Christ Community Church

Prayer Team Letter

November 29, 2004

Each week we focus on one missionary in prayer. This week our focus in on:

Campus Outreach Charleston

Rupert & Lisa Leary

            God has given us our most fruitful ministry so far this semester since our arrival! We have been blown away by how many students have come to know Christ personally so far this year. We have seen over 50 students come to Christ with a full month left in the semester. My prayer before the semester started was that God would give us 50 conversions, so with a month left, we hope to see another 10-15. We have full time staff at each campus (the Citadel, College of Charleston, Charleston Southern University, and Francis Marion University) laboring anywhere from 50-60 hours a week on campus. God has blessed me with a great team of staff who love the Lord and who love students. My primary role is to shepherd and lead the staff teams. I do teach the college Sunday School class weekly at our church and this gives me great time and interaction around the students. We have anywhere from 150 to 225 students that attend each week. I also try to get on campus at least once or twice a week. I am not currently leading any small group Bible studies but may pursue leading one next semester.

            So much has happened since our last update that it’s hard to find a starting place. Hopefully, you are all aware that we had our 3rd baby boy (Blake Hampton Leary) on Jan. 7th of this year! Blake has been a very pleasant addition to an already busy bunch. Payton & Jordan have a great time loving on him and “welcoming him to boyhood”. We have learned so much by being parents. God often reminds us of how much He loves us by the love we have for our children. Can it really be that God loves us as much and even more than we love our children? That’s hard to believe! The Bible is very expressively written as God’s love letter to His beloved children.

            Payton is 4 years old, full of energy, and loves to play sports. This Fall he started a pre-kindergarten class at our church that meets 3 days a week from 9am-12:30pm and he loves it! The school is connected to East Cooper Baptist Church and offers a quality Christian environment that we have been very pleased with. Payton will turn 5 in February.

            Jordan recently turned 2 and he is a character to say the least! At this point, he has absolutely no interest in sports, but loves books and cars. He says a few words but mostly speaks sort-of a “Jordanese” language right now and he is very expressive! He is usually very gentle with his younger brother, although does offer an occasional “reminder” of who’s bigger!

            Blake is 10 months old now and loves his big brothers. He isn’t walking yet, but doesn’t have any problems getting around. Blake definitely looks most like Lisa and is just adorable! It’s still too early to tell about Blake’s interest and temperaments, but for now he loves following around his big brothers!

            Lisa & I are doing well, although it’s harder and harder to prioritize time with one another over the kids. We do have access to a plethora of babysitters which is definitely a blessing, but still challenging to find the energy sometimes to pull away together. We really want our home to be Christ-centered, then couple-centered, rather than children-centered. Lisa is a great helpmate for me and the greatest mom ever! She also is a great support and encourager to me.

            Lisa & I again want to express our deepest appreciation of your generosity and faithfulness. I told someone recently that I was so thankful that your faithfulness was not dependent on our visits and contact with you. We have definitely been slowed with having boy #3 and do not travel nearly as often as we used to. Please know that God is using you to impact our country’s future leaders– students on the college campus.

Rupert & Lisa Leary
Campus Outreach  - Charleston

Hey guys, today (April 21st) marks my 4 year anniversary of my cancer diagnosis!  I will never forget that day…the day when Lisa and I had our whole world rocked and forever changed!  God used that diagnosis to do so many things "in me" that I am still learning about today.  So many of His purposes that were very cloudy initially, have become so much clearer to me today.  I have really seen and believe wholeheartedly, that He loves me tremendously and it is because He loves me, that He would allow cancer.  Guys, this isn't a nice little cliché that I recite from a Sunday school lesson.  CS Lewis, says, that "pain is God's megaphone" and I am convinced that suffering is necessary means of grace for God's children to experience Christ and the true joy of sharing in His sufferings. 

Where am I today on suffering?  I hate suffering.  I fear having to suffer.  I don't want to suffer and I don't want my family or friends to suffer.  At times, I long to be at home where there will be no more suffering, ever again.  But at the same time, suffering clears my communication lines which enables me to enjoy greater intimacy and communion with my Heavenly Father, who is my ONLY life source!!  Without communion and communication with Him, I would live a vain and miserable life.  So, I'm left with the conclusion that suffering is both good and necessary, not only for His glory, BUT ALSO FOR MY GOOD and MY PLEASURE! 

For the 1st year after my diagnosis, I couldn't attend a worship service without tears of joy and hope streaming down my face as I listened to the word of God preached and as I heard it sung!  It almost felt like an "Isaiah like" encounter every Sunday, where I was so broken and so humbled that all I could think about was how glorious God is and how merciful He has been on me, an arrogant sinner.  There were countless Sunday mornings where I wept like a baby, much like I am this moment, as I recount these very difficult days in my life.    I remember fighting back the tears because I didn't want to draw attention from those sitting around me.  My heart and mind was so warmed to the heart and voice of God, that I was very easily ushered into His presence and it gave me indescribable joy and overwhelming peace, not only that HE was still on His throne hurting for me & with me, but that He offered His grace & strength to carry me through this, even if His will was to bring me home early!  I'm ashamed to say, that today, 4yrs later, I can now sit in a worship service with a very calloused and easily distracted heart, quenching the quite whisper of the Holy Spirit.  I see clearly that my default mode is to drift toward a preoccupation with temporal concerns that distract me from intimate encounters offered at the throne of Christ.  In the end, I need suffering and trials for the strengthening of my faith as well as for God's advancement of His kingdom through my life, which is why I exist to begin with.          
Incidentally, I have a colonoscopy scheduled for this Friday, the 23rd, with Dr. Rustin, my surgeon.  I'm sure I will be nervous about this, and I know Lisa is, so please remember to pray for us.  To remind you, most doctors believe that after 5 years, colon cancer almost never returns.  I know, though that the "cancer cloud" will hover over me and my family for the rest of our lives.  In one very honest sense, I am thankful for this, to keep me mindful of my utter dependence on Him for life and health.  Living with this reality also reminds me of the importance of relationships that He has given me here today, with both family and friends.  I want to fight against taking these for granted and thus robbing myself of greater encouragement and enjoyment offered in authentic relationships within the body of Christ.      

Thanks for walking with us in this and for your prayers & encouragement.  God is good.

- Rupert