Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope ya had a great day walking with the Lord. The sun is back out here in Chicago this evening and Eduardo and Cyrus each prayed with me to receive Jesus. I’d be grateful for your prayers for them that they might grow in faith. Their stories are below if you have time. Thanks for your help and prayers.

I headed out the SE most corner doors of the BIC to head over to the Mac Arts building. It had just finished raining and I decided to take what always feels the short cut, though the tunnel’s right angles underground can’t be much longer. There is a patio under roof with a picnic table that overlooks the concert area beneath. Eduardo was sitting there and I asked if he would do a survey. He hesitated so I asked if he’d just like to answer the one big question to think about and I’d be on my way. He said ok. He was wearing a black nylon coat with white trim and his hair was perfect, short on the sides with a stick strait left side part and piled up on top held there with a product of some kind. His chin came to almost a point, oval face. He wore glasses with black plastic across the top and metal circles beneath. When I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven it took a couple tries for him to hear it right (I must not have articulated clearly). So I just said what is it you think will get you into Heaven. He thought for a moment and said, “I do good things. I help people and serve people.” I asked if he would like to hear some Bible verses that told him how you get to Heaven and he said, “OK.” I took out the booklet and began to go through the Gospel. At one point he said he was Lutheran. I said Jesus said Eternal life was “knowing God” and that meant that God lived inside him with His Holy Spirit but the obstacle was our sin. So God took away our sins to make us His type. And I asked what God did to take away his sin. He thought for a moment and then apologized and said he didn’t know. I said no worries this is how God does it and explained the payment for our sin in Jesus Christ. His blood cleansed us on a spiritual level but practically speaking God get’s paid. I explained the Righteousness of God to His credit. I talked about receiving Christ by faith and asked him if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done or thought something else. “Be forgiven,” he replied. I went through the prayer explaining it and asked if it was the desire of his heart. “Yeah,” He replied, “It’s a beautiful prayer.” I said he could pray it right then and he said “Ummhum,” and taking the booklet he asked, “Do you know what time it is?” I told him and he had a lot of time. Then still holding the booklet again said, “It’s beautiful.” And silently prayed to receive Jesus. I explained the Christian life “By the Spirit’s power” in him and asking if he had a Bible. He said he’d had a youth group that was close and they all had Bibles and got together and read them together shared the events of their lives. But everyone had gone off to different colleges. I told him about a fellowship group on campus I knew was good and gave him the contact info for it. I gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven” in the front and a Bible study and The Case for Christianity Answer Booklet. He was really grateful and thanked me and I said I would see him in Heaven and headed out.

Cyrus was sitting in one of the lounges that looks out on an Atrium in the BIC. He was at a table by himself in the NE on the ground floor. There was only one other person there who soon left. He had dark skin and wasn’t a very big guy but was pretty much movie star handsome, sharp features and looked a bit like Rob Lowe with nicer skin. He wore a light brown pullover fleece and sweats. When I asked him what he would say to get into Heaven he couldn’t think of anything and said, “I don’t know.” I asked if he went to church and he said he was Syrian Orthodox. I asked what he thought the Church would say got someone into Heaven. “What they would say gets you into Heaven is probably being more like Christ. I wouldn’t compare myself to that, but I guess being a good person.” He thought he had a 94% chance of going to Heaven. In going through the Gospel he was very attentive and I asked him what was the thing God had done through Jesus to take away his sin: how does God take away your sin? “Repentance?” he guessed. I said it was true you repent but this is how it works and I began to go through the Gospel and the blood of Christ to cleanse him and pay for his sins and he seemed to have some recognition then of the cross. I explained it all and asked if he wanted to be forgiven for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done or thought something else. He put his finger on the circle in the booklet with God on the throne of your life. I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray. “OK” he said. I talked him through the prayer and said it says here is this prayer the desire of your heart. “Yeah,” he said. I said he could pray it silently and know he was forgiven and he gave a solid kind of nod and said, “Sure,” and prayed then to receive Jesus. I went through the Christian life living by the Spirit’s power and gave him also Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front and a Bible study and The Case for Christianity Answer Booklet. We talked a bit more and I said, “It was nice to meet ya,” And reached out to shake his hand, he gave me a really firm grip and said, “Thank you.” I said I would see him in Heaven and headed out.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance. I counted the names I have of people who have prayed with me to receive Jesus last night and there are 1710 though I lost the names for one year. So I’m grateful for all God has done. Thanks for your prayers.

In Him,

Bob