Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed with all good things and you felt near to God today. I had a good day on campus and three good-looking black guys Tryvis, Dajon and Edwin each prayed with me to receive Jesus.

It seemed far more populated than yesterday, but I think it is possible in person classes in majority meet on Tuesday/Thursday. I guess it might be hit or miss. Fortunately for me, God makes appointments for salvation not me.

Tryvis was sitting up on the 3rd floor passing time. He had a football zip-up workout hoodie on and black sweats closed at the ankle. He had a beard and mustache and wide, winning smile. Short thin braids came out on his forehead under a green watchman’s cap with the hood pulled over it.  When I asked him what he would say to God if asked, “Why should I let you into heaven?” he said, “I’d just ask him, ’Am I worthy?’” He was sure he was going to Heaven. He had John 3:16 memorized but had not trusted in the Blood of Christ and His righteousness to save him. When I got to the end of the Gospel explaining salvation by faith, I asked him if he would want to be forgiven, trusting in what Jesus had done or if he thought something else. “I want to be forgiven for my sins,” he said enthusiastically. I said there was a prayer he could pray and walked him through it, saying he could pray it silently right now, ‘Wanna do it?” I asked. “Yeah,” he said. And he prayed aloud to receive Jesus. I explained walking by the Spirit’s power and gave him the book 20 Things God Can’t Do explaining that everything in life is by the Spirit’s power. I also gave him a copy of  Bible Promises for You  and a Bible study on the deity of Christ. “I really needed this,” he said. Getting up to leave, I asked him to flash me his face under the black mask so I could remember his face to pray for him, and he did with a bright grin and I headed out.

Dajon was sitting at the top of the stairs in the PE building, in a lounge across from the check-in for the workout area. I asked if he’d do a survey and he said “I can do that.” He had on a white t-shirt and tan shorts. He wore a beard and mustache and had his mask riding under his chin as we talked. He had a smaller nose and freckles and wore a ball cap with a B on it. He had a large eagle tattooed across the full front of his neck and some elaborate ink work on either arm. He thought he had a 50/50 chance of getting into Heaven. When I asked him what he would say to God to get in he said, “I know I made mistakes in life. But I think you should give me an opportunity.” I went through the Gospel with him and he leaned in attentively. He took in the Gospel and when I asked him what God had done to take away his sins, he did not know. When I finished explaining the Gospel to him I asked if he wanted to have God live inside him, trusting in Jesus, or thought something else. He said, “I would want life,” pointing at that circle. “To be forgiven?” I asked. “Yeah, be forgiven,” he replied. So I walked him through the prayer, somehow sensing I should do it slowly, explaining the words. I asked him, as I completed it, if that was the desire of his heart and if he’d like to pray. “I was praying as you read through it,” he said with a grin. “Cool,” I said. “Amen?” “Amen,” he replied. I gave him 20 Things God Can’t Do writing his name and the date and “Forgiven” in the front and a Bible Study. I explained that now trusting in the righteousness of Jesus to be his righteousness, the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100%. “Appreciate it,” he replied, saying similar to Tryvis, “I needed this today.”  I told him I would pray for him for the next year. “Thanks man. Appreciate you,” he replied and I headed off.

I saw a couple guys talking together as I went toward the door and thought I should talk to one of them, but did not want to interrupt their conversation. So I headed back to my truck as I had only one booklet left. When I got back to the PE building, only Edwin was still there. But he said he’d do a student survey. He had a rough, high afro but the sides were very short. He wore a white shirt that said something like “Sac Man” on it and orange shorts. He put his black mask up but he had a chin beard and mustache, slightly bigger nose and a ready warm smile. He seemed to come from a religious background. When I asked him what he would say to God he replied. “Not just actions I’ve committed, you gotta ask for forgiveness for what has not lived up to the glory of God. It’s hard to do that but that’s what He wants you to do.” He thought he had about and 80% chance of going to Heaven saying, “Gotta keep improving.” I went through the Gospel with him and he knew Jesus was the sacrifice for sin. I explained to him that he had to trust by faith in what Jesus had done for him, and that it was His blood and righteousness alone that allowed us into Heaven. As I finished I asked him if he thought he was trusting in Jesus to be forgiven or thought something else. “Right now I think I gotta count on with Jesus.” He might not have said “count” I had a hard time understanding once or twice through the mask. But I said that it seemed like he was trying to live without trusting in Christ. I explained that in something like football you run the routes and the plays over and over and you get better at it. In Christianity you ask God to transform you inside and you become a better man, who will then just do the things He wants you to do. He understood then and I explained that if he had not trusted in God to transform him by the power of Christ forgiving his sins, there was a prayer he could pray. I asked after going through it if he thought that was something he needed and wanted to do. He decided to trust in Christ then and silently prayed to receive forgiveness in Christ, asking Him to make him the person God wanted him to be. “I like that,” he said as he finished praying. I gave him 20 Things God Can’t Do explaining everything the book said he needed to do he could simply ask and God would give him the power to do it. I also gave him a Bible study on ways Jesus is claiming to be God in the Bible. I told him I would pray for him through next year and he said, “’Preciate it Bob,” and his cheeks went up in a smile from under the mask.

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

In Him,

Bob