Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope your day was filled with all good things. I had a good day on campus and Melissa prayed to receive Jesus. I also went through the Gospel with Aisha. She took a copy of The Case for Christianity Answer Book and said she needed to think about it more. She was going through the Bible Thursday each week with her Egyptian Orthodox Uncle. She lived with him presently while going to school. Her dad was a black African Muslim and her mom (whom she mentioned was very light skinned) an Egyptian. Her parents had split and her mom was back in Egypt and her father up in Wisconsin. She had curly hair down to her shoulders and pretty sharp features and a gold ring in her left nostril. Please pray for these girls. I also bumped into Sam who told me last semester he would pray that night and it turned out he did and he said he was getting more into his faith. Melissa’s story is below if you have time.

I found Melissa in the cafeteria, having just finished eating a subway sandwich at the counter looking outside. She had dark hair she’d tinted with some highlights throughout, lighter hair framing her face almost gray in shade. She had pastel (pinkish) framed glasses that were round, a cute frank face with a pretty birthmark/freckle whatever you call it. She wore a brown rough fleece vest made to look like sheep skin and was otherwise dressed in black, looked really healthy and happy. She reached out and shook my hand telling me her name. She thought she’d like to travel to Jerusalem. I asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven and she said, “I would say I would have to pass right away [I think she might have been thinking she’d go to purgatory]. I’ve done some things I need to reflect on. But I really haven’t done what would reflect me not going into Heaven.” She thought she had an 85% chance of going to Heaven when she died. I began to go through the Gospel and explained that God wanted to live inside her but would have to take away her sins first to purify her and I asked what Jesus had done to take away her sins. “You confess,” she said. I said that was true we confess our sins “but the standing doctrine of the Catholic Church is only God can forgive sins. So what happened so that God can forgive your sins?” She said well the priests were connected to God. I said that was true “they are God’s crew” but they know something that tells them you’re forgiven when you confess. I said the Bible says we are to live a perfect life, but we can’t (Matthew 5:48). But Jesus is perfect. I went on to explain how Jesus had died for her and that His blood cleansed us from all sins. That really God gets paid, that the infinitely valuable blood of Jesus (because He is God) pours out in His death and pays God back for all the imperfect things we did that we owe God something perfect for to pay Him back for wrecking His stuff. “Oh I’m learning so much,” she exclaimed. I said the priest knows God was paid for our sin and so being just He can forgive us. Jesus lives a perfect life for us and His righteousness is to our credit. I explained all God had done could be hers and God wanted to adopt her and give it to her if she believed on Him. In the end, suing the two circles in the booklet I asked if she would want to be forgiven for her sins trusting in what Jesus had done and then have God live inside her. I explained a couple words about what Islam taught also and she cut me off and said, “This side!” pointing at the circle with Christ inside on the throne of her life. I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and explained it. “I’m going to pray it every day,” she exclaimed. I said she did not have to but it would be a good prayer to ask for forgiveness with each day. If she wanted to she could pray the prayer right now, I wouldn’t hear her but God would hear and she’d know she was forgiven. She agreed and took the booklet and silently prayed to receive Christ. When she finished I said she could keep the booklet and she said, “Thank you.” I said now trusting in the righteousness of Jesus to be her righteousness the likelihood she would go to Heaven was 100%. She did not have a Bible so I offered her a study Bible with cross-references and devotionals and notes in it. It lists 99 essential doctrines and where they were found in the Bible, has some maps and things in the back. She was really grateful to have it and I wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I also gave her The Case for Christ Answer Booklet that introduces the apologetics Strobel writes and a Bible Study and Bible Promises for You and she said, “This will be very useful.” I said I would be praying for her each day through spring and one year after. “Thank you sir,” she replied so realizing she’d forgot my name I gave it again and shook her hand and said if I saw her I’d wave. “See ya around,” she said, and I headed off.

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

In Him,

Bob