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A Final Post

May is almost over and Wartburg has 1 day of school left, and I have just finished my second interview for a new place of employment in Chicago. Life is changing, quickly!

(For those financially supporting us, please make sure to take notice of the end of this e-mail as there is some pertinent giving information included.)

Here is a final post for you our dear friends and supporters.

This Summer and Next School Year Please be Praying For

Brian, that he would continue to invest in the things that would last. Spending time with God in His Word, and reaching out to the friends he has on the track team and utilizing the skills and leadership God has blessed him with in his senior year. He has great potential to reach those around him!! Please pray Proverbs 28:1 that Brian would be "as bold as a lion" and that he would lift Jesus up that Christ would draw others to himself by Brian's identification with and clear love for the gospel on display (John 12:32).

Justin, that he would develop an ever growing desire to read and study God's word. We have just begun reading the bible together this semester. He has shown great interest in seeing first hand what God is saying! Please pray John 15:7 for Justin, "If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will bear much fruit."

BrieAnn will be continuing her education with a advanced degree this summer. Please pray for her that she would find other followers of Jesus to walk with on a consistent basis that would encourage her to continue growing spiritually and teach others to do the same (Hebrews 10:24-25, Matthew 28:19-20)

Stephanie will be returning to campus in the fall with a great opportunity in front of her. In the last few weeks she has been eagerly seeking God and his will for her life. She has spent time reading The Cross Centered Life to learn how she can keep God's love for her on the cross the main thing in her life EVERYDAY. She has been a particular blessing to us the past few weeks! Please pray that she would make use of her summer for Christ and have a dramatic impact in the lives of her friends in the fall. (2 Timothy 2:2)

The Joshua Team members from this 2nd semester. Two dozen students at UNI are now equipped to share their faith in a conversationally appropriate way. They have a solid foundation for their beliefs that they can identify with Jesus effectively (Jude v.3) and some teaching in how to walk beside their fellow students to help them get to know God better.

For Our Giving Friends

Our final day on staff with The Navigators is May 31. In regards to your giving you have a few options:

1) You may continue to personally invest in what God is doing in the lives of students on the campus at the University of Northern Iowa and Wartburg College (or another local university) by supporting one of our staff friends continuing to advance the gospel!

Please seriously consider this option as I believe it to be a wise investment of financial resources.

If you would like to search for other staff around the country please visit this link.

Please let me know (via e-mail benandangiekrueger@gmail.com or phone (319) 481-0010) if I may pass your contact information on to another of our staff friends. They (& we) would GREATLY appreciate new partners in their ministries!

2) If you are a direct deposit monthly giver, you may transfer your giving to a different staff member or discontinue your contributions by calling the Account Processing center at 1-866-568-7827. If you decide to stop contributing please designate to them your last month to give is May and to not make a deduction again beyond that date.

YOU MUST MAKE THIS CALL TO END YOUR GIVING. AFTER OUR ACCOUNT CLOSES YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS WILL BE ADDED TO THE NAVIGATORS' GENERAL FUND.

A FINAL WORD OF CLOSING

Thank you for your prayers and investment in the work that God has done in and through our family.

We have been challenged deeply in ways unexpected to us 2 years ago and have been greatly refined by our Savior.

In addition, to all that your prayers and finances have done and will continue doing to advance the good news of Jesus and his kingdom through students on campus today and the leaders of the time to come, we are specifically blessed by your belief in us to carry this message to students.

The witnessing of sacrificial giving on many of your parts has been routine the past two years for us as "{our} god has met all of our needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:19). I could go on but inevitably it would end up being an extended manuscript of these final words: Thank you on behalf on myself, my wife and my son, but most appreciatively thank you for valuing God.

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints- the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth.

Colossians 1:3-6

And down the stretch they come...

Seeing Some Fruit!

The last month, while hectic as you will hear about in a minute, has been profitable in the ministry! Brian and I have continued meeting this semester. Two weeks ago we spent time discussing how to reach out more to those around us. I challenged Brian to share the gospel with a stranger at some point during the week. He came back next week and did it! He got to share with another runner and spent a few minutes talking to him about his spiritual beliefs. This week the assignment is to talk with the track coach and then speak before the whole team inviting them to an investigative bible study during the 4 weeks of May term. This is a great opportunity as Brian is already a leader on the team and will be even more so as a Senior next year. Please pray for a response from runners at Wartburg, that a bible study group would be started among the track team.

Also this semester I have been able to meet with Justin. Each week we get together and work on his basketball shooting and then talk about spiritual issues. Last month we had a great discussion about hell and the character of God and this week we talked about what it meant to believe in Jesus for salvation. At the end of our time I asked, "If I made myself available would you be willing to get together and read the bible each morning?" His respone? "YEAH!" We are planning on meeting each day before class after finals are through.

Making it through March

If you've been keeping tabs on us, you know that we had our hands full last month. I'm pleased to report that we made it through, barely. We made it to the east coast and back enjoying our visit with friends, even finding time for some souvenirs- including a brand new flu bug! That little gem managed to stick around essentially the whole month, blessing Caleb twice and the rest of us for a week or so. It feels great to have made it to April.

Two Months to Go

As you know, our time with The Navigators is coming to an end this May. With only two months to go we are beginning to tie up things with the ministry and make arrangements for the work at Wartburg and UNI to continue when we move off the payroll. Here are some areas of prayer for us:

1) Please pray for the gospel to advance as it has been doing especially in the last month!

2) We have had some pledges go unfulfilled in 2008 and are going to be cutting our finances close here at the end of the school year. If you are yet to fulfill a pledged amount would you please remember us in April and May? If you are "on schedule", would you be willing to consider giving an additional one time gift? As it stands we will probably need another $1200-$1500. (If you are on a monthly giving plan your last month will be May. There will be more to come on this later!)

3) I have a few interviews in April and some more resumes that are out to potential employers. Would you please pray that the process would go smoothly and that the next job would be a great fit, not only for the bills, but for the family.

4) Our first ultrasound for Jr. #2 is coming up on Monday. So far, things are looking great for a September delivery!

The Krueger's March Madness

March Madness has begun!  This year the term has been coined after looking at our calendar...

Coming live to you from Groton, CT this month's update will hopefully encourage you to pray and stay up to date with our ministry!

Kudos to God for...

- Safe travel here to Connecticut as we visit friends over Wartburg's Winter Break.

- Time with Justin before we left.   I've met with him a few times at the W to shoot hoops & build a relationship.

- The 3 men at UNI who have been meeting weekly with me to study the Book of Philippians.  Last week, we each got up at 6 a.m. to meet with God before getting our days under way.  Most of the days they all convened at Panera to study the Word together.  This is a big answer to prayer!

- The J Team on campus has been a success to date! 20 students are investing their time & money to be intentionally trained in how to make their lives count for the Gospel's advancement.

- The February Men's Retreat made an impact on the lives of many men.  Over 40 guys spent the weekend with us.   The importance of the Word was really hammered home to us.  Our speaker encouraged us "that the Bible will keep us from sin, or sin will keep us from the Bible."  This advice has lit a fire in many students!

 

Please pray for...

- The upcoming spring break ski trip I will be on with students from UNI.  We will be leaving for Winter Park on the 15th  and returning on the 22nd.  Please pray 1) for safety, 2) for deepened relationships among the group and 3) especially that the Gospel will impact lives on the ski slopes as we will be doing evangelism our 3 days at the ski resort.  Please pray that students would grow in boldness and also witness the moving of the Holy Spirit in person.

-ENDURANCE.  We will return from our current family vacation on the 12th of March, Angie will turn a year older on the 13th & then I (Ben) will leave for the Colorado ski trip on the 15th. March 29th we're taking our student leaders on an appreciation getaway (site TBD).  Then we will leave for a 3 day staff retreat in Kansas City on the 31st.

- Clear direction for our next steps.  I have begun the process of discerning what will be happening after our EDGECorps term is up in May.  With the madness that is March, time will be short if something doesn't solidify soon.  We trust that He knows our needs and will provide but I do need to be making solid advancements toward a new position.  Please pray for solid opportunities to come to fruition that we may have some options to choose from.  If you know of any potential employment that you believe may be suitable, please do not hesitate to e-mail or call!

Caleb Tells All

Fun in February

January is gone and my birthday is almost here! In honor of my wife, here is the birthday cake she made me a few years ago...It has my favorite baseball team at the appropriate positions with appropriately numbered Teddy Graham players.
Let's celebrate me with an update of what GOD has done in the last month and what's on deck for February:

Praises From Us!

1) We are free to focus 100% on students the rest of the year! What a great example of God's grace to have all our funds in place to minister as effectively as possible. Thank you so much.
I can, in some small way, relate to Paul's affections towards the Philippians in Phil. Ch. 4. Thank you again.

2) The semester got off to a smooth and FAST start. We have our bible studies back in swing with 3-4 women Monday nights studying the "five assurances" we have in Christ. 3-4 guys on Sundays (or 6:30 a.m. tomorrow...we're building discipline this week!) studying the book of Philippians and a few other men at Wartburg. "The W" opened in the last month and I have been able to get quality time with men there in the last week especially working out and playing basketball.

3) One of my key guys at Wartburg has intentionally started reaching out to another student on his athletic team. He is a reliable man and has begun to teach others!! (2 Timothy 2:2)

Pray For Us!

1) A New Contact!
For development of a deeper relationship with a new student centered around basketball. I met with this one student, a few times last semester and talked about God and his relationship to him. Just today, he agreed to get together and shoot some hoops. Pray that this would be an intentional time that points us to the cross even more than the rim. Please also pray that I would present the gospel in a clear way that IS inviting and doesn't intimidate. We know that the gospel is a stumbling block to many so please pray that I wouldn't be one myself!

2) Men's and Women's Retreats, Feb. 15-17, 2008
We're expecting over 50 students to each for a Friday night - Sunday noon conference. The men will be staying in Cedar Falls with the women making an hour and a half trek south. Please regard these opportunities in prayer, that the men and women would meet God in a unique way with others of same mind and spirit. These retreats can be an eye opening experience to many as God honors his promise of being with us whenever 2 or 3 gather. Please entreat the Holy Spirit to meet us in a unique and decisive way. (Also, pray for quick healing of the bumps and bruises at the men's retreat.)

3) Joshua Team at UNI
"The Joshua Team" will be beginning in February at UNI. I will be a part of the staff leading this intentional discipleship training program. We're designing the curriculum to guide students toward a desire for the lost around them and for making their lives reproduce in others for the advancement of the gospel. These will primarily be 1st and 2nd year students attending so please pray that they will be committed and that the impact from the class will redirect their futures their remaining time on campus but even more so after they leave.

4) Prayer Workshop
Last week, I spoke at NavNight on prayer to 25 students. We looked at what it is, where we should do it and 5 ways to do it. This next week we will examine 4 reasons why we should pray. Please pray that they will have a new passion to meet with God privately and in small groups. Before you get too impressed with me here's where ALL of my material came from.

5) Jeremiah 6:16
While listening to a sermon today I believe God has given me a verse to come back to again and again as we discern what he has for us next. Would you ask for wisdom and guidance and opportunities as we stand at this "crossroads" between the end of our Navigators term and whatever is next?

2008?? Welcome to the Future

Thank you all for your support in 2007, we've had a great start to 2008 and look forward to continuing our progress in New Hampshire...alright, while I have no intention of throwing my name into the ring for November or even making a public endorsement of any candidate I would like to thank you all again so much for a great 2007. Here are some things we're thanking God for in the past year, happenings of the last month and what is ahead in 2008.


The biggest praise for us in 2007 has been seeing God sovereignly orchestrate student's lives so that they would run into us and hear the Gospel. It has been fantastic to see how He genuinely loves us so much that He will use uncommon links to get people in the places they need to be in to hear His message of salvation. I'm thinking specifically of my friend here at Wartburg who is a son of a neighbor of a coworker of someone in our family 110 miles away (yes, that's right). God laid his name on the heart of his neighbor back home to mention him to my mother-in-law who passed this stranger's name on to us. God chose him to be in his family and paved the way for him months in advance and through a half dozen people's lives to hear the Gospel and ultimately accept Jesus in December before winter break. Would you pray for us as we continue meeting and learning what it means to be a believer in Jesus? It boggles my mind to think of, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1) There are many more stories to share and we're trusting Him for more to come!

The above has been a clear highlight of December but in addition to that we have been blessed by the response to our year-end funding push. We began the month needing $6000+ and are now in need of $2800 to fulfill in entirety this year's budget of $54,467. Lord willing, this money will come in in January above and beyond our current monthly support. Then by his grace we will be able to focus 100% on students when they return to campus here next week & in Cedar Falls on the 14th.

Does anyone else feel like they are living in the future? It is 20-08 right? Where are the flying cars? We too feel like this is the future-- we are "veteran" parents now you know. And as "responsible" adults we have some major questions to be answered for our family here in this new year. The foremost of which is whether or not we will continue with The Navigators past June 1st. Our 2 year term with the EDGE corps is up at that date and while we have options available to us with them, we want to make a God-exalting wisdom fueled decision whatever location or new vocation that may lead us into. We would greatly appreciate your prayers in this matter. Any advice, stories of how God has led you through similar times or even opportunities available that you may know of would be GREATLY valued. Please feel free to leave comments on the blog or reply via e-mail.

Giving thanks to Him for His Son and you,
Ben