And to be honest, they're probably right for thinking we're crazy, but we're going to attempt to do it anyways! 

About a year and a half ago, while we were in Cape Town, we decided to direct Cru's summer missions project to Cape Town in 2014.  We are excited about it and we miss Cape Town, but we made the decision before we knew we would be bringing an infant.  Shannon is scheduling a C-Section (3rd C-section baby for us) and so we will know the likely due date for our little baby boy Parker Reid Williams sometime here in the next few weeks.  

But one thing we're sure of, is that Parker will come, and then a month later we will board a plane for a 30 hour trip to Cape Town.  We will have a one month old Parker, our 2 little girls, and over 40 staff and students that I will be directing on a missions trip.  And right now your likely saying to yourself, "You're right Tyler, you are crazy!"  I know, I agree!  

But we are convinced that it's something that the Lord wants us to do, and that we both really want to as well.  This "Summer" Project will be the last Winter (remember when it's Summer here, it's Winter there) that  the students we know in Cape Town will be in school.  Also, we dearly miss our friends in our Cape Town bible study and are excited to be with them for a full month.  And really, when God calls you to do something, isn't it more crazy to say no?  

So on top of all of this craziness, to prepare for this trip I will be taking the 3 other Summer Project directors and a few others over to Cape Town for a week this Spring Break (meaning this Friday) in order to setup housing and confirm other details for the project.  

Don't get me wrong, I am very excited to get back.  It's been a year since my feet were last on African soil.  However, I will be leaving Shannon, our girls, and my unborn man-child here in the States for 10 days, which almost feels like eternity to me right now.  I HATE leaving them for any extended period of time.  At the end of a long day away from them at CSU, the sound of them running into my arms as I step in the door refuels me for another day on campus.  

So please pray for safe travels, for the details of the Summer Project to all be taken care of during this trip, and for God's will to continue to be made known to us.  

It really would be crazy to follow any other plan than His.

Have you ever decided to do something, and you were really committed to it, and excited to get started?  And immediately you got off to a good start and were encouraged with your stick-to-it-ness for the first week or month... but them slowly you dropped off and eventually forgot all about what you had committed to?  

Well... that's sort of how this website has been for me.  I've been so excited at times to have a website that I've built for our family and our ministry... especially since I also do that on occasion for Cru at CSU.  I love the idea of our ministry partners being able see what's going on in our lives more than just once a month.  (If you don't currently get our letters and would like to, let me know!)  And I did an OK job of updating it about once or twice a month at first, but lately it's just become "out of sight, out of mind" and I actually stumbled upon our site today for the first time in a while.  And I do mean stumble upon... in the sense that I actually clicked on 3 consecutive links which brought me to a page that I knew linked to this website and clicked on it to see what was on it!  Sad!  

Well I am hopeful that this is going to change.  Like any recommitment, it isn't shocking that I'm excited on the front end, the question is more about follow through.  However, I'm hopeful because Shannon and I would like to commit to writing on it at least 3 times a month in addition to updating it with our monthly prayer letters.   This is the first of those attempts.  

So with that being said, I feel that it would be sad indeed if you read through all of this entry, and didn't get to hear at least a little update about what's been going on with our lives and in our ministry... so instead of burying it at the bottom of this post when most of you have already stopped reading by now, I'll just create another blog entry next, and you can read that one instead.  

Thanks for visiting the site, and hopefully there will be more reason to come back more often now! :)

This Fall could be one of my favorite semesters of doing ministry ever!  This will be a quick entry, but I want to recap what God has done, so quick might be relative! :)

I have had the honor to get to share my faith often this semester and have seen 4 students trust Jesus for the first time, and have had 2 more say that they would like to re-commit their lives to Jesus and prayed with me to confirm in their own hearts that they have accepted Jesus' death on the cross personally for themselves.  

My weekly freshmen bible study has been a highlight because 3 of the 4 guys who accepted Jesus this Fall have been coming regularly, and the other guy lives in the same dorm, so I've been able to stop by on occasion to check in on him.  His personal hang up right now is that he has lots of doubts and questions, and since he's a VERY intellectual student, he doesn't seem to get along quite as well with the type-a personalities that have started to populate my study.  I'm praying that he'll come back by the end of the year.

We have been studying the life and Character of Jesus through the book of John this fall, and it's been fun to see it come alive in the hearts of my guys.  I think it's had as much life application for me as it has for them... if not more!  Such a rich and fun study, looking at Jesus and trying to become like him.  

One of the guys (Kevin) in our study has invited 5 of our regular attenders to join us, including 1 of the guys who accepted Christ this year.  It's been fun to see Kevin take ownership of our study, and he loves that we have so many guys coming. On occasion I'll hear him say "I bet we have the biggest study on campus, huh!?" to which I'll respond, "Maybe, but we don't need to get caught up with numbers, but instead focus on really meeting with Jesus while we're together... but if we do keep growing, what do you think about helping to lead half of it when we split into 2!?"  He gets a bit nervous, but does consider the challenge!  

It's been a great year, and I'll tell more stories later, but for now, God has been good!