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