Wednesday, June 23, 2010
The latest and greatest of what’s been happening… since it’s been a while…
Hello friends, family, and acquaintances. I hope each and every one of you is doing well and living a wonderful life. As it has been a while since many of you have heard from me, I thought it fair to inform you of what has been happening in my life and what (Lord willing) my future plans are.
School!
On June 15, I graduated with my high school diploma from World View Christian Academy. I subsequently went to Oregon State University in Corvallis where I have been living the past two years. I am now a junior working for a B.S. in Advanced Chemistry with a pre-med option. The good thing about this degree is that in two years it should leave me well-prepared to apply for medical school or to study for a Ph.D. in chemistry. The bad thing is that this year I have to take physical chemistry, aka the hardest undergraduate course at OSU! But, such is life. One fun thing I got to do in an experimental chemistry lab is attempt to synthesis bis-vanadium acetylacetonate (3+ oxidation state). Not only is this a really cool compound about which not much is known, but me and my lab partner were the first people at OSU to attempt to make it (we actually only made the 4+ oxidation state). But, enough of the nerdy stuff! Extracurricular Activities!
I am very blessed to live in Corvallis among really awesome people who love pursuing God's heart. When I'm not studying for exams or doing homework, I'm generally doing something with many different student ministry groups on campus. This year I lead a Bible study consisting of four awesome young men, all fellow OSU students. We studied the Bible and encouraged and exhorted each other to become more powerful men of God. I also continue to play drums and cello for worship at church, student ministry meetings, and Christian community groups. Corvallis is a great place to live in fellowship with people who love God.
However, my favorite non-school activity is "hanging out" with international students and as God provides opportunities, being a witness of the Father's amazing love and power to them. During the school year, the international ministry I work with gives free lunch once a week to internationals and has weekly game nights on Fridays (a great alternative to beer pong and binge drinking!) Additionally, we take internationals on camping and road trips throughout the northwestern states, an awesome way to start great friendships and have witnessing opportunities. During the spring break trip this year, a friend and I got to see and help a graduate student from China come completely to Jesus and be filled with the Holy Spirit! I most recently helped take ~35 internationals camping at Crater Lake and the Redwood National Forest. While it was a crazy time (I managed to sprain my ankle at the beach!), it was neat because there were many opportunities to share with students, of whom many are Muslims, about God's love and Isa's (Jesus in Arabic) redemptive power. The picture here has me and my good friends, Arom from Kurdistan (Northern Iraq), Maitham from Saudi Arabia, Tufeg from Libya, and Sasidhar from India at the coast.
I love playing soccer with these guys, despite my American incapableness at the game! The opportunities to witness to internationals are countless. More than once I have gone to the library to study physics or chemistry and ended up spending two hours explaining the Gospel of Jesus to my Muslim friends. I wish I had time and space to share more stories here, but suffice it to say, God is moving and revealing Himself to the international students, and I'm very thankful to be a part of His work.
So… Now What?
While I intend to continue school at OSU in the fall, this summer is probably going to be crazy and filled with adventures. In April, I felt God directing me to not work any summer internships or jobs and to invest in His kingdom instead. This has been stretching my faith as I have been working since I was 15 and like to have things under my own control! But God wants me to be under His control, and hence, I'm learning to surrender EVERYTHING to Him, including financial control. However, more than anything else in life, I want to be a witness of God's glory and love to the nations of the world. Hence, right now I'm focusing on working with summer international ministries in Corvallis, raising support to go overseas for several months, and working on getting some part time work to pay off some minor school/living expenses debt. (For more details on my visions for going overseas, please read my missions support letter) No matter what happens this summer, I'm trusting in God's absolute goodness, and the fact that He wants to use me to share His love. In Conclusion…
I am very thankful to be loved by God and to be in a place in life with so many different opportunities. I'll continue to do international and college ministry at OSU, while pursuing my degree. Lord willing, I will go from there, either to medical school or graduate school, with the purpose of having an excellent education that will allow me to more easily enter the closed countries in the world, especially those in Africa and the Middle East. But more than a degree, medical school, job, or even what I might think God wants me to do, I want to be in a place that I can prove what the good and acceptable and perfect will of God is (Romans 12:2) and be able to love God with my whole heart, soul, and strength, and my neighbor as myself (Matthew 22:37-39). Whether I'm in the jungle, desert, or a research lab in Oregon, my life's purpose is to glorify God. I love you all lots! Blessings in Jesus!
Plans for the Summer of 2010
Overseas Mission Information
In April of this year, I felt God directing me to give Him the summer for missions and ministry work and to not take any fulltime internships at labs or research facilities, trusting Him instead for finances. This has been a stretch for me as I'm used to being in control of my monetary needs, but nevertheless, God's plan is ultimately going to be way better than mine.
After fasting, praying, and receiving prayer from others, I felt God leading me to put my sights on Libya in Northern Africa. Libya is a closed Muslim country, 2.5% of the population is Christian and these are simply foreigners working in the country. Actually, 89% of the total population in Libya is unreached with the Gospel and it contains 28 unreached people groups. If God provides a way into this country, I will be staying with a Muslim family (I have connections with families there through my Libyan friends studying here in the US), learning about their culture, and sharing the Gospel as God provides opportunities. Getting into this country is going to take much faith and prayer, but I trust and believe that God is jealous for the hearts of men in Libya and that He is preparing awesome things there.
Me and my brother Tufeg from Libya!
In the Mozambique bush with children, of whom most had never seen a foreigner before!
If my visa application is rejected by the Libyan government or God has other things planned and I can't live in the country this summer, I am communicating with some missionary friends about doing mission work in Yei, located Southern Sudan. Specifically, I would be working at an orphanage of about 100 children, mentoring and being a fatherly figure to the young men there (right now there is a lack of godly men to help mentor the young boys there).
There are many opportunities for me to serve overseas, thanks to my connections with international students here in Corvallis as well as with the many friends I made in Mozambique in 2008. Right now, I'm focusing on saving the money to pay for visa applications and plane tickets (Most visas are around 100-150 dollars and tickets are generally 2,000 dollars at the cheapest). I trust that God is going to provide for me to go through the right doors at the right time. While I don't know how it will all "pan out" this summer, I do know that God is very good and that He has called me to share His love and power to the nations. For my part, I'm going to keep running hard after Him and pursuing His heart with all my might.
I really desire and appreciate your prayers and support. Specific prayer needs include favor with the Libyan and Sudanese government, for God to open the correct doors and close the wrong ones, and for communication with the mission field organizations to go smoothly. Also, please pray for even more opportunities to share the Gospel with international students in Corvallis as I continue to be a part of the international ministry here. Any money the Lord puts on your heart to give me for His kingdom will help tremendously. Because living expenses in Africa are very low, the visas and plane tickets are the things that will be the most hindering to me financially. You are welcome to send a tax deductable donation to Celebration Church, 2700 SW 3rd Street, Corvallis, OR, 97333. Checks can be made out to Celebration Church with "Corey Missions" in the memo. The leadership at my church will then use the money at the appropriate time to purchase visa's and plane tickets.
Thank you so much for all the prayers and support each one of you has given me throughout my life. I am really excited for the place God has me in and hope to keep you guys updated. A great way to contact me is either by email or facebook at wrighcor@onid.orst.edu. May God, who is always good, bless you abundantly in Christ Jesus.
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