Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope your week was blessed with all good things from above. I had a good week earlier at school Afonso, Anzhelo, Jack*, Jackson* each either prayed to receive Christ or confessed their faith and on campus Thursday and Yaireli [ur el ee] and Jay each prayed with me to receive Jesus. Their stories are below if you want to spend the time please pray they grow in their faith. I had a long talk through tears with Esther who had some struggles with her faith (lost friends she could not reach, one died in suicide) and her Pentecostal denomination, which she feared the rejection of her family were she to leave it. Please pray her faith grows stronger. Jackson committed to believing on Christ Wednesday but had to run to class so I hope to run into him again, his father had just started taking the family back to Church. He had straight dishwater blonde hair was tall and thin and had pointed features and a wide smile, wearing a Glenbard West Hilltoppers green zip neck fleece sitting in the MAC.

Yaireli was sitting on a bench outside a bit of a corner computer lounge that’s now on the NW corner of the 1^st floor of the BIC. She’s a short slight Latina with a cute chipmunk face and shoulder length dark brown hair. She was wearing a Dark blue Winnie the Pooh sweatshirt and black sweats. She was a meek, friendly kid. She said she wanted to travel. I asked her what she would say to God if she died and He asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “Umm,” she said thinking a bit, “To be honest I don’t know.” I asked her if she went to Church and she said her church was Catholic. I asked what she thought they would say would get someone into Heaven. “Be more respectful and caring for others not committing crimes, respect everyone,” she replied. She thought she had about a 75% chance of going to Heaven. I went on to read her the verse that said knowing God was eternal life and that God wanted to know and live inside her [John 17:3]. But because he could not be in the same place as sin He had to take away her sin then she’d be perfect and holy and God could live inside her. I asked how God took away her sins. I think she used the word “reverence “and added you had to “show Him you loved Him”. I said something like, “Well this is how the mechanism works and began to explain how the blood of Jesus cleansed her from all sin and was a payment to God. “True, true,” she said in response. some things coming back to her possibly. I explained this was the symbolism behind the mass or the Eucharist and that that word meant “thanksgiving”. So when she took it she should just say thank you as it was reminding her Jesus died for her.  I explained the righteousness of God, Christ earned for us, that was to her credit when God adopted her as His Child. I explained that we had to receive this by faith believing, “Jesus is God He died for your sins and rose from the Dead.” I explained that this faith saved her and her good stuff could not fix her bad stuff. I asked then if she would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done. Then He would live inside her, giving her strength and take her to Heaven when she died or did she think something else.  “That one,” she said pointing to the circle with Christ inside her on the throne of her life. So I said that if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and I talked her through it and asked if it expressed the desire of her heart, she thought it did so I asked if she would like to pray it silently and she said, “Yeah.” I handed her the booklet and she prayed then to receive Christ. I explained the Christian life to her then reading the Bible (which she had) and prayer and I gave her Bible Promises for You and wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside. I gave her The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible study. I explained now trusting in the righteousness of Jesus and His blood the likelihood she would go to Heaven was 100%. I told her I would pray a prayer for her each day “from now until Spring and one year after asking God to bless you.” I told her I was sorry I kept her so long since it was oblivious she had to go. “No it’s OK, “she replied. “Have a good one,” I said. “OK. By bye,” she said sweetly and hurried off.

Jay was sitting under the stairs near the entrance to the bookstore. He was a small Filipino guy and he had a smallish handsome face with a thin mustache like Michael Jordan puts out there. He had on a light grey puffy coat and jeans. He said he went to a Roman Catholic Church on Sundays. He said he wanted to own a 2025 Nissan GTR NISMO so I looked it up “The pricing begins at $120,990 for the base Premium model and extends to $220,990 for the top-tier NISMO model.” So I hope that works out for him.  I told him my dream car when I was young was a 67 Corvette. (It’s a pretty bad look for an evangelist to drive a sports car that would set you back a hundred grand however so I long ago decided I’ll wait and just drive what God loans you in Heaven. It might be a chariot but I have always liked horses.) I asked him what he would say to God if he died and was asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” His hand went up and covered his mouth his eyes widened a bit. He began to think. “I don’t know he said after a bit. I asked him the likelihood he would get into Heaven. I’ve not done anything that bad-bad.” He replied. “I always help people. If I see a homeless person on the road I buy them food.” I said that it was best to buy people food because you don’t know them and they might abuse drugs or alcohol. He agreed. “So you are hopeful,” I said and he said “Yeah.” I began to explain the Gospel to him that God loved him and wanted to know and live inside him. As I explained the Blood of Christ cleansing us from all sin it seemed pretty novel but he took it all in sincerely. I explained that this was how God was paid and so he was just to forgive us [1John 1:9] because there was a payment. I explained the Eucharist as symbolic of this and that he should just say thanks in taking it. Jesus had earned God’s righteousness and it was too his credit when God adopted him. “So that’s Christianity. God loves you, he wants to know and live inside you, but he can’t because of sin. So the Bible says ‘God demonstrates His love for us, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.’” I said he had to believe, Jesus is God, died for his sins and rose from the dead. If he trusted in this work of Christ for him he had faith and faith saved him. I asked if he wanted to be forgiven for his sins trusting in Jesus. Then God could live inside him and give him strength, take him to Heaven when he died. Or did he think something else and I gave him a few sentences on the false religions of Islam and the Buddha. “So would you like to be forgiven trusting in Jesus?” I asked again. “Yup,” he said. So I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray and I talked him through it asking if it expressed the desire of his heart and he nodded. I asked if he would want to pray it silently and he nodded. Then he took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I explained the Christian life to him also, living “By the Spirit’s Power” “Inside Out” and said everything in Christianity was “Just Ask” God wanted to help him and guide him. I told him the likelihood he would now go to Heaven was 100% trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus. I gave him Bible Promises for You and also wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside and he thanked me as I gave it to him. I wrote his name in The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I told him I would pray a Bible verse for him each day from now until the end of Spring and one year after asking God to bless him. I explained the Bible study a bit and he laughed at the tale I told of the disciples in Matt. 14:26 “It is a ghost!”. I asked if he had any questions. He said he didn’t think so. “Well I’ll see you in Heaven, it’s cool to meet you,” I said. “Yes Sir! Thank you!” he replied and I headed up the stairs.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism this past week if you had a chance God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob