Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed today and you are on the receiving end of some nice fall weather. I had a good day on campus and Ayleen and Daniel each prayed to receive Jesus today. Their stories are below if you have some time. Please pray they are blessed in their faith. Thanks for your help in prayer.

Ayleen [I lean] was sitting in the west most of the science buildings, on the second floor of the lounge that connects them, on a couch that faced toward the vending machines. A Latina, she had a row of dark brown braids on either side of her head and wore black rimmed glasses. Her face was pretty tan yet from summer. She had a snow vest on and a long sleeve blue shirt, wore jeans. She had a cute small slightly round face and a nice smile. She said she wanted to travel, she’d been to Mexico she said and a couple states.  I asked her what she would say to God if she died and was asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” She gave kind of a musical “Humm.” Then she said, “Interesting question,” under her breath, thinking. “Mainly for believing in Him, trusting,” she finally replied. She thought she had a 70% chance of going to Heaven. I asked her what the big thing was that Jesus had done to take away her sin after saying God wanted to live inside her but first had to make her His type. “He forgives you,” she guessed. I said, “He does forgive you and it works like this,” and I began to explain that Jesus had died for her, after he lived a perfect life we could not live. His blood cleansed her so now she was perfect and holy inside and God could live inside her. Then I explained how God got paid by Jesus pouring out His blood that was worth an infinite amount. She tracked with everything looking at me once in a while but primarily looking at the booklet. I explained that we received Jesus by faith, “So if someone asks Why should God let you into Heaven you’d say, ‘Because Jesus died for me’. “Ok,” she replied like she was making a note of that. Finally I asked if she would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done or thought something else. “Be forgiven,” she replied. So I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and I talked her through it and asked if it was the desire of her heart. “She gave a slight sound of acknowledgement so I asked if she would like to pray silently right now. “Yeah,” she said and took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. When she finished, I said that now trusting in Jesus’ righteousness to be her righteousness and in His blood and righteousness to save her, the likelihood she would go to Heaven was 100%. I began to explain the Christian life to her. She did not have her own Bible so I gave her one and showed her the study helps, maps, cross references devotionals and 99 essential doctrines in the front and where to find them. I wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. Then I explained going to God when we fail to obey and the fruit of the Spirit. I explained the Christian life was “Inside > Out” first asking to be transformed by His Spirit and then He makes us good people who do good things. “Everything in Christianity is Just Ask.” Saying God wanted to help her. I handed her the booklet then and she said “Thank you.” I gave her Bible Promises for You and a Bible study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I told her then I would pray a verse for her each day to be blessed through Spring and one year after. Have a good day I said getting up to go. “You too,” she replied. “Thank you.” And I headed off.

I later came across Daniel on the 3^rd floor of the BIC in the hallway alone at the end of a set of chairs. He had sandy hair and a slight mustache that matched and wore glasses. He had a red button-neck golf shirt on and khaki shorts square jaw and sharp features. When I asked him one thing he would want to do before he died he said, “Start a family.’ And usually when a guy says that he prays to receive Jesus, if he is not already a Christian. I asked him if he died what he would say to God if asked why He should let him into Heaven. “That’s a good question, I don’t know.” He replied, then answering he said, “It’s your decision at the end of the day.” I asked the likelihood he would go to Heaven and he said, “I have no idea ‘cause I’m not God,” he replied. I asked if he went to Church and he said he was a confirmed Catholic.  I began to go through the Gospel with him and I asked him, “What is the big thing Jesus does that takes away your sins, the sins of the world?” “Confession?” he guessed.  “Well the standing doctrine of the Catholic Church is that only God can forgive sins. The priest is like an insurance agent, not to diminish him in any way, but you buy insurance for your car from an insurance agent. Then if you get in a wreck you call the agent and he says he will notify the company and tells you were to go to fix it but the agent does not pay, the company pays. So the priest is telling you God forgives your sins and he can do this because he knows God got paid. I went on to explain what Jesus had done to forgive his sins. His blood cleansing him and as a payment for his sin and God could then live inside him. “What happens when you sin after that?” he asked. I said that he should ask God for forgiveness but when I sinned I also ask Him to transform me so I would not sin more. Then live by God’s power in His Spirit. I went to the back of the booklet and explained living “Inside > Out” by the power of the Spirit. I explained the righteousness of Christ to his credit then and that he was saved by faith. I asked him if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done or thought something else. He said he would want to be forgiven, so told him if he wanted there was a prayer he could pray. I talked him through the prayer and asked if it expressed the desire of his heart. “I think it does, yeah,” he said affirmingly. I said he could pray it now silently and asked if he’d like to and he said, “Yeah,” So I handed the booklet and he prayed to receive the forgiveness of the Lord Jesus. I explained when he’d finished the likelihood he would be forgiven was 100% trusting in the righteousness of Christ quoting part of Philippians 3:9. I gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and he took out a zipped portfolio to put it in. He was highly organized and said he was taking 18 credits. I also gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and forgiven in the front and lastly gave him a Bible Study quickly explaining it as the next class was beginning. I told him I would pray for him each day until next Spring and one year after. “Thank you sir,” he said when I shook his hand. “God bless you,” I said “I’ll see you in Heaven.” “See you sir,” he replied happily 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 Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I hope your weekend has been blessed do far today. I had a good day on campus Thursday hanging out with some students and Abrianna prayed with me to receive Christ. Her story is below if you have some time to read some of what she said. Please pray she will grow. And please pray for a guy struggling with his sin of pornography named Quin. Thanks for your help in prayer.

I prayed with a Christian guy named Quin who was addicted to porn Thursday. He didn’t believe he was going to Heaven though he had prayed to receive Jesus before in his life. I explained the power of the Holy Spirit in him. I said he was going to Heaven and God would forgive him after having gone through the Gospel seeing he believed. He said he had asked for forgiveness praying a prayer like it before. “So you believe faith alone saves you,” he asked. I said, “The Bible teaches that yes.” “Doesn’t it say in James that faith without works is dead?” He asked. I said it did but I was fairly certain he had done good works. I asked if he was kind to people and he said he was. And I mentioned some other things a Christian would do and he was doing those things.  I said, “Well kindness is a good work. You have one bad thing you are stuck on and if you do not get rid of it, it can destroy you. But that does not mean in other parts of your life you are not doing good works. Are you asking God for forgiveness?” I checked again. He said he was.  I explained that the power to do good things came from the Holy Spirit living in him and if God lived in him he would be transformed and do good things. He needed to ask God for that transformation so I said then “Don’t just ask to be forgiven but ask for Him to transform you.” I gave him a copy of Bible Promises for You. “When you feel like looking at porn read one of the verses in this book instead and pray.” He said he only looked at things on his phone and I asked if he thought he could find a blocking program to put on it. He thought he could. I told him to keep his phone off except when he needed it. I said to find other Christians to pray for him.  “And get into a support group where a person will check up on you and help you, you can find them on line.” He nodded. He began to wipe tears from his eyes. I asked if I could pray for him and he nodded. No one was near us as he was at the counter in the cafeteria so I turned my back to the room and grabbed his wrist and prayed for him to be cleansed and have strength from the Lord and know he was forgiven. He was a small guy, thin, sandy hair and it did not look like he’d been getting much sleep. He was grief stricken by his sin and so I will be praying for him. But I think he was willing to get help. I explained he was living in a very evil time. 100 years ago he would not have fallen into looking at porn as he would not have had a way to access it. But I encouraged him he could get past it. I showed him the prayer again in the booklet and encouraged him to pray it when he fell in temptation, receiving God’s forgiveness and start again. So please pray for him. I will be looking for him and praying for his battle with sin.

Abrianna was sitting at a table outside the bookstore near the bottom of the stairs down from the main entrance to the SRC. She is a petite and her brown hair was parted down the middle and fell just past her shoulders. A cute kid with a square chin and a pretty white smile and had grey sweats on. She had long nails somewhat pink toned and wore jewelry sparingly but was a girly girl. I asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven and she said, “I don’t know… I would say…” Then seeming to make up her mind said, “I deserve to be there I’ve been through a lot.” I laughed lightly and said “OK,: affirmingly. Heaven is rest and this life is difficult, and if it goes bad enough and you didn’t turn into a nasty person from it you could feel like you’d earned it.  She was sure she was going to Heaven and had been to church with some friends before. She knew Jesus had died for her sins. She seemed to enjoy hearing the stories I told to explain the Bible verses and smiled and was interactive. I explained the blood of Christ to pay for her sins and cleanse her and the righteousness of God Christ earned. I said God wanted to adopt her and give her the blessings of His family, “The sacrifice for your sins, the blood that cleanses you and the righteousness of God that surrounds you. So it’s like you got some place to go, Heaven, and something to wear when ya get there, The Righteousness of God.” I told her she was saved by faith and her good deeds would not fix her bad ones. I asked her if she would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done or thought something else. “I’ll go with the first one,” she said. I said there was a prayer she could pray and then she’d know she was forgiven and I walked her through it and asked if it was the desire of her heart. “Yeah,” she said. So, I said she could pray that prayer silently and know she was forgiven and going to Heaven. “OK,” she said taking the booklet. “Wanna to it now?” I asked. “Right now?” she said ever so slightly scandalized.  “Sure,” I replied. “Do I do it out loud?” “No just silently it’s just between you and God,” I said. She took the booklet and silently prayed to receive Jesus. I asked if she had a Bible and she did. I gave her the book Bible Promises for You and wrote her name and the date and forgiven!” in the front. “Thank you so much,” she replied as I gave it to her. I also gave her a Bible study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I said, I don’t know if I’ll see ya again,” “Oh I see ya walking around,” she said. “Well, I’ll just say hi if I do,” I replied. And she smiled at that. “I’ll keep you in my prayers and pray a Bible verse for you each day until spring and one year after.” I said the likelihood she would go to Heaven now was 100%. “Thank you for everything,” she said sincerely and I said “Sure,” and headed off down the hall.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for Evangelism this week if you had a chance. 39 Students have prayed to receive Jesus this school year so far.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed and goodness and mercy has followed you all the day long [Psalm 23;6]. Thanks for your help in prayer if you had a moment today. Janayah and Juan each prayed to receive Jesus today after I explained the Gospel to them. Neither had known how God took away their sin though they went to church. Please pray they are blessed. Their stories are below if you want to spend the time.

Janayah [jan I] an African American girl was sitting in the science building lounge; I believe waiting for a ride (since she was sitting up against the glass wall on the north facing the parking lot). She had on dark blue scrubs for pants and a pull over sweatshirt (it was a little cold in the Science Buildings today). Her afro was strings of semi ringlets that were about 6 inches long with a part down the middle. She had a small nose, sharp features and wore clear plastic semi round glasses. She was a cute kid, petite. She was friendly and went to church off and on with her aunt. But the Church was in the city so they did not make it as often as they once did when she was younger. She wanted to learn to fly an airplane. I asked her what she would say to God if she died and was asked why should I let you into Heaven. “Oh, um… man,” she began then thinking some more she said, “I would say because I am a child of God. I do like to believe that I am saved. I did my very best to follow the footsteps you laid for me… I don’t know how to say it.” She thought she had an 80% chance of going to Heaven. I began to go through the Gospel with her explaining Romans 6:23, “Sin kills you; God gives you life. God can’t be in the same place as sin but there is sin inside you so He just takes away your sin so He can live inside you.” I asked “So what’s the big thing Jesus does to take away the sins of the world?” She said she did not know how to answer that question. So, I began to explain the cross to her and the cleansing blood of Jesus and the payment for her sin. Then the righteousness of God Christ earns, which was to her credit. I said she could receive this by faith and have the right to be a child of God. I asked her if she wanted to be forgiven and have God live inside her trusting in what Jesus had done or thought something else. “Trusting in Jesus,” she said and then added, “Of course.” I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray. “OK,” she replied. After talking her through it I asked if this prayer expressed the desire of her heart. “It did, yeah,” she replied so I said she could pray it silently and know she was forgiven. She took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. When she finished I explained there was more about faith in the booklet and explained the Christian life. She had a Bible on her phone, which she liked because she could carry it with her. I explained living “Inside > Out” by the Spirit’s power. I gave her Bible Promises for You and wrote her name and the date and “forgiven” on the inside. “Thank you,” she said when I handed it to her. I gave her a Bible study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and she thanked me again. I said that now trusting in the Blood and Righteousness of Jesus the likelihood she would go to Heaven was 100%. I told her I would be praying for her each day through Spring and the next year and got up to go. “Thank you, you have a nice day,” she said. “Thanks, you too,” I replied. And I headed out.

I came across Juan sitting in the stuffed chairs in the hall outside the bookstore. He had a wide face and a weak mustache and a bit of a chin beard. He had shorts on and near shoulder length, curly wavy, thick, light brown hair and a sweatshirt. I think he was from south America, he had something of an accent. He was fair skinned and didn’t fit into any stereotypical demographic for appearance of which I’m aware. He had gone to a Roman Catholic Church growing up. He wanted to travel and said he’d been to Central and South America. I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven. “Hmm, I guess I would say I treated people around me as best as I can and as well as they treated me. I’ve been caring—about everybody in my life.” He thought he would have about a 70% chance of going to Heaven. I went through the Gospel with him first asking Him what Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world. He could not think of anything. So, I began to explain the Gospel saying this is what God does. He took it all in following and making eye contact. He was very reserved, and had described himself as shy. I had a bit of a headache and could not get any kind of a read on him as we talked. But after hearing what Jesus did to save him I asked if he had gone to a Roman Catholic Church. He had. I pointed out that in the Mass, the wafer was symbolic of Christ’s body and the wine symbolic of His blood. He acknowledged this. [On a side note: Even if someone believed in Transubstantiation, and most of the Catholic students I talk to do not (nor do I), the elements of the Lord’s supper begin symbolically. But now Christ has been glorified, so He is no longer flesh and were He to somehow inhabit the Eucharist since He is not flesh it would not become flesh 1Cor. 15:50]. I said that salvation was received by faith and not by works. I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in Jesus or thought something else. “Would you want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done for you, that He is God died for you sins and rose from the dead?” I asked. “I could trust in that,” he said. I said if he would want to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray. I talked him through the prayer in the booklet. I said if he had never told God he would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done he could pray that silently and know he was forgiven for his sins. “Sure,” he replied. And then taking the booklet asked, “Just read it?” And I said, “Yes.” He prayed then to receive Jesus. I explained the Christian life and he said they had a Bible at home to read. I explained living “Inside > Out” to him living by the power of the Spirit to transform him. I told him the likelihood he would now go to Heaven was 100% trusting in the righteousness of Jesus and explained that though I sinned and had to be forgiven and each year my sins added up, so that I had sinned far more than he had, being young. But if we died today the righteousness of Jesus would cover us and God would forgive us both. I also gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible study. I told him I would pray for him each day until next spring and one year after. “Thank you, have a nice day,” he said pleasantly. “You too,” I said and I headed off down the hall.

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 today with the comfort and love of the Lord. I had a good day on campus and Kayla & Kendall prayed to receive Jesus today. Their stories are below if you have some time you want to spend. Thanks so much for your help in prayer, please pray they are Blessed. I got a good seed planted with a girl named Ben, thin sitting on the edge of the SSC lounge, who wore her hair in a pixy cut and had pretty freckles in all the right places. Taking the booklet, she seemed to be saying she thought she would pray later. I also bumped into AJ again who had been on the fence about faith. He said he was now looking into it more and thanked me for giving him the books I’d given and explaining everything and getting him started. He had not prayed to receive Christ yet but was closer he said.

Kayla was a black girl sitting in the balcony that overlooks the stairways and main entrance to the SRC across the foyer, just upstairs from the bookstore. She had long braids to her elbows and a cute near circular face, wore black glasses. She had a black t-shirt on with what might have been a skull on it in white and pale greenish cargo pants. I asked her what she might say to God if asked why He should let her into Heaven. She said, “I never thought about that question.” Then thinking a bit she said, “I think everyone should have a chance, a chance for forgiveness.” At first she thought she had a 50/50 chance of going to Heaven saying, “You never know what the future holds… change that to 75%.” She’d gone to a church in the city regularly but nothing had clicked with the style of church she was used to out here in the suburbs. I told her that God would have to take away her sin to live inside her. And I asked, “What’s the big thing that Jesus does to take away the sins of the world?” “Oh, I don’t know,” she replied. “It’s been a while since I had religious education.” As I went through the Gospel it seemed pretty novel to her but after I had explained the Blood of Christ cleansing her of her sins and being a payment and the righteousness of Christ I asked if she would want to be forgiven trusting in Jesus or thought something else. “Be forgiven for my sins,” she replied. I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and talked her through it. I asked, “It says here: Is this prayer the desire of your heart? so do you think it is?” She nodded in reply. Then I said she could pray it silently in her heart and she would know she was forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done. “Wanna do it?” I asked.  “Yeah,” she said. Then taking the booklet asked “Out loud?” “No just between you and God,” I replied. And she prayed to receive Jesus. I explained the Christian life then and she had a Bible and I explained living Inside > Out by the Spirit’s power. She thanked me then and I gave her a Bible study explaining it and Bible Promises for You writing her name and the date and “forgiven! In the front and I gave her Strobel’s The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I told her I would pray for her each day through spring and one year after and I got up to go. She thanked me again. I said “Sure,” and headed off. She was really a nice person.

Kendall was sitting on the floor with her back against the glass wall of a classroom up against the PE lounge. It’s just filled with computers and screens. I’ve never actually seen a class in there but students go in there and use the computers. Kendall has a cute face, glasses and ringlets of light brown curls that were not to her chin. She wore a royal blue t-shirt and some blue sweats. I had passed her in the hall before. Her hands had what looked to be birth-defects at her wrists. These were permanently bent in sharp angles forcing her hands back toward her body. She did not seem to have complete function of her fingers but she could pinch things in her thumb and index finger. I asked her one thing she would like to do before she died and she said be an actor. She thought people in movies that acted out the parts of disabled people couldn’t really know what it felt like to be disabled and she could bring her experience to it. I asked what she would say to God if He asked why He should let her into Heaven and she said, “Ah… that you made all our time lines, I think it’s my time to come in.” She said she went to a nondenominational church in Bloomingdale. She said she did the kids clubs and helped with Children’s church. I asked her the likelihood she would go to Heaven and she said, “I think I got a good shot.  I’ve done bad things but I pray and stuff like that.” I began to go through the Gospel with her and she had John 3:16 memorized saying it was one of her favorite verses. I asked her what Jesus had done to take away her sins (so He could live inside her by the Spirit and give her eternal life). “He died,” she replied. I said that was right and then explained that the blood of Jesus cleansed her so God could live inside her quoting 1John 1:7. “Alright,” she said as if discovering something. I said, “This is what happens Theologically but practically speaking God gets paid.” I used the idea that if she borrowed her friend’s car and dented the fender then she would have to take it to the body shop pay the deductible and then give it back to her friend perfect again. And I went on to say that God owned everything, her & me and the world. If I hurt her or the world or myself in some way I would owe God something perfect to pay Him back for damaging His stuff. But I am not perfect and I can’t pay. But God loves me so He becomes a perfect man and when he pours out His blood it is worth an infinite amount. His blood pays God back for all the imperfect stuff we have done that we owe God something perfect for. “So, the real reason God forgives you is that he got paid. But he had to pay Himself.” “Alright,” she said again in the same tone. I told her of the Righteousness of God to her credit. I finished explaining all that God had done to save her. I asked if she would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done so He could live inside her or if she thought something else. “I would rather be forgiven,” she said. I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and I talked her through it. I asked if it was the desire of her heart. “Yeah,” she replied and asking if she’d want to pray silently she said, “Um hum.” And she took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I explained the Christian life to her living Inside  > Out saying God would give her as much help as she needed to be successful so that it would not hurt her. I suggested God might not have made her an actor, though she had the talent, because Hollywood was dangerous and something bad might have happened to her there. She thought that made sense. She had a Bible. I gave her Bible Promises for You writing her name and the date and “forgiven!” In the front and I showed her Strobel’s The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. She really liked it so I asked if she would like the bigger book with more topics, The Case for Christianity Answer Book she decided she’d like the longer one so I wrote her name it and gave it to her. Her phone said her mom was there to pick her up so I said I would pray for her each day until spring and one year after. “Alright,” she said brightly. “Thank you,” she said getting up to go. “Sure, nice to meet you,” I said. “Nice to meet you too,” she said and she headed for the doors.

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’re blessed today walking in the Spirit who gives us all the strengthen to live the Christian Life.  Ryssa and Tim each prayed with me to receive Jesus on Thursday. Their stories are below if you have time.  I got a couple seeds planted too with a pretty golden-haired girl named Sarah and Shane who seemed to be hearing the Gospel clearly for the first time in though he went to a Christian School, also later AJ, sitting across the table from Tim. Thanks for your help in prayer this past week.

I found my way over the PE building after a while on Thursday cutting across the patio and sidewalk from the BIC. No one upstairs wanted to talk though I ran into Trevont who had received Christ and he was happy to see me. I told him I was praying for him. Downstairs there were a couple guys at the table talking. In a brief lull in their conversation as I passed I asked the guy closest to me, AJ, if he wanted to do a survey. He was stick-thin, narrow face and taller than me and had 6-inch braids, mustache and chin beard, good looking, was wearing a tank top and shorts. He hesitated but Tim piped in that he would do it. Tim had braids coming out of a light blue watch cap the ones in front were thick and the full length of his face. He was darker than AJ, oval, fuller face. He wore a black hoodie and black pants and was clean shaven.  AJ agreed then, since Tim was in. AJ said we’d spoken before [where I had just handed him a booklet]. So walking just past AJ I sat to his left and Tim was directly across the table. Both seemed family oriented and wanted to earn enough to have families in “a good spot” financially. I asked them what they would say to God to get into Heaven and Tim said, “I know I didn’t sin. My heart, I have a kind heart. Deep down inside I have a good heart. God knows my heart.” AJ said, “I’m always down the middle making that choice. I don’t treat anyone with prejudice, treat everyone with kindness.” He said he didn’t want to make the wrong choice having grown up in the church. He knew there were many other religions and he did not want to choose the wrong one and have to back out. I explained that just because you were raised in something did not mean it was wrong either and he agreed. At this point Tim chimed in that he knew there was a God and AJ agreed. I began to go through the Gospel. At one point Tim piped in that he had been baptized and had gone to a Bible study. I said something about Adam and Eve in reference to sin, which he did not clearly seem to know to acknowledge. He said he knew some characters in the Bible he mentioned David and Goliath and then Cain and I said, “who killed Able.” He agreed. I said, “There is Noah and the flood.” He had never heard of Noah and I told him a bit of the story but nothing registered.  “Well, I know 4 people in the Bible,” he replied.

About then a girl AJ knew, Ryssa, had walked up a bit awkwardly I realized later she had an external boot cast on her foot.  She was a small distraction at first talking to AJ. Black, she had a cute oval face, one that could have been Latina by her features, a smaller nose and oval face, had a full figure. She wore a red hoodie and black leggings. Her hair long past her shoulders looked straightened. She began to listen. And was interested in the analogies. I was looking back and forth at all of them but I don’t know if any could clearly see the verses I quoted. But they heard them.  I went through the verses I always tell explaining how the blood of Christ cleanses and pays for our sins. I said that Jesus earned the righteousness of God with a story about a kid in class whose extra credit becomes yours. Ryssa really liked that idea. She said her family had gone to Church but then the pastor one day had said God did not love everyone and they left. It seems like the actual story, which happened when she was a child, was probably more complicated. But in any event the family had not returned to church. I said, “Say AJ has a girlfriend.” Then talking to him, “You thought she was pretty cool but then it turned out she was cheating on you and stealing your stuff. So you cut her loose. Then she comes around in about a week and says, ’I know I did you wrong, I was even stealing your stuff and selling it for drugs, but I just want you to know, I’m gonna be nice to my next 3 boyfriends.’” I laughed and so did AJ. “You’d be like, ‘That doesn’t help me at all,’ ‘cause you can’t to good things over there to make up for your bad things here.” Then Ryssa piped in saying, “I would never do you that way.”  So I asked if she was his girlfriend and they both said she was. I went on to explain that your good stuff dies not fix your bad stuff with God either but that he can turn something bad you do or happens to you into something good because He controls the future. Finally I offered the idea that they could be forgiven, trusting in what Jesus had done for them on the cross and asked if they would want to pray to receive Jesus. AJ said he was “On the fence.” But Tim said he wanted to be forgiven. I asked Ryssa (getting her name then) if she had wanted to be forgiven too. She nodded enthusiastically and said yes. So not knowing where she had jumped in and began to actually listen I asked, “Do you believe Jesus is God died for your sins and rose from the dead?” “Yes,” she replied. And would you want to place your trust in that to be forgiven?” “Yes,” she replied again. I gave her a booklet I had already put all my notes in and they each prayed to receive Jesus. When Ryssa finished she said, marveling a bit, “I just felt like a weight come off my chest.” I said that was the Holy Spirit. I gave them each a Bible study and Bible Promises for You. In Tim and Ryssa’s books I wrote their name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. They all took The Case for Christianity Answer Booklet and I explained to AJ it might help him come to a conclusion and I explained the Bible study to them also. Tim’s cousin came up sat by us but wanted nothing to do with it so he took a pass though Tim informed him he should “pray this prayer”. “Thanks so much,” Tim said as I get up to go. “Thank you,” Ryssa said. And I said I would see them in Heaven and would be praying for them each day until a year from Spring. And I headed out.

So, thanks for your prayers for the ministry this week if you had a chance, God truly blessed. 33 people trusted Christ this semester and I was sick one day.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed with the unseen things which are eternal (2Cor. 4). I had a good day on campus and Shauna, Oscar and Chris each prayed with me to receive Jesus today. Their stories are below if you wish to take the time. Please ask God to bless and strengthen the Word in them. Thanks for your prayers, God blessed me. I got a couple other seeds planted too with Emily and Luna who were going to think about it.

Shauna was a black student sitting at the counter in the cafeteria. Round face cut face and, on the short side, she had jeans with holes at the knees and a black shirt on as kind of a jacket with large white letters that wrapped around it from the back. She was round in stature. He her hair was long past her shoulders pouring out from under a multi-colored cap, looked like a match for the coat Joseph was given by Israel. She had a Christian background. I asked her what she would say to God if she died to be let into Heaven.  “I pretty much dedicated my physical life to serving God. Everything I’ve done has been generous and caring—understanding. I did fulfill a purpose in the world. The deeds I have done have shown I did deserve to go to Heaven.” She thought she had an 80% chance of going to Heaven. I began to go through the gospel with her. She knew Jesus had died to take away the sins of the world. But she hadn’t been trusting in His work to save her and ask I explained that Jesus blood cleansed her of sin so He could live inside her and give her eternal life she made a quiet expression, kind of like “Oh,” realizing salvation in Christ. I explained the righteousness of Christ to her credit that she would not go to Heaven because she was good but because Jesus was good. I then told her He rose and salvation is by faith. I asked her if she would want to be forgiven or thought something else. I then repeated would she want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done. Nodding she said, “Yeah,” so I walked her through the prayer and asked if it was the desire of her heart and she said, “Yeah,” again. Saying she could pray it quietly, would she like to, and got a “Yeah,” response again and she prayed to receive Jesus. I then told her trusting in the Blood and righteousness of Jesus the likelihood she would go to Heaven was 100%. I explained the Christian life living “Inside > Out”, first changed by God’s Spirit’s power on the inside then doing good things on the outside by His power. I gave her a Bible Study and Bible Promises for You and wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside and also The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I told her about the Bible Study.  I told her I’d pray for her each day until Spring and then another year after. “Thanks for all this,” she replied. “This is good information,” she said looking at the Bible study. “You’re welcome, God bless you,” I replied. “Bless you too, have a good one,” she said and I headed off.

Oscar was sitting on the doorway out to the south patio on the BIC building that runs its length in concrete. He had short curls of brown hair and a face in the shape of a shield with a squared off chin. He looks Latino and had on red shorts, his left leg banded by a tattoo and a low collar showed a ring like a necklace similarly inked on. He had a black T-shirt and a black fleece on. His left eyebrow had a gap in it. Interesting looking guy. He had grown up Catholic but did not at present regularly attend. I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven and he said, “I’d say… umm. To see my relatives. I feel like I was doing things being seen by Him in a sense, his seeing me and my actions. He thought he had a 30% chance of going to Heaven. I began to go through the Gospel and I asked him what Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world, “He crucified Himself,” he replied, which was mostly true. I explained the payment for sin and the righteousness of God to him as well. I said he could be saved by faith so if someone asked him why God should let him into Heaven he would say, “Because Jesus died for me.” “OK,” he said accepting the revised answer. I asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in Jesus. “Yeah,” he replied. I explained the prayer to him asking if it was the desire of his heart. “Yeah he replied again and so I said he could pray silently and only God would hear but he would know then he was forgiven. He took the booklet and I said, “Just pretend I’m not here.” “Ha OK,” he said. He then prayed to receive Jesus. I told him then the likelihood he would go to Heaven was now 100% trusting I the righteousness of Christ to be his righteousness. He had a Bible but it was in Spanish so he was glad to get the study Bible I had for him. I showed him the cross references and the maps and 99 Doctrines page and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I gave him a Bible Study and Bible Promises for You and also The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I told him I’d pray for him each day until Spring and then another year after. “God bless you,” I said shaking his hand. “God bless you too,” he replied. I told him I’d see him in Heaven and he said, “See you there.” And I headed off.

Chris an African American and was sitting on a set of hallway chairs with oval lap tables against the wall near the Student Recourses Center. He was a very big dude. He had a moderate afro in individual spikes and pulled muff headphones up off his ears as we talked wearing them over his forehead and ears.  He had a burly beard as thick as my forearm and a mustache as light as his beard was thick. He had a smaller nose and wore a military green shirt jacket a black t-shirt and dark tan pants. He was very laid back and came across as intelligent. He wanted to go to Japan and I told him the story of a friend who took Japanese at COD and had gone there. Chris learned Japanese in High School and was into Anime. I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven. “Umm, well. I really wouldn’t know what to say. I go to church each Sunday. My Uncle is a pastor. I don’t even think I could fathom what I would tell Him. Like when you read the Bible it seems like you shouldn’t be there [in Heaven Is. 6:5]. Nobody deserves it.” He thought he had a 60-70% chance of going to Heaven. I began to go through the Gospel with him and he too knew Jesus had died to take away the sins of the world. He took in the idea that his sins were paid for and the blood of Christ cleansed him and the righteousness of God was too his credit. When I asked if he wanted to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done or thought something else he said, “Definitely forgiven.” So, I offered him the prayer asking if it was the desire of his heart, “Umhum,” he replied affirmingly and I said he could pray it silently and know he was forgiven. “Sure,” he replied. He prayed to receive Christ. I invited him to Bible Study. I then told him trusting in the Blood and righteousness of Jesus the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100%. I explained the Christian life “living inside > out by the Spirit’s power”. It turned out he went to a men’s small group on Thursday nights that went late and I said that seemed like a good thing. I gave him a Bible Study (explaining it) and Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. He said he liked to read so I also gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet.  I told him I would pray for him a Bible verse each day from now until Spring and a year after and he thanked me. I got up to go and said if I saw him around I would give him a wave. He said “OK.” 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 a good day walking with the Lord. Thanks for your prayers for the ministry. Things evangelism was a blessed work today, Vincent, Ian, Andy and Ray each prayed with me to receive Christ. I’m truly grateful for your help. There stories are below if you want to spend the time.

Vincent was sitting in the upstairs of the PE lounge on a sofa. His otherwise short hair was kind of a mop of tangles in front and had blonde sun highlights in it from the summer just past. He had a light mustache and a beard just under his chin, square jaw, slight build. He had a white t-shirt on and light blue athletic shorts, looked like he’d been working out. He was up for doing a survey and it turned out he came from a Roman Catholic background. He said he’d like to get married for the One thing you want to do before you die question, which was a good sign (typically) he’d receive Jesus, if he hadn’t yet. I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven. “I’m a faithful Christian,” he replied. He thought he had a 90% chance of going to Heaven. As I began to go through the Gospel I asked what had to happen for God to take away his sins so He could live inside him. “Confession?” he guessed. I said that was true the Bible said that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But when you confess to the priest the priest does not forgive your sins he is really telling you God forgives your sins. He nodded as if he thought that to be correct. I said he could think of the priest as an insurance agent you go to get insurance for your car. If you wreck your car you call the insurance agent and he connects you to the company, but the insurance agent does not pay for repairs the company pays. So the priest is telling you God forgives you and it is because God got paid. I went on to explain how God became a man Jesus and he lived a perfect life we could not. When He died and poured out his blood it cleansed him so God could live inside him and it also paid God back for all the imperfect things we’d done that we owed God something perfect to pay for. I explained salvation by grace through faith. I asked if he would want to be forgiven or thought something else. “I’d want to be forgiven,” he replied. I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray, if he had never told God he wanted to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done for him on the cross. I talked him through the prayer and asked if it was the desire of his heart. He nodded. I said he could pray it silently right now and only God would hear. “Wanna do it?” “Sure,” he said. He prayed the to receive Jesus. I explained the likelihood he would be forgiven now trusting in the righteousness of God to forgiven him was 100%. I explained the Christian life to him living Inside > Out when God first changes you on the inside then you become a good person and then you’ll do good things on the outside. “Everything is by the Spirit’s Power,” I explained. I also gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible study. I told him I would be praying for him through spring and the next year after. I stood up to go and he said, “Thank you so much.” I said, Sure, I’d see him in Heaven and shook his hand and headed off.

Ian was sitting in some chairs lining the hall of the second floor of the BIC. His head was down and as I walked up. His top was a mop of chin length brown curls. He looked up and had a friendly face smaller nose tan and freckled, He had a slight build wore dark blue athletic shorts and had a long sleeve dark grey t-shirt on. Good lookin’ kid. He said he had time for a survey. His parents had divorced and he’d lived with them in several states Virginia, Wisconsin and more recently in Vegas where he went to what he felt was a good church. I asked him what he would say to God if he died. “I don’t know, hmm…” he thought for a moment. “I feel like it should be His standards not by mine.” “Like what He says in the Bible,” I replied. He agreed saying he was a Christian and pulled a gold cross out from under his shirt for me to see. He thought the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100%. I began to explain the Gospel to him and asked what was the big thing that happened to take away his sin. “Repentance?” he guessed. I said it was true we repented but the real reason God forgives you is he got paid. I went on to explain the gospel to him and at one point he recognized the description of blood and the crucifixion and said, “Like communion.” I agreed saying we had to be perfect to be in Heaven so God became a man and lived a perfect life for us, died and rose again. “Can I keep this?” he asked of the booklet I’d been writing in. “Yeah sure,” I replied. I explained the righteousness of God (Is 61:10, Gal. 3:27) it’s His righteousness not ours. Then that he had to Receive Jesus and believe in his name. “So if someone would ask you why should God let you into Heaven you’d say, ‘Because Jesus died for me,’ That’s the standard.” “Oh!” he said, getting it. I said this was given to him by grace through faith. I asked if he’d want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done. “Yeah,” he replied. I said there was a prayer he could pray then and walked him through it saying he could pray it silently and he did. I explained the Christina life to him living Inside > Out. I also gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible study. I told him I would be praying for him through spring and the next year after. “Can I ask you a question?” he said. “Sure,” I replied. “What is the difference between pride and confidence?” he had described himself as confident. “Because everything I do I have confidence and that has always helped be accomplish things.” I said “Everything you are you were created to be by God. So, you can say you are something but can’t take any credit for it really. I could say I was intelligent; I went to grad school and seminary and was a philosophy major. But I never did anything to make myself intelligent. It’s not like I worked out every day and got smarter or made sure I ate the right food. God made me this way. So then you do things well He wants you to do and when people say, ‘You’re really good at that,’ you can say, ‘It’s just how God made me’. Then He gets the praise and you don’t become arrogant and screw yourself up.” That answer really worked for him. He looked at his phone and realized his ride, a cousin, had been waiting for him. “What’s your name again?” he asked. “Bob. It’s on the booklet in my email,” I replied. “Appreciate it,” he said gratefully and he ran off.

Andy was sitting in the small lounge at the NW entrance to the BIC building just past the SSC lounge. She was a cute kind of pretty, like Sandra Bullock a bit, if very slight with tanned skin. She had brown wavy hair just past her shoulders, pretty white smile, bright personality. She was wearing a grey sweatshirt and some grey cargo kind of pants. I asked her if she’d want to do a student survey for a Bible study group. She said she had done one for Cru pointing at what might have been a sticker for the group on her laptop. I said this was a bit 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 says, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say? The survey is really about what Bible says is the answer is to that question. Got any interest or not so much?” “Maybe not the Bible but about God yeah,” she replied. I got her name (though immediately forgot it and asked again during an illustration and wrote it down then). In pieces I dramatized the Gospel with the things I usually say quoting verses. And I talked about how God would live inside her if she believed on Jesus and talked about this was by faith. Then finally sitting not far from her I explained  “Inside  > Out” taking out the booklet and reading the line, Your walk with God depend on what you allow Him to do in and through you empowered by the Holy Spirit, not what you do for Him by your own self effort. I said she could be forgiven receiving Christ. There was a prayer she could pray and talked her through it if she would want God to live inside her she could pray this and know she was forgiven. Would you want to do that. “Sure,” she replied. And when she’d finished I said she could keep the booklet and went back quickly showing her the verses I had recited and writing in a couple more and explained briefly the Christian life. “Thanks Bob, appreciate you,” she said cheerfully. I told her I would keep her in my prayers for the next year until Spring and a year after praying a Bible verse for her each day. I wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front of Bible Promises for You, I gave her a Bible study too and Strobel’s book. “God bless you,” I said getting up to go. “God bless you too Bob, nice to meet you,” she said with a warm smile. And I headed off.

Ray was sitting at a table outside the bookstore. He had a Bass Pro truck drivers cap on and stick straight hair coming down out of it. He had a mustache like a narrow caterpillar, small mouth wore jeans and a blue T-shirt, wore a silver cross around his neck. I asked him if he wanted to do a student survey and he said he would but he had 10 minutes until he had to get to class, how long would it take. I told him I could give him the cliff’s notes version and asked him what he would say to God if he died and God asked why He should let him into Heaven. He said something like it would be up to Him. He said he’d been raised “as a Christian”. I said “Well this is what the Bible says” and I went right into explaining the Atonement and the blood that had cleansed him paid for his sins. God forgave him because He got Paid. I explained receiving this by faith and grace provided it. “Got it,” he said understanding everything for the first time it seemed. I asked if he wanted to be forgiven for his sins. “Why not,” he said. I said there was a prayer to pray accepting God forgiveness and thanking Him explaining the prayer to him. “You could pray this quietly right now, I wouldn’t hear you but God would hear and you’d know you were forgiven, wanna do that. “Yeah, why not,” he replied. And he took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I quickly gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” inside and he responded saying, “Perfect.” I also gave him a Bible Study and The Case for Christ Answer Book. “But I gotta let you go to class,” I said handing it all to him. He glanced at his watch and said, “Oh, yeah.”  “Thank you, appreciate it,” he said and fist bumped me and headed to the stairs. It had taken 8 minutes but now he had received his family’s faith.

So, thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism Thursday if you had a chance. God blessed and let some see His salvation.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed as the late summer weather comes. Ours is forecasted to be cooler soon. We had a good day on campus. Ellen and I had a Bible study and I thought we’d celebrate Ellen’s Birthday after. But she decided we’d just do dinner tonight and prayed for me as I headed back into school. (She’d got presents and a poem and flowers this morning.) So I did some evangelism this afternoon and Davon trusted Christ as his savior.

Davon is African American in appearance. He had a rough afro and black plastic rimmed glasses, good looking kid. He had on a black t-shirt and grey sweats. He was laying on a couch in a small lounge at the Northwest entrance to the BIC building just beyond the SSC lounge. He said he had just been to Cru. They’d had a Bible study it seemed. I asked if he’d like to hear the big metaphysical question to take with him for the day. He sat up slowly and said, “OK.” I said, “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?” He thought for a moment and said kind of tentatively, “Because I have a relationship?” Probing a bit I asked, “What happened so you could have that relationship?” He struggled to say so I said, “Christianity is like a blood transfusion. I have A+ blood, so if you fill me with B- blood I would clot up and die. God wants to fill you with His Holy Spirit, to live inside you, then He is eternal and the source of life so you would have eternal life. But first He has to take away your sin. Then you are perfect and holy inside and you match God. You are purified then you are His type and He can live inside you. So what is the big thing Jesus does to take away your sin and the sins of the world.” He guessed something like, “He forgives you.”  I asked if I could show him some Bible verses to show what Jesus had done. He agreed. As I went through the Gospel with him it was clear he was understanding it for the first time. I finished saying most of all I normally explain about the blood and righteousness of Christ and forgiveness by faith. I asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in Jesus or thought something else. I explained the options by the two circles. He said he would want to be forgiven trusting in Jesus pointing at the circle with God on the throne. So I said there was a prayer he could pray to tell God he was trusting in Jesus and I talked him through it. He said he thought he had prayed a prayer like it before. “But you did not understand it right?” ‘Yeah,” he replied agreeing he had not understood what the prayer meant. I suggested he might want to pray it again so it meant something. He agreed and prayed to receive Jesus. When he finished he was thankful saying it “Helped me understand things more.” He had gone to Willow Creek Church but more recently was in a Church out on Rt 59 I knew of to be a good church where the students I bump into have a sound understanding of the faith. I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I also gave him a Bible Study. He did not think he would read Strobel’s book. I told him I would be praying for him through next spring and one year after. I explained the likelihood he would now go to Heaven was 100%.  He offered his fist to bump saying, “Thanks for the information.” I told him if I saw him I would give him a wave. “See ya around,” he said and I headed off.

So thanks for your prayers for the Ministry. God blessed today.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope your day was filled with blessings and every good and perfect gift. I had a good day on campus and Ian and Kyra each prayed with me to receive Jesus. Thanks so much for your prayers, there stories are below if you have some time. There was a lot said and I’ll do my best to reiterate it.

I came in and went down the hallway along where the student activities offices are and asked a couple students who were not interested. I thought I should go back toward the cafeteria but then I had a picture in my head of the chairs along the wall if the SSC lounge. It seemed like a nudge from the Holy Spirit. So I turned around and cut past the lounge by the offices to the base of the stairs up into the main lounge. There were two guys sitting in the chairs 15 feet from each other and the first guy was Ian.

Ian had short trimmed hair parted on the right his bangs swept aside. He had a thin mustache and was a slight build. His beard appeared as a line down his chin then more beneath and then here and there on the sides. He was dressed all in black but had a silver cross and chain that hung lower than his chest and would fit inside a 50-cent piece. He wasn’t interested saying, “I believe in God,” sort of dismissively and then that he wasn’t even a student here. I asked if he’d like to hear the big metaphysical question to think about through the day. “Sure,” he replied.  So I said, “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 shouldn’t, I haven’t done enough to be worthy,” he replied. I said he wouldn’t get to heaven based on what he had done but because of what was done for him. Then I asked if he’d like to see some Bible verses telling him that. “OK,” he replied. I took out the booklet and got his name and gave him mine and read some verses. He was familiar with John 3:16. I explained “Knowing God” was that God lived inside him and talked about his sin and that God had to take it away. Then he would be perfect and holy inside, he’d match God and so God could live inside him. I asked him what Jesus had done to take away his sin. He knew Jesus had died. Telling him that the blood of Christ cleansed him I said God forgave him and that the Blood of Christ was a payment to God.  He asked what I would say to someone who would say Jesus had died but you had to do things to earn that. I said that was semi-pelagianism. Explaining the problem would be that you owed God something perfect in return for damaging, [Matt. 5:48] you, someone else or the world—His stuff. But nothing you could offer to pay God fixed what you had done or was a perfect gift to give back to Him. I said from the Bible’s perspective that you thought you could add something to the perfect payment of Christ’s blood, that it was not enough to pay for your sins, was really and insult to the work of Christ. I explained the righteousness of Christ to our credit. And nothing you could give back to God was perfect anyway. I explained that sometimes this was called Lordship Salvation, where you did not just ask Jesus to be your savior but you made Him Lord of your life. But the grass does not make the sun and I explained that it was only by the power of the Holy Spirit we could do anything that pleased God. I said the verse by grace you are saved through faith not of yourselves it is a gift of God, not by works lest any man should boast. “That’s what I don’t have,” he replied.  God had to turn our bad things into good things I explained. I offered him the two options of trusting in what Jesus had done to save him or something else. He said he had been in eastern thought and been into crystals and even had an altar, by which he tried to reach certain deities but there was no one there. [I later used his statement in talking to Kyra who was really into new age things like crystals and reincarnation.] He said Christianity kept popping up but he felt like it wasn’t cool enough. Finally, he began to look into it but he was just kind of getting started, though it seemed like he had been at it a while.  I think he believed it was true up to the point he had to earn forgiveness. I agreed with him that eastern religion made everything one but Christianity is 2 and I and a Thou. I suggested when you died Buddhism was a bit more philosophically consistent (than Hinduism). In Buddhism you were just reassembled from the particulates of the universe some of which were you, some was not. But then why was there Karmic guilt if all of you as a unified whole had not previously existed? He agreed it did not fit with experience. He said he would want to trust in Jesus. I said there was a prayer he could pray. I said he could pray it silently and he did. Finishing  he looked up. He said he had met people who had had a religious experience and kind of an emotional thing. I said that repentance was changing your mind about Jesus, that He was your savior and God. I said those facts are more likely to carry him through life. I said I felt things from God through life, though not when I first became a Christian. But feelings can come from a piece of bad pizza. If he went through a hard time it might not feel like God loved him, but the fact of it remained and he could cling to that. I told him there was more about faith in the booklet, that it wasn’t a feeling. I explained living inside > out asking for the Spirit’s power to give him help in everything. I gave him a copy of Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. He smiled at that and thanked me. I gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. He said had come to Christianity more reasoning and I said the author was the same. I also gave him a Bible Study. He was grateful and said he’d email me sometime and I said that would be great. (He never on campus on Wednesday when we’ll have Bible Study)

Two black students were sitting together a tall guy named Treavor (slender with a mop of braids 5 inches long or so) and Kyra, a very pretty girl with long braids past her elbows and oval face, small nose. She was wearing a grey t-shirt with some big white letters I never made out and orange sweats. When I asked them what they would say to God he roughly stated the Gospel. After he’d said he believed in Jesus she said Jesus was not God. Treavor said something like Jesus was God’s son and I explained the Trinity to her a term she was unfamiliar with. I said she was kind of like a trinity in that she had a body like Jesus’ emotions like the Holy Spirit and a will or a mind, like the Father. I said however her trinity was dysfunctional in as much as someone could say something rude to her and it would affect her ability to concentrate, her emotions upsetting her mind. Or she could get injured and become upset from the pain, her body effecting her emotions. But God was a complete Trinity, 3 in one, where He loved Himself and was in agreement within Himself.  She accepted that. In asking her what she would say to God she said, “I don’t know, I feel like He would just know my heart, simple, Rashad Jamal.” (Rashad Jamal is a New Age TikTok influencer who is up on charges for murder right now and I think that is who she meant.) Treavor, claimed to be a church musician who was good at every instrument said he knew the Gospel. He strangely was an annoyance and butted in a periodically, interested in telling her what he knew. She told him (more than me) she believed in a different god and said something about dying and becoming a color. It seemed that the physical world was not real in the view she was voicing, in keeping somewhat with Hindu belief possibly. She said after she died she would not remember anything. I used that later to say everything in Eastern Religions is one and you go into it when you die and lose yourself, you have no identity and are gone. But in Christianity you always remain you and God knows you and you talk to Him. By the time I began to go through the Gospel he claimed he, “knew all that”. So I asked him if he could explain the Righteousness of God. He could not. “Then you don’t understand all of it. Paul had said that it was not by his own righteousness he was saved but by the Righteousness, which is by faith.” She was interested. And so I continued through the Gospel with her and he seemed distracted or attempting to distract her. (He later even began to talk to me while she was praying and I hushed him.) Finally, I said, “Stop, be quiet and don’t say anymore let her listen.” She talked about her practice with crystals and things and said there was really no one to talk to in it, no Person there. I explained a bit of Eastern thought then and said, “A guy I just talked to was into crystals and that and Eastern Religions just told me the same thing. He decided he wanted a Father and trusted in Christ). This was attractive to her as I continued to go through the Gospel. I explained the righteousness of God that Jesus had earned that could be hers. And finally asked her if she would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done, then God would be her Father and know her. Surprisingly she said she would. I talked her through the prayer and asked if it was the desire of her heart. She said it was and I said she could pray it silently. I think she had some background in the Church as she finished praying to receive Jesus and said, “Praise God.” I gave him a copy of Bible Promises for You writing her name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. She thanked me and I gave her The Case for Christ Answer Booklet, “I get gifts”, she said more to him than to me. I explained the Bible study to her and she liked that. I gave him two books and wrote some notes in another booklet saying he could use it to share his faith. She was happy and I got up to go and found out they were friend but were not dating. Being a couple was something she had no interest in she then made clear. Another pretty black girl walked up with shoulder length big curls. She said her friend was also into Crystals. I said, “Well you can tell her how it is.” She agreed she could. I told her I would pray for her each day until next Spring and one year after and she was grateful and I headed out.

I later came upon Ian and told him his story had helped lead someone to Christ and he was grateful to be told that and thanked me enthusiastically.

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 ya got some good news in answer to prayer. I had a good day on campus and Kate and Travont [tre-von-te] each prayed with me to receive Jesus. There stories are below if you have a moment. 20 students have prayed to receive Jesus the 1^st 2 weeks of school. Thanks for being a part of the ministry in prayer I’m truly grateful.

I ended up sitting and talking to 4 students who wanted to be in a Bible Study for more than a couple hours when I first got to school. They all wish to come Wednesday at 10:45 so hopefully that will play out. I finally excused myself saying I had to get to work and the next two students I spoke with each prayed to receive Jesus.

Kate was sitting in the hallway beside the bookstore just a bit down from where I’d been sitting talking with the others. She is a petite little Filipino girl, black round rimmed glasses, long brown hair to her shoulder with bangs swept to the right. She had a broad pretty smile wearing jeans and a white blouse. She said she was a nurse and wanted to travel the world become a doctor. It seemed she was born in the Philippian Islands. She said she was raised Catholic but now occasionally went to a Baptist Church. I asked her what she would say to God if she died and if He asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “Because you’re my God and I’m your daughter,” she replied. She thought she had a 70% chance of going to Heaven. She listened closely to the Gospel and she knew Jesus had died to take away the sins of the world. I went through the blood of Christ as cleansing and payment for sin saying she need to believe in Christ’s work to be forgiven. I asked her if she would want to be forgiven trusting in Jesus. She said something like, “I would want to be forgiven with Jesus.” I asked her if when she asked for forgiveness she was thinking she would be forgiven because Jesus had died for her. “I was always hopeful when I asked for forgiveness she replied. I said, “Well if you’d like to be forgiven for your sins trusting in Jesus there’s a prayer you can pray,” I replied and I read through the prayer with her asking if it was the desire of her heart. “Yeah,” she said. I said she could pray it silently and she took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I began to explain the Christian life to her. Her Bible was not with her in the States so I gave her one and showed her the cross references and the devotionals and study helps in back. I wrote her name and the date and “forgiven” in front. “I had quiz and class was shorter. I went home but decided I’d rather study here and came back you gave me a Bible!” More importantly God had given her eternal life. I explained living the Christian life “Inside > Out. I gave her a copy of Bible Promises for You Writing “By the Spirit’s Power” in the front. I gave her The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I told her that now trusting in the righteousness of Jesus to be her righteousness the likelihood she would go to Heaven was 100%.  She thanked me with a fist bump.

I headed off and passed another girl who asked when the Bible Study was saying she was eavesdropping and was standing next to. And I gave her a Bible Study and the time.

Just down the hall into the SSC building I came across Travont. He had a light blue hoodie on pulled up and black straight leg jeans. He wore a narrow mustache and had a beard only under his chin. Average size college guy with a wide slightly flat nose gap tooth smile. He seemed to have cornrow braids on top that I could not see much of. He was pretty low key and sober and barely cracked a smile but once. He said he’d gone to Church when he was a kid. He thought he’d like to travel to the Bahamas. I asked him what he would say to God if he died and He asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “That’d be tough. I wouldn’t know what to say—honestly,” he replied. I began to go through the Gospel with him. I asked him what Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world. “He gave His heart,” is what I think I heard him say. So I said, “He gave his life,” and he agreed. Thinking later I don’t think we’d meant the same thing but we were on the same page at the end.  I explained what Jesus had done in cleansing him and paid for his sins. I asked if that made sense and he said something like, “I follow.” I told him of the righteousness of Christ to his credit and I explained that believing by faith his sins were forgiven. I finished the Gospel and asked if he’d like to be forgiven trusting in Jesus so God could live inside him or if he thought something else. He thought for just a moment and said, “I’d want God inside.” So I said there was a prayer he could pray if he wanted to be forgiven and I talked him through it. I asked if it was the desire of his heart and he agreed. If he wanted he could pray it silently. “Yeah,” he replied. And he prayed to receive Jesus. I talked him through the Christian life and the fruit of the Spirit and he said, “Alright,” in kind of a deadpan way. Living by the Spirit’s power, “Inside > Out” first asking God to transform him on the inside. Then he would become a good person and do good things on the outside. I also gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible study. I said I’d see him in Heaven and being older I’d be there first and could show him around. He said, “I get you,” and I headed out.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry God blessed me today and I was thankful for them.

In Him,

Bob