Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed and you are walking in the Light as He is in the Light. I had a good day at school and Sam prayed with me to receive Christ.  Please pray for her. Her story is below if ya have some time.

Sam was sitting in the lounge on the first floor of the BIC the last NW corner lounge where a left takes ya north to the Bookstore and straight ahead takes ya west to the Cafeteria. She had about 4 inches of once dyed blonde hair pulled back flat on top of her head and into a pony tail. She wore an oversized lumberjack plaid shirt mostly white with grey and tan checks and black leggings. I asked her if she wanted to do a student survey and she said, “If it will help you out, sure.” I said it would, not adding aloud but thinking in my head I hadn’t gotten anyone to talk to me all day (except one Muslim guy, Elhaji, who took Bible Promises for You from me). She had a cute oval face and said she was a mom and had a fiancé, she asked for some guidance for a religious local preschool for her little girl Athena. So it would seem she was older but she looked 18. She mentioned her fiancé John. When I asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven she said, “I think that I’ve been very generous with my life and I’ve gone out of my way to put others needs before my own.” I said, “There is a Bible verse that says let each of you consider one another as more important than themselves.” And she liked that. She thought she had an 80% chance of going to Heaven when she died. She’d gone to kind of a “Techie” church when she was younger. “The kind with a rock band in front?” I asked. “Yeah,” she replied. “I’ve seen those,” I said. I began to go through the Gospel with her and she tracked with expressions of interest. When I asked her what Jesus had done to take away her sins she knew Jesus had died. I offered her two lives after finishing the Gospel message of the Blood and righteousness of Christ and salvation by faith. “Would you want to be forgiven with God inside trusting in Jesus or do you think something else,” and I described superficially other religious options. “The first one,” she said. So I said there was a Prayer she could pray to be forgiven and I talked her through it and asked if it was the desire of her heart she could pray it silently and only God would hear. “Wanna do it?” I asked. “Yeah,” she said in an upbeat tone. She took the booklet then and prayed to receive Jesus. When she finished she sat holding the booklet and said, “Thank you.” I said, “You’re welcome.” And I explained the Christian life living “inside out” I gave her Bible Promises for You writing her name and the Date and “forgiven!” in the front and gave her a Bible study.  Got her daughter and fiancé’s names, then said I would keep them in my prayers when I prayed for her. I encouraged her she could ask the same question I had and explain what I had to her fiancé and she thought she would. I got up to go and she said, “Thanks you so much.” And I headed out. Then I turned back real quick to say one more thing, that if she was trusting in the righteousness of Jesus to be her righteousness the likelihood she would go to Heaven was 100%. She smiled and said sincerely “OK thanks.” And I headed out.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance, God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope ya had a great day walking with the Lord. Brooke and Rafel prayed with me to receive Jesus today. I’d be grateful for your prayers for them if you have a moment that they might grow stronger in the faith. Their stories are below if you have extra time today.

They got rid of the mask requirement at school today and a few kids said hi to me who I did not recognize only to realize I had never seen their faces before. I’ve always worn a face shield so students could see my face.

 Brooke was sitting in the lounge on the second floor of the science buildings that overlook the big lounge below from the SW corner. She had on a grey sweatshirt with black leggings. She had long brown hair, stick straight past her shoulders, very long white polished nails, full lips, no make-up and a country girl pretty smile. She was against the wall in a couch chair so I sat at her feet and did a student survey. She came from a Lutheran background and when I asked her what she would say to God if asked why He should let her into Heaven she said, “’Cause I have served you my whole life.” She thought she had a 50/50 chance of going to Heaven. I began to go through the Gospel with her and she tuned right in. I said God had to take away her sin so He could live inside her and asked her what Jesus had done to take away her sin and she didn’t seem to remember what He had done to take away her sins from church. So I explained how His blood and righteousness saved her and she followed along and said, “Yeah,” agreeing with the atonement. I explained she needed to receive Jesus as savoir by faith and that her works did not save her. I asked her if she wanted to be forgiven for her sins or thought something else explaining the way the Buddha sought enlightenment and not God, then how Islam differed in the way they thought of God and so had a different God who did not live inside you. I asked again then if she would want to be forgiven and she said something like “Oh that yeah.” I said there was a prayer she could pray to receive God’s forgiveness and walked her through it. I asked then if it was the desire of her heart ”Yeah,” she said nodding. So I asked if she would like to pray right then, “I wouldn’t hear you but God would hear and you would know you were forgiven.” “Umm Humm,” she said and took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I said she could keep it and explained living the Christian life “Inside Out”. She had a Bible and I gave her Bible Promises for You writing her name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front and she thanked me. I gave her a Bible Study on the Deity of  Christ. I explained now trusting in the righteousness of Jesus to her credit the likelihood she would go to Heaven was 100%. I explained then How God got paid for all the imperfect things we had done that we owed him something perfect for and that this payment for damages was what our system of law was based on and that is why it sounds familiar. She liked that. She thanked me again and I said if I saw her around I’d just say “hi” and otherwise I would see her in Heaven and I got up and headed out.

Rafel was sitting by some vending machine in the first floor of the BIC on the North side. The lounge he was in connects to a hallway with skylights to the roof. He had a pencil thick mustache and a tiny soul patch. The underside of his chin had a beard he was working smaller than the palm of his hand. He had stick straight hair an inch and a half high cut very short on the sides. He had a long oval face and wore a black hoodie and gray nylon pants. I asked if he wanted to do a student survey before getting his name and he asked me if I was with another group. I talked small talk to him and said, “The big question is; ‘You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus, so you’re dead and you stand before God and He says, Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” He talked about faith and trying to do good but landed on, “How much faith you have in Him. That’s what will get you into Heaven.” I said, “Christianity is like a blood transfusion, where God wants to live inside you with His Holy Spirit, transfuse His life into you but first He has to make you His type and take away your sin.” I asked him what Jesus had done to take away his sin but he could not think of anything. So I began to explain the Gospel to him and show him some verses and write others down using part of the booklet. I asked him too if he would want to be forgiven with God inside when I had finished the Gospel. He looked up tilting his head back a bit and finally said, “I just don’t know that God would forgive me, why would He?” I referred him back to what I had said about the blood and righteousness of Jesus to his credit. “Because of His righteousness,” he said realizing “Some people are Just worth more,” I said. “If we kidnap Donald Trump we could get a lot of money but if we kidnap me not so much.” He grinned and laughed. . I said, “Jesus righteousness was worth an infinite amount because He was God so His blood can pay for everyone.” I asked again if He would want to be forgiven. “Ok then, be forgiven,” he replied. I said there was a prayer he could pray then and I offered it to him explaining what it said and asking if it was the desire of his heart. He said, “Yes.” I said he could pray it right then and he nodded and took the booklet and I looked down, when he crossed himself seeing his hands move I looked up. I began to explain living “Inside out” by the Holy Spirit transforming him on the inside. He explained then that the example I had used where he’d broken up with a fictitious girl who had cheated on him and stole his stuff for drug money, then she says after he breaks it off with her that she’d be nice to her next 3 boyfriends to make it up to him. He said it had happened to him. He said he’d really cared for a girl who was now in rehab who had cheated on him a couple time and he forgave her. (The lesson was you can’t do good things for someone to make up for the bad things you have done to someone else. But he had cared for her so he hoped she would be better.) The girl had almost got him kicked out of school so he had to break it off. He got an A in a class that pulled up his GPA for a D in another one bailing him out. Then he said he found his faith (though he’d not understood it 10 minutes before I walked up) . To him it was doing good staying on the right track but now he was forgiven. I said I thought God had really helped him keeping him in School or he might have gone back to her and he agreed. I explained a symbolic view of the Mass saying when he took it he could just say “Thank You” as it commemorated Jesus had died for him and so he was forgiven. I gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front and gave him a Bible study on the Deity of Christ. He thanked me and I headed out.

So thanks for your prayer for evangelism and ministry today if you had a chance. God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope ya had a great day walking with the Lord. I had a good day on campus and Gloria prayed with me to receive Christ. Though she had had a bad experience with Church. I gave The Case for Christianity Answer Booklet to a Muslim guy Mirza after going through the Gospel. He had half round glasses and a beard and was in the Science Building hall just sitting and thinking. His mother had converted to Islam to marry his father but his father had recently died. He was interested in finding out what other religions taught so maybe the Spirit will use our time together as a seed. Nice guy. Gloria’s story is below if ya have the time. I would be grateful for your prayers for them.

Gloria was sitting in the cafeteria were we have Bible study eating come lunch. She has long brown hair dyed deep red for several inches on the ends. She wore black jeans and a black jacket. She had pale blue eyes and sort of a round face and was very pretty. She had an interesting story in as much as her parent were not religious at all but had paid for her to go on a Church retreat with a church in Naperville when she was in the 6^th grade. She had wanted to go because some of her friends at school were going. But then all the girls treated her badly isolating her from the 2 clicks of girls on the trip to a water park and making her sleep on a couch. She had hated the experience and felt bad her parents had spent the money. Other than that she’d had no experience with Church. Given that I was glad the Spirit moved her heart to listen. When I asked her what she would say to God if she died and was asked why He should let her into Heaven she said, “I’ve been a good person, didn’t kill anyone.” “Not yet anyway,” I joked. “Well I don’t have any plans,” she replied. I asked her the likelihood she would go to Heaven. “You mean if it exists?” she said. I explained to her what Heaven was, not just a place but the presence of God who was loving. I asked if she would want to be there with him. And she thought and said, “100%”. She listened attentively to the Gospel and what Christ had done to her and His Righteousness that was to her credit. I asked her if she would want to be forgiven for her sins and she said “Yes.” So I asked, “Do you believe Jesus is God he died for your sins and rose from the dead. She met my eyes and said, “Yes.” I said, “I could introduce you to the perfect man and you could decide to marry him but it would be kind of a problem if you did not think he exists.” She nodded, “Yeah.” understanding the analogy. I said if she would want to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and I talked her through it and said, “It says here is this prayer the desire of your heart. She said, “Yes.” So I said she could pray it quietly now and know she was forgiven. She prayed then to receive Jesus. I explained living the Christian life, “Inside out” asking for God’s help in everything saying again that He loved her. “It says in James 4 you do not have ‘cause you do not ask. So just ask.” She had her own Bible. I gave her the Book Bible Promises for You writing her name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front and gave her a Bible study on the Deity of Christ. I asked her the story of what had happened on the retreat and she then told me and I said I was sorry that had happened to her. “That’s OK I’m over it by now,” she replied. So I’ll pray that’s true. Things that happen to us as kids can carry a long time. I encouraged her to not let the bad people get her down or get in the way of her life with God. She thanked me as I left. I told her I would be praying for her until a year from spring. I dropped back and gave her Strobel’s The Case for Christianity Answer Booklet saying there might be some stuff he had said she would like.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance. God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed and filled with the Spirit’s power. I had a good day on campus though our Bible Study failed to materialize. Carlos and Jalen and each prayed with me to receive Christ today. Please pray for them to be blessed and grow in their faith if you have a moment. If you got the time, their stories are below. Jalen questions were interesting.

Carlos was sitting in a lounge that connects to some natural light skylights in a hall with offices. I walked through from one direction off the hall and asked one student who said no passing a table where Carlos and a friend were sitting. He looked at me slowly as I walked out the other side of the lounge. I knew God was telling me to go ask him. So in spite of the fact that ya feel stupid walking back to someone you just passed, I did and he agreed. His friend was doing homework and he said we could split off to another table but his friend said it wouldn’t bother him so we stayed. He had a curly mop of hair and a finger width mustache, a curly beard a half inch off his cheeks that looked ungroomed liked he’d been camping 3 weeks and hadn’t shaved yet. He said he was Orthodox and I came to find out later he was Egyptian Orthodox. He had a hoodie with blue sleeves and a red torso on and dark blue runners sweats. He said he wanted to “find true happiness”. When I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven he said, “I’ve always believed unto you.” Then after pausing he said, “I’d ask for forgiveness too.” He thought he had a 60% chance of going to heaven saying, “I’m sure I’m on the better side.” (Meaning over 60%.) He had his arms crossed as we went through the gospel but got more comfortable. When I asked him what Jesus had done to take away his sins he nodded “yes” in the way students will if they don’t know what to answer. So I just said, “This is how it works.” I explained the Gospel how God is paid for what we owe Him by the sacrifice of the perfect life of Christ. I explained the inherited righteousness of Christ and that by faith he could receive Christ and be saved. I asked him if he wanted to be forgiven for his sins trusting in Christ to be forgiven or thought something else and he said, “Yeah,” and he pointed to that circle. I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray and walked him through it saying, “It says here is this prayer the desire of your heart?” He nodded so I said he could pray it silently and only God would here. His friend was engulfed in his homework, I don’t think he had heard anything we’d said. He took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I explained the Christian life to him, the fruit of the Spirit and then living “inside out”. I gave him Bible Promises for You and a Bible study. Saying he could read a few of the short topics or find more on line I gave him The Case for Christianity Answer Booklet. I told him I would keep him in my prayers until a year from Spring and he said he’d pray for me and I thanked him and stood up to leave. “Thank you. You really helped me a lot,” he said. And I said, “You’re welcome,” and headed out.

I went basically down the main hall and around the corner and was going to head to the PE lounge through the tunnel but felt nudged to go right into another lounge with more vending machines on the other side of the BIC from the one I was just in. There were a couple tables there so I thought I would check. Jalen was sitting at one with a ball cap on turned backwards and a full black cowl, showing only an oval around his eyes. He is African American, he had modest, classic black features he showed me as I left, a finger thick mustache, good looking guy, was wearing white zip up nylon hoodie with black trim. He hoped to try out for the football team in May. He wanted to know how long it would take. I can get through the gospel and a survey in 5-7 minutes but he began asking me questions and it took near an hour. I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven and he said, “’Cause I’m a child of Him. I repented of all my sins. I look to Him to live a happy peaceful holy life. I asked him the likelihood he would get into Heaven and he said, “100% if I keep doing what I’m doing, if I treat people right… as I keep doing these kind of things why shouldn’t I [get in].” I began to go through the Gospel with him and he did not know what Jesus had done to take away his sins. He asked me questions as I went through and explained God became a man. “Jesus is God?” he asked and I explained a Trinitarian idea by analogy, saying He was. He asked if his mom died if she would be able to communicate with him from Heaven, guide him. I said once she was there she would be so convinced God was helping and guiding him that she wouldn’t try to get a word in, though here it was her job. “But if she dies you could ask God to tell her hi.” He seemed to have dialogued some in Chicago (where he was from) with the “Black Israelites” and I explained why they were wrong and that they could not prove they were genetically related to the Jews. They say they keep the Old Testament Law. I explained how an internal combustion car worked and said they were starting a fire on the Sabbath when they drove to Church, which breaks the Sabbath law. I was certain they had never thought of that and he thought that was amusing. I explained Jesus was our Sabbath rest (Hebrews 4) and we are the temple of God. So every day is the Sabbath rest for us in Christ so it did not matter that people did not go to worship on Saturday as the Jews had done.  I went through the Gospel with him explaining the Blood and Righteousness of God to save him, how God was paid by the death of Christ. I asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done or thought something else speaking about what Islam said about God and that they had a different God. “So there is more than one God?” He asked. I said no “their god is a false god.” He later asked about Allah and I explained some more obvious errors in the Quran. “Would you want to be forgiven for your sins trusting in Jesus,” I asked. “For sure,” he said. So I said then there was a prayer he could pray. “It says here is this prayer the desire of your heart, so if it is you could pray it silently and God would hear.” “Yeah for sure,” he replied. He took the booklet and prayed to receive Christ. “I appreciate it.” He said. I explained the Christian life living “inside out”. More questions came. I missed the first part of one and only heard “black or white?” I asked him to repeat what had been garbled through his mask and he asked what color I thought Jesus was black or white. I thought he was probably “caramel colored,” I replied. And he gave me a look that showed he did not know what I meant. I said He would have been brown skinned like Arabs unlike the Jewish people who were in the Holy Land today who were primarily lighter having come from a group that converted to Christianity in Europe. “But Jesus walked everywhere in the sun and got really tan” I said. I pointed out that I, being Swedish, really only got kind of reddish brown, not anything like a nice tan and he laughed. “So if you are only giving me two options I would say he was closer to your color than mine,” I finished. Jalen wasn’t as dark as some guys. Later after we had talked more he said that (color question) was a test question to see if I was legit and he could trust what I was saying. If I had said Jesus was a white guy I guess he would have rejected the rest of the message so I am glad I did not make that mistake. Interesting test I thought. I said some of the European painting might have reflected the fact that the painters only knew European Jews who were no darker than they were. He asked who had written the Bible and I gave him a Rose Pamphlet “Why Trust the Bible”. I gave him a Bible and showed him the “Where to Turn” section and the Messianic passages section. I gave him ad Bible Study on the Deity of Christ and Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “Forgiven! in the front as I had in the book. I explained now trusting in the righteousness of Jesus the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100%.  “I appreciated it,” he said again as I got up to go. And I shook his hand and said, “Thanks for being cool to me.” “For sure,” he replied and I headed out.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance. God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope you day was blessed with all good things from God our Father. I had a good day on campus  and Alekander and Solomon received Jesus as their Savior today. Please pray they grow in their faith. If you want to take the time their stories are below. 19 students have trusted Christ so far this school year since the fall.

  Alekander was sitting in the SW corner lounge on the ground floor of the science buildings. He had a gray hoodie on and dark, thick, strawberry blonde hair swept up Clark Kent style parted on the right very short on the sides, wore half round glasses. He came from a Polish family that was Catholic. He was educated on the history of Poland and their conflicts. He talked about doing Easter vigils where he dressed up as a soldier guarding the tomb and stayed up all night. When I asked him what he would say to God if he died and God asked why He should let him into Heaven he said, “I have always tried to adhere to the teachings. I’m obviously not perfect. I feel the message of the Gospel very endearing and good to spread.” He thought he had a 40-50% chance of going to Heaven saying he had not lived a “super sinful life”. I began to go through the Gospel with him and he listened closely. I asked him what Jesus had done to take away his sins and he guessed, “repent”. I said, “Well yes you repent and this is why God can forgive you when you repent.” I went on to explain the blood of Christ cleansing him from sin and I mentioned this was symbolized in the Mass and said, “The wine.” “Is His blood,” he finished “and the bread His body”.” “Right,” I said. So it is commemorating what Jesus has done so you know you are forgiven, so in taking it you can just say, “Thank You.” I explained the Righteousness of God Christ earns by perfectly fulfilling the OT Law and how God is paid for the perfect things we owe Him by the sacrificial death of the perfect life of Christ. I explained receiving this by faith and asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done for him where God could live inside him. “I would trust in Jesus,” he replied. So I said there was a prayer he could pray and said if he wanted he could pray it and know he was forgiven. “As in pray right now?” he asked. I said yeah and he took the booklet and I said just pretend I’m not here.” “Of course,” he replied. He crossed himself to begin and prayed then to receive the Lord’s forgiveness. I explained the Christian life living “inside out.” I said if he wanted to receive it he could know that the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100%. “Because how righteous is Jesus 100% righteous.” “And His righteousness is worth and infinite amount.,” he finished for me. And I agreed saying there was enough righteousness to cover us both, though being old I had done a lot more to be forgiven for than he had. I gave him a copy of Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I also gave him a Bible Study on the Deity of Jesus. We talked some more about his thoughts about Poland and the Muslim immigration problem there. He thanked me and I told him I would pray for him each night through Spring and then one year after. He said he would keep me in his prayers too and I headed out of the lounge and up to the second floor.

Solomon was from Ghana and had a slight accent and sitting in some chairs outside the Book Store at school. He had a truckers hat on turned backwards. He was eating and asked if he could continue I said sure grateful to see his face. He had a sharp nose that flattened out a bit with a mustache the mask covering his chin. He had a slight build and wore a faded jean jacket with characters pained up the sleeves. When I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven he said, “I would say I believe in you and I believe in His son Jesus Christ.” In spite of saying this he thought he had a 40% chance of going to Heaven. As I went through the Gospel he knew Jesus had died to take away our sins. I asked him as I finished if he would want to trust in what Jesus had done to be forgiven and he said he would. I walked him through the prayer and he said he liked to say his prayers at night. So I asked if he was now trusting in Jesus to be forgiven he said he was. So I explained living the Christian life “inside out” being transformed o the inside and then by that power of the Spirit doing good things on the outside. I explained that if he would trust in Jesus righteousness to be his righteousness the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100%. I gave him Bible Promises for You, which he liked writing his name and the Date and “forgiven!” on the inside. I also gave him a Bible study on the Deity of Jesus. He thanked me. I said so let me ask you again, “You are walking down the road and you get hit by a bus so you are dead and you stand before God and He says why should I let you into Heaven what would you say?” “Because Jesus came down to die.” He replied. “And now you are trusting in that?” I asked and he agreed and he thanked me. And I headed out.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance. God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope ya had a great day today walking with the Lord in His strength. I was tired from being sick with a nasty headache all day yesterday. But I had a good day on campus and Jerry, Caleb, Elona & Corey each prayed with me to receive Jesus today. Thanks for your help in prayer. If you have a moment, please pray they are blessed in their new faith. Their stories are below if you have the time.

 Jerry was sitting across from a girl with an orange afro in the PE lounge and I asked them if they would do a student survey for a Bible study group. He said he would and she kept studying. He was a very big black dude (turned out he played offensive line). He had a beard and finger thick dreadlocks that came down to his chin. Good looking guy with classic black features and coloring. He wore red and black flannel lounge pants and a black hoodie. When I asked him one thing he would want to do before he died he said, “I would say find God, but I already found God.” I asked if there was anything else and he said, “I don’t know to be honest.”  I asked what he would say to God if he died and God asked him, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” He said, “I lived by Him, read, prayed… relationship with Him.” He thought he had an 80% chance of going to Heaven. I went on to explain the Gospel to him and said God wanted to know and live inside him. So I asked “What happened that took away your sin?” He could not think of anything so I added, “That Jesus did?” He said, “Repent?” I said, “Well, that’s true, but this is how it works.” So I went on to explain the perfect life of Christ and His sacrifice that cleansed him and the Righteousness of God earned by Christ that was to his credit.” He listened closely, even though another big black guy walked up and said hi and was talking to the orange-headed girl and sat down across from me. I asked Jerry as I finished if he would want to be forgiven for his sins, with God living inside him, or thought something else. Then looking at him I said again, “Would you want to be forgiven for your sins trusting in what Jesus has done?” He nodded and said, “Yeah.” So I said there was a prayer he could pray and I talked him through it clearly and asked if it was the desire of his heart and he said “Yeah,” again in what came out as kind of a low rumble, looking at the booklet. I asked if he would want to pray it, he said, “I prayed it already reading.” “Ok I said. I explained to him then that the Christian life was lived “Inside Out” by the power of God’s transformation making him a good man, by His Spirit, who did good things. I gave him a copy of Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “Forgiven!” on the inside. The guy across from me said something about it being time to leave and Jerry got up saying “Thank you so much,” and made to fist bump me which I caught in a flat hand (messing it up) so he shook my hand and they headed out.

I found Caleb at the top of the stairs, sitting on the couches outside the workout area. He was tall and thin and had dark red hair, short on the sides, a mask on. I never saw his face, it was narrow. He wore black sweats and trainers and a grey COD sweatshirt with green letters.  He said he’d done a survey yesterday so I said, “This is different. The main question is you’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead and you stand before God and He asks, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” “I’m a good person,” he said quickly. So I said, “Christianity is different, it’s kind of like a blood transfusion.” I went on to tell him God wanted to live inside him, but had to make him his type by taking away his sin. I sat down then using some other analogies of the Blood and Righteousness of Christ and he listened as I took out the booklet to write my notes in so he would have it. I asked if he would want to be forgiven, trusting in Jesus or thought something else and he said, “Probably trusting in Jesus as my savior,” he said nodding at the same time. I could see he was smiling on the other side of the mask. So I said there was a prayer he could pray if he wanted to be forgiven and offered it to him and he took the booklet and said “Thanks you,” and I said, “Just pretend I’m not here and after half a minute he began to pray and trusted in Christ. I gave him a copy of Bible Promises for You. I wrote his name and the date and forgiven in the front. He said “Thank you,” again seeming to smile and I thanked him for his time and headed out.

Elona was petite and sitting in the hall in the BIC on the first floor in a row of chairs, with a black snowcap and snow boots, dark brown hair and black mask, green eyes, white sweater. I saw her face as I left her. She had pretty sharp features (nose and chin) and a warm smile. She was really nice. I asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven and she said, “Oooo, that’s a good question, oh my gosh.” Then thinking about it she said, “I would probably say just because I try to care. I always put myself after others with my siblings and my parents.” I said, “There’s a Bible verse that says, “Let each of you consider one another as more important than himself.” She said something like that’s deep and I said if everyone was like that the world would be great. And she agreed. She thought she had about an 80% chance of going to Heaven saying, “I know there’s things I can do to improve myself.” She went to church once in a while. I began to go through the Gospel with her saying God wanted to take away her sin to live inside her and asking her what Jesus had done to take away her sin.”  “He died on the cross,” she said processing with me. I explained the Blood and Righteousness of God to her credit and that she needed believe on and to receive Jesus by faith not by works. I asked her if she wanted to be forgiven for her sins with God inside her or if she thought something else. “Definitely the first one,” she replied. So I said there was a prayer she could pray and asked if it was the desire of her heart. “Yeah,” she said thoughtfully nodding. So I said she could pray it right then like I wasn’t there and she took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I explained living the Christian life, “Inside out” and referring back to the things she said she thought she could improve, that God does those things for us by His Spirit. She liked that idea and said, “Thank you so much.” I gave her a copy of Bible Promises for You writing her name and the date and “Forgiven!” in the front. “Thank you, that’s so sweet of you,” she said taking the book. I also gave her a Bible study on the Deity of Christ she liked. I said I would keep her in my prayers until Spring and then one year after and asked if I could see her face so I could picture her when I prayed and she said oh sure and slipped her mask down as I stood up and we said good bye.

I talked for a while with some guys handing out Bibles, walked around and the school was basically empty and I was shot. I got my coat and headed out the doors near where I park. As I went through that last longue through the Computer Department (it is usually empty) there were some students in there studying on laptops. Corey was at the first table and seemed to be just charging his phone from the table plug. He’s a Black student with an inch and a half high, rough-top afro, the sides shaved short. He said he’d do a survey. He was wearing a dark-blue cotton hoodie with some athletic branding across the front. He had moved up recently from St. Louis and said he wanted to snowboard. I said I’d never tried it, but asked if he skate boarded and he said he did. So I said he’d probably pick it right up. When I asked him what he would say to God if he’d died he said, “I mean, I did what I was supposed to do.” He was 100% sure he was going to Heaven. I began to go through the Gospel with him and he knew Jesus had died for his sins. I explained the Blood and Righteousness of Christ and believing in faith and not by works, that your good things did not fix your bad things. “Say you got a girlfriend for about 3 weeks. You thought she was pretty cool but then you find out she’s cheating on you and stealing your stuff. So you cut her loose. She comes back in about a week and she’s like, ‘Oh Corey I know I was bad to you. I was even stealing your stuff and selling it for drugs,” I used my fake girl voice. “But I just want you to know I’m gonna be nice to my next 3 boyfriends.’” He laughed then. “You’d be like, ‘Yeah that doesn’t help me at all.’ You can’t do good things over there to fix your bad things here. But that how some people think. ‘I’ve done some bad stuff and I’ve done some good stuff. My good stuff gonna fix my bad stuff with God.’ But your bad stuff still out there kicking people around and there’s not much you can do about it. But God says He can turn your bad stuff into good stuff.” And I quoted Romans 8:28 to him. I said then there’s 2 kinds of people in the Bible and asked if he wanted to be forgiven for his sins, trusting in Jesus, so God could live inside him or if he thought something else. “Definitely be forgiven,” he said. So I said if he had not had a chance as an adult to tell God he wanted to trust in that, there was a prayer he could pray and I walked him through it and asked if it was the desire of his heart. “Yeah,” he replied. I said he could pray it right then and know he was forgiven. He prayed then and finishing, handed me back the booklet. I explained the Christian life to Him living “Inside out” by the Spirit’s power and Just ask. I had a copy left of 20 Things God Can’t Do and I showed him some verses in the back. I wrote, “By the Spirit’s Power” and his name and the date and “Forgiven!” in the front. I said the likelihood now he would go to Heaven was 100%, not because he was hoping he’d done everything right but because Jesus’ Righteousness was his righteousness. I gave him a Bible Study on the Deity of Christ as well. I told him I would keep him in my prayers and he shook my hand and said, “Thank You.’ I said yeah sure and asked if I could see his face so I could picture him when I prayed for him. He happily did so with a smile and looked like a young Carl Weathers, bit thinner face and a Michael Jordan mustache. I got up then and headed out the doors.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance. God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers In Christ,

I hope your day was blessed with all good things walking with the Lord. I had a good day on campus. We started a Bible study with one girl Alma who prayed to receive Jesus last year and Jaden and Cira each prayed with me to receive Jesus. Please pray for them if you have a moment to do so. Their stories are below if you have time.

Jaden was sitting in the Cafeteria where I went ahead of meeting for Bible study. He was a big Black guy with a beard, wearing a snow cap, slightly wider nose. He wore a red t-shirt after he took off his sweatshirt while we were talking and had black and red plaid flannel lounge pants on. He is a power lifter and hopes to keep working for a while on getting the world record. He has added 100 pounds to his lift in the last 7 months having had to break for the lockdowns. The record is 1000 pounds. He has a tattoo on his right forearm that says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” But he had not been trusting in the Blood and righteousness of Christ for salvation. When I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven he said, “That’s a good question.” Then thinking a bit more he said, “’Cause I always follow your will. I always look at you as my Father.” He thought he had about a 70% chance of going to Heaven. He paid close attention to the Gospel as I told it to him and had known that Jesus died to take away our sins. I asked him if he would want to be forgiven for his sins as I finished the Gospel message, trusting in what Jesus had done for him and he said, “Yes.”  So I offered him the prayer to pray, walking him through it, and asked if it was the desire of his heart. He nodded and said. “Yes.” So I said he could pray it right then and he would know the likelihood he was going to Heaven was 100%. He took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I explained living “inside out” then to him, “By the Spirit’s power.” I said God could give him strength to pursue the goal he had lifting and he said, “I know,” and showed me then his tattoo on his arm with Philippians 4:13 written under it saying,  “I came across this verse.” We had a good talk and I gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside and also gave him a Bible Study on the Deity of Christ. He fist bumped me to thank me and wished me a blessed day and I headed out.

After Bible study, I walked Ellen to the door and then headed down on the same floor, down the hallway by the Bookstore and found Cira sitting at a bar-height table. She had a light-blue sweatshirt on with the Chicago skyline on it and looked close to having rolled out of bed. She had a thin, narrow pretty face (like Little House on the Prairie), which I saw when she took sips of her drink, and wore no make-up. Her light brown hair was in waves down to her shoulders. She was friendly and came from a Roman Catholic background, though her church attendance had become sketchy, like everyone’s it seems. She said she wanted to explore the world and then clarified to say she wanted to understand finance. I talked with her then about the petro dollar collapsing and fractional reserve banking, none of which she had understood before. When I got back to the survey, I asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven if she’d gotten hit by a bus and was dead. She said, “My belief has never changed—even though I got hit by a bus.” Adding the caveat as a joke. She thought she had a 90% chance of going to Heaven. I asked if she meant her belief in God and she agreed that she mean that. She listened attentively to the Gospel, asking what would happen if she could not get to a priest for a while. I mentioned an Admiral I had recently read about who was in prison for 7 years in Vietnam. “There was no priest in the camp.” I said she could confess her sins directly to God, quoting 1John 1:9. I explained the standing doctrine of the Catholic Church is that only God can forgive your sins. So I said, “The priest does not forgive you, he is telling you God forgives you.” I explained the analogy I often use where the priest is like an insurance agent for automobile insurance. You get the insurance from the agent who sells you the policy. But when you crack up your car, you don’t expect the agent to pay but know that the policy says the Insurance Company will pay for the damage. I went on to explain the righteousness of Christ He earned by perfectly fulfilling the Law and quoted Isaiah 61:10 and Galatians 3:27. She said she had never thought about it this way before. When I had finished I said, “It seems like you had not understood all this before.” And she agreed. I went on to asked her if she would want to be forgiven for her sins, trusting in Jesus. She said she would, so I said there was a prayer she could pray and walked her through it. I asked her if it was the desire of her heart and she nodded and said yes. So I said she could pray it right then. “I wouldn’t hear you, but God would hear you and then you would know you were forgiven.” “OK,” she replied. And I said, “Just pretend I’m not here.” And I stepped back a bit and she said, “I’m just going to read it as it is.” “OK.” I said and I bowed my head and when she had finished by crossing herself. I explained living “inside out” transformed by the Spirit’s power. I gave her a copy of Bible Promises for You writing her name and the date and “Forgiven!” in the front and a Bible study on the Deity of Christ. We said goodbye and she thanked me saying, “Thank you Bob, I appreciate it.” And I said, “Your welcome.” And headed off.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry today if you had a chance. God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed today with Joy and Peace in Believing. I had a good day on campus, seeing some students from last semester that I knew and who had trusted Christ or heard the Gospel. Esther and Nikki each prayed to receive Jesus today. Please pray they are blessed and if you have time for their stories, they are below.

 Esther was sitting along the hallway that runs to the bookstore. She had soft classic African American features. A warm round friendly face. She described herself as shy and she was pretty quiet, not saying much as I went through the Gospel with her. She had a dark parka on with a fur-look strip on the hood. Her hair ran into thin braids down past her shoulders. She had a bright red shirt on and blue cotton sweats. When I asked her what she would say to God if she died and He asked her why He should let her into Heaven, she thought for a moment and said, “I’m a child of God. I followed your commandments.” She thought she had an 80% chance of going to Heaven when she died, saying she went to Church every Sunday and Wednesday. She leaned in over her back-pack, interested, as I went through the Bible verses of the Gospel. She knew when I asked what Jesus had done to take away her sins that He had died for her sins. When I finished explaining how His blood and righteousness had saved her, I offered her the two circles in the booklet, suggesting she could be forgiven for her sins trusting in what Jesus had done for her. Asking, “Or do you think something else?” “I would definitely want to be forgiven for my sins,” she said emphatically. Her response to the “What would you say to God Question” had sounded like she was hoping she was good enough to go to Heaven. So I said if she had never had a chance to ask God to forgive her, trusting in what Jesus had done for her on the Cross, there was a prayer she could pray. I walked her through the prayer and said, “It says here ‘Is this prayer the desire of your heart?’ Would you say it was?” “Yeah,” she said and nodded. I said if she wanted to then she, “could pray it right now and know she was forgiven.” I wouldn’t hear but God would hear her and forgive her. She took the booklet then and prayed to receive Jesus. When she finished I explained the Christian life living “Inside out” where she could ask God to transform her. I told her now trusting in the righteousness of Jesus to be her righteousness, the likelihood she would go to Heaven was 100%. She thanked me and I gave her the book Bible Promises for You. I gave her a Bible study on the deity of Christ. I told her I would pray for God to bless her each day. I told her where and when we had Bible study saying she could drop by. She was really nice. As I got up to leave I said, “It was so nice to meet you.” “Nice to meet you too,” she replied. “God bless you,” I said and she said, “You too.”

Nikki was sitting in the cafeteria at the counter looking outside eating lunch. I passed her and talked with Tyler sitting at a far table who had prayed to receive Jesus last semester and invited him to the Bible Study. She was done eating as I came back her way and said she would do a student survey. She had a child-like voice and might have been one of the special learning students on campus. But she tracked with everything I said and was unescorted. She wore an off-white parka and black pants. Her hair was blondish and got brighter blonde as it got longer, a few inches past her part to past her shoulders and she had on bright red nail polish. She said she hoped to become an ultrasound technician. I asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven and she said, “That’s a hard one…” Then thinking a bit she said, “Because I care a lot for people. I always did the right thing.” She said she went to Church every Sunday at a Catholic Church in Naperville. She thought she had a 75% chance of going to Heaven. She listened closely to the Gospel. She knew Jesus had died for her. As I finished I asked her too if she would want to be forgiven, trusting in what Jesus had done or thought something else. She said she would want to be forgiven. I said if she had never asked God to forgive her before, trusting in what Jesus had done for her, there was a prayer she could pray. After I explained it, I asked if it was the desire of her heart. “Um hum, “ she affirmed and so I asked, would she “like to pray the prayer right now and know she was forgiven?” “Yeah,” she said and she took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus, crossing herself as she finished. I explained to her then asking for God’s help in everything, living “inside out” where God could transform her on the inside. I said now it was 100% that she was going to Heaven. I asked if she would like a book with Bible verses in it and she said she would so I gave her Bible Promises for You and put her name and the date and “Forgiven!” on the inside. She thanked me and I headed off.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance. God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope ya had great day walking with the Lord by the power of the Spirit. I had a good day on campus and Victoria, Gabriel and Milda each prayed to receive Jesus today. Please pray for them to grow. And for Gabriel’s grandfather Don, who has cancer and Covid. Their stories are below if you’re interested to read them. I only found 3 students to talk to today.

Thanks for your help.

Victoria was sitting in the Cafeteria. She had jeans on and a jacket. She looked Indian in features and coloring, narrow face and sharp nose.  Pretty girl with curly ringlets of shoulder-length hair. She had come to the US in December of 2020 and had attended a Christian fellowship in one of the Arab oil states where she’d lived before for a few years. She hoped her family could soon be here with her close by. I asked her what she would say to God if she died and were asked why He should let her into Heaven and she was unsure. So I asked what she thought would get her into heaven. “Something I do would maybe get me into Heaven,” she guessed. I asked if she meant a good work.  “Yeah a good work,” she agreed, “Kind… an act of kindness,” she said giving an example. She thought she might have a 50/50 chance of getting into Heaven. When I asked her what Jesus had done to take away her sins, she knew Jesus had died to do so. As I went through the Gospel with her I explained how His blood and righteousness was to her credit. I also explained the Bible verses where she needed to receive Him by faith. As I came to the end, I asked her if she would want to be forgiven, trusting in His work and she said, “Yes.” So I said if she wanted to, there was a prayer she could pray to be forgiven and walked her through it saying, “It says here ‘is this prayer the desire of your heart?'” and she looked at it and said “Ummm, yeah.” So I said if she had not trusted before in what Jesus had done to get her into Heaven, but was hoping she would be good enough, she could pray it silently and know she was forgiven. “OK,” she replied and took the booklet and prayed to receive Christ. I explained the Christian life living “inside out,” by the Spirit’s power. I gave her the Book Bible Promises for You writing her name and the date and “Forgiven!” in the front. I gave her a Bible study on the deity of Christ and told her I would be praying for her through next year in Spring. She had asked about some of the Bible studies on campus and thought she did not have time for them. As we walked out together I showed her where one, run by a friend, was meeting.

 Gabriel was sitting in the PE lounge at the table they have there. He had kind of a mop of blondish hair, parted on the side and a thin mustache and goatee and kind of a wry smile. He wore jeans and a grey pullover hoodie. When a couple black guys at the table did not want to do a survey, he said he would do it. He was raised by his grandparents and they were very religious Christians. His Grandfather was sick in the hospital with bone cancer and now had tested positive for Covid. His name was Don and his grandmother’s name was Judy. “She’d be thrilled if I told her I asked someone to pray for her today,” Gabriel said. So please pray for them. When I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven he said, “You should already know really, you’re watching me all the time.” Then he opined, “I guess that would not be the best thing to say to God.” I agreed a bit of humility might be good in the situation. “It’s true though,” he replied. I agreed it was true. “I tried my best,” he said then. He thought he was going to Heaven 100%. He talked about his grandparents who he seemed to argue with a lot, saying he’d gotten kicked out of the house a few times. I went through the Gospel with him and he said he would want to be forgiven, but said he had asked Jesus into his heart a couple of times before. “There is nothing in the Bible about asking Jesus into your heart,” I replied. He was a defensive lineman so I used a football analogy talking about a Quarterback that would run around behind the line 25 years back and get sacked trying to be a one man team. I mentioned Elway and the QB for Denver, who finally won a Super Bowl when he stopped running around and played behind his linemen. I said he was that quarterback. I said, “Jesus is your line-backing core. You need to get behind him.” Saying he could not do anything perfect to pay God what he owed. I explained Jesus had to buy the ticket, using some analogies and suggested he needed to trust in Jesus as savior. It got through to him then and he unfolded his arms and listened to me. I walked him through the prayer and said the prayer was asking God to make him who He wanted him to be. I said he could pray it silently and I wouldn’t hear, but God would and forgive him. “Ok,” he said. And He prayed to receive Jesus. “This is actually awesome, I like this,” he said finishing. “This is great you do this. A lot of people would think this is weird or something, but it’s not.” I agreed, saying I really didn’t care what people thought. He thought about it and said he didn’t either. He shook my hand a couple times and thanked me. I gave him a copy of Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. And I gave him a Bible Study on the Deity of Christ. We talked a bit more and then he shook my hand again and thanked me saying he needed to get back to his subway sandwich and I said “All good” and headed out.

Milda was sitting in the lounge I pass on my way out to my locker where a couple other students who have prayed were sitting this week (Valentin and Demo). She was a pretty girl, sharp features, wearing black leggings and lace-up winter boots. She had a black, white lettered Adidas sweat shirt on. Her blondish hair had silver highlights. She wanted to open her own business, seemed like the strong type. She went to a Catholic Church on Easter and Christmas, saying she did not think going to Church got you into Heaven and I said I did not think it did either. When I asked her what she would say God if she died, to get into Heaven. She thought for a moment with a “Hmm..” Then in second said, “I mean I would say I’m a good person. I haven’t done anything wrong enough not to go to Heaven.” She thought she had a 90% chance to get in. She listened closely and was engaged. I went through the Gospel with her and she was very attentive. I asked if she knew what Jesus did to take away her sin so God could live inside her and she nodded like you would agreeing with the point (that her sins would need to be taken away) but not knowing how it happened. So I just kept going saying “This is how it works” explaining Jesus had lived a perfect life for us fulfilling the Law. When He died and His blood was a power in the world that cleansed us of sin. His righteousness was to our credit. I explained she needed to believe and receive Jesus by faith and God could change her bad things into good things, forgiving her. As I finished, I asked if she wanted to be forgiven and she said she did. And so I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray, and walked her through it asking if it was the desire of her heart. She began nodding yes and when I met her eyes she said, “Yeah.” So I said she could pray it silently and only God would hear and she said, “Um hum.” And she took the booklet and prayed to receive Christ. I explained living “Inside Out” asking for God’s help in everything. I said the likelihood now she would go to Heaven was 100% ,trusting in the righteousness of Christ to be her righteousness. I offered her the book Bible Promises for you and wrote her name and the date and “Forgiven!” in the front. “Perfect,” she said taking the book. She said she did not like to read but I gave her the Case for Christianity Answer Booklet saying she could find Lee Strobel videos on YouTube and listen while she drove. I gave her a Bible Study on the Deity of Christ. She was grateful and I said if I saw her around I’d wave and she laughed and said OK. I said I would pray for her and I headed out.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance. God blessed again, bringing students to Himself with the Gospel.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I Hope your day was truly blessed today walking with him. I had a good day on campus going through the Gospel with 7 people. One a Muslim, Muzammil from Pakistan heard the Gospel for the first time and was interested to understand the good deeds of Christ are to our credit. I’ll pray for him in the hope something might strike him later, very friendly guy. 7 is a lot for the present times with fewer people around, but 2 were very quick and they took the booklet to think about it. One running to class, the other to a meeting. Also Demo and Kori each prayed to receive Christ today. Please pray for them if you have some time. If you have time for the longer stories they are below.

 Demo [due mo] was sitting in the lounge on the NW corner of the 1^st floor of the BIC. I had not realized he was on the phone but he asked how long it would take and excused himself saying he would call them back. He had some short braids poking out from under a trucker style hat sitting high on his head, turned backwards and to the left. Since he was wearing a mask, I never saw his face. But he was medium build, African American wearing a hoodie and jeans. He said he wanted to get baptized. He had no assurance of salvation because he was trusting in his works in part to qualify him for Heaven. When I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven he said, “I am a believer, even though I feel like right now if I die I wouldn’t make it. I made my bed and I have to sleep in it. I do believe.” He thought he had a 40% likelihood of going to Heaven. When I asked him what Jesus had done to take away his sins so God could live inside him he said, “He was crucified.” I agreed and went on to explain how the Blood of Jesus was a power in the world to cleanse us from sin and it is His righteousness, not ours, that we claim before God. After I finished the Gospel I asked him if he would want to be forgiven, trusting in what Jesus had done. He said he would and so I walked him through the prayer again asking if he would want to begin trusting in Jesus and be forgiven, and starting today, asking for God to make him the kind of person He wanted him to be and not do it on his own. “Yes sir,” he replied. And I gave him the booklet and he quietly prayed to receive Jesus. I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven” I the front. I explained living the Christian life “Inside Out”. I also gave him a Bible study on the Deity of Christ and told him I would pray for him. He thanked me sincerely and I headed off.

The last person I talked to today was Kori, a black girl. She plays basketball at school and had long braids big eyes and a pretty full face with a bit wider nose I saw as I walked away. She was sitting in an atrium lounge on the South side of the ground floor of the BIC. She thought she had a 40% likelihood of going to Heaven. She had not been to Church in a while but said she wanted to go back. When I asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven she said, “That’s a hard question…” Then thinking a bit more she said, “I probably would ask Him to forgive everything I’ve sinned, [forgiveness] for sinning.” She knew Jesus had died to take away our sins and so I went through the Gospel, encouraging her that she could place her trust in that and the Righteousness of Jesus, not her righteousness, is what she could rest in. I said God is not like a bad boyfriend who, when you tell him you screwed up, he is shocked or says, “we’ll see how you do” qualifying his forgiveness. But He knows the future and immediately forgives us and has a plan to make it into Good. When I had finished, I asked her if she would like to be forgiven with God inside or thought something else and she said, “Forgiven with God inside.” So I said there was a prayer she could pray and walked her through it, asking if it was “the desire of her heart.” She nodded and I said she could pray it right now, knowing she was forgiven and asked if she’d like to pray and she said, “Yeah,” nodding. She prayed then to receive Christ. I told her now that she was trusting in the Righteousness of Jesus to be her righteousness the likelihood she would go to Heaven was 100%. I gave her a Bible Study also and Bible Promises for You writing her name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside and told her I would be praying for her. She was grateful and I headed out.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance. God truly blessed. I also got to speak briefly to another ministry’s Bible Study group today and went through the Gospel and explained the Biblical basis for Contact Evangelism.

In Him,

Bob