Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I hope your days was blessed with your mind dwelling on what is good and pure and lovely. I had a good day on campus talking with students and Aliyah prayed to receive Jesus as savior. Please pray she grows in her faith. Her story is below if you have some time. Thanks for your prayers.
Alijah [ah lee ah] was sitting on the outside corner of the lounge on the second floor of the BIC. She had a slightly wider pretty face and a smaller mouth set in it with red lipstick. A Latina, her long brown hair was parted in the middle part way down her arm. She had pinkish hue plastic rimmed semi-circle glasses and a full figure. She had on a black hoodie and leggings that ended in bell-bottoms. I asked her if she wanted to do a survey. She asked what it was about. “The main question is, ‘You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus so you’re dead. So you stand before God and He asks, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ So it’s really about the answer to that question. Got any interest in that or not so much?” I asked. “Ok,” she replied and I asked her name gave her mine and began. She was a simple-hearted kid just wanted to have a good life. I asked her again what she would say to God and she said, “I don’t know what I would say to that question.” I asked if she had ever gone to Church. She said she used to go with her grandma. Then the priest they really liked left. (It turned out he retired.) The new priest was often talking from the pulpit about his opinions about stuff and in so doing saying things people did not like. So they didn’t want to listen to him and they left. She thought she had a 50/50 chance of going to Heaven. I went through the Gospel with her and in explaining that God wanted her to know Him and this meant to live inside her and give her eternal life. God could not be one with sin however so He took away her sin. I asked her what it was Jesus had done to take away her sins. But she could not think of anything. So I continued to explain the atonement for her sins in the sacrificial blood of Christ and the righteousness of God. She was engaged in listening but did not say anything. I explained salvation was by faith in the name of Jesus, in his reputation that He was God had died for her sins and rose from the dead. I asked if she would want to be forgiven for her sins or thought something else. “I want to be forgiven for my sins,” she replied. So I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray. I talked her through it asking if it was the desire of her heart. “Yes,” she replied so I said if she wanted she could pray it silently now, “I wouldn’t hear you but God would hear and you’d know you were forgiven. Wanna do it?” “Yes,” she replied. Then she took the booklet from me and said, “Can I ask you a question?” “Oh sure, sorry,” I replied. She said she had had a girl walk up to her and ask for her phone number to meet. She wanted to know if she was with me. “I never ask for people’s phone numbers. And I work by myself. There are cult groups on campus who do, then they talk you into going to their church and stuff. This is no strings attached. If you want you can have a relationship with God and He lives inside you and will guide you, but that is between you and Him.” “But you have a group?” she asked. I said I did and she could come to a Bible Study and I told her when it was. She had a class then. I told her I knew another Bible Study group on campus but I did not have their card with the information because I’d had surgery and I was not carrying my backpack. I said I could give her their number. “I can email you,” she replied. I said that was fine and I’d send her the guy’s number if she wanted. “But I didn’t mean to talk so much if you’d still like to pray.” She did then and received Christ. I explained the Christian life to her “By the Spirit’s power. Living Inside Out” I told her the likelihood she would go to Heaven was 100% trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus. I checked to see if she had once been going to the Catholic Church and she had so I said “Well if you go back you’ll take the mass. The wine is symbolic of His blood and the wafer is symbolic of His body. It is reminding you Jesus died for you and so you are forgiven. So when you take you can just say, “Thank You.”” I gave her Bible Promises for You and wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside. I told her I would pray a Bible Verse for her each day from now until Spring and one year after to bless her. I also gave her a Bible Study and explained it and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. She got up to head to her car then and she said, “Thank you.” “Thank you,” I said. And she headed out to her car.
So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance, God truly blessed.
In Him,
Bob