In the fall, it looked as if Izzy had the weight of the world on her shoulders. Freshman year seemed to be wearing her down as she was learning how to balance the demands of being a Division 1 athlete and also the academic demands of Xavier. Most of the time she appeared defeated.
Then, it all changed … what happened?
The faith seeking process began for Izzy when she noticed the believers on her soccer team. She described them as joyful and full of peace. There was something different about them, so she began to listen to what they had to say. The women she was describing are leaders in our Athletes in Action ministry (Andie, Sam, and Toni.) Andie was intentional in conversations with Izzy. Sam and others invited Izzy to church every Sunday. Izzy joined Toni’s Bible study and asked her more questions than Toni was prepared to answer.
That’s when and how she surrendered her life to Christ! Now she is glowing with the joy of the Lord. Now she is a different person and her teammates are noticing. Praise God for how He pursued after Izzy and how He is continuing to change her life.
Prayer Requests
- That Izzy’s story would be multiplied 30, 60, 100 times — students reaching students with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
- That 15-20 students from the Cincinnati area campuses would decide to invest a part of their summer to attend one of our training camps or mission trips.
- For the Lord to raise up 20 volunteers to help us reach all the 1,500 college athletes on the nine Cincinnati area campuses.
- Mark is going through elder training at our local church.
- Praise the Lord that Susie completed her seminary training by taking her final four graduate level classes. She feels she benefited the most from a Wheaton College class called “The Bible in Ministry.”
- Susie is negotiating with our headquarters concerning her college golf opportunity in Bandon Dunes, Oregon. Please continue to pray for God’s will in this endeavor.
