March Prayer Letter - Starting First Term

Registration is finally complete!  If you recall, in my last prayer letter, I asked for your prayers regarding registration at the University for the new academic year.  Thank you so much for your prayers!  Although there was some disruption the first day and the university shut down for a week, things got back to normal the second week of registration and there has been no further strike/protest activity.  Praise the Lord!

Over the two week registration period, ten students from the witnessing training group, as well as Wes Gestring from the US, came back to campus early to participate in an outreach.  The plan was to have a table in front of the Great Hall, where registration takes place, to strike up conversations with students using an interesting set of photos called Soularium, get contact info, and have a sign up for Bible studies. Everything was set up to go the first Monday of Registration when the returning students disrupted the registration process and even had a sit-in at our table!  Campus closed that day and didn’t reopen for seven days.

During that week, even those of us who live on campus were not allowed to enter campus after 6pm on weekdays or at any time on weekends.  Frustrating, but not unbearable except they forgot to tell anyone the first day and just locked down at 6pm.  I was off campus that evening meeting with the students and, after standing around in the rain for an hour at the university gates, finally had to go stay with friends that night.  The university absolutely refused to allow entry even for resident staff.  That weekend, I convinced the department to reserve a room for me at a guest house so I wasn’t trapped on campus for 60 hours.

During that week campus was closed, we all met at Dr. Gestring’s house for Bible studies, prayer, and witnessing training.  Although it wasn’t what we had anticipated, it was a great chance for the students to grow spiritually and to instill some new concepts regarding reproducing discipleship.

The second week, campus opened for registration and we were able to set up the table and proceed as planned.  Many wonderful conversations were had with new and returning students and 60 students signed up as interested in Bible studies. 

. Since five of the witnessing training students are willing to host Bible studies this year we will have plenty of room for all who are interested.  In the past, the Gestrings and I have led the Bible studies, but this year we have encouraged the students to lead.  We have a leaders Bible study on Monday so the students will be familiar with and confident in the passage and then they get to lead the same study during the week. 

Over the next month, please pray for the students leading Bible studies.  This is a big step of faith for most of them and they are very nervous.  Please pray for confidence, peace, and grace from the Lord, for deep relationships to form within their groups, and for the Word of God to shine brightly on this campus.

Please also pray for continued peace on campus throughout the semester.

Finally, please pray for strength and energy for me as I transition out of the holidays and back into the somewhat organized chaos of the new term.

Again, thank you so much for your prayers!  It was a blessing to know you were praying and to see the results!