Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed today so far with the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ. I had a good day on campus Tessa prayed to receive Jesus today and Braedon received Christ after Bible Study walking around on Wednesday. Their stories are below if you have the time. Thanks for your help in prayer.

Wednesday Braedon was sitting in the hallway just down from the lockers outside the computer building. He had a big mop of blonde curly hair that reached his chin greyish eyes had a chin beard and a thin mustache. He went to a Naperville church I knew of, worked with the junior high group as a volunteer and I had met his pastor. He was wearing a red t-shirt and red basketball shorts. He did not have much time so I asked if he’d just like to hear the big question. “Sure,” he replied. “You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus, so your dead,” I said. “So you stand before God and He asks, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say.” He wasn’t sure what he’d say but had 10 minutes so he said he’d listen to the Bible verses. I began to explain that in order for God to live inside him and truly know him he had to cleanse him of his sin. When I asked what Jesus had done, he knew Jesus had died for the sins of the world. I explained the cleansing blood of Christ as a payment for sin and a power in the world. I explained placing his faith in Jesus not just knowing the story. I asked if when he prayed for forgiveness he was thinking that he hoped he was good enough to be forgiven or was thinking Jesus had died for him and he would be.  He said it was hard to say. “Well maybe if I did something really bad,” he replied as to when he might think that Jesus had died for him, but it did not seem like he had thought he done something “really bad”. He was not sure at all he was trusting in Jesus so I said if he’d like to be sure he had asked God to forgive him of his sins there was a prayer he could pray and talked him through it he wanted to pray to receive Christ. I explained living the Christian life to him then, “Inside  > Out” and I gave him a Bible Study and Bible Promises for You and also The Case for Christ Answer Booklet, he had not heard of Lee Strobel. He was busy at church and not at school the day we had Bible Study. “Thank you,” he said. “You’re welcome nice talking with you,” I replied. “Have a good one,” he said as he headed down the hall. And I said I’d be praying for him through next spring and one year after a Bible verse each day and he was off.

Thursday I had a nudge to go to the cafeteria.  Tessa was sitting at the counter there. She had print leggings on that were primarily white and a white sweater that came out from under a hoodie pulled up over straightened black hair long past her shoulders and in bangs. She had a small nose and sharp jaw small square chin and a classic African American mouth. She was a bit unkempt. She had a deep voice for a young woman. I asked her one thing she’d like to do before she died and she said, “Get married.” I asked her what she’d say if she died and God asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” She said she didn’t know. I asked her if she had, “ever gone to Church like when you were a kid,” But she hadn’t. “What do you think it is that gets you into Heaven?” I asked. “Just being a good person,” she replied. She thought she had a 50/50 chance of going to Heaven. So I began to go through the Gospel with her and she smiled here and there. She did not say anything except “Umm,” as I went through the Gospel and the righteousness of God to her credit, and adoption. I then recapped the ideas again of God’s love for her, wanting to know and live inside her, but He could not because of sin. Reading then, “But God demonstrates His love for us that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” I said she could have these things by faith in Jesus, and that she was saved by faith her good stuff could not fix her bad stuff. I asked if she’d want to be forgiven trusting in Jesus and what he had done on the cross so God could live inside her. She nodded.  I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and talked her through it and read, “Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?” She nodded again. I asked if she would like to pray it silently so only God would hear and know she was forgiven. “Wanna do that?” I asked. “Sure,” she replied. And she took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I explained when she finished that now trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus to be her righteousness the likelihood she would go to Heaven was 100%. I began to explain the Christian life and she said she did not have a Bible. So I gave her one and showed her the maps in back of places she could read about and the cross references and 99 Doctrines listed in the front and where to find them. I showed her the devotionals and study helps, and wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I handed it to her and she said, “Thank you.” I said, “Your welcome.” And I gave her also a Bible Study and Bible Promises for You and also The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I told her I would keep her in my prayers until spring and one year after each day. I picked up my daypack to go and she said, “Thank you so much.” “Oh you’re welcome. I’ll see you in Heaven” I replied. “You as well,” she said. And I headed off.

Other notes: Thursday I also just got through the basic Gospel with Paula, a cute bigger Latina girl, oval face long brown hair, who then had to run to class. She was interested to know the Gospel as she’d seen a movie where all but one child had gone to Heaven and one child had gone to hell. “Then her sister went to Hell and took away her sins by washing her feet so she could go to Heaven,” she explained. I asked if she knew how God took away her sins so she could go to Heaven. She didn’t so I explained the Gospel showed her the prayer and already late she thanked me and ran off. I got a good seed planted I think with Karla in the science building who was already married but looked young. She had a sweet disposition was a pretty Latina also and had on a hoodie and was eating lunch but took in the Gospel. She’d gotten away from Church that she’d felt forced on her as a kid. She was now confused by the pluralism of religions. I gave her The Case for Christianity Answer Booklet and looking at it she turned to a page on trusting the Bible. She’d always wondered about that, she said. So I gave her the Rose publication on the scholarship/manuscript work behind trusting the Bible, which she really liked. We hit it off. I hope God will move in her heart. Amin a black guy, highly analytical, had left the faith. He had short dreadlocks coming out of squares and wore sweats. We talked as I answered his questions and listed for an hour and a half or so. I gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet, which he put in his pack and then thought he might like the longer book The Case for Christianity Answer Book and he took that too. So I am hopeful he will decide to follow Jesus. He said he’d never had a conversation like this before and hid his analytical side from his friends and even girlfriends.

In Him,

Bob