Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed and you were filled with, grace, mercy and peace. I had a good day on campus and Laokratis and Ben each prayed to receive Jesus today. Please pray they each grow in faith. Thanks for your prayers. Their stories are below if you wish to spend the time.

Laokratis was sitting in the science building lounge on the ground floor against the south windows on a couch waiting to go to class. He is Greek Orthodox. He was wearing a watch cap looking hat had blue eyes and what looked like very dark red or brown hair. Looked a better looking version of like Archie of comic book fame, absent the freckles. He had blue nylon sweats on and a red t-shirt. I asked him what he would say to God if he died and was asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” He took a moment “I’m trying to think, that’s a good question,” he began and then said, “’Cause I’ve done everything I can to try to work toward my goals.” (That might sound odd. But since some people believe God wants you most of all to fulfill your purpose you can see what they might mistake that for getting them into Heaven.) He was 100% sure he would be let in to Heaven. I went through the Gospel with him and when I asked him what Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world he said, “He was hung on a cross.” I stated the rest of the Gospel to him and he agreed with each point as if it was familiar saying he was purified by the blood of Christ where God got paid. I explained then it was the righteousness of God Jesus earned. He would not go to Heaven because of what he had done but because of what Jesus had done. Faith was the way he could receive Christ and be forgiven. In the end I asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done or thought something else he said. “I have a sense in my heart I would want to be forgiven.” I said then there was a prayer he could pray and going thought it asked if he’d like to pray it silently. “Right now? Sure.” He read it through than said, “I have to get to class.” I quickly said he could keep the booklet and gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and forgiven in the front and gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible study. He got up and reached out and shook my hand with a smile and said, “Thank you sir.”  I said, “I don’t know if I’ll see again but I’ll see ya in Heaven.” And he headed off.

Ben is a Filipino guy. He’s about 5’6” and has a diamond shaped face and jagged bangs mustache. His eyes had a bit of an Asian appearance. He was wearing a tan hoodie and blue jeans. He was sitting in the hall just beyond the entrance to the bookstore. I asked him what he would say to God. He said, “The question is worded weird. I don’t think I should tell Him why I should be let into Heaven. I don’t think I have any right to convince Him. I feel like my choices in life should speak for themselves.” He thought he’d have a 50/50 chance of going to Heaven. He knew Jesus had died when I asked what He had done to take always the sins of the world.” I explained the Gospel and he seemed to track with it. When I finished I asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done or if he thought something else. I said Islam had a different God who did not live inside them of require a sacrifice for sin. “Don’t they have the same God as we do without Jesus?” “Well,” I replied. If you described me to someone but said I was Mexican or described a Mexican saying he was Swedish you would not be describing that person. If you remove something essential from a person’s description you change who you are describing. Jesus is part of God so if you remove Jesus you have a different God.” He seemed to accept that. It later turned out he car pooled with a guy who was a Muslim, so maybe that will be an interesting conversation.  “Well I’m Catholic so I’d want to be forgiven,” he replied. I offered the prayer to him saying he could pray it silently after I explained it and he said, “Ah sure.” He prayed then to receive Jesus. I gave him a Bible as he said they had a family Bible but he would take a small one. I gave him a compact Bible and showed him the “Where to Turn” section and the information sections in the back. I wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I told him the likelihood he would go to Heaven trusting in the righteousness of Jesus to be his righteousness was 100%. I explained living inside out. “By the Spirit’s Power.” He I gave him Bible Promises for You and The Case for Christ Answer Book. I gave him a bible study also and we got up together to go. “Thanks for this this was really interesting,” he said as we walked. He said what I’d said was different from what his mother read in the Bible but thought we all believed the same thing. “That Jesus was God died for your sins and rose from the dead?” I asked. “Right,” he agreed. “and that faith saves you.” I put in. “Yes,” he said. I am not sure what his mother believes in addition. It is very rare for me to come across a Roman Catholic who understands Catholic doctrine or read the Bible. I could count these encounters on one hand with a couple extra fingers at most. He had made his decision it seemed and had said God would see the decisions he’d made. We got to where he was going to go into the cafeteria and I was going up the stairs. So I will keep him in my prayers.

Thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism if you had some time. God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob