Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope you had a great day yesterday and God blesses you through the weekend.   I had a good day of sharing yesterday and Beahja (rhymes with Asia) prayed to receive Christ. I also bumped into Jai who prayed to receive Jesus last semester. He’d said he wanted to tell his family the Gospel when he had prayed with me. They seemed to be Christians in name only.  When I saw him yesterday he thanked me again for telling him the Gospel and said, “It’s really made a difference. I pray the prayer every day.” He had torn the prayer out of the booklet and carried it in his wallet. It actually is a good prayer it reads as follows: Lord Jesus I want to know you personally. Thanks for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive you as my savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life, make me the kind of person you want me to be. Jai then told me he had gone through the booklet with his parents Janet and Jerome and had prayed the prayer with them as well. So it would seem he has lead his parents to Christ! He gave them the book I had given him. He called it “Things God promises not to do”. I gave him another booklet to have and the book Bible Promises for You. I told him I would pray for his parents too. He was really thankful and glad to see me. God gives me this gift once in a while, to see someone who has prayed growing in their faith and making a difference in the lives of others. It made my day.

Beahja was sitting in the hall where the BIC building enters into a tunnel connecting it underground to the PE building. She is African American and was wearing yoga pants and a jacket. She was maybe 5’4” and had braids and a cute oval face. She did not have much time and I made sure not to take any extra time going through the Gospel. When I asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven, she answered more saying why she would want to go, “Because I wanna meet the rest of my family.” She thought she had about a 65% chance of going to Heaven and she knew the story of the Gospel, that Christ had died, but she was not trusting in His work to be forgiven. “I know I should believe deep down God has forgiven me,” she said.  I said that wasn’t what I was asking her. I was asking if she had been trusting in that the reason she had been forgiven was Jesus. She decided she had not trusted in that and though she only had 3 minutes to get to class she prayed to receive Christ out loud in the hall.  I quickly gave her a Bible study and the book Bible Promises for You. I gave her a hug around the shoulders, told her I would pray for her every night for a year and apologized for making her late and she ran off to class. I’ll be praying for her, hoping to meet her again to encourage her and to be encouraged that she is walking with the Lord

So thanks for your prayers for the Ministry and for evangelism yesterday if you had a chance, God truly blessed me yesterday.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed walking with the Lord.  I had a good day on campus and had some good conversations and David prayed to receive to Christ. He was sitting at a table in the PE lounge.  Big dude, on the offensive side of the ball. He had a duffle bag on the table and was leaning forward on it, kinda hugging the football and it in one pile.  He was an African American guy, good looking with really short hair and a bit of a mustache, with almond shaped eyes. David said he’d done a couple other surveys with some other religious groups, two yesterday he’d thought. This happens periodically. Some Christian groups on campus, (one that used to be called Campus Crusade) send students out to do spiritual interest surveys. Sadly they seem to have never trained these kids on my campus how to go through the Gospel or transition into it from the survey. [I have mentioned this to the leaders and they acknowledge it and that’s the end of it.  I worked for them for a year and was never trained in this either. They did say I could do a student survey and a guy kind of made one up with a kid when I was with him once.  I used the idea and made up a survey and always end it with the Gospel.] I regularly meet students who are not interested in doing an additional survey.  So I asked David, “Did they ask you this question? ‘You’re walkin’ down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead, and ya stand before God and He says, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” He said no, they hadn’t asked that. “Well do you know how to get to Heaven?” I asked. He looked back at me and was thinking, but had nothing to respond with, so I stepped into the pause and said, “Would you like to know how to get to Heaven, to know what the bible says?” “OK,” he replied. So I walked him through the verses, He had John 3:16 memorized and said it with me, but 3 minutes later, when I asked him “What is the thing Jesus did back when He was on earth that took away your sin?” He thought for a few seconds and said, “The bread?” “Well that is something you do at church to symbolize what Jesus did.” I responded.  I explained the Gospel and imputed righteousness of Christ to him and that he needed to receive it. I asked if he would like to be forgiven for his sins and have God live inside him, or if he thought something else. “God live inside.” he replied. So I said, “Well, it doesn’t seem like you have ever put all this together before, right?” He agreed, shaking his head. “Well there is a prayer you can pray to be forgiven.” I talked him through it, saying he could pray it like I wasn’t there. God would read his thoughts and he could start a relationship with God. He took the booklet from me and prayed to receive Christ.  I explained a little more of the Christian life to him, relating it to the football field and gave him The Bible Promise Book after asking him if he’d like it. I also gave him a Rose Publications handout Who I Am in Christ that has a lot of verses and stuff in it. I told him I would pray for him.  He was from Chicago and had a Bible at home. Then we said good bye and he headed off over to his friends.

I was a bit discouraged at the end of the day after talking to an atheist kid in the science building lounge right before this time with David.  Marcus looked about 20 had a winter cap on and V-neck shirt, a quick smile with perfect teeth and a bit unshaven.  He described himself as an anti-theist. He had drawn his conclusions after looking into and observing religion, he claimed. But his new metaphysic, science, was full of lies and the peer review process for scientific publication has become controlled–no new information counter to the paradigm is published now. The latter he admitted to be true about scientific publishing. We went back and forth for a while and I hoped I created some doubt. I went through the Gospel. I am sure he had heard before. Maybe he was talking to me for some other purpose. I gave him Barry Setterfield’s name as a source he asked for in Plasma Physics and the movie title “The Principle” and a few other things I felt led to say. But I don’t know if I made a dent in the lies Marcus believed. He said he worked in the bio department at school and had been raised Christian.  It left me more sad than usual for some reason. Then I walked over from the science buildings to the other end of campus praying and feeling I hadn’t said enough and found David, a simple hearted guy who believed. Some people learn just enough information to destroy their faith. But there is usually a catalyst of some pain that precedes it. College may end for David after a couple years at COD playing football, not because he is not intelligent. But since he came out of the Chicago Public Schools, college will be very hard to get through having been given no tools. Marcus unfortunately, up until now, has believed what he was taught in a better school. But David is going to Heaven.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for Evangelism today if you had a chance. I’m grateful and so is David.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed.  I had a good day on campus, though in the 4 hours I was there I only went through the Gospel with 4 people and 2 proved to be Christians. But I finally got to have a serious discussion with Andu, a guy I have known for few years from the Hapkido class I took at COD.  He is from Eritrea and is Muslim in name only “Because my dad is,” he would say. Though in his tribe there are both Christians and Muslims. His uncle is a Christian. I told him he would not go to Heaven today and gave him a Rose Publication (laminated accordion hand out) he wanted on 100 Prophecies Christ fulfilled.  I also explained problems with the Quran. We are good friends by now, and though I have talked about Christianity several times, this was the first good exchange we had on it. He also took a Bible study on Jesus claiming to be God. I was really glad to get to talk with him and have prayed for him some in the past. So I’ll be praying for Him.

I also went through the Gospel with a mixed race guy with thick hair that sat on his head like a Russian winter cap, “You can call me Junior,” he said. He wore sweats and had a short beard.  I could tell he was sincerely interested in knowing the truth.  He simply thought he deserved to go to Heaven. He took the booklet from me, but his heart had been hardened by catholic school which he was forced to attend, and he was not sure he believed Jesus was God. He took the student edition of The Case for Christ to read and a Bible study.

I spent several hours talking to a Christian guy, Darell, a good looking black guy with full features and row braids that came down to his shoulders. He had a lot of questions concerning issues of American life. He was a solid guy and when we finally parted (so I could make my chiropractor appointment) he said, “Thanks for this” (about out time together).  I thought college ministry would be about these kind of long discipleship talks more often than it usually is for me. Most are more brief and evangelistic. It was a good time.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance. I think I got a couple of good seeds planted and gave some aid.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope you felt the nearness of God today. I had a good day on campus and thanks for your prayers if you had a moment. Kaitlyn committed to Christ today (she said would pray later) and Christina and Aliyah each prayed with me to receive Jesus.

Kaitlyn was lying flat on her back on some of the cushioned benches in the science lounge and said she’d do a student survey.  She was really friendly, had blonde hair pulled up in a bun with no make-up on, blue eyes. She wore some kind of print powder-blue yoga pants and a maroon fleece zip neck pull over. Cute kid. She was raised Roman Catholic but her parents are divorced and it seemed she had not been to Church in a while. She said her mom and stepdad traveled all over the world but never took her, and that she’d like to travel.  I asked her what she would say if God asked why He should let her into Heaven. I joked, suggesting she could say, “My parents never took me on vacation anywhere so I was hoping I could get in here.” She laughed and she said, “Because I am a good person, I desire to go.” She thought she’d have about an 80% chance to go. When I asked her what Jesus had done to take away her sins, she could not remember. So I said that’s OK and told her there were some Bible verses that explained it. She was interested to listen and followed closely everything I said.  She looked me right in the eye when I spoke directly to her. When I explained she needed to believe Jesus had died for her and rose from the dead, she said “So when I sin I’ll just think Jesus died for me.” I explained she could ask for forgiveness, and she said she’d like to be forgiven but quickly said, “I’ll pray later.” But she took a Bible from me, so I wrote her name and the date in the front and gave her the Book 20 Things God Can’t Do and also a Bible study on the claims Jesus makes to be God in the NT.  She gave me her email to send her some stuff. We talked about the confessional and how God alone forgave sins. “Yeah, Catholics,” she said smiling. I asked in leaving, “So do you believe Jesus is God, that He died for your sins and rose from the dead?” and she said she did. “And would you want to trust in that to be forgiven so God could live inside you?” She said she would. So I said, “The Bible teaches if you say with your mouth Jesus is Lord and Believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead you’ll be saved. But the prayer is important, God likes to be asked.” She accepted that and since I had her email I said I’d check with her later.  So I hope later I’ll discover she has definitely asked for forgiveness. She shook my hand as I left and said, “Thank you so much.” She was a great kid.

Christina was on the phone as I walked up and started the survey with her ear piece in. But the other person dropped off after Christina was too distracted to talk to her.  She was Greek Orthodox and went to church every few weeks lately. Christina looked like a stereotypical pretty Greek girl with very curly brown hair past her shoulders and black rimmed glasses. She wore jeans and a black leather jacket over a button front shirt. She spoke with a slight accent and her family was Italian and Greek from “the mountains”. We talked for a long time. She’d grown up with some severe health problems and had a few operations. She parted her hair to show me a scar. This had led to depression and other struggles. “Life is a lesson,” she said. When I asked her what she would say to God if asked why He should let her into Heaven she said, “I know I’m a sinner, and Adam and Eve sinned (making things the way they are). But I tried to live my life to make the best of what He gave us. To be happy, to forgive other people, try to do the good you can.” She believed the purpose of Religion was to “spread good, to reinforce it”. I asked her how likely it was she would go to Heaven and she said, “I struggle with that, I don’t do bad things, but where is the [line you] cross… the point you are done and you don’t get in anymore.” She settled on 60%.  I said I could tell her what the Bible said was the way to Heaven and asked her if she’d like to hear some Bible verses. She said she would. She kind of marveled at the imputation of Christ. She knew He had suffered, but she did not seem to have understood blood atonement. As I finished explaining the Gospel, she said she’d want to be forgiven and then told me more of her life. I talked her through the prayer she could pray, but she did not like the idea of reading other people’s words. I said sometimes we quote people to make a point and said, “We love Him because He first loved us.” I can tell you that, but those are actually John’s words in his letter in the Bible. She said she had asked God to begin to change her, and I explained the way God changed people was first to live inside them with His Spirit and that she needed to ask for forgiveness based on what Jesus had done for God to live inside saying, “Maybe he sent me here to answer that prayer.” I encouraged her that she could pray her own words like I was not there and begin a relationship with God. “Get on the train,” she said in response and I agreed. She bowed her head and closed her eyes and prayed for a bit to receive Jesus. I explained the fruit of the Spirit to her and living inside out. I gave her a Bible, putting her name in the front and the date.  I also gave her the book 20 Things God Can’t Do and a Bible study. I told her I would be praying for her over the next year and she said “Don’t spend too much time on your knees.” I smiled and I said I’d pray for her sitting up in a chair. As I left, she shook my hand and said, “Thank you.” I said she was welcome.

I was pretty shot after several hours of witnessing, so I thought I’d say hi to some friends and head home. As I headed out, I walked past a girl on a couch I thought I should ask.  I stopped past her, almost thinking I was too tired to talk any more. But I walked up to her and she was really happy to talk.  I think I got a bit of energy off of that. When she said her name was Aliyah, I thought it might be Muslim, but she was just a cute bubbly kid from a Roman Catholic background. She said she had been forced through CCD and confirmation but had been to some Christian camps and was looking for “something between Kumbaya and Roman Catholics”. She had perfectly straight teeth and a bright smile, with long, straight, light brown hair and had on jeans and a jacket. I asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven and she said, “That’s hard. OK well, I would… ask for forgiveness and say that I want to be in the Heavens. I guess I would… ask for help to come to peace.” (An African girl who prayed with me to receive Christ a couple years ago and sometimes stops by the Bible Study plopped down next to me as I went through the Gospel so I greeted her warmly and kept on with the story. Felicia gets pretty focused on her phone sometimes and immediately did as she waited, so somehow did not matter.) Aliyah knew Jesus had died to take away sin and wanted to be forgiven. I asked her if she trusted in Christ, saying I knew she’d know the story. She said she thought she’d believed God was forgiving.  I explained how she could take one more step to ask Him to forgive her, trusting in what Jesus had done.  I explained the prayer to her and she decided to pray to receive Christ saying “Yeah sure.” She visibly brightened after she finished and I gave her The Bible Promise Book and she also took the student edition of The Case for Christ, saying she thought there was someone she wanted to give it to. I suggested she could look through it a bit first.  I gave her a Bible study and explained living “inside out” to her and “By the Spirit”.  She was happy and gave me her email and I said I’d pray for her. She thanked me and I left with Felicia to give her a ride to where she works.

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

In Him,

Bob

Third Watch Ministries, NFP                                                        Bob & Ellen Bollow

P.O. Box 1283                                                        Prayer Letter – Thanksgiving 2016

Wheaton, IL 60187-1283  

“My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure”

Isaiah 46:10

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope you have been blessed with a pleasant fall. We are happy, though bracing for payback for what seemed to be a warmer than usual autumn in Chicago. Things go in cycles and it is difficult to know which way the world has turned—for or against the Good.  But the scripture teaches if God be for us who can be against us, and that nothing can separate us from His love.  I try to remember that on campus when I feel blown around for a few hours, only to land in just the right place to talk to someone who comes to Christ.

Last Tuesday, after going through the Gospel with a boy named Isak, I found him hesitant to trust the Lord, though He’d clung to a belief in God through his life in the face of some mocking. He said he had some questions for me.  He talked to me about some of the difficulties he’d had in life: bullying and rejection as a kid and one disaster that made him doubt God at the age of 14 that he did not specify.  I tried to help him see that these were things God had used to shape his life, even if he could not see it. And that we can not always see the good, as it might be something developed in us we pass on to children or effect a future for those we love, unseen by us. We have to trust God. “To the idea that God is either not all good because He has not helped you as you wished, or is not all powerful and wasn’t able to help, you need to add time. God is helping you and is good, and in the end you will see it when you are with Him in Heaven. Sometimes He dares you to trust Him,” I said.  In the end, Isak accepted that he did, in fact, like the person he had become. He recognized how pain had given him empathy and possibly even creativity. After we talked for some time, he prayed to receive Christ and took a couple of books to read: 20 Things God Can’t Do and The Case for Christ. He was hesitant to take them both until I explained that people generously gave me money to buy books for students to help them grow in their faith and then he took them with a smile. Certainly pain and struggle are not to be rejected out of hand, but met with God’s offered help.  He offers transformation of the soul, something not offered by any other religion.  Sometimes it is simple and immediate; You miss the stoplight but you don’t get hit by the train. You may never realize the train was the real threat, as it never hit you.  God protected you by delaying you at the stoplight. But some delays are very painful and can only be taken by asking for the gift of faith.

Tolstoy told a tale once of a wise old man named Nikolai.  He had one teenage son who had come to him in old age, his young wife dying shortly after. He was a peasant farmer in the hinterlands of Russia among the Cossacks.  He lived just outside a small village.  One night there was a lightening storm and the old farmer’s only horse, a spirited stallion, ran off into the dark, headed towards the wilderness.  Hearing the news of the disappearance of his horse, some caring villagers came to his house to be supportive, as he was a man who had experienced loss. And there was little new news in the village. “Why are you here?” Nikolai asked them.  “We heard your only horse has run off we are here to grieve with you” they replied.  “So you think this is a bad thing?” Nikolai asked. “Why do you think this is a bad thing?”  “Well yes, this leaves you with no help to bring in the sheaves at harvest” the villagers replied.  “How can you be sure this is a bad thing?” he asked them. The villagers pitied him and left. “He is overcome,” they said among themselves. The next day the horse returned, bringing 10 mares with it from the wilds. Seeing this presumed good fortune, the villagers returned to Nikolai’s house.  He greeted them politely and asked, “Why are you here?” “We are here to rejoice with you!  Your horse has returned and now you have 10 more horses!” they answered. “So you think this is a good thing?” Nikolai mused out loud.  “Well, yes of course” they said, taken aback. “Why do you think this is a good thing?” he asked them. The villagers shook their heads, beginning to think him eccentric but admired the beautiful wild horses as they left.  The next day his son was breaking the horses to a bit and bridle and one of them threw him off, breaking his leg.  The villagers, hearing the news, returned.  Nikolai greeted them calmly and asked, “Why are you here?” “We have come to grieve with you concerning your son,” they said. “So you think this is a bad thing? Why do you think this is a bad thing?” Nikolai asked. “Well yes!” the villagers exclaimed. “Now you will have to bring in the sheaves without the lad’s help. You were right about the horses. They have not brought you good fortune.” “I never said the horses were good fortune or bad” Nikolai replied. The villagers left, deciding among themselves not to return but to leave Nikolai to his own musings. The following day, the Tsar’s troops came in to draft the Cossacks into service in the Crimean war, taking with them all the young sons of the village, except for that of Nikolai, for his son had recently broken his leg.

There are many things in life that we may wonder over concerning the goodness of God.  The pain makes steel and straw among men, the heroic and the psychotic.  But God is at work [Isaiah 46:10] and we must remember what we are told in Philippians 2:13 “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Since He loves us, we know life can bring Joy in the Morning. [Psalm 30:5]  So we are of good cheer in our ministry, knowing God will continue the work, which allowed the indwelling Holy Spirit to enter upon the prayer of repentance and belief.  God has truly blessed the work of evangelism this semester and 63 people have prayed with me to receive Jesus, among many other seeds that were planted.  (An * means they committed to pray, but did not pray with me.)

Matt, Jose, Karrina, Gabriela, Alex, Taranice, Mirna, Berenice, Ada, Victoria, Khyla, Nirali*,

Evelyn*, Dinah, Lashunna, Josh, Oscar, Heidi, Viviana, Jimmy, Daminesha, Peter, Vanessa,

Javier, Xavier, Bee, Mandy, Grant, Malik, Aurelio, Jesse, James, Ydalmy, Crystal,  Justin,

Sarah, Trina, Yuanita*, Kristina*, Kamaria, Jeremiah (Jrock), Jessie, Eli, Kevin, Christine,

Aronique, Acarria, Mike, Alivia, Sarah, Paul, Jai, Michelle, Apollonia, Julio,

Julio, Ashley, Nancy, Randy,  Dejan, Alex, Julia, Gio, Sue, Katie, Adrian, Isak

Thanks for your prayers & support for us and these students.

In Him,

Bob & Ellen

bob.thirdwatch@sbcglobal.net

www.thethirdwatch.org

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed in the Lord.  Trina prayed to receive Jesus today. Yuanita said she would pray later.  Kristina committed to Christ and I think she truly believed, but had to run to her class as it was about to begin as I finished with her.

Kristina was sitting on the 1st floor hall of the BIC building.  She had long brown hair and was wearing leggings and a fleece.  Pretty girl and tall.  She had been to the Orthodox Church as a child but it was “just some traditions in her family” as she described it.  Her parents didn’t seem to have faith and her family no longer attended.  When I asked her what she might say to God to be let into Heaven she said, ” “Oh, like I’m not… I don’t feel… I mean everybody sins. But I don’t do horrible [stuff]. Know what I mean?” I said I understood.  She only thought she had about a 50% chance of going to Heaven.  She knew Jesus had died for the sins of the world and it seemed like she had some childhood faith still.  After I went through the Gospel, I asked if she believed Jesus was God and had died for her sins. She did.   I asked if she’d like to trust in that to be forgiven. She said she would and I ran through the prayer with her. But her class immediately across the hall from us was beginning.  So I quickly gave her a Bible study and the book 20 Things God Can’t Do, and encouraged her to email me.  So I hope God will move in her heart to pray to receive Him.  She said she prayed for forgiveness, so I will be praying God continues to move her to Himself.  I wish I had had 5 more minutes, but I think God always has a plan in that.

Trina and Yuanita were sitting together in a lounge down the hall from where Kristina had been at a table together.  African American, they both had many thin braids tied into their hair.  Yuanita was smaller and her braids were light brown and Trina’s matched her natural hair color and she wore glasses and was taller than Yuanita, who was small.  I asked if they’d want to do a student survey about what they thought about God.  Yuanita was a bit unresponsive, but Trina said yes right away and that made Yuanita want to participate.  Yuanita was distracted repeatedly by her phone but Trina paid close attention to all that I said.  When I asked her what she’d say to God as to why He would let her into Heaven she said, “Oh that’s deep… It depends on how you feel at that time I guess.”  Yuanita said, “I don’t know.”  They said they had been to Willow Creek when I asked if they had been to church.  Trina thought she had about a 50% chance of going to Heaven and Yuanita thought the same. Trina remembered Jesus died for the sins of the world, but had not trusted in it. She wanted to be forgiven and so I explained a prayer she could pray [in the booklet I bounced off of] and she happily decided to pray to receive Christ.  I asked Yuanita if she wanted to pray, but thought she’d not necessarily been tracking with all of it as she’d looked at her phone so much and said “or would you like to pray later?”  “Pray later,” she replied.  Trina prayed then.  I wrote some more notes in the booklet for Yuanita and then began to explain the Christian life to Trina.  I asked if she had a Bible and she said she did, but then Yuanita piped in, “that’s my Bible.”  I took out a bible then to give Trina.  At once Yuanita admired it saying, “Oh this is a nice compact Bible,” so I offered to get her one from my truck if they were going to be sitting there a while. They said they were.  I explained more of the Christian life to Trina and left to get a Bible and another copy of 20 Things God Can’t Do since Yuanita wanted one too.  I told Trina that if she trusted in the Righteousness of Jesus, as I’d explained already, she could be 100% sure she would go to Heaven. I suggested to Yuanita that she could not be sure of that until she’d received Christ.  This seemed to make her want to pray, so I said she could think about it while I went to my truck. It took me a bit of time even though I’d parked close and I passed Yuanita on the way to the rest room and said I could meet her at the table.  She said “Great!” and had the booklet open as she walked.  I waited for her for a while with Trina but then thought she might be unsure still about praying as she was not returning. So I asked Trina to text her and tell her I could just leave the books for her and Yuanita texted back “Thanks. And thank you for your time.” So I will keep her in my prayers.  It was as important for me to be sure she has prayed as it was that she take the time to understand in doing so. If God wants me to know, I’ll run into her again and then know to pray differently for Yuanita.

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

In Him,

Bob

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed.  It was kinda rainy and a bit colder here.  Not too bad yet as the sun poked through some, and Justin prayed to receive Jesus. Later, Sarah committed to Christ (dressed all in black with wire rimmed glasses, long sandy colored hair and braces on her teeth she wore a black long Starwars T-shirt) saying she would pray later. So I’ll be praying for her, that God might complete a work in her heart and also that Justin would grow in his faith.

Justin was sitting on the third floor of the BIC building. He had really bright red hair and full lips, was an average size guy, had jeans on and a white print shirt.  He was in the hall on some chairs alone.  He went to Catholic school when he was young, but they’d moved and he didn’t seem to be going to church much at present.  Nice guy, humble. I asked him what he would say to God if asked why He should let him into Heaven and he said, “Damn.”  “Don’t say that,” I laughed. “You’ll go to the other place.” He grinned a bit at that and kept thinking on the question, finally saying, “I thought I lived a pretty good life, tried to be helpful to everyone I meet and see [that needs it].”  He thought he’d have about a 50% shot at Heaven.  He was very serious after that, listening to everything I said.  He knew Jesus had died for the sins of the world, but wasn’t trusting in that but rather that he was good enough. He thought he’d want to be forgiven saying, “I believe in Jesus and we’ve all sinned.”  I asked if he’d like to trust in Christ and walked him through the prayer to do so saying he could pray it like I wasn’t there if he wanted.  He thought for a moment and said, “Ah… Yeah.”  I gave him a Bible study on the Deity of Christ and the book 20 Things God Can’t Do. I explained living the Christian life to him and he seemed interested all the way through.  I got up to leave and said “Welcome to the kingdom of God.  There’s an invisible kingdom and you just walked in.”  He seemed to appreciate that.  We shook hands and I left him. I’ll pray the word of God truly takes root.

So thanks for your prayers for the Ministry and Evangelism today if you had a chance. I had a good day encouraging a couple others in Christ too.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed.  I had a great day on campus and God blessed the work of evangelism.  James, Ydalme (E dal me) and Crystal all prayed to receive Christ.

James was sitting on the stairs in the PE building coming up from the parking lot.  He said he’d answer some questions.  He had an interesting afro, which was in individual tufts of hair that each looked like a Hersey’s semi-sweet chocolate chip for a cookie with a point.  He had full features and a bit of facial hair.  He wore a blue fleece pullover and black sweats with tight ankles and black athletic shoes.  He was tall, slim and athletically built. In answering what he would say to God to be let into Heaven he said, “I care for a lot of people around me and I put others before myself.”  He went to church and he knew Christ had died for the sins of the world, but he hadn’t put it all together for him, as you might assume by that response.  He thought he had a 75% chance of going to Heaven.  He listened to the Gospel and I asked if he was a person who trusted Christ for His work on the Cross so God was living inside him or if he thought he was a good guy and went to church so God would forgive him because he was good.  He smiled a big grin of realization and said, “Probably that.” So I offered him the chance to pray to receive Christ, talking him through the prayer to be forgiven and he amiably said, “I’ll do it.”  He did pray then, and kept the booklet with some of the verses I had quoted him.  I explained the Christian life as one lived “inside out.”  “We don’t first do good things that will make us good men and then gain God’s favor, but we ask God to transform us on the inside and we become good men by His power. And then through the Holy Spirit we do good things.”  I gave him a Bible study and the book 20 Things God Can’t Do. He thanked me for my prayers I promised and I headed out.

Ydalmy was a pretty girl from a Mexican heritage, but hadn’t been back there since she was a small child though she wanted to go.  She was sitting in the last NW lounge on the 1st floor of the BIC that you pass headed to the Cafeteria.  She had braces on her teeth and wavy/curly hair down past her shoulders.  She was nice, wearing a green waste jacket and skinny jeans cuffed at her ankles above white tennis shoes.  She was slight in build and not tall at all. She went to a Catholic Church but felt guilty for not attending lately as she got busy at school. She thought she’d have a 70% chance to go to Heaven.  When I asked her what she would say to God to be let into Heaven, she said, “”Ah that’s hard mmm… I feel like I’ve been a good person.  I’ve never done anyone wrong or like major [bad deed].”  “You are robbing any banks on the side?” I quipped. She smiled at that and said, “No”.  She listened to the Gospel and took it seriously. She knew Jesus had died for the sins of the world, but really was not trusting in Him and His sacrifice either.  She wanted to be forgiven and so I similarly asked her if, when she prayed for forgiveness, she had been hoping that she was religious and good enough to be forgiven or trusting in Jesus. “Yeah, good enough” she said smiling meekly. She seemed genuinely surprised at the Gospel and that she was forgiven.  So I walked her through the prayer to receive Christ and she prayed as I looked down to give her privacy.   I talked her through the life in Christ as lived through the power of the Holy Spirit too, living “inside out.”  I suggested she could use the time of remembrance in the mass to think of it symbolically and to be thankful that she was forgiven because Jesus had died for her.  I had just enough time to give her a Bible study and the book 20 Things God Can’t Do. Then she had to run to class.  I told her I would pray for her and she was happy for it and said, “Thanks for that” and ran off.

Crystal was sitting on the little lounge area outside the cafeteria.  She was long and athletic in build with her long straight hair pulled back behind her pretty face. She had leggings on that stopped mid-calf with stripes down the sides and a sweatshirt on. She had Latino coloring like Ydalmy.  I asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven. “Because I’m a good person?” she ventured.  She attended Catholic Church as well.  As I went through the Gospel, I was sitting at her feet and she periodically looked up trying to think through each point.  She wanted to be forgiven, and agreed she’d been hoping she was good enough to get into Heaven and hadn’t been trusting in Jesus for the forgiveness of her sins.  I explained to her what each part of the prayer meant, saying she could pray quietly in her heart like I wasn’t there and she did.  I gave her a remembrance view of the mass as well, saying she could use it to be thankful she was forgiven by Jesus dying for her.  I gave her the book Bible Promises for You and a Bible study to read through. She thanked me and she ran to get her ride.

All the kids who trusted Christ today didn’t say much in reaction, I think they genuinely trusted and prayed so I will keep them in my prayers, praying for them to grow closer to the Lord.  Thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance.  God blessed and brought 3 students to Himself.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

How’s the life?  Hope your day was blessed in Christ.  I had kind of a slow day on campus.  Jesse prayed to receive Christ.   I helped a Christian guy with his break-up with his GF (he is better off without her, as she’d turned to the dark side). I went through the Gospel with a lapsed Christian {Will} who had lost his faith and hadn’t told his Christian father yet, trying to get a few words in to his life.  He said he’d see me around so I hope I see him again.

I asked Jesse if he wanted to do a student survey for our Bible study group and he said, “Sure I don’t have anything else to do.”  He’s a good looking African American guy and was sitting outside the bookstore in some soft couch chairs, just down the hall before the revolving doors in the SRC building.  He was really fair skinned, great smile and played wide receiver for the football team and played basketball.  He had a rolled up, faded bandana tied around his forehead to hold back some of his long braided hair that was shades of light brown.  He wore a black and red flannel shirt and tan skinny-legged slacks.  Really nice guy. Looks a bit like Damon Wayans.  He was friendly, and when I asked him why God should let him into Heaven he said, “Ah… well I worship God, came from a pretty religious family.  I’d say I feel I’ve treated other people kindly enough to be let into Heaven.”  He listened attentively to the Gospel and seemed genuinely interested. He knew Jesus had died for the sins of the world, but he hadn’t been trusting in it as his answer would imply. (Though a girl earlier today simply could not believe she hadn’t been trusting in Jesus, even after I read back her answer and pointed out she thought she’d only have a 50/50 shot at Heaven because she wasn’t good enough. She thanked me and left saying she would think about it more.)  I asked him if he thought he’d been trusting in Christ.  “You know, if something goes sideways and you ask God for forgiveness, are you thinking, ‘I am not that bad usually, and I come from a religious family and God is forgiving,’ or have you thought, ‘I know I will be forgiven because Jesus died for me.’ So have you been trusting in what Jesus did for you or that you were cool enough.”  “Cool enough,” he replied.  “So you need to ask for forgiveness?” I asked. “Yeah,” he said. I talked Jesse through the prayer and said if he wanted to he could pray then to receive Christ. After checking for a bit of guidance, he prayed quietly in his heart.  “You can keep the booklet,” I said when he’d finished.  “I like it.” he said.  I told him about the power of the Spirit to live the Christian life.  I asked if he had a Bible or if he just had a family Bible and he said “Family”.  So I gave him one.  “The words of Jesus are in red, so the Gospels will match your shirt.” I quipped. And he smiled at that.  He took a Bible study and a book from me and had to hustle off for the bus.  He thanked me and took off.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance. God blessed and I had some good conversations.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Hope you were blessed today and found comfort in the nearness of God.  I had a good day on campus and 3 guys prayed with me to receive Jesus: Grant, Malik and Aurelio.

Grant was sitting in the hall on the third floor of the BIC. He kind of looked like Kiefer Sutherland in the movie Young Guns, except he had a sharper nose.  He wore faded jeans and a button shirt and had a few days growth of beard.  I had been turned down by the first 10-15 kids I asked to do a survey and I took the elevator up the 3rd floor to try to kind of reset. Grant was sitting alone in that part of the hallway.  I asked if he’d like to do a student survey for our Bible study group and he said, “Ok, but I only have 5 minutes before I have to be in class.”  Normally I would just say, “Would you like to read a booklet on it on your own?” and give then a quick illustration about how the Holy Spirit wanted to live inside them but cannot because of sin.  But maybe because I had gotten turned down for the first half hour of the day I said, “Well there’s really one root question.  I’m Bob what’s your name?” “Grant” he replied. “Ok” I said, “So say you’re walking down the road, you get hit by a bus and you are dead. You stand before God and He asks, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?”  “Because I’m a good person I suppose,” he replied. I said the Bible had a different answer and asked “Do you wanna know what the Bible says?” “No,” Grant replied.  “You don’t wanna know?” I answered. “No I don’t know what it says” he said.  So I launched into the gospel and threw my name in there, as I was not entirely sure I’d given it to him.  As I explained the atonement Grant said, “Ok. I believe that.” But he wasn’t trusting in that for forgiveness of his sins.  I talked him through the prayer, telling him he could pray to be forgiven. “Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?” I asked. He paused, read it again, and said “Yeah.”  I said he could pray it in his heart, with God reading his thoughts, and become a Christian.  And he did. He hadn’t really gone to church before he’d said, and didn’t have a Bible.  So I quickly gave him one and a Bible study, and offered him a book. But he said “I’ll just take this.” I explained living inside out to him. First God transforms you on the inside and then you act like that on the outside. He said “I follow.” I told him I’d keep him in my prayers and he said, “Thanks for this.” He got up and headed down the hall, a minute or two late for class.

Malik was sitting with some friends; two cute black girls Kayla and Taylor and a guy Jakobi who had enough game it seemed to get a prettier girl then him, since Kayla was obviously his girlfriend. I kidded him that way and he laughed.  All three of Malik’s friends were Christians.  It seemed like they road together to school, as they all accused Malik of making them late every day.  They were sitting on the back couches in the lounge attached to the far south end of the cafeteria. They all said they’d do a survey when Kayla said she would. Malik was an average looking guy, not too big, had on ripped up knee-length shorts and a t-shirt.  He had a short afro and a friendly round face.  Nice guy. They were all nice. They all responded with some form of agreement with Jakobi, who said Jesus was his Savior. Except Malik, who had said as to why God should let Him into heaven, “I accomplished everything I was set on earth to do.”  He thought he’d have and 80-90 % chance of getting to Heaven. He also said he wanted to be rich and felt like he had done some things that were bad.   I went through the Gospel and everyone enjoyed hearing it and was on the same page but Malik.  He thought, when he’d done something wrong, that he had been believing God would make it all work out and forgive him. But I helped him see that wasn’t the same as trusting in Christ to forgive his sins by dying on the Cross.  He decided he needed to pray to receive Christ and so I walked around to him and talked him through the prayer, which he then prayed silently.  I showed him how the Christian life was trusting in God’s Spirit for power.  I offered them all books. The girls took Bible Promises for You and Malik and Jakobi took 20 Things God Can’t Do.   I promised them I would pray for all of them, which they thought was great. They were good kids.  I got up to leave and said, “God Bless you guys,” and they said “God bless you too.”  I went back to the truck to get more books as I was parked pretty close and it was a nice day. I remembered I hadn’t given them all Bible studies, so I went back. They were happy to get them and I got Malik’s email and gave him the Rose Pub. handout on Identity in Christ.

Aurelio was sitting around upstairs in the PE lounge.  He was wearing indoor soccer shoes and a soccer shirt, athletic shorts.  He was from Mexico and had a bit of facial hair, unshaven for a few days, looked kind of rugged in his face.  He wanted to go to Spain and liked the idea he might have some Spanish blood from the Conquistadors when I suggested it.  When I asked what he would say if God asked him why he should be let into Heaven, Aurelio said, “I guess I’d say I did the best I could and I follow your teachings.”  He thought he’d have about a 60% chance of getting into Heaven.  He listened to the Gospel and knew Jesus had died to take away the sins of the world.  He wanted to be forgiven after the Gospel and that he could be “wrapped in a robe of God’s righteousness.” But when I asked if he had trusted in Jesus work to forgive him he said “I ask God to forgive me, but I have never asked [in Jesus name].  I asked if he would want to be forgiven, trusting in that, and explained the prayer to him to do so. He said, “The thing is I am not really a Christian. I’m Catholic.”  I explained the idea was similar and that the Mass could be a time for him when he remembered Jesus had died for him and thanked God he was forgiven.  But that he would be trusting in Jesus to save him and make him right with God.  I said “So you would have to decide if you wanted to trust in Jesus to be forgiven.”  He thought about it a moment decided he did want to trust in Christ and he prayed.  I encouraged him, “When you go to church they might say, ‘you should do this and you should do that’ and you’d be like ‘this is great but I’m going to forget this by Wednesday.’ But if you wanted to, if you feel convicted about something, you can ask God right then in the service to make you that kind of man. He will start to work and even if you have forgotten the sermon by Wednesday, God will already be at work.”  I explain the Spirit’s work in him and talked about being transformed on the inside.  I asked him if he had a Bible and he said, “I need to get a new one.” So I gave him one as well as the Identity in Christ foldout I had given Malik earlier. As I left him I said, ‘And the answer to this (the % likelihood you will go to Heaven) is 100%, because you are trusting in the righteousness of Jesus and what He did for you.”  He liked that. I said, “Your sins are forgiven. Not because I say so, but because God says it in His word.”  “Thanks man.” he replied.  “You’re welcome brother,” I said.

I also encouraged some other peeps in their faith and had a good day of ministry.  So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for Evangelism today if you had a chance. God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob