Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was filled with kindness you received from the Lord. I had a good day on campus, though my sciatic nerve pain was working me over in my left leg. Nicole,  Matias and  Quelle each prayed to receive Jesus today. So thanks for your prayers please pray they will grow in their new commitment of faith. Their stories are below if you have time.

Nicole was sitting on a bench on the NE corner of the 2^nd floor of the BIC. She was wearing cut off jean shorts and a gray sweatshirt. She is a petite girl, “cute as a button” I think is the descriptive phrase in that she had a bubbly personality as she described herself and was happy. Her small face held a pointed chin, black rimmed, near circle glasses, naturally curly dark brown hair she had an accent and said her Grandfather had a Church in Venezuela where she went as a kid. It was an “Evangelical/Protestant Church”.  I asked what she would say to God to get into Heaven if she died. “I don’t think there should be a reason,” she replied. “I don’t think I could answer that. It’s not my decision, I love Him so much… I don’t think I could answer that. I have faith.” I noted that I had had faith to plop down on the bench next to her, even though I was obviously heavier than her and that there was a lot of ways to have faith. She grinned at me. I asked her how likely she was that she would go to Heaven and she said, “I’m not sure.” I began to go through the Gospel with her and she knew John 3:16. I asked her what God had done to take away her sins and then added what “Jesus had done”. But she could not really think of anything except that He forgave her. I think, as I talked about the cross and the blood that cleansed her, a bit came back to her. But she had not seemed to understand the righteousness of God. I said she was saved by faith, “So if someone asked you why God should let you into Heaven you’d say, Because Jesus died for me.”  “Ok,” she acknowledged as I said a point here and there. I asked if she would want to be forgiven for her sins trusting in that Jesus was God had died for her to forgiven her sins. “Yeah,” she said before I could give another option. “When you ask for forgiveness for your sins are you thinking, I know I will be forgiven because Jesus died for me trusting in that or are you just hoping God will forgive you?” I asked. She replied, “I think I thought I would be forgiven if I really meant it, I feel like some people don’t really mean it.” I said that if she wanted to be forgiven for her sins trusting in Jesus there was a prayer she could pray and I asked if it was the desire of her heart. She said it was so I said she could pray it silently and be forgiven “Wanna do that?” ‘’Yeah,” she said and prayed to receive Jesus. She’d almost not had time to finish, (I think she in fact went back to it) as a girl who had been eavesdropping asked if we were a club and how she could come, “Because when you were talking I felt something,” she explained. I told her we had a Bible study on Thursday and gave her my card and she shook my hand, as she seemed to be headed out the doors. But she’d heard the entire gospel. I think her name was Brittany. So hopefully she’ll come to Bible Study next week. I went through the Christian life with Nicole and explained living “Inside > Out”. I gave her Bible Promises for You writing her name and the date and “forgiven! in the front. I gave her a Bible Study and The Case for Easter as she said she liked to read. I told her the likelihood she would go to Heaven was now 100% trusting in the Blood and Righteousness of Jesus. I said I would keep her in my prayers each day through the end of spring semester and one year after and if I saw her I’d give her a wave. She was happy and we fist bumped and I said I would see her in Heaven and headed off.

Matias (mat-tee-ess) was sitting on a bench in the BIC 2^nd floor south hallway. He had a big mop of curly hair wore black glasses that were rectangles and a cross around his neck. He had a square jaw and a warm smile, good-looking guy. He had khaki cargo pants on and high tops. He seemed to be waiting for a friend to get out of class. I asked him what he would say if he died and God asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” The question gave him pause, “That’s a very good question, umm.” he said smiling. “I don’t know, I’ve had a lot of faith.” I said then that he had to have faith in the right thing and he agreed. I asked then the likelihood he would go to Heaven and he said, “70%”. He hadn’t gone to church since he was a kid but he remembered Jesus had died to take away the sins of the world saying, “He hung himself,” holding his arms out like they were on a cross. “Yeah on the cross, right” I said.  He listened to the rest of the Gospel that the blood of Jesus cleansed him so he could be one with God. He learned that Jesus had earned the righteousness of God that was to his credit, adopted by God and salvation was by faith. At the end I asked then if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done or if he thought something else. “I think I would want a life entrusted to Christ,” he said looking at the caption beneath the circle with God on the throne of your life. I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray and I talked him through it and asked reading, “It says here does this prayer express the desire of your heart?” “Yeah,” he said. So I said he could pray it silently and be forgiven, “Wanna do it?” “Yeah,” he replied again and prayed to receive Christ. I told him that the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100%. I gave him a Bible as he did not have one and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front after I showed him some of the things in it to help study. I gave him Bible Promises for You and The Case for Easter then I told him I’d pray for him until Spring and a year after and then his friend showed up and he thanked me and was off.

Quelle (kwell) was an athletic built black guy wearing metal framed glasses and a black hoodie pulled up over his head. He had distressed jeans on that had been grey before they worked them over. He had a black t-shirt on with cartoon characters in white on the front. He had just started going to Church a bit more. I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven and he said, “I gotta think about it…” Then he landed on, “Cause… because every time I always have a positive outlook in everything I do.” The Bible does say do all things without grumbling. He thought he had a 50/50 chance of going to Heaven. I went through the Gospel message with him as well and he knew Jesus had died for our sins. I explained that Jesus was the payment for his sin, His blood cleansed him and the righteousness of God was to his credit when God adopted him. Then he got a phone call. He said it was his mother apologetically and he was texting her so I made sure to say that he was saved by faith and if he wanted to be forgiven trusting in Jesus. “Yeah,” he said. I said if he wanted to trust in that there was a prayer he could pray. I talked him through it quickly when he said, “This is more important,” and texted something to his mom to dismiss her briefly. I asked if he’d like to pray to be forgiven, “Yeah,” he replied again and he took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I told him that likelihood now he would go to Heaven was 100%. I told him I would pray for him each day until a year from Spring. He was grateful and said he’d try to check his schedule to see if he could make Bible study. I gave him a copy of Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and forgiven I the front. I also gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet when he said he liked to read. Then he got up thanking me and took off.

I walked around a bit more but my leg was throbbing so I decided to call it a bit early. Thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance, God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob