7/29/2019 Leesha's Newsletter January/February edition

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Students ignite before retreatGearing up for Fan into FlameBy Leesha Plante

Every year, for over 15 years,

students in Minnesota have

received a new experience of

Jesus as their Savior and the Holy

Spirit as their helper on the Fan

into Flame retreat. This March, 110

students and staff will be traveling

across the Wisconsin border to re-

ignite their faith and reconnect

with Christ the Lord. Some have

been on a Fan into Flame retreat

before, many have not. This will be

my first time attending the retreat

with Minnesota students. Though I

have been to similar retreats in

Kansas and Texas, I am looking

forward to experiencing what the

Holy Spirit can do here, in the

place where this retreat originated.

Every time I have gone, the Lord

has worked powerfully, and I see

so many students ignite with zeal

for their faith. For so many of

them, their eyes are opened to

looking at Christ in a new way; it is

the first time they see that they

can have a personal relationship

with the God-man who came to

this earth 2,000+ years ago.

We are bringing 10 students

from St. Olaf College to this

retreat, and they will receive talks,

small group discussion, and most

importantly, the presence of the

Lord in our prayer meeting on

Saturday night.

One of the best blessings of

the Fan into Flame weekend is

what happens when it is over. All

over the country, and in particular

at St. Olaf College, the Lord pours

out gifts and graces to the

students long after the retreat has

become a memory.

Our student missionaries at

St. Olaf are a witness to this. Two

of the three young women who

became student missionaries this

year, did so because the Lord

called them to a radically different

life after Fan into Flame. They not

only wanted to spend time with

Him daily, they wanted to serve

Him among their peers at college.

How precious are the gifts of God!

For thisreason I

remind

you to fan

into flame

the gift of

God,

which is

in youthrough

the laying

on of my

hands.

2 Tim. 1:6

LEESHASUPDATE

January-February

2013

7/29/2019 Leesha's Newsletter January/February edition

2/22

Prayer RequestsWe need your help!

For the students attending

Fan into Flame, that they wouldrenew or begin a relationshipwith Jesus Christ and use the

gifts of the Holy Spirit they havereceived.

For our Households at St.Olaf College next year: that

students will commit to live

together and pray, work, andeat in common with each other.

For our Church, that Godwill bless us with a new Pope,

who will guide us in greaterholiness

For all of those who areforced to fast this Lent: that we

might remember and help thehungry, poor, and homelessthrough our prayer and alms.

My January Travelsa missionarys footsteps

This January, I was blessed to travel

to Michigan, Texas, and a small town

here in Minnesota to rest and restore

(and serve) with the Lord.

I flew to Lansing, Michigan on

January 1, 2013 to attend our Saint

Pauls Outreach staff retreat. The retreatwas combined with a conference for

difference Christian ministries that all

minister to college students.

The staff retreat was so refreshing.

How much joy we receive from each

other, catching up with missionaries

from the other states, swapping stories,

and bearing one anothers burdens of

the ministry. We all love the experience

of being able to worship God as a staff

as well: our prayer times are certainly

the highlights of the retreat. This years

retreat theme was Everything is

Possible; our meditations for the day

focused on confidence in God, hope in

His plans for us, and trust in His mercy

and providence to sustain us.

The weekend conference was

centered around One, being unified in

prayer, mission, and service. We met

people from all over the country, and a

few from different parts of the world! I

was excited to get to know people who

serve God in the same ministry, to

worship Him with them, and to comehome encouraged by the greater support

we have from ministries Id never known

before.

A week later, I was flying down to

Texas. How much I had forgotten the

bliss a balmy 65F can create in a

Minnesotan in January! But beyond the

fantastic weather, I had an even greater,

deeper joy in seeing my former

missionary team members, and the

students I had served last year. It was a

huge grace for me to serve as a small

group leader at their Fan into Flame

retreat, to be behind the scenes as it

were, taking care of hospitality as well.

God worked powerfully in the young

women in my small group, and His grace

was apparent in all those who attended

the retreat. Theres nothing like eating

Texas barbecue, worshipping with

friends, and dancing the two-step to

celebrate and relax after a prayer

meeting! The joy of the Lord was upon

me as I experienced His love among my

friends in the Lone Star State.

And a few days after I returned

home from the heat wave, our

Minnesota staff (missionaries and

mission directors) went to a little retreat

site in Cannon Falls, MN for Staff Days

Away. We ate lots of good food, prayed

together (and took personal prayer time)

and generally were free to relax, play

games, watch movies, and catch up on

sleep. The Lord definitely refreshed my

soul this January!

LEESHASUPDATEJanuary-February

2013

I finally realized that even

the tiniest, most

insignificant little yes I gave

to God, when I said I love

you, God, was something

He could receive, and He

could bring so much good

in my life from it.

Nicole Wagner, student missionary

A Lily in the Desert

This Lent, an image has come to my prayer, thelily in the Desert. She is the fresh flower thatblooms in the midst of adversity. Gods love iswhat nourishes the lily, and she blooms, evenwhen she remains hidden from human sight.