We acted like Fools!

On April Fool's Day we fasted and prayed. Then April 2-15, we chose to be fools for Christ, to share the gospel with 2+ friends and invite them to respond. Here are the stories I've heard so far:

David got to share the gospel with a friend just a few minutes after we left dinner to begin our fast. A coworker from the summer before called him out of the blue. The guy was going through a hard time; a couple friends had been in a car accident. He had noticed David's actions and attitude the summer before, and knew David was a Christian. He wanted to know how he could become a Christian too. David shared the gospel with him and prayed for him to receive Christ!

Hannah, who's been meeting with Jason in a GIG for months, got to lead him to Christ too! They studied 2 passages: John 8, where Jesus doesn't condemn a woman for sin, and a passage from Romans, which states God hasn't come back to fix everything because he's giving all of us a chance to decide. They talked and she asked, "Where do you see yourself at this point?" He said, "I'm ready to jump in."

Cody befriended Matt from her strength training class. Matt just got back from being deployed in the Navy and is 29 (a lot older than the traditional A&M student). Recently, he expressed interest in the Bible. He is a "cultural Christian", but not devoted solely to Christ. He's agreed to "prep Bible materials" with her for her Small Group, which she is hoping will lead more into a GIG.

Seth, a freshman, invited Ryan to a movie night outreach. Ryan has been very open and impressed with the Christian faith. He attended one of our Small Groups this week and the students spent 3 hours talking about the gospel with him.

Finally, I got to meet with Kim, an international student from England who's been hanging out with us all year and asking lots of questions about Jesus. We had fun talking about her year in the states and what she's expecting as she heads home in a month. At the end of our meeting, I asked if she'd be open to studying Scripture together, and she said yes!

It's been quite a ride! Students seem to have gotten energized by this experience. Please pray that this will raise the evangelistic temperature of our fellowship.

A New Brother?

Hannah, a student leader, has been leading a GIG with a friend she's known for years. A GIG is a one-on-one meeting to study the Scriptures in a low-pressure environment, where her friend can ask as many questions as he wants. And he has been. The big question on his mind: If God is just, why isn't life fair? Why doesn't he take care of the good people? How can you really believe he's in control? And he had plenty of others. Because Hannah knows him well, she's been able to pick Scripture that she knows could help him see the truth that he struggles to believe.

He recently messaged her on Facebook:

I'm feeling really good about God right now
it really sunk into me the other day about how I'm not perfect, and how I don't have to be
and that Jesus is the path to making that ok
It made me smile really big
I figured I ought to tell you
since laboriously trying to get that through my thick skull seems to be your thing lately

He's been saying for weeks that he understands, but doesn't "get it." A few weeks ago, he told Hannah he finally gets it! We think he's either on the verge of deciding to follow Christ or he already has. He still has plenty of questions and doubts, but many of them are the same I hear from Christians. It's usually not a good idea to ask someone, "Have you decided to start following Jesus yet so I can stop evangelizing you?" So please pray for him to commit and grow close to God!

Oh Mexico...

Chuburna, Mexico, to be exact. We worked, ate, and slept in a Presbyterian church in Chuburna, just outside of Merida.

We worked hard on the pastor's house, mostly with concrete. The first picture is An mixing it by hand. The second picture is Cody lifting it up to the roof. That last picture is Abby chopping concrete off the walls in big chunks. Every 30 years they have to knock the brittle stuff off and put a new layer of concrete back on the stone, so we helped with the first step.

And we played hard - Vacation Bible School with the neighborhood kids. We played games like Catch the Gringo, Simon Says, and Crabs and Minnows. This is Jaime, having captured a kid after we reversed the rules of Catch the Gringo.

And here's Abby, leading worship for all the kids with her tambourine.

And after a long day of being a missionary, we crashed in our hammocks.

Ceviche! Yum!

This is Lucero drinking fresh coconut milk.

We spent 2 afternoons at the beach - I collected shells, we tried to create a whirlpool, and we made a beautiful mermaid. The top picture is all of us racing to see who could get the farthest into the ocean before giving up running.

Here's my team with Pastor Isaias, the last night we were there, in our traditional Yucatan shirts that the church gave us.

Our last day we visited the Mayan ruins at Uxmal and explored downtown Merida. The last picture is Priscilla, enjoying some mango juice at a downtown restaurant.

The trip was amazing. I was challenged by Scripture we studied. I was actually able to help with the work. I got to bond with my students. They were challenged to give up using their cell phones constantly, to not worry about doing everything perfectly, and to trust God to have things under control. God is good!

And I'm Back!

Sorry for the delayed posts! I was in Mexico for Spring Break with InterVarsity, and I guess I got caught up in preparing and fundraising for the trip. Then I got sick for a week from being in Mexico, and then headed out to Houston for staff Area Team Meetings. But now, I have so much to share!

I'll post about Mexico later this week, complete with pictures. But here's what's been happening with IV on campus - we're choosing to be Fools For Christ!

On April 1, we fasted and prayed. We met in two's and three's at All Faith's over the course of the day, praying during "watch hours." Then we gathered with Asian American IV that night to break our fast, hear former IV staff Sean Watkins challenge us to persevere in our faith, and worship God.

Now during April 2-15, 9 of us committed to sharing the gospel with 2+ friends and inviting them to respond. Please pray we would be bold to have spiritual conversations even if they're awkward or painful. Pray also for fruit - I hope that my students are impacted by God's power, and that we have some new brothers and sisters in Christ at the end of these 2 weeks!