on campus
Posted by Drew | Filed under General
Day two. We finally finished our two weeks of language school, wrapped up our strategic planning, and took the first steps toward a regular weekly schedule. Which for the first few days begins with team prayer at 9, followed by a bus to campus, where we’ll stay until around 4 or so. We also meet in the middle of the day to pray for the campus. Hopefully soon students will be able to join us. So far there have been a lot of awkward situations, but also a lot of very interested students. We havent’ been able to meet all the new believers from the summer project, but we’re having a party tomorrow night just like they did this summer, and hopefully we’ll be able to connect with most of them. But we keep running into several randomly (providentially). The first two students Katherine and I initiated with happened to be among the summer project contacts. Actually, Katherine had called one of them the week before to tell her about the party.
The biggest news of the week so far would be that the number of believers from the summer project is officially 40. One of the guys who heard the gospel was an Iranian student that seemed to disappear after the first conversation. But this week, Nathan called him when he got on campus, asked him if he had thought any more about the Gospel, and he said that he had prayed to receive Christ a few days after their first conversation. And then he took the 4 Laws booklet home to share it with his family in Iran. Nathan is meeting with him Friday to do follow up.
It’s clear that God is moving on campus. My favorite way to initiate so far this year has been to walk up to random groups of people and tell them that I just arrived and I work with a student organization on campus and I’m trying to meet people. And then I meet them. The first day, I was able to have a lengthy conversation with 3 Chemical Engineering students that I met this way. I shared with them the full Gospel and they were very interested. The one who seemed most opposed at the beginning was most eager to take the 4Laws booklet with him at the end. I’ve really been impressed with how interested most students seem this year.
We’ve set for oursevles a pretty fast pace here at the beginning. From 10 to 4 initiating with students every day can become pretty tiresome. But we only have about 6 months out of our year when students are on campus, so we have to take advantage. Right now I’m exhausted. But it’s so great to be on campus. The team is doing an exceptional job being bold and ignoring their fears and hesitations, walking through the entire Gospel with students, attempting to do so the first time every time.
here are some things to pray for.
The Gallo’s apartment situation. Basically their sink smells like sewer (overwhelmingly, knocks you down when you first walk in the door) but we haven’t been able to convince their landlord that the problem must be fixed, and we haven’t been able to find a new place comparable.
Our permesso di soggiorno situation. Permit to stay. We have a lawyer. No, we’re not going to sue the Italian government. We just needed clarity on what our rights are and what we need to be doing. Apparently the Questura in Salerno is one of the most strict in all of Italy. But it’s become an extremely complicated situation for us.
Please pray that our team would continue to experience good community, vulnerablility and safe fellowship, and protection from spiritual attacks.
In Ministry
Please pray that the University campus would be set apart for the Lord’s work. Pray that we and students would sense the presence of the Lord when they arrive on campus, and that it would be protected from any evil or opposition or spiritual warfare.
Pray also for Marco, Antonio, and Isidoro, the three ChemE guys who heard the Gospel yesterday.
