Why NSO took over my life (and why I'm glad it did!)

You know that sense of relief, exhaustion, and jubilation you feel right after you run a marathon? I don't since I've never actually run a marathon, but I imagine it's sort of like how I feel now after New Student Outreach (NSO). For those of you not familiar with InterVarsity lingo, NSO is Intervarsity's full court press during the first 4 weeks of school wherein we put on weekly off campus events, on campus out reach and engagement, attend our regional conference in LA with students, and launched both our 7 small groups and our weekly meeting Encounter. NSO is a lot like a marathon, months of prep and training before, mentally preparing yourself for the long haul, and the feeling of joy at seeing what God has accomplished through our efforts. Here are the highlights of just some of the many things God did in just 4 weeks on campus- in photo/video form!

Leadership Retreat

(3 not pictured because they missed the photo shoot, but we love them anyway!) 

Even before the start of the year and NSO, the 27 student leaders and 3 staff spent the weekend together praying, preparing, and playing at our annual Leadership retreat!

Ignite

Two years ago, USD brought 3 students to Ignite (our regional "kick off" conference in LA); this year, we brought 3 ROWS of students!!! They, along with 500 other students from campuses all across southern California, had a day filled with speakers, training, fellowship, and worship! Watch the video below for a snapshot of the awesome time students had in connecting to God through song.

Alcala Bazaar

USD's yearly campus wide student orgs fair, the "Alcala Bazaar", brought over 200 students to our booth, signing up for community groups and introducing the new students to who we are!

Night on the Town

19 teams made up of 104 students raced around San Diego in our traditional city wide photo/video scavenger hunt! Among the 19 stops, a thrift store fashion show, seranding strangers downtown, and a lightsaber battle. With a dinner at The Cheesecake Factory for the winning team at stake, teams went above and beyond with their submissions, we gathered the best of the best for the Hall of Fame 2013, check it out and be amazed!

NSO Events

Night on the Town was just the start to the NSO madness! Other events included laser tag, camping, guys/girls night, and more!

Encounter

Every Thursday night we host Encounter, a time of fellowship and response- complete with student led worship and staff speaking on life with God in college and beyond. In just the first 4 weeks, 14 students made decisions to follow Jesus! Encounter is what I was in charge of as a student, and have the priveledge of working on as staff. With 90+ students attending each week, it's amazing to see the growth God's given us!

Greek InterVarsity

One of my favorite parts of my job is being able to oversee the (re)plant of Greek InterVarsity on USD's campus! Though I myself didn't rush, I am SO excited to come along side Greek students as they figure out together what it means to be both a Christian and Greek at USD! Pictured above is our very first Greek "Happy Hour"- where we students prayed for their brothers and sisters in Greek life!