Beth Dripps

“When I got to Penn State, I got involved in the party life pretty quickly. I wasn’t interested in Bible study, but I felt like it was something I should do, so I decided to go. I didn’t want to go to DiscipleMakers meetings, either, but I finally went to get Anne off my back,” PSU sophomore Jen shared at our year-end BBQ. (This was news to me! During that Bible study, Jen seemed to be genuinely seeking. “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart,” 1 Samuel 16:7.)

	Spiritual Generations: Me, Anne and Jen (Ashley not pictured)

“By the spring semester, I was really unhappy. I felt like I didn’t know myself anymore. One night, it all clicked. I gave my life to Christ.” Jen continued to share how Anne had ministered to her. “For the past two years, Anne has reached out to me and discipled me. She listens well and helps me to find the answers to my questions in Scripture.”

Jen is a summer intern with DiscipleMakers. She serves in the headquarters during the day and reaches out on campus in the evenings, much like I do. Jen’s life is a glorious picture of God’s grace. Her eagerness to know God and to seek wisdom from those around her humbles me daily. Jen also reaches out to her classmates, just as Anne reached out to her two years ago. Ashley, a sophomore, became a Christian this year after Jen persistently invited her to Bible study! Jen is a delight to have on my team this summer. I am also delighted to work closely with Jen because she is my spiritual granddaughter. Anne, the student who first reached out to her, is a woman I reached out to when she was a freshman! For four years, Anne and I have studied the Bible, met for discipleship, developed our friendship, and ministered together. When Anne graduated in May, Jen was one of the students who stood to tell how Anne is an example she wants to follow.

Anne joined DiscipleMakers staff this year. Rejoice with me as I celebrate my first class of graduates – women I’ve invested in who are living for Christ and whose faithful lives are an example that I desire to follow. And thank you for your partnership in this ministry. Just as if you walked dorm hallways, prepared Bible studies and spent hours counseling and praying with Anne and Jen and Ashley, you have ministered to them and many other students this year through your gifts and prayers. May the Lord bless you richly for your invest-ment in the next generation!

Rejoicing with you,

Beth

Praise God For:

1. Anne, who has proven to be “reliable…qualified to teach others,” (2 Tim. 2:2)

2. Jen, who will continue to minister to her peers on campus this year
3. Giving me good health and strength this semester. Though I still struggle with chronic fatigue, I have made a few adjustments that enable me to live a fairly normal life. What a blessing!

Petition God For:

1. DiscipleMakers’ student interns. Pray for Josh, Jen and Sarah (who serve in the headquarters during the day and on campus in the evenings) and for Justine, Matt, Katie, Jason, Mandy and Cortney (who serve on campus full-time).
2. More laborers! My team is rejoicing in several engagements and also praying for the Lord to provide more Staff as these beloved teammates transition to minister alongside their husbands.