“Reach the campus today, reach the world tomorrow”
-Dr. Bill Bright
Little did Dr. Bright know how true his statement would be over fifty years later when he began Cru on a college campus. Since Holly is training women at her church how to grow in evangelism and discipleship, she invited them to join her on the Glendale Community College campus and talk to students about Jesus. These four ladies took the step of faith to go out in pairs (with one praying for the two pairs that were sent out). We had spiritual conversations with six students. Of the six, four of them were from other countries.
Freshman, Than, was from the Congo. His parents are still there, but he came with his brother to escape persecution as a Christian.
An ESL student from Mexico shared that her mom kept encouraging her to open her Bible, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to be Catholic like her mother, so she never opened a Bible.
Maryam, a Muslim from Iran, was open to hearing the gospel and how Jesus was not just a prophet but the Son of God sent to die for our sins. Carmen, one of our ladies, asked, “What God would come to the world, shed His blood, and die just so our sins could be forgiven?” Carmen offered to pray for her, and although she was shocked, she allowed Carmen to do so.
Moriah, a Catholic, said that her faith was in Mary. Carmen explained that Jesus desires to be honored and praised over Mary because of His sacrifice on the cross. She too wanted prayer.
Marcelina is from Africa. Though a believer, she shared about how hard life was there for her, and her parents are still there today. She asked for prayer for her family.
Finally, Mo, a 40-year-old African-American man, said he doesn’t believe in a specific God because when he was incarcerated, men were evangelizing him to be Muslim, and he embraced it for a time. He said the Bible felt flat to him, but he knew there was a Satan, and he wanted to live a good life for his 7-month-old son. Holly shared how amazed she is by Jesus as a person and how it’s not about a religion but a relationship with the God who created you and wants to know you. He was not ready to trust in a personal God.
Please pray for these six students. Though no one came to Christ, the gospel was shared, and many welcomed prayer. Also, pray for these four ladies who were willing to go out and share Jesus with others. God will use each of us if we step out in faith, follow the Holy Spirit’s lead, and leave the results to Him!
Personal Update
Carter and Briella have made new friends already and are enjoying their teachers. Holly will begin writing her thesis proposal alongside her advisor, Dr. Robert Smith. He is a professor at Sydney Missionary and Bible College in Australia and has written numerous books on the topic of gender for Holly’s research.
