Joel transferred to Emporia State University in Kansas mid-year — and then got COVID. Quarantined, and knowing no one on campus, Joel began reading the Bible.
Around that same time, Cru staff from other campuses in Kansas decided to carpool to Emporia every other week, hoping to initiate gospel conversations with willing students.
After starting off with, “Hey can we ask you a quick question?,” they would follow up with, “Would you consider yourself to be a follower of Jesus?” This question helps surface uninvolved Christian students, and/or those ready to become Jesus followers.
One day, fresh out of quarantine, Joel found himself walking through the student union, responding to a couple of Cru staff, “Yes, I’m a follower of Jesus.” Listening to Joel’s story, the staff rejoiced, feeling themselves part of God’s plan for Joel.
It’s not always that easy or smooth though. For some, these conversations can be nerve-racking. One staff guy named Colin describes one such encounter:
“Braydin and I were getting ready to initiate conversations at the union. Around the corner was a table of five guys. Braydin said we should go talk to them. My response: ”No, man, I don’t want to do that! That’s intimidating.” After all these years, my heart still jumps out of my chest, getting ready to approach someone new. After some coaxing, I agreed to go talk to them. I dropped and did some pushups to get the blood flowing, and we rounded the corner. (Yeah, I know…)”
When Braydin and Colin approached the table, they found that none of the five guys were fully following Jesus. Some had gone to church, while some had questions they thought Christians were unwilling to consider. The conversation continued as they traded jokes and laughed together. Before leaving, Colin and Braydin invited the guys to a Bible study later that day, not really expecting them to show up. But, four of them came!
Now, the students meet every other week to read and discuss the book of John, words written to guide the reader to “life in His name.”
God is at work on campuses across the country and world! Thank you for being a part of giving students like these an opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel. We are so grateful for your partnership in this work!
PRAYER REQUESTS
Praise God that he draws students like Joel and others to Himself and gives them life in His name!
Pray that the Lord would raise up many incoming students this summer. Pray they would be able to get connected to community and have spiritual conversations even before starting classes.
Pray for our team as we adjust to different summer assignments. Please pray for refreshment, focus, and fruitfulness this summer.