Third Watch Ministries, NFP                                                             Bob & Ellen Bollow

P.O. Box 1283                                                                                       March 23, 2023

Wheaton, IL 60187

“Your sins have been forgiven….Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:48,50

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your days of winter are behind ya and it’s been warming up outside at your house. We had some false hope coming into March and now it’s cold again. The volcano off the shore of Tonga has created the “Year without a summer” in the southern hemisphere, and the temperatures dropped 15 degrees on average. So we’re told by some experts to expect the same ice clouds to drift to the North. These clouds that formed in the mesosphere (the eruption sent water 52 miles up) increased the moisture there by 10%. So if Jesus returns soon with His angels they will have to strap on ice-skates to get through the first layer of clouds it seems. Buy some extra food ya like, as I presume the price of everything will be rising again.

Wow, lots of bad news on the weather front Bob. Got any good news? Yes! God is at work on campus again this semester. 44 students have prayed with me to receive Christ. Many conversations have gone like the one I had with Jake a few days ago. He looked slightly older, in his 20’s, light brown hair in a pony tail poured over his right shoulder—touching his chest. He had a long chin beard and a one inch thin jawline beard he had just begun growing out from the looks of it. He had kind of a windbreaker jacket on and appeared like something I’d have bumped into at Yosemite in 1980. He did not think he had time to do a long survey so I asked, “Want to just answer the main question then?” “Sure,” he replied. “You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you stand before God and He says, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” I asked. “Hmm, Umm, well I’ve had faith” he answered.“What kind of faith? You had faith when you sat down on these chairs. You did not check them first, you just plopped down. What do you have faith in?” I asked.“That there is something greater,” he replied. He was 100% sure he was going to Heaven.”From the perspective of the Bible, that is not a faith that saves you,” I replied. I went on to explain the Gospel to him. It turned out he went to church some. I asked how Jesus took away his sins so God could live inside him with His Holy Spirit. “Reconciliation,” he guessed after a moment of thought. “I agree with you that you that it’s reconciliation. But what did Jesus do that reconciled you to God?” I asked. He was uncertain and I knew I did not have much time, so I launched into the Gospel. At the end I asked him if he would want to be forgiven for his sins or thought something else. I quickly mentioned “Islam does not believe God lives inside you nor was there a sacrifice for sin. So they have a different God. And the Buddha left his wife and kids to go off and seek enlightenment. But he’s not looking for God at all. He thinks he is trapped in a dream and can think his way out of it. So would you want to be forgiven for your sins, trusting in what Jesus has done or do you think something else?” “I would want to be forgiven!” he exclaimed. So I said there was a prayer he could pray and talked him through it and said he could pray it right now and know he was forgiven. He took the booklet, looking at the prayer, and said “I’ll take this with me.” “OK, here let me give you a book,” as I quickly handed him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet.  He took it, gratefully it seemed, as I quickly said something about Strobel’s story and he got up and crossed the hall and ran up the stairs to the class I had made him late for. I hope he will pray and I will find out. Fortunately for me, over 120 students have prayed with me right after going through the Gospel with them and I saw it. A few others told me later they had prayed when I bumped into them. Hopefully Jake will come to saving faith. He was the only person I found to go through the Gospel with that day.

Most days this year it seems someone has trusted Christ as Savior. Thanks so much for your prayers for the ministry on campus. I know there is power in prayer and this is the reason God is at work. Over 1800 students have prayed to receive Christ after hearing the Gospel from me since I began college ministry. I know that at Pentecost and other times in history God turned that many to Salvation by faith in one day. But Ellen and I are grateful to be used by God and feel He has been kind to put you in our lives to share in the work.

These are the names of the students who have prayed to receive Jesus this school year.

(If you don’t get the daily email, the accounts of their stories are at www.thethirdwatch.org)

Kevin, Brian, Riq, Shane, Fernando, Dona, Mariana, Kyra, Ethan, Savannah, Riley, Litzy, Gordon, Scott, Josie*, Henry, Sam, Anthony, Ryan, Arely, John, Skye, Michael, Jason, Giancarlo, Andrew, Sam, Anish, Erika, Erick, Jocelyn, Christian, Gian, Victoria, Tony*, Mike*, Nick, Emerald, Dom, Sam, Martin, Desha, Morgan, Citlali, Julie, Leslie, Max, Mattie, Eduardo, Cyrus, Bris, Kayla*, Heaven, Mimi, Isaac, Micky, AnnMarie, Dejan*, Nathan, Ysabela, Zakia, Michelle, Ryan, D, Robertro, Jayden, Mayra, Freddy, Emily, Znyia, Gianluca, Alex, Jessica, Riley, Juan, Kenny, Omar, Kiara, Joaquin, Rose, Ben, Tanya, Quin, Denise, Sam, Ozzy*, Ashley, Mars, Allison, Ishani, Osvaldo, Kelly, Sabas, Daisy, Andrew, Aaliyah, Sydney, Shanice, Taron, Melissa, Preston, Daniel, Evelyn, Abbey, Adrienne, Kyle, Ahsi, Kristina, Sandra, Emily, Diego, Ryan, Nicole, Xia, Fisayomi, Noah, Sarah, Niko, SarahMary, Janet, Will, Chris, Rico, Dan, Miles, Aaron, Sara, Ethan, Jaden, Devin*, Hameedah, Michael, Otto

In Him,

Bob & Ellen

                                                                                          Happy Spring!

If you’d like to get the daily “going out” and “results of the work” send me an email at:

bob.thirdwatch@sbcglobal.net

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed with all good things from above. I had a headache all day but the Lord brought Michael and Otto to Himself after I told them the Gospel. So that was great. Please pray they grow in their faith. Both were truly grateful to hear the Good News. Their stories are below if ya have some time.

Michael was sitting in the hallway on the Third floor of the BIC building on the south side and was the first person I asked to talk with. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt that had tiny orange icons on it with some kind of tweedy black and white sweats for pants. His hood was up and he had block features. There was a bit of dark blonde or brown hair I could see front the front at the top of his forehead, about an inch long. He said he’d do a survey. I asked him what he would say to God if he died and was asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “Hmm what would I say let’s see…” he said thinking. “I believe in God. I believe everyone makes mistakes.” Then as if he was thinking he added, “I’ve been going to Church since I was a kid, and should be let into Heaven. I love my parents I love God so I believe I should be let in.” He thought the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100%. I began to explain the Gospel saying God loved him and wanted to live inside him but to do so He would have to take away his sin. “What’s the big thing that Jesus does to take away the sins of the world, to pay for your sins and the sins of the world?” I asked. He thought for a moment and said, “He was nailed to a cross.” “Right,” I said, “this is how it works.” So, I began to explain the blood of Christ cleansing him, then as a payment for his sins and that the righteousness of Christ was too his credit. So, you don’t go to Heaven because you are good but because Jesus is good and you’re connected to Him. “Like if you marry a millionaire, you got a million bucks.” I explained because he had said he went to a Catholic Church that this was the symbolism in the mass that the wafer was symbolic of His body and the wine Symbolic of His blood so when he took it, he should say thank you because it as commemorating Jesus had died and so he was forgiven. Then saying God adopted him I said that if he received Christ, he’d be given the “right to become” a child of God. I said this was by faith and that his good stuff did not fix his bad stuff. So, I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done or thought something else. “Be forgiven for my sins,” he replied.  I said there was a prayer he could pray and asked if it expressed the desire of his heart. “Hmm,” he said agreeing it did. I said he could pray it silently and I wouldn’t hear but God would hear and asked if he wanted to do it and nodding, he took the booklet. Looking at the prayer for a second he said, “Out loud?” “No silently is good,” I replied. He prayed and he thanked me and I told him about living by the Spirit’s power and asking God’s help in everything. I gave him Bible promises for You and wrote his name and the date and forgiven in the front. He thanked me again and I gave him a Bible study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I told him I’d pray a Bible verse for him into the Spring and a year after. “I’ve seen you around,” he said. We talked a bit and he said “Thank you so much.” I said sure. I told him if he had any questions, he could email me and if I saw him around I’ve just wave. He thanked me again and I took off.

Otto was sitting in the southeast corner lounge of the science buildings by himself in front of a laptop at a table. He had a mop of curry hair and looked Latino, clean shaven. He wore jeans and a gray old-school looking sweatshirt, had wire rimmed glasses the shape of aviators. He said he had some time and would do a survey. I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven and he repeated the question thinking and said and said, “I don’t think that’s my decision to make at all.” I asked him what he thought the likelihood he would get into Heaven. He said, “I’m not sure.” He then said something about Passover and baptism he had not done yet. As I went through the Gospel I explained that Jesus had died on Passover to fulfill the law. I told him in the old covenant there were sacrifices each year but Jesus was the perfect sacrifice lamb that fulfilled all of the law and His blood paid for all our sins. I said His righteousness was too our credit, later explaining after he prayed that the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100% trusting in the righteousness of Christ and not any righteous religious deed he had done and at that point explained baptism. I also explained then Paul said in the book of Romans that he did not trust in his own righteousness but the righteousness of God that was his by faith. I went on with the Gospel, all Jesus had done was for those who had received Him, believed on “His name” (or His reputation) that He was God had died for their sins and rose from the dead. Otto’s good stuff could not fix his bad stuff but God could turn his bad stuff into good because He controlled the future [Rom. 8:28]. I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done or thought something else. “Forgiven by Christ,” he replied. So I said there was a prayer he could pray and talked him through it and asked if it expressed the desire of his heart. “Yeah,” he said. I said he could pray it silently and I wouldn’t hear but God would hear and he’d know he was forgiven would he want to. “Yeah sure,” he said and took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. When he finished I explained living by the Spirit’s power. I explained that the church he was attending on line, if it was giving him religious works to do should be saying he could only do things to please God by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by his own effort. They had told him he needed to be baptized after he thought it through well enough. Then once he was baptized he would be let into Heaven. He had been baptized as an infant in a Catholic Church and they said that was not it. I said if he felt he should be baptized again that was fine and the Bible does encourage us to make a public statement of our faith through Baptism but it is the appeal to God for a clear conscience that Peter says in the Bible make the Baptism effectual. The only way for us to have a clear conscience is to know our sins are forgiven by what God does when Jesus dies for us on the cross. So we say we trust in that when we are baptized and go under the water symbolically dying with Him and raise up but it is not the baptism itself that has power. I also explained Paul says, [1Cor. 1:14] ^“I thank God that I baptized none of you.”  He would not have said that if Baptism was necessary to be saved, he would have baptized them right away himself to be sure. I said being baptized had no relationship to the Passover and it did not matter when we did it. Jesus dies on the Passover so people will know He is the Passover sacrifice to pay for sins. He said they talked about the Sabbath day and I explained that in Christ we become the temple of the Holy Spirit, so every day is the Sabbath Day, we don’t ever take a day off and rob a bank or something where we are not resting in Christ who is our sabbath rest as it says in Hebrews 4. So they are right in saying the Church is not told in the Bible to change the Sabbath day to Sunday from Saturday, but Christian’s do not change the day or discard the day but amplify it because every day we rest in Christ who is the Sabbath. We are the temple of God. He lives in us, so every day is like we go to Church and honor Him. I pointed out they were not keeping the Sabbath anyway since if you start your car you kindle a fire. I quickly explained an internal combustion engine saying that breaks the Sabbath just driving to Church. I said it sounded like they were trying to trick him by adding things but salvation was all God’s work not his even by being baptized. I gave him Bible promises for You and wrote his name and the date and forgiven in the front. I gave him a Bible study and explained it. I also gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I told him I’d pray for him each day until next spring and if he had any questions to email me. “Thank you so much.” He said and I headed out and he went off to class.

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 had a blessed day walking with God. I had a good day on campus.  Jaden and Hameedah each prayed to receive Jesus and Darin* committed to Christ but had to run for his ride who had called him. Thanks for your prayers. Their stories are below if you have the time.

Jaden was the first guy I found to go through the Gospel with today. He was sitting on the second floor of the BIC on the north side on a bench in the hall. He had stick straight hair, spiked up in the front, short on the sides. He was slight in build shorter than me wearing a light blue pull-over hoodie and dark blue sweats. He had dark circles under his eyes and a square chin with kind of the Private Eye film noir look. I asked him if he died, what he would say to God to be let into Heaven. He thought for a minute and said, “I’ve lived a good life. I’ve been a good person.” He thought the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 90%. He hadn’t been to church in a while but regularly went to Church growing up. I began to explain the Gospel to him and said in order for God to live inside him he had to make him his type and asked “Do you know what the big thing is that Jesus does to take away the sins of the world?” He nodded then and looked at me the way you do when you can’t answer the question. I said, “This is how it works.” And explained the gospel. He followed closely listening carefully and I asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done, then God would live inside him and give him strength in life or did he think something else. Then said again when he was slow to respond, “So would you want to be forgiven for your sins.” He thought a moment more taking it all in and said, “Yeah.” I said, “Well, if you want to be forgiven there’s a prayer you can pray.” I read through the prayer and asked, “Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?” “Yeah,” he replied again. I said if he wanted he could “pray it right then silently and I wouldn’t hear him but God would hear and you’d know you were forgiven. Wanna do that?” “Ummhum,” he replied and he took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I took the booklet back saying he could keep it. “Thank you,” he replied and I explained the Christian life living inside out. I gave him a copy of Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and forgiven in the front. I gave him a Bible Study and Told him the likelihood now he would go to Heaven was 100%. I gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I said I would pray a Bible verse for him each day to bless him through spring and through the next year. “Thank you,” he said. I said, “Really cool to meet ya.” “Yeah you too,” he replied. Have a good one,” I said. “You too,” he said and I shook his hand and took off. He was very low key and reserved but friendly as I left him.

Hameedah [ha mead ah] was sitting in the booths at the doors leading out to the waterfall, it’s turned off for the winter. She had dozens of long braids of brown and black. She was African American but had an African accent. She had a petit pretty face with a small nose and almond shaped eyes, a small pretty mouth. She had a kind sweet demeanor. She had on a black puffy coat with thin horizontal quilts and skinny jeans, white tennis shoes. We sat across from her friend who had headphones on and never looked up. She said she went to Church every Sunday downtown. I asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven and she said, “I tried my best to be a good Christian. I’ve been committed to God and feel I’ve been a good Christian.” She thought she had a 50/50 chance of going to Heaven. I began to go through the Gospel with her and she had John 3:16 memorized and knew Romans Rom. 6:23 finishing each as I read. But then I asked her what was the big thing Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world so God could live inside her. She had no idea and said nothing and kind of shrugged. I finished telling her how Jesus had died for her, His blood had cleansed her and His righteousness could be to her credit. “You don’t go to Heaven because you are good but because Jesus is good and you are connected to Him.” I said, saying God adopts her and gives her His blessings of a sacrifice for her sins and Jesus’ blood and righteousness.  I explained she was saved by faith. I asked if she would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done. “Yes,” she said. Then I said there was a prayer she could pray to be forgiven and walked her though it and asked if it expressed the desire of her heart. “Yes,” she said again. So I said she could pray it silently and she nodded and prayed to receive Jesus. When she finished I said she was forgiven. I explained the Christian life living inside out. “It’s also my Birthday,” she said happily.” I said I had a book for her for a Birthday present. I wrote her name and “Happy Birthday” and the date and “forgiven!” In the front. I gave her The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible study. I then told her the likelihood she would go to Heaven was 100%. Saying, “Jesus’ righteousness was worth an infinite amount because He is God, so there is enough to an old Biker like me and a young girl like you that hasn’t even done hardly anything yet, God’s righteousness will cover us both.” “Amen,” she said. I said I would keep her in my prayers through the Spring for the next year praying a Bible verse to bless her each day. “Thank you,” she said. And I got up and headed out.

Darin was in the MAC Arts building wearing his jacket with a satchel at his feet. He had a watch cap on and a beard and mustache, African American, slight in stature. As soon as I got his name he immediately got a call and said, “I see you I’ll be right out.” I said it did not seem like he had time now but asked him If he died what he would say to God if asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” He thought about it saying it was a good question. “I haven’t done anything necessarily to warrant not going to Heaven,” he finally replied. He thought he had a 70% chance of going to Heaven. I took out the booklet and quickly made 4 quick points asking if he’d want to be forgiven or thought something else. “I’d want to be forgiven,” he replied. I said there was a prayer he could pray and read through it and said he could pray it silently right now or take it with him. “Ok,” he said, “Thanks.” I asked if he believed Jesus was God had died for his sins and rose from the dead. “Do you think that’s a true story?” “Yeah,” he replied. “And do you trust in that to be forgiven for your sins?” “Yes,” he said firmly. I said he was forgiven then and need only talk to God about it. I gave him Bible Promises for You and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and he got up and left for his ride. His phone rang again two steps from me with the impatient ride calling. So I think he has believed unto salvation and I will see him again. Matt. 10:32 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.”

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 had a blessed day walking with God in the Spirit of Christ. I had a good day on campus and Ethan and Sara each prayed with me to receive Jesus. Please pray they grow in their faith. Yesterday a Muslim girl Nadene heard the Gospel [I forgot to mention her]. She had glasses and long hair, and oval face, and was up on the 3^rd floor of the science building, seemed pretty Americanized. I don’t think she had read the Quran. She said it was the best explanation of Christianity she had heard and took the booklet. Thanks for your prayers. Ethan and Sara’s stories are below if you have time.

Ethan was sitting in the PE lounge at the long table there alone. Four other students were at the far end. He had a couple books out with a receipt on them he must have bought for class, he described himself as a reader. He was tall and thin had a red t-shirt on and a pencil width mustache, his hair was receding around a U-shaped center section slightly. He was very direct in his questions and responses. He said went to a Bible Study that met in the library (I had never heard of) but agreed to do a survey. I asked him what he would say to God if he died and was asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “Because I’ve been living a really rough life. I have autism—it’s really hard to get by. I’d be homeless if I didn’t have certain people in my life.” On the spectrum he seemed pretty highly functioning talking to me, he just seemed a bit abrupt. It turned out he lived with his parents. He looked 18 and was waiting for his sister to finish classes whom he said was very pretty and shorter than him. She drove him to school. He had a special advisor to guide him as to what classes to take. He was anxious to get some independence so I recommended he look for work at school that might fit his schedule. They had him taking 3 classes however so he might not have had time, but he said he’d check with his advisor. He read off the questioner before I could ask the next question, “What do you think of Christianity in this little booklet?” Replying to the question he said, “I just follow the Bible.” I said the booklet was basically Bible verses and taking it out I began to go through the verses with him saying there were 4 points. He was focused and attentive through the entire thing. I asked him what Jesus had done to take away his sins so God could live inside him. “He forgives you?” he guessed. I said He did and began to go through the atonement and the cleansing blood of Christ, saying it was how God got paid. Before I could explain the righteousness of God I usually stick in right about there he said, “OK what’s the 4^th point?” So I turned the page and began to explain that he received Jesus by faith, believing He was God had died for his sins and rose from the dead. I said “your good stuff doesn’t fix your bad stuff but God can turn bad things into good things because He controls the future.” I quoted Rom. 8:28 then.  “OK,” he replied. I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins so God could live inside him or thought something else. “God live inside me,” he replied. I said that if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray. I explained it and asked if it expressed the desire of his heart. “Yeah,” he said. So I said he could pray it silently and God would hear and he’d be forgiven. “Wanna do it?” I asked. “Yeah,” he said without hesitation. He took the booklet then and prayed to receive Christ. I explained living by the Spirit’s transforming power asking God to change him on the inside. I gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside. I said we’d skipped a question and he said he’d seen it and said, “50%,” as the likelihood he would go to Heaven. I explained the righteousness of God then and that, trusting in Jesus righteousness to be his, the likelihood now was 100%. When I explained Strobel’s booklet The Case for Christ Answer Booklet  he wanted it to read so I gave him that and a Bible study. I told him I would keep him in my prayers and got up to go saying I would see him in Heaven and he said, “Thank you sir.” “You’re welcome,” I replied and headed out. Had he not said so I would not have guessed he had autism.

Sara was sitting on the second floor of the MAC Arts building lounge on one of the sofa chairs against the wall. She was Polish, born here but grew up there some, she said and hoped to return to visit relatives. She had tight wavy hair that had grown out 5 inches from where the blonde began. She had a grey hoodie on with some colorful images on it and wore jeans. She had a backpack next to her with some stuffed toys attached that might have been Pokémon. She had a pretty slightly wide face with a pointed chin as I sat down. When I looked back she was covered with a black mask and she said she was immune compromised. I asked her what she would say to God if she died and He asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven.” “That’s hard,” she replied. “I would love to see my grandfather.” It turned out he was something of a war hero in WW2 and he had been her favorite relative. She was Catholic but now only went only to Christmas and Easter Mass crediting Covid lockdowns for the change, something several students have said this year. She thought she had a 50/50 chance of going to Heaven. When I said God had to take away her sins so He could live inside her I asked what the big thing was that Jesus had done to take away her sins. ‘He was crucified,” she replied without hesitation. I explained the Gospel, the blood and righteousness of Christ and receiving Christ by faith saying this was by faith. “So if someone were to ask why should God let you into Heaven you’d say, ‘Because Jesus died for me’. Not just that you knew the story from hearing it as a kid but that that’s what you put your trust in as an adult.” I said the Bible taught faith saved her and asked if she would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done so God could live inside her or if she thought something else. “Life entrusted to Christ,” she said, using language I had not used. I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and read it explaining it and read, “Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?” She nodded. I said if she wanted she could pray it silently. “I wouldn’t hear you but God would hear and then you’d know you were forgiven. Wanna do it?” She nodded again finishing with a “Yeah.” She took the booklet then and prayed to receive Jesus. I explained the Christian life to her (when she’d finished) living inside > out by the Spirit’s power. I said now trusting in the righteousness of Jesus to be her righteousness the likelihood she would go to Heaven was 100%. I gave her Bible Promises for You writing her name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I also gave her The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible study. I told her I would be praying for her for the next year. “Thank you,” she replied. I got up to go saying, “Nice to meet you.” and she said, “Nice to meet you too, God bless.” And I headed out.

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

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed and you took in a little sunshine. There’s a chill again in Chicago but sunny today. I had a good day on campus and Miles and Aaron each prayed with me to receive Jesus today. Please pray they grow in their faith. Thanks for your prayers. Their stories are below if you have time.

Miles was standing in the foyer at the doors in the northeast corner of the BIC building. He had on a grey newsboy hat and a blue pull over sweatshirt zipped open at the neck. He wore khaki green pants. He had a diamond shaped face and looked to me like a British taxi driver. I asked if he wanted to do a student survey and he said “Sure.” I said we could sit right there. He said he’d been thinking of being an atheist but then decided faith (specifically being Catholic) had value “even if there was no objective proof there was a God.” “I can give you an objective proof there is a God,” I said. I went on to explain to him “You are breathing right now though you are not making a conscious decision to and you have trillions of cells in your body reduplicating though you do not tell them to do it and have no conscious knowledge it is happening. Every 7 years your entire body of cells replaces itself. There must be a knowing entity outside of you directing your body to do this, as you do not do it. That is God.” “Oh ok,” he replied. “The Bible says that if God stopped thinking about you, you would cease to exist. It says he holds the world together by the word of His power, a word is a thought.” He acknowledged this made a lot of sense. I said I had a book he would like then and dug around and found The Case for Christianity Answer Book [basically the long version of the booklet I give everyone.] He went to photograph it and I said he could “have this one” and wrote his name in the front. He took it gratefully and laid it aside. I said he could search for “Y-Chromosome Adam” and he would discover that even evolutionists acknowledge everyone came from the same single man. They say he was part of a group that only his line survived but the Bible says who he is. We went back to the survey then. I asked one thing he would want to do before he died and he said, “I want to have a decent understanding of the Bible.” I asked what he would say to God if asked why he should be let into Heaven. “I would say I learned from my mistakes and I wanted to make something of my life.” I asked him what the likelihood he would get into heaven. Saying he did not know what all the rules were for what is considered bad but he thought he might have a 60% chance. I began to go through the Gospel with him and he asked me to repeat several stories and metaphors after I explained something. I explained the Trinity as a perfect plural being and we were also plural beings though imperfect. I explained that God’s actions to make things into good might be unclear to us because we were unfamiliar with what he was trying to accomplish. He brought up the end of the last Superbowl. If you did not know what was being attempted it might look unproductive to call all the time-outs.  I agreed. I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in Jesus’ payment for his sins or if he thought something else and he said he would want to be forgiven. I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray. I talked him through it and asked if it was the desire of his heart. He looked at it and said, “Well… Yeah, yeah it does.”  I said he could pray it silently and he said “Alright.” He took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I said the likelihood he would now go to Heaven trusting in the righteousness of Christ to be his righteousness was 100%. I had already explained living by the Spirit and so I gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside. I suggested the Mass to be symbolic of what we had talked about. I then told him I would pray for him each day until next Spring. “Yeah thank you,” he replied and headed off in a rush.

Aaron was sitting in the computer lounge I walk through as I leave. He was a big Filipino guy with longer hair on top pulled up and really short sides. He looked like a linebacker and had kind of a wide face, goodlooking guy. He wore a yellow hoodie and black sweats. He was sitting alone at a table and the rest of the lounge was empty. He said he’d do a survey. I asked him what he would say to God if he died and was asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “I go to church every Sunday,” he said without missing a beat. He thought he had a 50/50 chance of going to Heaven. He went to a Catholic Church called Christ the King. I began to go through the Gospel with him and said that Eternal life was “knowing God” which meant that He lived inside you with His Holy Spirit. I said God had to take away his sins to make him his type (purified) to live inside him.  I asked what was the big thing Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world. He looked a bit blank so I added, “What did He do to save you?” “I know this just give me a sec.” he replied thinking hard. He couldn’t think of anything so I began to explain that Jesus was perfect then seeing the cross on the page he said, “He died for our sins.” “Right,” I said. But then I explained the payment in blood, righteousness of Christ and believing by faith and the rest. Finally I asked if he wanted to be forgiven for his sins or thought something else. He said he wanted to be forgiven so I said there was a prayer he could pray and explaining it I asked, “Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?” “I think it does, yeah,” he said with conviction. I said he could pray it right now silently. “OK,” he said and taking the Booklet he said, “Thanks.” He prayed then to receive Jesus. I explained then that the likelihood he would now go to Heaven trusting in the righteousness of Christ to be his righteousness was 100%. “Paul says not by His own righteousness would he go to Heaven but by the righteousness that is by faith,” I also said. I told him to read in John and explained life by the Spirit’s power. I gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside. I gave him a Bible study and I gave him the shorter Case for Christ Answer Booklet. We talked some more he was going back to the Philippian Islands in December having not been since he was 8.  “I definitely turned you down once before,” he said [about doing a survey]. “Oh I hope I didn’t piss you off,” I replied. “No you were cool this was definitely good.” I said I’d see him in Heaven figuring I’d be there first. “You never know,” he replied and we talked about the 2400 extra people dying each month in American society. “But you don’t have to worry,” I said. “You’re going to Heaven!” “Yes sir,” he replied with a smile. And I headed out to my truck.

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

Blessings and Prayers,

 Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was filled with life and peace. I had a good day on campus and Dan prayed with me to receive Jesus. I went through the Gospel with a Muslim girl, Roshie who took the booklet and Bible Promises for you. So the seed was planted And I know God lead me to her. She was a kind listener, pretty and petite, she was studying to be a doctor, had no head covering. Please pray Dan grows in his faith and the Gospel begins to ring true to Roshie. Dan’s story is below if you have the time.

Dan was sitting under the stairs near the entrance to the Book Store. He had a curly blonde head of hair, kind eyes pointed chin. He was wearing a grey hoodie and jeans. He was sitting next to Jeremy who prayed to receive Jesus last year and it turned out they knew each other.  Dan said he wanted to climb Mt Everest. I asked him what he would say to God if he died and God asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “I don’t think that He’d let me into Heaven,” he replied. “I don’t think I could convince Him. I haven’t done enough good man.” I asked him what the likelihood he would get into Heaven if God was merciful. “10%”, he replied. It turned out he worked at a local church where Ellen and I had gone and had just been helping with the kid’s ministry there. I went through the Gospel with him and asked him did he “know what Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world?” He just nodded unconvincingly and it seemed he did not. “Well, this is how it works,” I replied. I began to go through the blood of Jesus to purify him and as a payment for his sins and the righteousness of Christ to his credit and finally saying he was saved by faith and not by good works. I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done or if he thought something else. “The Jesus thing sounds like that’s the way,” he replied. Jeremy had gotten a phone call a couple minutes before and walked away. So I said that if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray and I read it through explaining it. I said he could pray it right then and know he was forgiven and going to Heaven. He said Ok and he took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. When he finished I explained the Christian life where he could ask God to change him on the inside and live by the Spirit’s power “Inside Out.” I said his sins were forgiven not because I said so but because Jesus did. I gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside and said I’d be praying for him for the next year and had been praying for Jeremy (who had returned) since last year. I gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible Study. And we talked a bit with Jeremy and I headed out.

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

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed and your car is out of the slush somewhere. I hear it is even snowing in California. I had a good day on campus Wednesday and Rico prayed with me to receive Jesus. Please pray he grows in his faith. Thanks for your prayers. His story starts below if ya want to spend the time.

 Rico was sitting in the sofa chairs along the wall in the Big Gym size lounge of the SSC. He had a black watch cap on and a black zip up lightweight jacket, brown pants and brown lace-up casual boots. He wore a tie around his neck so he might have had a speech class or something to present at school. He looked like an everyman kind of guy, clean shaven diamond shaped face he was Latino. I asked him if he died what he would say to God to get into heaven. “That is hard, these are thinking questions.” He thought for a minute and said, “Because I lived my life as He would have wanted me to have.” I asked him the likelihood he would go to Heaven and he said “40%, I’m not too confident of that.” He said he went to Catholic Church every Sunday. I went through the Gospel with him and I explained that God wanted to live inside him but would have to purify him of sin so he would match God and he said that made sense. So I asked him what the big thing was that Jesus had done to take away his sins and the sins of the world. “He died on the cross,” he replied. I said, “He died for you, right,” and began to explain how Christ’s blood cleansed us and also was a payment to God for our sins. I told him Jesus had earned the righteousness of God and that righteousness could be ours by being adopted by God. I explained this was the symbolism in the Mass, the wafer His body and the wine His blood and he agreed that it was. I said he needed to receive this by faith. “Not Just know the story from going to Church but that that’s what you put your trust in so that if someone asked why should God let you into Heaven you’d say, ‘Because Jesus died for me. That would mean you had faith in Jesus. And the Bible says it’s by grace you’ve been saved by faith.” I asked if he wanted to be forgiven or thought something else. He said something like, Forgiven with Jesus. I said then there was a prayer he could pray and explained it. I asked if he thought it was the desire of his heart and he read it again and agreed it was. I said he could pray it silently and be forgiven, “Wanna do that?” “Yeah sure I’ll give it a go,” he replied and he prayed to receive Jesus. When he’d prayed I said the likelihood now he would go to Heaven was 100% trusting in Jesus’ righteousness to be his righteousness. I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I told him that Ephesians 1:13 says that as soon as he trusts in Christ the Spirit would enter him and seal him and always be with him.  I explained living by the Spirit’s power and told him faith was a gift and if he needed more faith he could ask God for that. I gave him a Bible Study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet to introduce him to Strobel. I also gave him a Bible Study and explained it a bit. I told him I would pray a Bible verse for him each day from now until Spring and one year after. I said, “Nice to meet you,” and he reached out and chook my hand. “Nice to meet you too,” he replied. I got up and said, “I’ll see you in heaven and he said “Ha yeah,” with a smile and I headed off.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism this week 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 from above. I had a good day on campus and Chris and Will prayed to receive Jesus today. Please pray for them to grow in their faith and trust in Christ. Thanks for your prayers. Their stories are below if you have some time to read.

Chris was sitting in the cafeteria at a table alone. He was messing around on some kind of online game when I asked if he do a survey about what he thought about God. He had an oval baby face and was Latino friendly. The shadow of where a mustache would grow in was the only thing that would have given away his age. He had stick straight hair cut short and pointing up on top. He wore a “Class of 2021” hooded grey sweatshirt and some charcoal-colored sweats with red, white and blue high-tops. He was a kind hearted, laid back guy, not that tall but pretty solid. I asked him what he would say if he was killed by a bus, stood before God and was asked why should I let you into Heaven. He said,” I’d probably say, ‘I saw the good in everyone. I never wished anyone harm or anything, regardless of how they treated you or anything.’” He thought he’d have an 85% chance of going to Heaven. I asked if he went to church and he said he just started going to Catholic Church every Sunday.  I began to go through the Gospel with him. I was explaining how God had to take away his sins to live inside him and asked, “What is the big thing that Jesus does to take away your sins, and the sins of the world.” He thought of a second and said, “I have no clue.” So I explained the Blood of Christ to cleanse him and be a payment to God for his sins. I explained the righteousness of Christ and explained later that was the symbolism behind the Mass—the wafer symbolic of Christ’s Body and the wine symbolic of His Blood. I said he could be forgiven by faith and asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in Jesus or thought something else. “Be forgiven.” He replied. I asked do you believe Jesus is God died for your sins and rose from the dead? Do you believe that is a true story?” I asked because he had just started going to Church and didn’t seem to have put it all together before. “Yes,” he replied so I said that if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray. I walked him through it asking if it expressed the desire of his heart. He said it did so I said he could pray it silently and God would forgive him. Wanna do that?” “Yeah he replied and prayed to receive Jesus. I explained the Christian life to him, he said they had several Bibles at home so I encouraged him to read in the book of John. I said the Christian life is living inside out by the power f the Spirit to transform him and then he would do good things. I wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside of Bible Promises for You and I gave him a Bible study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and told him Strobel had more stuff on YouTube. We talked some about the world and how things were going. I told him that the likelihood he would go to heaven was now %100 trusting in the righteousness of Jesus to be His righteousness. I told him I would be praying for him each day through a year from Spring. He thanked me shaking my hand and as I got up to go I said, “I’ll see ya in Heaven.”

Will was sitting in the seats that line the corner as you exit the tunnel from the PE building into the BIC. He too had smooth kind of baby face; roundish more oval I guess. He was African American but had kind of fair skin and a smaller nose. His hair was cut short and came out in equidistant dots all over his head. He wore a light grey hoodie and black pants. He seemed kind of tired. He said he wanted to leave his mark on the world, like a “family or a legacy”. Both his parents worked at a big city church I had heard of before. I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven. “I would say that, ‘In my life I ‘ve grown a lot. I’ve gone through my share of problems and challenges and I’ve tried to keep your word. In this next life I would strive to become better than I was before.” He thought he had a 70% chance of going to Heaven. I began to explain the Gospel to him and he knew Jesus had died. I explained that the blood of Christ had cleansed him and was the payment to God and the righteousness of God was too his credit. “You don’t go to Heaven because you’re good but because Jesus is good and you’re connected to Him. Like if you marry a millionaire you got a million bucks and if you get adopted into a billionaire’s family you get to live in the mansion and drive the cars. So God adopts you and he gives you the blessings of his family. He gives you the sacrifice for your sins the blood that cleanses you and the righteousness of God that surround you. So you got some place to go Heaven and something to wear when you get there—the Righteousness of God.” He leaned in to take in the verses and I told him he was saved by faith not works. I asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done to forgiven him so God could live inside him and give him strength or if he thought something else. “Be forgiven for my sins,” he said. I said there was a prayer he could pray silently to be forgiven and read through it and asked if it was the desire of his heart. He said it was so I said he could pray it silently. “Wanna do it?” “Umhumm,” he replied and he took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I looked down when he was praying and looking back he seemed to have finished praying and has reading the next page a bit. I asked if he was finished and he said, “Yeah.” “Your sins are forgiven,” I said. “Not because I said so but because Jesus says so.” I told him the likelihood he would now go to Heaven trusting in the righteousness of Christ was 100%. I explained the Christian life living by the Spirit’s power, Inside Out.” I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and forgiven and gave him a Bible Study. He got up to go so I quickly gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I said I would be praying for him through a year from spring. “Alright, thank you,” he replied and headed to class.

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 a blessed one and you found your mind set on things above. I had a good day on campus and Janet prayed with me to receive Christ. I got a seed planted with JP who was sitting on a chair in the hallway as I walked out. He was from Brazil had a thin mustache, a narrow face and a snow cap on. “This is beautiful,” he said when I had explained very briefly salvation and showed him there was a prayer he could pray and explained it. I gave him the booklet and Bible Promises for You and said I would hope to talk with him again. Please pray for them. Janet’s story is below if you have some time.

Janet was on the 1^st  floor of the BIC sitting alone in the hallway on the North side. She had a few highlights in the front in otherwise dark hair and a cute diamond shaped face. She had large lensed near round frame glasses, pinkish in color and wore shredded black jeans, a grey sweat-shirt and black high tops. She said she wanted to have a family. So I asked if she had a boyfriend and she said she did. “Is he a good prospect?” She said she thought so though he was older than her. When I asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven she said, “Hmmm, because I’m always very helpful to people, going out of my way to help them in whatever way I can.” She thought she had an 80% chance of going to Heaven and went to a Catholic Church. She listened attentively to the Gospel and when I asked her what Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world she said, “He died on the cross.” I agreed and began to walk through the verses teaching her how Christ’s blood had cleansed her and also was how God was paid so He was just. I explained the righteousness of God through Christ. I then said that this was the symbolism behind the mass and she recalled that the wafer was symbolic of His body and the wine his blood. As I finished I said that all this God had done for her and was hers by faith where she could become a child of God. “If you believe Jesus is God died for your sins and rose from the dead, not just that you knew the story growing up with it but that that’s what you place your trust in when you are an adult to be forgiven.” I explained then Eph. 2:8&9 that she was saved by faith. I asked her if she wanted to be forgiven for her sins trusting in what Jesus had done for her so God could live inside her or if she thought something else. “This one!” she said pointing at the circle with God inside. So I said there was a prayer she could pray to be forgiven and I talked her through it asking if this expressed the desire of her heart. “It does yeah,” she replied and so I said she could pray it silently and asked, “Wanna do that?” “Yeah,” she replied and I said , “Just pretend I’m not here,” and she prayed to receive Christ. I explained the Christian life living “Inside Out” transformed by the Spirit. I gave her Bible Promises for You writing her name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside which she liked a lot. I also gave her Strobel’s The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible study she liked. I told her I would pray for her each day until Spring and all next year asking God to bless her with a Bible verse and she was appreciative. I asked if she had any questions and she said she could not think of any and so I said she could email me if she did. “Thank you so much,” she said. I said she was welcome. She then added happily, “Thank you for your time, you’re so sweet.” And I headed off.

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 week was blessed and the snow storm passes beneath you as it has seemed to do us in Chicago to the south. Niko and SarahMary each prayed with me to receive Jesus Thursday and so 6 students prayed to receive Jesus this past week. Please pray they each grow in their faith and love for the Lord. Their stories are below if you have the time.

Niko was sitting on the bench against the glass that looks into the corner lounge at the doorway on the northeast corner of the BIC. He had a mop of curly brown hair and wore black sweats. He looked a little like better looking version of Steve Guttenberg the comedian. He was a nice guy friendly, a couple clicks bigger than me. I asked him one thing he’d like to do before he died as part of the survey. “Recently I’ve dove into my faith, I’d like to find God before I die,” he answered.  It turned out he had been an atheist when he got to school in Missouri last year but his roommate was a devote Christian and persuaded him to go to church there. I asked him, if he died, what he would say to God to get into Heaven. “I think that up to this point I treated everyone with respect. I give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I give everyone a fair shot.” He thought he had a 75% chance of going to Heaven. As I went through the Gospel with him I said that in order for God to know and live inside him God has to take away his sin, purify him and make him “His type”. “What’s the big thing Jesus does to take away the sins of the world?” I asked him. He could not think of anything. So I began to explain the Gospel to him, Jesus blood to cleanse him and as a payment for his sin and the Righteousness of God earned by Christ, He is our Robe of righteousness. He periodically would comment “Right.” Agreeing and seeming to take it in like he was saying, “OK.” As I finished explaining your good stuff could not fix your bad stuff I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done or if he thought something else.  “Life with Christ,” he replied. So I said there was a prayer he could pray if he wanted to be forgiven and after explaining it I asked if it was the desire of his heart. He said it was so I said he could pray it silently right now and I wouldn’t hear but God would hear and he would know he was forgiven. “Wanna do that?” I asked. “Yeah definitely,” he replied. “Just pretend I’m not here,” I said. He took the booklet then and prayed to receive Jesus. I gave him the booklet then and explained living the Christian life by the Spirit’s power, “Inside Out”. I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside. I gave him a Bible Study explaining it a bit. I talked with him about some apologetics around evolution and gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and recommended looking into Strobel’s stuff. I told him I would keep him in my prayers each day until a year from Spring. I gave him my contact info if he had any questions. “Thanks for all that, I really appreciate it,” he said. I said “God bless you” and I got up and headed out as he went out the door.

 Sarah Mary was someone I met one day after school while I was hanging out with Alma (We do a Bible Study with Alma some times.) who trusted Christ after hearing the Gospel from me last year. Before meeting her I had asked Sarah Mary to do a survey and she’d said no a few times. I’d bumped into her in the hallway and said hi on Tuesday in passing but was talking to another student then (Noah). Both girls are Africans. Sarah Mary is from the Ivory Coast. Her parents never married. Her dad is here but she came here because her grandmother had immigrated to the US years ago. She is short and pump, hard working. She has a really cute circular face, pretty classic lips, small nose, dark skin. Thursday when I bumped into her in the cafeteria I nearly did not recognize her. She was all dressed up with an African sewn dress (She said, “You send someone there money and they sew it for you) of yellow and black print and rhinestones decorating it. Her hair was braided with long brown and black extensions and bejeweled clips in it. She proudly told me she had done it herself when I said it looked cool. She had a black short cape on, wool with a faux leopard collar. I had been praying I could go through the Gospel with her, so when I started chatting with her I said she had to answer my survey question. She agreed. I asked her why God should let her into Heaven if she died. She said she was good to people. I asked if I could show her the verses that say how you get into Heaven and she said I could, saying she had read the Bible this morning. I began to go through the Gospel with her and she could not think of what Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world. I explained the work of Christ and His blood and righteousness she could trust in by faith. I asked if she wanted to be forgiven for her sins or thought something else, explaining Islam and Buddhism and then asked again so would you want to be forgiven trusting in Jesus. “That,” she replied shortly and I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and I explained it asking if it was the desire of her heart. She read it again and said, “Yes.” I said she could pray it silently, I wouldn’t hear her but God would hear and she would know she was forgiven. She laughed and took the booklet and prayed to receive Christ. I gave her Bible Promises for You showing her some of the topics and then turning to “Eternal Life” I wrote Eph. 1:13 and “100%” saying she was sealed by the Holy Spirit in her and the likelihood she would go to Heaven now was 100%. I wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front and she liked that and I gave her The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and put her name in it and gave her a Bible Study. She had to go to class so I said I would see her around and we both headed out.

Thanks for your prayers for the Ministry and for Evangelism this past week if you had a chance. God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob