Hello,

It was so great to see those of you who were able to make it down for the 30 Year Reunion this month! The weekend took a lot of work to pull off, and there were lots of things that could have gone wrong, but God was gracious and the weekend was (I think) a smashing success. Thank you all so much for all your prayers for the Reunion; it was really cool to see God answer those prayers in specific ways. For example, the weather for the Caleb Nelson Memorial Race, which was a huge concern and prayer request, was about the perfect weather we could have asked for. It was pushing 70 degrees with broken sunshine, which made for perfect race weather, and the lake wasn't too cold either. Even the rain on Saturday, which initially seemed to mess our plans up, ended up making Saturday a better experience overall. The families liked having everything contained indoors because it made watching their kids easier, and it helped lessen the stress for me and the Reunion team because we didn’t have to set up and tear down a couple of outdoor events that got cancelled due to the weather. Even in the “bad” weather, God was still giving us what was best.

Another huge answer to prayer was the opportunities for conversations all weekend. It has always been our goal with the reunions that they would serve as catalysts for further connection, conversations, discipleship, and encouragement among the alumni after they return home. ALERT was never just about the training that happens on campus; it has always been about equipping men to live for Christ in their communities. The camaraderie and discipleship and relationships that men have here are great, but we want them to continue off campus and back in each alumni’s home community. It was really encouraging to see evidence of that either already taking place, or see connections being made that will continue to grow after people return home. Thanks again for all your prayers for that.