn from me before I go?" It makes our times more purposeful. Please pray that God would continue to help me know the best ways to invest my time - so that I can impart things to them that would impact their lives in a way that they may impart it to others when I leave.

Specifics:
- I decided to not do JET because there was an opportunity to lead an evangelism study called Living Proof with the students. This "seminar" focuses on understanding evangelism as a way of life (i.e. being living proof of the gospel we preach). When I learned this five years ago, it revolutionalized the way I lived my life for Christ. I led the second lesson this past Thurs, and it was wonderful! Please pray that the students would feel compelled to share the love of Christ with their suitemates and classmates as we participate in this study together.

I will update more later. I've gotta go now. :)

Jan 7, 2003
Praise: The message I delivered for the CBC college students went really well. It seems that He had been giving that same message (the cost of discipleship) to a lot of those students already, so my obedience to Him in speaking on this hard challenge served as a further affirmation and push for them to carry their crosses and give Him everything. It's really amazing what happens when we obey God -- even when we have no idea why He wants us to do what He wants us to do. I hope to post the outline of my talk on my Thought Page sometime in the next few days.

Prayer Requests: This is Week 1 of classes at UCSD. Pray that God would give me great energy as the starting off point with these students. I desire to be more faithful, more loving and more honest/vulnerable with these students this quarter. I want to invest lovingly and wisely because they are God's valuables. I'm excited to obey God in this new quarter. Thanks for praying!

Jan 3, 2003
Praise: Yay! God led me to a wonderful study called "The Person of Jesus". It's a really long topical study that I've sorted through and picked all the "good" ones, focusing on encounters with Jesus. In fact, I've decided to call the Bible study times with the girls "Jesus Encounter Times" (i.e. "JET").

This is the premise: the Bible records encounters that men & women had with Jesus. Once they encountered Him, they were never the same again. In the same way, when we encounter Jesus, our lives ought to be changed. As we study these passages, we will focus on three questions: 1. Who is Jesus? 2. What does He want of me? and 3. Knowing this is true, how will I live in harmony with that truth?

I'm very excited about the study.

Prayer Request: Tonite I will be speaking for the college students at my church (it should be just a small handful - majority guys!). I will be sharing a challenging message about true discipleship. It's so challenging and convicting that it scares me to "preach" it because I know I must practice what I preach lest I be a hypocrite. The passage is Luke 14. I am so utterly nervous! Please pray that God would annoint my lips, soften their hearts and open their ears. Thanks.

Dec 31, 2002
Praise: The dinner went wonderfully. The meal was really good and we had some very good intentional sharing time about what God has taught us in this last year. I believe it was a blessing for all of us.

Prayer Request: Please pray for me as I mull over what to study with the freshman girls for this next quarter. I'm pretty sure it's going to be about the gospels, but I'm not exactly sure what method we will use to study it. I'm really racking my brains for a way that Cin & Han could easily take some ownership. :)

Dec 17, 2002
Sorry for not updating in the last week or so.
Praise:
Last week was the students' finals week, so not much was going on. It was good though. I got many chances to drop by and hang out with them (distracting them from studying). :) My love for them from Him seemed to increase as I spent more time with them in that last week by a ten-fold. God is so good! I love to love them. What a great job I have!!

Prayer Request:
Well, I've invited the Nav girls who are still hanging around San Diego to come to my place for dinner this Friday nite (Dec 20). This will be my first time hosting a dinner party since I moved into this place! It'll be fun. We'll eat dinner and have some sharing time of what God has taught us in this last quarter. There will probably be about 8 girls, plus the two other staffwomen who will come. Please pray for our time.

Lastly, I have written up and sent out the Newsletter for this Fall Quarter. If you don't think you're on my mailing list for this newsletter and would like to be, please email me at maryannnguyen@ucsd.edu and let me know! In the meantime, Merry Christmas!!

Dec 2, 2002
Praise:
- Margaret and Eileen initiated (without any promptings from me whatsover) in dropping by to visit Q. I think it was a pleasant visiting for her. :)
- Margaret offered to take Q to our NavNite. So Q came for the first time the Friday before the Thanksgiving holiday!!
- On a more personal note: I had a wonderful time in SF during the Thanksgiving weekend - getting spiritually refreshed and refocused on God's love and His perspective on things. (Thanks, God, for such a wonderful time!)
- Thanks for praying for me about "praying". I have been quite compelled to get on my knees, with tears, in order to intercede for others about the love of Christ...

Prayer Request:
- Please pray that Q would begin to see that we are not just a nice group of people but that there is something different about us, and THAT difference is Christ.
- Pray that Q would recognize her own spiritual thirst.
- Pray that I might get an opportunity to have dinner with Q either this week or next. Pray that her heart would be ready to receive some spiritual seeds. I want to sow some bold seeds about Christ... to get her to start thinking about Him on a more personal level (for herself) but I also don't want to come on "too strong" either and turn her off. Just in His timing. I am dying for her to know His love.

Nov 21, 2002
Praise:
- I'm so grateful that the Lord chose to answer my prayers for a bit of encouragement with people emailing me to check up on me and my ministry and letting me know that you ARE praying for me! It was like water to a thirsty soul.

Prayer Request:
- Please pray that I would be compelled to get on my knees to pray and intercede for the students in the Nav ministry "night and day" just as Paul did for his sheep. God is convincing me daily how important it is, but I need to put it into practice. Really, no ministry can stand (it WILL rot and die) without prayer. Pray that I would pray, and pray that people would pray. God answers prayers!!!

Nov 16, 2002
Praise:
- Q has been coming to our AfterNavs the last 3 Friday nights. She seems to be enjoying it a lot and is very open to being with our group.
- Hannah & Cindy both had 2 turns at leading the freshman girls' Bible study. Praise God for their desire to care for these girls.
- We have two regulars to our freshman girls' Bible study. The "leaders" outnumber the freshmen, but it's been a blessing with these two. We have gotten familiar with each other and a sense of family-love is apparent. :)
- Praise God that I am able to pray again! For awhile, it was just so hard to come before Him. I guess a part of that had to do with not REALLY being convinced that it makes a difference, but in this last week, He reminded me that a ministry without intercession (without Him!) will never stand.

Prayer Requests
- Last night, I invited Q to come to our NavNite, so pray that she will join us this next Friday (Nov 22). Pray also that she will "click" with some of the girls in our group and feel a sense of His love.
- Please pray that Han & Cin would have more and more of a shepherd's heart and mindset, that they would long to care for the freshman girls and take actions in that direction.
- Please pray that I would dare to step out of my comfort zone (I am such an introvert!!) and be intentional about engaging in conversations with the students.
- Continue to pray for opportunities for me to develop relationships with students on campus. Last night during AfterNavs, I got to be in one of the sophomore girls' apartments and as I stood out on their balcony looking across the way into other balconies on other floors, I couldn't help but feel how Jesus must feel in longing for them to know Him. There is a sense of "lost"ness and emptyness when we do not know Him. It sucks. I really want everyone to know Him. I know I can't reach them all, but that is still a longing in me. Thanks for praying!

Oct 29, 2002
Praise:
Last week was amazing! Thanks for praying! Although we had originally planned on visiting and sharing some Love with G, (G is one of the nonChristian gals who said she'd come to our Bible study), that didn't end up working out. We did get to say hi to G, but it was G's suitemate Q and her friend A who actually joined us for bobas. Also C, one of the other nonbelieving frosh girls, joined our study and also came with us to get bobas. I was so totally surprised at how open Q was to let us see her room and then actually join us for bobas. She and A actually got in the car with a couple of strangers! ~ us!! Well, somehow it came up that we were Christians...A was not too keen on that. He slipped in a couple of snide, mocking comments about evangelical Christians... and then while we were drinking our bobas at Tapioca Express, he said, "did you take us here to convert us?" That comment came AFTER they asked Marg about our fellowship... We answered in the negative. I have never thought in my head that I'm here to convert anyone. I do think though that I am here to extend Jesus' love and point them toward Him, the Ultimate Joy.

Even though they were a little fearful and not-so-gently questioning, they were still somehow open to hanging with us... It did not end badly. It was good! :)

Afterwards, Marg & I prayed for them. The night was completely God-orchestrated! Thank you for the prayers!! I believe it was totally your prayers that allowed God's Spirit to set everything into place as He did. None of it was coincidental. I'm so grateful for these new contacts. It is good to love!

Prayer Requests:
- please pray that we could somehow get in contact with Q and A again. they expressed an interest in joining us for fun & games at AfterNavs.
- please pray for the students at ucsd. there are so many misconceptions about Jesus. last week's time on campus reminded me of that.
- please pray for an opportunity for me to share the gospel. i'm itching to share the Bridge Illustration again!! :)

Oct 21, 2002
Praise:
- Had a sweet time in the Word with the freshman girls & the two soph girls Hannah & Cindy. It was intimate enough for us to get to know one another better.
- At the One-Day Conf, was able to get to know some of the freshman girls better. They got to know each other better. It was a lot of fun. The messages were striking!

Prayer Requests:
- The two seekers did not come to the Frosh Bible study last week. Please pray that God would give them a continual hunger for Him and that they would be receptive to His Love through us. Pray that God would show us how we could love these girls. I'm planning on taking one of the senior girls with me to visit one of these girls on Thurs and maybe take her & others out to have bobas.
- Please pray that God would bring TRUE seekers into my path. I'm dying to share the gospel to someone! I haven't done it in awhile. No opportunities have come up. So pray for opportunities.
- I'm asking the Lord for at least 5 to turn to Jesus this year.
- Pray for Cindy & Hannah as I teach them how to lead a Bible study and be shepherds. Cindy will be leading the freshman small group this Thurs. Exciting!!
- Pray for my walk with the Lord. I've been feeling discouraged and confused lately and doubting whether or not God really wants to use me or not.

Oct 14, 2002
Praise:
- Last week's first small group with the freshman girls went really well! It was a good warm-up session with one another.
- We had a time of prayer/praise & worship on Saturday (12th) that was truly uplifting. Only a few students showed up but of all of us who were there, we were truly blessed by giving God honor and praise. Not sure what is is -- but in praising Him, we are filled & satisfied.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for the second meeting with the freshman girls. We are meeting Thursday night at 5:30pm. I have two girls who identify themselves as Jesus' and two who are seeking to know more about Jesus. So it's pretty exciting. We are having discussions (in the Word) about connecting with God and connecting with one another. Please pray that each of the girls in the group will be drawn into a deeper understanding & into a deeper relationship with Jesus.
- We are having our annual Fall One-Day Conference on Saturday, Oct 19th. Students from the different campuses on the West Coast (Cal-Poly, Irvine, L.A., Long Beach, San Diego & Arizona) will be attending. Pray that we can round up some of the new students in our ministry to come. The theme is standing out - in humility.
- Pray for my funding.

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Created on October 14, 2002
Last Updated Apr 30, 2003
Copyright Mary Ann Nguyen 2002