Internship Update

This month has been full of good conversations. Christianity, and religion in general, has become somewhat taboo in our society. Even among Christians, we can be afraid to bring up deeper, spiritual matters. I think this is especially true in my generation. But I have been learning over my college years that bringing up Jesus is not that weird. And in order to truly love people, we have to speak of God.

Early in the month another student, named Joy,  and I took an exchange student from Japan to Jazz Night at a restaurant downtown. We talked for hours. According to this student, the majority of Japanese people “have no religion.” But she was curious about Christianity, knowing it is a part of American culture, and asked us why we believed. Joy and I shared our testimonies with her that night.

I met up with the girl again the next week and we had dinner. We did not have any direct conversations about Christianity or Jesus this time. But there were many opportunities in talking about cultural differences to share the views I hold that are different from the culture I live in.

Another good conversation occurred the following week when I met with a freshman girl who had been attending Overflow and our Thursday night Bible study. I learned about her home life and her love for music. I encouraged her to go on the Fall Retreat and asked her if she would be interested in studying the Bible with me. It was at the retreat that she told me she wants to study with me. We will begin meeting weekly very soon.

Another opportunity to speak about God came through our Fall Retreat. Sunday, a group of 26 exhausted ECU students and campus ministry staff (pictured below) returned from Park Springs Christian Camp in Danville, Virginia. I was exhausted too, but also very excited to have had the opportunity to lead a workshop this time. Pulling from information and books from classes I took at Mid-Atlantic Christian University, I shared tips and tools for enhancing personal Bible study.

Sometimes an opportunity to speak of God comes in a question. Sometimes we speak of God indirectly by the other things we do or do not say. Sometimes we have to be bold and ask the questions ourselves. I pray that more and more of our conversations include speaking of God. 

Internship Update

It’s that time of year again. The streets of Greenville are full. Vacant parking spots are non-existent. Empty dormitories come alive. Faded bulletin boards are repapered and pep-pered with announce-ments, tips, and "fun facts about your Resident Assis-tant." The fall semester is underway, and there is a feeling of newness and life as students return for an-other academic year.

This is also a time of new-ness for CCF. We had our first two Overflows (weekly large group meet-ings) this month. So far 28 new students have filled out information cards. One of them is an international graduate student from Kenya whom we picked up from the airport. One is a freshman Music Therapy major who hap-pily joined us in the scorching heat to pass out free Ice-Pops and invite students to CCF. One is a guy whose experiences have led him to believe in the God of the Bible and is seeking to understand what it means to be a Christian.

I have been reflecting a lot recently on how God takes old, broken, dead things and breathes life into them. He breathed into dust and made man. He turned dry bones into and army. He resurrected his pierced and shattered Son. I know God loves to restore what is broken. I know God longs to breathe life into the lives of students at ECU. And He is doing that.

Last year I started meeting with a girl named Jasmin. She came to ECU as a new Christian and sought out CCF as a way to grow in her faith during college. She has the gift of a gentle and quiet spirit. But she also wants to be more bold in her faith. We studied through the big picture of the Bible, and by the end of spring semester she knew she needed to share her faith with a certain friend. I had lunch with her last week and she told me that she had the opportunity to share the gospel with this person. And this semester they are going to be study-ing more together. Jasmin is also planning on partici-pating in a scholarship pag-eant in a few months that will give her an even bigger opportunity to show her commitment to God. She wants to use the pageant to be an example to other girls to show that you do not have to flaunt your body to be beautiful, and that true beauty lies in lov-ing the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

I am so encouraged by all that God is doing. He is bringing people together. He is drawing in seekers. He is breathing life into His children and the ministry at CCF. Thank you all for your prayers and support. I know they make a differ-ence!