The Lord has been doing a lot this year! First off, our numbers are up by a good chunk, and that means a lot of people to connect with and keep up with! We've been averaging around 200 people on Friday nights at "The Grove" and have 340 students in cores. (For perspective, last year at this time we were averaging 140 on Friday nights and 278 in cores.) These numbers are exciting, but they put a strain on our relational, one on one approach to ministry. Please pray that the Lord will give us wisdom to know how best to invest in these young people and stamina as we do so!
In the midst of this, I'm hearing really cool stories! We baptized a young woman last week who was a Muslim living in Pakistan when Jesus appeared to her in a dream. In FOCUS, she was finally able to learn about him and how to give her life to him. Another young lady told me that she was deep into Eastern spiritual practices and magic, but when walking by a FOCUS event, a voice spoke and said "These are my people and I want you to join them." She too has repented and given her life to Jesus. We don't get to take credit for these stories--they are all about God's Spirit moving! But we got to be a little part of those stories and are so honored that the Lord let us in on what he's doing!
I'm praying for more and more such stories. So many students are studying the Bible for the first time, learning about Jesus for the first time, wrestling with his call to follow for the first time. They are facing down all sorts of strongholds in their lives--drug addictions, past or present abuse, mental and physical illnesses, identity issues, money troubles, problems in their families--basically anything you can imagine. But we know "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." Will you pray that God will do the things only he can do and that we will be bold and empowered to do the things he's given us to do--proclaiming Jesus on this campus?
Upcoming Events!
We're excited to invite back our UTD alumni (and anyone else who wants to join) to see what's going on in our ministry this year! Coming up the weekend before Thanksgiving. |