Praise Report & Prayer Requests

Thank You Jesus for Changing lives!

Please celebrate with us and praise the Lord for His great blessings! This summer God is transforming thousands of lives and developing leaders around the world through numerous summer training projects. Campus Outreach is investing in the lives of students on over:

• 29 Summer Training Projects across the US and Puerto Rico
• 26 Cross Cultural Outreach Projects around the world &
• 6 Urban Development Projects across the US.

> Pray for the many young believers who are investing their summer in growing in their own relationship with Christ and learning to to effectively share their faith and walk in fellowship with their brothers and sisters in Christ. Pleas pray that they would follow Jesus, and He "would make them fishers of men." (Mark 1:17)

> Pray for the many young leaders who are learning to pour their lives into others as they lead discipleship groups and individually challenge others to grow in Christ. (2 Tim 2:1-2)

> Pray for all of the students that God would use these experiences to stretch their view of God, themselves, and the world. Pray God would give them His vision of and heart for the world!

> Pray for the many people who will hear the gospel through these students this summer. Pray that the Gospel will take root and bring forth the fruit of eternal life in their hearts. Pray God will raise up laborers for His harvest (Matt. 9:35-38)

Six Month Planning

Please pray with us this week as our staff team from the CO Global Resource Center will be getting away for an important time of Prayer, Planning, and Training. Pray God will develop us all through this time and lead us into all He has planned for us!

Thank you for partnering with us to help make this possible!

 
Russell & Wendy Long
Global Resource Center
Campus Outreach

World Cup 2014

Hello all,

Tomorrow kicks off a historic event for Brazil, the 2014 World Cup! Many of you have been asking me questions about it, so I thought I would share some thoughts about things so far. For those of you who are not very familiar with the World Cup, here are a few facts:

• The World Cup is an international soccer tournament that takes place every 4 years, like the olympics.
• It is a competition between the national teams of each country that qualify.
• Each country's national team is made up of the best players from that country. These players are often playing professionally elsewhere in the world, but return to play for their home country in World Cup competition.
• Countries qualify during a series of international matches in the 2 years leading up to the World Cup.
• The World Cup is the most-watched sporting event in the world!
• Brazil has won the world cup more than any other country. (5 times)

Soccer is, for all practical purposes, the only sport played in Brazil. Everyone grows up playing it, and everyone watches it. All other sports pale in comparison in participation and interest. So you can imagine the excitement when the country was chosen in 2007 to host this years' World Cup.

However, on the eve of the opening match of the Cup, the soccer-crazed is full of mixed emotions. People are still excited about the cup, and Brazil's chances to win, but their excitement is tempered by all of the financial, political, and social issues it has brought to light. You may have seen news reports of the massive cost overruns, uncompleted infrastructure projects, and protests. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few weeks as the tournament is played and the eyes of the world are on Brazil. My hope and prayer is that all of these events will bring about positive changes that are badly needed in Brazil.

On a lighter note, I am very excited about the next few weeks. The entire country will be in a sort of holiday mode, and people everywhere will be watching the games together. I will be cheering for Brazil with all my friends here, and of course the US team! I was fortunate enough to get tickets for 2 matches, one between England and Costa Rica, and one for the playoffs later in the tournament. (teams to be determined later)

In closing, I leave you with a video of the US National Team's journey to the World Cup. Our chances to do well are slim; we have arguably the toughest draw in the tournament. But we have a great coach and possibly our best team ever, so anything could happen! Go USA!



​

Written by one of our staff in Brazil:

Lee Cunningham




US Soccer: We Are Going To Brazil

Briarwood Soccer Missions Around the Globe - Please Pray!

As many of you know, three of my children play competitive soccer and love it! I wanted to share the update below from Ryan Lieb about the impact our children's soccer club (Briarwood Soccer Club) is having literally around the world! Please join me in praying for these specific missions opportunities as well as the many other informal missions opportunities our coaches and children will have being part of this club who's mission is to "Be Ambassadors for Christ in and Through the Great Game of Soccer!"

"We Serve a Great God, We Play a Great Game, We are Ambassadors!" II Corinthians 5:20

Dear Briarwood Soccer Family,

I wanted to give an update about our players and coaches that are having impact around the globe this summer.  We have 3 trips going over seas and many people doing great work here in the States.  Here are the 3 global trips:

1. Ecuador - Coach Jamie Likens (03 Ambassadors Gold) is leading a group going to Ecuador June 7-14th.  They will be doing a soccer camp near the Amazon rain forest for kids, working with a local church and missionary Bobby Coe, a former Briarwood Soccer Coach.  5 Ambassador players and 3 coaches are on this trip based out of Brook Hills Church.
2. Hungary - Coach Walter Arroyo (02 Ambassadors Blue) is leading a team to Hungary to do a soccer camp for kids in the city where the missionary works.  There is desperate need for the Gospel in former Communist country, Hungary.  Coach Arroyo has a team of 12 during their trip June 26-July 5based out of Mountain Brook Community Church.
3. Brazil - Coach Leib and Coach Marlow are taking a team of 12 to Belo Horizonte, Brazil to continue to work with our Campus Outreach missionaries and church there.  We will be working with kids in the slums of Belo using soccer and the World Cup to reach out from June 17-June 25.

Please pray for these trips and for the Gospel to be shared effectively. Great job to all who are out there being Ambassadors for Christ. Remember the World Cup starts tomorrow, June 12, with Brazil vs. Croatia at 3:00pm CST on ESPN, make sure you watch some games this summer.

Go Ambassadors, go!

Coach Ryan Leib

Another great example of BSC reaching to the ends of the earth!

Status Update

By Rhett Wheeler

A HUGE thanks to Ryan Leib, Shawn Marlow, and the Briarwood Soccer Club for donating pennies for the football outreach in Bundibugyo, Uganda! I wish I had a photo of the boys eyes and faces as they lit up when I pulled them out for the first time...as well as sound bytes from the yelling and cheering that spontaneously erupted! They feel legit and have now asked for me to arrange a "friendly" match with a local school team now that they have a "uniform". Also, thanks to Sherri Smith for getting them to Uganda for us! — with Holly Harwell Wheeler.

02 Lady Ambassadors Gold Win the Atlanta Peach Classic!

Ginger Minor Marlow shared Jennifer Yester Peace's photo.

May 18 at 3:57pm

Congratulations Lady Ambassadors 02 for winning the Atlanta Peach Classic tournament! Way to go girls!!!

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Way to go girls! Emmi scored 8 goals in the tournament before being taken out with a stomach virus!

Oak Mountain High School Advances to State Finals!

Russell Long

May 10

So proud of Levi and his Oak Mountain High School Varsity Soccer for advancing to the Alabama 6A State Championship with a 4-0 win tonight over Fair Hope HS! — with Wendy Collins Long.

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A Family Who Plays Soccer Together...

Russell Long shared his photo.

April 10

Russell Long with Wendy Collins Long

Lots of great soccer this week! Between Levi, John, and Emmi we have seven matches from Wednesday to Saturday! Got to love it!

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02 Lady Ambassadors Gold Provide Soccer Clinic

Shawn Marlow shared Teresa Prince's photo.

April 6

Our girls must be ducks to swim to this victory at the Hoover Havok Tournament!

A New Year of Impact

When you meet Jesus, He changes Everything!

Today, just like years ago, meeting Jesus is a life changing encounter. For me, it was at a Campus Outreach New Years Conference back in 1986. I was a sophomore in college and Dr. Frank Barker was the main rally speaker. He shared about the grace of God through Jesus Christ in a way that made sense to me and Jesus compelled my surrender to Him! My life has been forever changed!

My prayer for this year's New Year's Conference is that God would use it to bring students into a saving relationship with Jesus and for many more young Christian students to make decisions to follow Jesus and "become fishers of men" (Just like Mark 1:17 says).

I will be in Chattanooga meeting with students and staff discussing opportunities for ministry and service after college. Pray God would use these conversations to encourage and challenge students to take their next step!

Along with the 1,500+ students at the Chattanooga NYC, CO will host thousands of other students at three other conferences going on in other parts of the country (Jacksonville, FL, Washington, DC, & Milwaukee, WI). These conferences will be a culmination of all the evangelistic conversations and studies from this fall back on campus! Pray that God would cause the seeds of the gospel to take root in the hearts of many students!

Please pray they will "follow Jesus, and become fishers of men!" Mark 1:17

Watch a video promo of NYC 2013

And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Mark 1:17

New Staff Training

L-R: Cody Ray, Ashley Cook, Karesse Faull, Elizabeth Chaplin, & Dustin Karish

I am so excited to tell you about a group of new young staff in our office this week. We are pumped to be leading them through New Staff Training and Orientation. We pray that this time will help prepare their hearts, minds, and spirits for the battles that lie ahead! Will you take a moment and pray for our time with them this week? Would you pray for their protection and effectiveness as they launch out to see God raise up laborers through them? Lord willing they will be serving in New Zealand, Thailand, and here in the USA. 

Thank you for your willingness to partner with us to Build Laborers on the Campus for the Lost World! Your prayers, encouragement, and financial support continue to be an integral part of God developing and deploying Leaders and Laborers for God's Kingdom!

"When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'" Matthew 9:36-38   "He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply all your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for all your generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God." 2 Corinthians 9:10-11

Important Need...

As most of you know Wendy and I are funded in the ministry through financial support from individuals and churches. Our supporters are our ministry partners! Without them we could not do the ministry we do, yet through our partnership they have the unique privilege to partner with us in developing and mobilizing gospel-centered kingdom leaders and movements around the world! 

The past year has been a difficult year for our faithful support team (job losses, business difficulties, healthcare changes, etc...). Due to our low support levels we are currently in a salary reduction situation where we are only able to receive 1/5 our normal salary. We are constantly reminded that all our provisions come from the hand of the Lord and we are learning to be content in whatever our circumstances!

Would you pray with us for God to continue to raise up the families and churches He would desire to partner with us in developing and mobilizing gospel-centered kingdom leaders and movements? I am currently meeting with families and churches to share about what God is doing through Campus Outreach and how they can partner with us in this! We are trusting God for 27 more families or churches to partner with us at $100 per month or the annual equivalent to reach full funding again! We know God may lead some to do more and others less, but all sacrificial gifts are a fragrant offering before the Lord.

If you would like to make a gift you can access My Personal Donation Page by clicking make a gift.

If you are already a current ministry partner you may click HERE and choose New User Registration at the bottom. Once setup, our financial ofice will link this new online account with your current giving account. Once activated you will be able to view your giving history, update personal information, adjust your giving options, and many other features.

Thank you so much for your partnership with us and Campus Outreach to Glorify God by Building Laborers on the Campus for the Lost World!

Exciting New Online Giving Option

Dear Supporters and Friends,

We have received exciting news from the Campus Outreach Financial Office! As of September 17, 2013, a new online giving system is up and running. This new system will allow our supporters the option to create an account, view their giving history, manage current gifts, initiate new gifts, and update their contact information.

To donate to the ministry of Russell and Wendy Long click here.  To set up an online giving account and view your giving history, update your personal information or many other features, you will need to click here and then choose New User Registration at the bottom. The financial office will link this to your existing giving account in our system.

Thank you for your support of Campus Outreach. We hope and pray that this new feature will make the support process more convenient for you, and will help the ministry as a whole in our mission to Glorify God by Building Laborers on the Campus for the Lost World.

Thanks! RGL

01 Ambassadors Gold Win Liberty Cup

Ryan Leib is with Wendy Collins Long and 2 others.

September 11, 2013

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  Russell Long 2013 Liberty Cup Champions! Way to go boys!

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Briarwood Soccer Club Family Celebrates BASSMASTER Angler of the Year Award

Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., wins the 2013 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race, a coveted honor in bass fishing. His wife, Lesley, and children Spencer (left) and Jordan (right) joined him in celebrating his second AOY title.

Join with us in celebrating Aaron Martens' Bassmaster Angler of the Year Award. Incredible dedication and perseverance! His daughter Jordan plays soccer on the U11 Lady Ambassadors with Briarwood Soccer Club same club as my three children play for.

Training and Preparing Teams...

It was such an encouraging week to be with these young graduates who have committed to serve the Lord through Short Term International Teams (STINT). This is an opportunity Campus Outreach is developing to help mobilize trained graduates into strategic two year international ministry opportunities around the world. We met with teams preparing for deployment to Malaysia, Kenya, and Thailand.

Please pray for these teams as they prepare to deploy to some of the world's difficult places where the Gospel message is opposed at every point.

Pray as well for the crops of students to follow them. We are trusting God for 200 students a year to be mobilized into these strategic STINT opportunities. Pictured above was a meeting with some of the students in the Raleigh, NC area who are interested in considering a STINT upon graduation.

First Week of School...

Monday began a new school year for our crew! We now have two in high school (Luke -10th and Levi -9th) and two in middle school (John -7th and Emmi -6th). What an adventure! We are so proud of them!

Levi and Luke with Hannah Blazer and Meg Dempsey
(their childhood friends from our team in Brazil)

John's soccer team - U13 Briarwood Ambassadors
2013 Liberty Cup Champions - August

Emmi working her moves against a much larger opponent last Saturday
in their season opener for U12 Briarwood Lady Ambassadors.

Pray with us that our children would grow to become the salt and light of Jesus to those around them!