Campus Outreach pt. 3

Well, last Sunday (July 3, 2011), a friend and I went to the Campus Outreach rally at their hotel. The night was amazing! We arrived shortly after 7:00 and left around 11:30!

The first group (the first to tour Wycliffe as well) had their rally, which consisted of a skit, a teaching, and worship--it was great! At the end, the speaker announced that I was there to hand out the welcome letters to those who had signed up for BPPP. I spent the next 30-40 minutes talking to students and watching all 75 of them open their envelopes eagerly and read the letter with huge smiles on their faces. I was once again brought to tears at how God has allowed me to be part of something so great!

The second group was slightly (okay, vastly) different! They began to trickle into the room "prepared for war" with the most ridiculous costumes (you know, the kind only college students can make with stuff like tin foil, belts, bandanas, sharpies, etc.)! Loud rap and hip hop music played as they gathered. The program began with a dramatic introduction and a couple silly ice-breaker activities. Then came a teaching by a former Campus Outreach student--I was so encouraged! After that, the group leader unexpectedly asked me to go on stage and share about the Bibleless Peoples Prayer Project with the 120+ who had gathered that night! After I gave my spiel, there was an allotted time for the students and staff to journal. During the ensuing fifteen minutes of journaling, 75 more students committed to praying for Bibleless People groups! Brought to tears twice in one night as people passed their sign-up cards to the end of their aisle and one-by-one I collected 75 commitments that will further the Kingdom of God through the Power of Prayer!!

The night ended for us with another time of worship. This particular session really touched my heart. Everyone was unashamedly worshipping their God and King and Savior and Friend and Father! The last song sung was "In Christ Alone," a personal favorite. Half way through the song, I stopped singing and listened to the group of 120+ students pour their heart out to the Lord and confess their need for Him, acknowledging that it is in Christ alone we live! Something must be wrong with my tear-ducts, because there is no way that this guy cried three times in one night. Seriously, though, God blessed me beyond explanation--gave me joy unspeakable!--that night.

I love my job.

Campus Outreach pt. 2



The 75 Letters I will be handing out!



Today we had our second group from Campus Outreach visit Wycliffe. This time was pretty different, actually. First off, I helped lead worship (I played piano and sang--video below). Secondly, we didn't put as much emphasis on the Bibleless Peoples Prayer Project tonight as last week. The reason for this is that the particular group that came tonight will distribute sign-up cards to the students at a separate time already planned. But, I confirmed with the leaders that we interns are invited to their Sunday night celebration. I'll be handing out the letters to the initial group and continuing relationships with the students. I am so excited!

Tonight I met a guy named Alex. He was born in the States but grew up in Shanghai, China. His dad is from Singapore and his mother from China, and neither are saved; nor are his brother and sister. He's studying Food Science at Purdue University in Indiana. We had a great conversation about his testimony and his heart for reaching China! At the end of our conversation, I prayed for him. I looked up and saw his tear-filled eyes. He thanked me for taking the time to talk to him and gave me a hug. This is why I love my job!

I am so looking forward to hanging out with them all again on Sunday!

Here is a video of one of the songs we played for worship. It's called Hakuna Mungu Kama Wewe. That means There's No One Like Jesus. It's great to see all the students get into the African worship song and praise the Lord in another language! How awesome to be part of facilitating that :) It's really a great way to introduce the need for God's Word in every tongue.

Campus Outreach

Tuesday night (June 21,) we hosted 110 Campus Outreach students from Indiana universities. We enjoyed worship together, they watched excitedly as different people presented their skills (from linguistics to teaching to ethnomusicology) and demonstrated that anyone can be used in Bible Translation! The students loved it. At the end, my favorite storyteller, Gary, challenged the students. He explained the need that Bibleless People groups have for prayer. We gave them all the opportunity to commit to praying at least once a week (preferably every day) for a Bibleless People group. The response astounded us. Out of 110 students, 75 signed up! 20-30 of the others had committed to praying last year! Praise God!

Greater yet is the opportunity I now have: on Sunday nights, these students gather together for worship, prayer, Bible study, and fellowship. We interns received an invitation to join them. I thought that hand-delivering a thank you/welcome letter to each of the students who committed to pray would speak volumes to the students and bless my heart immensely! Therefore, I spent all day Wednesday and Thursday working on this. I assigned each of the 75 students to their language, printed 75 welcome letters (some of which I personally wrote, most of which I edited), stuffed 75 envelopes with bookmarks, bumper stickers, people group information, and the welcome letters. This Sunday (June 26) I have the privilege of presenting these packages to the students and personally thanking them and encouraging them to stay committed to praying! Praise God!