Welcome to the start of another semester on campus! Our ROC OU students are in the middle of the second week of classes, while Rio students are wrapping up their first week. It’s been a little crazy on both campuses with Covid numbers moving upward and southeastern Ohio weather wreaking havoc, but we are glad to be back again for the start of a new semester.
Even though things are really just getting started on both campuses, the ROC community has been pretty busy! This past weekend students from both Rio and OU came together to build a wheelchair ramp for a community member in Middleport. It was a cold day, but it didn’t dampen spirits, and the ramp turned out great… thanks in large part to my friend Chris Blank who oversaw the project!
Another exciting event within the community is the arrival of our spring intern Josh Beck! You got to read about Josh in our November update. He arrived early last week and got moved in to the “youth house” belonging to the Middleport Church of Christ. We are grateful to MCC for making this opportunity available to Josh as it allows him to live right between both ROC campuses. It’s also an incredible blessing to ROC to be able to offer Josh housing while he serves our community and students.
I know it’s weird to be talking about Spring Break only just a week or two into a new semester, but March will be here before you know it! The ROC community is excited to be taking this opportunity to return to Piedras Negras, Mexico where we will be partnering again with Crossroads Missions. We currently have a group of 13 who will be serving there March 5-11th. We would love to have you join with us in praying for this trip, our team, and the work that we will be doing there.
Speaking of Piedras Negras, this month you’ll have the opportunity to read about a student that I’m pretty fond of. His name is Trey Vaughan. Yes, Trey is my son. I thought it would be an interesting perspective to hear about how his life has been shaped by growing up in and around the ROC community. He recently wrapped up his senior year (taking College Credit Plus classes at Rio in order to graduate early), and has some exciting plans for the future.
As always, I appreciate each and every one of you who love and support our students through your prayers, words of encouragement, and financial partnership. I pray that you are also blessed through stories about what your support is accomplishing.
Blessings,
-Dodger