Written by Dr. Thomas White, President of Cedarville University
The Transformed Tour — as exhausting as it was exhilarating.
Words simply cannot describe the times of worship, the conversations, waking up in a different state almost every day, seeing the smiling faces of transformed lives, and experiencing the joy of meeting fellow believers.
In this final blog post, I want to reiterate something Dr. Smallwood said in an earlier post: What you do matters.
Our mission statement says, “Cedarville University transforms lives through excellent education and intentional discipleship in submission to biblical authority.”
I can confirm the accuracy of this statement. I have listened as alumni shared with me how their life was transformed during their 1,000 days at Cedarville. In New Jersey, I heard an alumnus talking about Dr. Anderson and how he prayed with him about his father. Seeing this former student after some years, Dr. Anderson asked him how his father was doing. Dr. Anderson cared for this student enough to pray with him and then remembered and asked about his father. Dr. Anderson represents just one of many faculty members who care that deeply for students, and this alumnus represents just one of many students whose life were changed at Cedarville.
Dear friends, what we do matters. The times of prayer, the conversations, the classroom instruction, the meals together, the counseling sessions, a listening ear, and the care you show matters. These acts of service truly transform lives.
I wish I had the space to tell of all we heard but let me summarize it by saying that while your 1,000 days with these students may go by quickly, your impact will last for eternity.
Second, I want to say thank you to the team who made this trip so special. Sixteen of us traveled 10,000 miles, and I don’t recall a single moment where we didn’t get along well. With as little sleep as we had, that’s saying something. Rah and Kaileigh kept up with all the details. Chris made the media happen. Ari answered a wide variety of Admissions questions. The HeartSong team served and led us in worship well. Dan Gordon, our RV driver, was amazing. Samuel, my son, commented on the last day that Dan felt like part of the family. I don’t know how he managed to drive that many miles, help unload, serve with a smile, and then attend many events to worship our Lord. I was impressed, to say the least.
This team genuinely loves the Lord and loves worshipping Him. Seeing them read their Bibles in the morning “before breakfast” when no one was watching, hearing them sing with passion when no audience was around, and listening to their prayers for a genuine movement of God encouraged and impacted me. They were “Amazing!”
And so are you.
The reason Cedarville is such a special place is the work that God is doing, but it is also the people that God has called to serve in these cornfields. This summer, I had the privilege to spend a lot of time with some special people. But I have no doubt that the stories I heard from alumni, students, and parents only happen because there are so many special people serving King Jesus in these cornfields. I certainly don’t deserve the opportunity to serve in such a special place, but I am thankful for it.
I consider it an honor to serve King Jesus alongside you, and I hope you will join me in praying that God will continue to transform lives and send an even greater revival to these cornfields that we call home. Let’s be bold as we stand together for the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ.
The Transformed Tour may be over, but the work of transforming lives never ends.
Tags: Cedarville, Chicago, Denver, Des Moines, Grand Rapids, HeartSong, Transformed Tour
Posted in: General