"Sue's Birthday/Women in Campus Ministry"

Today is my wife/Sue's birthday. I have been struck by what a huge part she has been in whatever "success" or just good stuff that happened during our 32 years at Arkansas State University. When we came the secretary quit and she took it on temporarily until we could find the right person. I am not sure where in the 32 years we decided she was the right person. It took me a while to realize that students were watching us to see how marriage worked. As more students came from fractured families, the more this became true. When they were sick, they didn't want to talk to me; they came to see Sue. She would look into their eyes and tell them if they had fever and what they needed to do. A doctor friend of mine said only moms can tell if someone has fever by looking in their eyes. As our ministry began to grow, she didn't just coordinate the Lunch program with churches, she would cook for 200 to 300 students. At our retreats she would do a seminar on cooking and I don't know how many girls have told me that one of her recipes that she showed them how to fix is their "go-to" recipe. I am reminded of when our girls were at home that she would have supper at whatever weird time it worked for us to all eat together and me go back to the campus or cause I just finally got home! On her birthday today I just realize again how God blessed me with her AND how he blessed the BCM ministry at Arkansas State with her. And, it makes me want to say to all the Baptist powers that be....let's not lose the concept of husband and wife teams in college ministry. I know the arguments against it....some feel like it is just a trick to pay him more, etc. But, as families more and more break down, our putting great/ normal marriages in front of university students is more important than ever! Just some of my grateful thoughts on This birthday of Sue who has gotten way more credit than she wanted and way less than she deserved. As she says, one summer when we were dating, she came to see me where I was summer youth minister and she wound up cooking hamburgers for 50 youth for an event...God was trying to tell her something then. Glad she missed that warning!