Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope you had a blessed day walking in the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. I had a good day on campus and Jacki and Dayra each prayed with me to receive Christ and it seemed like Luis might pray later and Sarah was interested. Please pray these grow closer to Christ and truly walk with the Lord.

Jacki was sitting in the hall in a row of chairs on the ground floor of the BIC south side. She was just past the atrium lounge. She wore a blue hoodie and blue leggings and had long brown hair parted down the middle, she was a Latina. She was she had a wholesome pretty face and looked athletic. Her face was a bit wider and came to a point at her chin. She wasn’t wearing makeup. She said she wanted to buy a house. I began the survey with her and asked, “You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead. And you stand before God and He says, “Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” “Hmm,” she replied. “What would I say.” She thought a bit and said, “You don’t need to let me in, I’ve tried to prove my faith. I’ll continue to prove it. Until then I’ll just wait around.” I wasn’t sure what she was thinking exactly so I thought it might play out as we talked and asked what she thought the likelihood she would go to Heaven when she died and she thought a bit and settled on 75%. I asked if she went to church at all and she said she went on Wednesday and Sunday. I asked what kind of Church it was and she said she went to the Kingdom Hall. I know the Jehovah’s witnesses believe only 144,000 people go to Heaven. She did not seem to think that. A denomination does not mean much nor a cult at times. I have had Adventist students pray to receive Christ believing they will go to Heaven when they die though their church teaches soul sleep. I have been to more than one Roman Catholic Funeral where the priest said the person who died is in Heaven, not mentioning purgatory. About 10 years ago had a Catholic student after hearing the Gospel say I sounded exactly like his priest whom he and 7 of his friends went to a Bible study with, he thought he was saved by his faith. RC Sproul mentioned in a sermon I once heard that he could not really find a Catholic priest to debate who held to Catholic doctrine. One time at the break in the debate a priest apologized for not being a very good debater saying he believed faith alone saved him. But if he said it in a public debate he felt sure his bishop would remove him. It seemed he felt staying in the Catholic Church was his sort of secret mission field and if he was subtle about it they would over look it as they needed priests. They also overlook communists however. I went on to clearly explain the Gospel. With some prompting as I asked what the big thing in history was that Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world, she thought a bit and said, “He died?” I agreed and began to explain that God became a man, Jesus who lived a perfect life for us. His blood cleansed us and was a payment for our sins. His righteousness was to our credit. I said she had to be saved by receiving Christ, to “believe Jesus is God died for your sins and rose from the dead”. She had to trust in that to be forgiven. I then explained how she was saved by her faith not by her works. I asked if she wanted to be forgiven for her sins and have God live inside her or if she thought something else. She said she wanted to be forgiven. So I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and I talked her through it. This is how the prayer reads in green italics and what I say in black, “Lord Jesus I want to know you personally “I want you to live inside me.” Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. “So you’d be grateful.” I open the door of my life and receive you as my Savior and Lord. “Or my God.” Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life, make me the kind of person you want me to be. “It says here does this prayer express the desire of your heart? So would you say it did?” She said, “Umhm,” I said she could pray it silently and know she was forgiven. “Wanna do that?” I asked. “Yeah,” she replied. I handed her the booklet and she said, “Thank you.” And she prayed then to receive Christ. I explained after that if she trusted in the righteousness of Christ and His blood she could be 100% sure she was going to Heaven. I explained living by the Spirit’s power to give her strength. I gave her Bible Promises for You and I wrote her name and the date and forgiven on the inside. I gave her The Case for Christ Answer Booklet explaining Strobel’s story. Then I gave her a Bible Study on Jesus claims to be God. It starts with the prophecy in Isaiah 9:6 and I used it to state that there were three persons in one Name and they were all in one God and in one Baby. I talked to her about Jesus walking on the water and then showed her that God walked on the water in the OT in Job. She was happy. I gave her my contact information and said she could text me if she had any questions. I told her I would pray for her each day until Spring and one year after asking God to bless her. She said, “It was nice to meet you.” “It was nice to meet you too,” I said shaking her hand. “If I see ya I’ll just say hi.” And I headed off and will be praying each day she lets her attendance at the Kingdom Hall lapse though it des not seem they have been telling her what they believe. I’ll pray they continue to do so until the Spirit leads her out.

I came across Dayra sitting in one of the alcove seating areas on the 3^rd floor overlooking the SSC lounge where we have Bible Study. She was a cute kid, kind of short and petite with a wider face and a pointed chin. She had light brown hair parted down the middle kind of fluffed out. She wore a light blue hoodie that said “COD TRACK” in dark blue letters. She said she ran the 800 and was good. I also asked her, “You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead. And you stand before God and He says, “Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” “Umm I don’t know. I haven’t committed, any… sins. I haven’t done anything horrible. I’m not mean to anyone. I don’t judge, I don’t hate,” she replied. I asked what the likelihood she would go to Heaven and she thought she had an 85 or 90% chance of going to Heaven. I said the rest of the survey kind of explained how ya get to Heaven I the Bible. “I’m not a Christian, I’m Catholic,” she explained. I told her that there are a lot of denominations and all I am explaining is the most basic thing that they should believe After that each denomination adds things they think will help you get closer to God. So you might hear something you disagree with if you are going to a church but you probably shouldn’t. She accepted that and I began to go through the Gospel with her. I said knowing God was that He lived inside her with His Holy Spirit. I asked what the big thing was that Jesus had done back in History to take away the sins of the world. She thought and was struggling a bit and I said, “Think of the really obvious thing.” “He died?” she said. “Right,” I said. I said to be in heaven we had to be purified because heaven wasn’t just a place it was the presence of God so we had to be made perfect. And I went on to explain everything I always do about the blood and righteousness of Christ. I explained that God adopted and gave her the blessings of His family, “He gives you the sacrifice for your sins, the blood that cleanses you and the righteousness of God that surrounds you. So you got some place to go, Heaven, and something to wear when you get there the righteousness of God.” I told her she needed to receive Jesus by faith. Grace by faith saved her. I asked if she would like to be forgiven for her sins trusting in what Jesus had done, then He would live inside her and give her strength and take her to heaven when she died, or did she think something else.  “Forgiven for my sins,” she replied. I read through the prayer and asked if it expressed the desire of her heart. She nodded so I said she could pray it silently, “Wanna do it?” I asked. “Ah yeah,” she replied and she took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. As she finished she said, “Do I have to do something [out loud]? I said that God was everywhere holding everything together and could hear her thoughts but now he was personally inside her and then said, “Amen,’” and she agreed. I explained now the likelihood she would go to Heaven was 100% trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus. I explained the Christian life to her, living by the Spirit’s power. She didn’t have a Bible so I gave her one with John marked by the ribbon and wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I gave her Bible Promises for You and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible study. “Nice to meet you,” I said getting up to go. “Thank you so much,” she replied. “Nice to meet you too. Thank you.” She replied ad 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