Full Satisfaction Through Gaining Christ
After several months of prevailing loneliness, there was much excitement leading into the summer of 2021! 74 students from Minneapolis and St. Louis committed their summer to learning and growing their relationship with the Lord alongside each other.
For eight weeks, the students lived, worked, and participated together in a deep study of the Gospel and Christian life. At the beginning of June, students and staff journeyed from the midwest down to the east coast in the Myrtle Beach area.
As we studied Philippians throughout our time together. Our theme for the summer was “Gain,” which came from Philippians 3:7-8, which says, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” Throughout the summer, this theme of gaining Christ was woven into the content of our training and Bible studies and infiltrated our hearts and minds. “All I want is to lose everything and gain Christ,” said one student as she processed her desire to treasure Jesus above all else.
Throughout the summer, we learned that the gain of Christ far outweighs the loss of anything this world may offer. “I will never be fully satisfied in this lifetime, so why try to fulfill that with anything other than Jesus?” We thank God for revealing this truth in the lives of students and we pray that the Lord would continue to transform their hearts and lives alongside those whom they come in contact with throughout college and their adult lives.
Brent Van Beusekom and Alyssa Olson
Summer Training Project Directors