Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed with goodness and grace. I had a good day on campus and Lauren and Camille Each prayed to receive Jesus today. Please pray they grow in their faith. Their stories are below if you are interested and have some time.

 Lauren was sitting on the ground floor of the west science building in the hallway. I had rested my pack on a bench and she passed me and sat down on the other end of it. She was wearing gray nylon sweats and a blue-gray t-shirt and clog slippers with faux fur on the edge against white ankle socks. She had long natural eyelashes and an oval face that was bright when she smiled. Her light brown hair was pulled behind her head in a bun. She possessed one of those princess-pretty faces you would hope to see on the babysitter. One of the words she used to describe herself for the student survey was “tidy”. She was a nice, caring person. I asked her what she would say to God if she died and He asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “That’s a good question,” she replied thinking. “I try to be the greatest person I can be and incorporate [that] into my community as well, help others when they need it.” I asked her what the likelihood was she would go to Heaven. She said 100% a bit hesitantly. She said something like didn’t want to sound arrogant. “But you have always thought you would go to Heaven,” I said. She agreed that was how she thought things would work out. I began to go through the Gospel with her asking what Jesus had done to take away her sins. She knew He was crucified. I explained then that His blood cleansed her and this was why God could forgive her because He got paid. At some point she said “Wow.” And I explained the righteousness of God that Christ earned like getting extra credit someone else had earned in a class. Isaiah 61:10 said one day she would be clothed with His salvation and that she was clothed with Jesus in Galatians 3:27. “That’s awesome,” she replied. I explained salvation by faith and then asked if she would want to be forgiven for her sins. Christ would then live inside her with His holy Spirit. She said she had gone to “Church School” all her life. “They always told us to let God into us to live inside us.” She said in response. (This morning before school I listened to an interview with a couple guys from form day4 Astronomy while I was getting ready to head out.

The Mind-Blowing Purpose of Outer Space

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UCXl2rVQWY

One of them, James, mentioned that he had read Ray Comfort’s book, Hells Best Kept Secret. I had not read it so I bought it on eBay when I got home. He said Comfort had challenged him in reading that book. He realized had never actually asked God to forgive him for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done on the cross though he had gone to Church most of his adult life. So he prayed to receive Jesus and the Spirit had opened his eyes to Astronomy testifying to scripture after. So when Lauren said that I remembered his words.) And though I’d done this with students before I felt like God was tipping me off for today and I should help her think it through. I asked if she had ever asked God to forgive her for her sins based on what Jesus had done for her on the cross, this would cleanse her of her sins and then the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, would live inside her. “Not directly,” she said. So I said that if she wanted to ask there was a prayer she could pray. I talked her through the prayer in the Booklet I’d gone through. I asked if she would want she could pray that silently and know she was forgiven. “Would you want to do that?” I asked. “Yes,” she said immediately. So I said she could pray it right now. “OK,” she replied and took the Booklet and prayed to receive Christ. I explained to her then living “By the Spirit’s power” asking for His help in everything. I gave her Bible Promises for You and wrote her name and the date and forgiven! in the front. She had not heard of Lee Strobel. I gave her The Case for Christ Answer Booklet showing her that it was some short 2-page explanations. I gave her a Bible Study and told her the story of how Jesus had walked on the water as a way to claim he was God as described in Job 9:8. She had not seemed to hear all of the gospel story before. I said I would pray a Bible verse for her each day from now until Spring and one year after. I might not see her again but I would be praying. I got up to go and she said, “Thank you so so much for everything.” “You’re welcome,” I said “have a good day.” “You have a good day too,” she said enthusiastically and I thanked her and headed off.

Later in the day I came across Camille [cam eel] sitting along in a fist floor lounge in the BIC that has an atrium attached to it. She had a round full cute face and was a big person but not fat at all. She had really thick poof-ed brown wavy hair that was full from her head out and past her shoulders. She was not interested in a Bible Study and had done a survey already, she said she was just too busy to join a group. I said this survey was different and just asked the question, “Say you are walking down the road and get hit by a bus so you’re dead and you stand before God and He asks, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say? So do you have any interest in what the Bible says is the way you get into Heaven or not so much?” “OK,” she replied. Would you like to hear the Bible verses that explain it? “She said she would. She said she went to a Catholic Church. I went through the gospel with her. She had a hard time remembering at first what Jesus had done to take away her sins. I said, “He died for you.” “Oh yeah,” she said remembering. So I explained how Jesus’ blood had cleansed her and was really how God got paid for the imperfect things we had done to wreck God’s stuff, we owed Him something perfect for this in return. I said this was like the mass at church that the wine was symbolic of Jesus blood and the wafer of His body and it was reminding her she was forgiven because of Jesus. When she took it she could just say, “Thank you.” She smiled pleasantly all through. I explained the righteousness of God and salvation by faith. I asked if she would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done and she said again she did not have time for a Bible study but maybe in the summer she could come. I took note of the huge Anatomy text beside her on the table and said I could see she was going to be busy studying. I understood she would have no time for a group but what I was asking was would she want to be forgiven for her sins so God could live inside her or did she think something else. “Be forgiven,” she replied. So I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and I talked her through it. It says, “Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?” She said it did so I said she could pray it silently and know she was forgiven. “Wanna do that?” She nodded and took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I gave her Strobel’s The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I said maybe she would have some time to look at it at Christmas break. I told her I would pray a Bible verse for her each day through this next Spring and one year after asking God to bless her and if I saw her again I would just wave. “Thank you,” she said smiling and I headed off.

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

In Him,

Bob