Times they are a-changing!
Hello Everyone! I cannot believe that it's been a full month since I posted my first blog. For that, I apologize, but I have been very busy doing ministry. I'm slowly learning that in full time ministry, there are so many more things to do then you have time to do. I'm someone who needs to get everything completed to be at peace, but that's simply not possible without going crazy! So, here is a brief fast forward of the past month to catch you up, with a hope that I will be able to update more frequently with more specific details!
Orientation Week (2/22-2/28) and the First week of Class! (3/1-3/8)
What a crazy two weeks! These were my first two weeks on campus interacting directly with Aussie students. Primarily, these two week were about connecting with students and praying the Lord would connect us with all those who would be interested in learning about our campus group, Student Life, and hearing about Christianity and Jesus. To do thi
s, we had stalls set up. Basically, a table with posters, that advertise our group. We had students fill out quick surveys to gauge their interest levels and then we'd give them a free chupa chup (suckers), which Aussies Die for! During these two weeks we were praying for 800 students to do these surveys with us and we did over 1100, 306 of which were interested in hearing about Jesus! We then took those surveys which showed interested students and spent much of the past 2-3 weeks meeting with them to share about Jesus and to start up Christianity Explained courses (6 weeks going through Mark to learn about Christ). I'm doing a CE with two students each week and has been so amazing seeing the Lord bringing them closer and closer to making a decision about Jesus (picture of me and these two asian guys playing Ultimate Frisbee) God has been so faithful! He is worthy of Praise!
s, we had stalls set up. Basically, a table with posters, that advertise our group. We had students fill out quick surveys to gauge their interest levels and then we'd give them a free chupa chup (suckers), which Aussies Die for! During these two weeks we were praying for 800 students to do these surveys with us and we did over 1100, 306 of which were interested in hearing about Jesus! We then took those surveys which showed interested students and spent much of the past 2-3 weeks meeting with them to share about Jesus and to start up Christianity Explained courses (6 weeks going through Mark to learn about Christ). I'm doing a CE with two students each week and has been so amazing seeing the Lord bringing them closer and closer to making a decision about Jesus (picture of me and these two asian guys playing Ultimate Frisbee) God has been so faithful! He is worthy of Praise!A move of God
As I mentioned, we did over 300 more surveys then ever before. We've also seen many students, especially first years, indicate that they want to attend Bible Studies and weekly events that we run, the main one being our weekly meeting called Fusion. We've also begun pioneering on a campus we've never had a presence on before, Logan. Logan is a campus about 20 minutes away, by bus, from all the other campuses. It is a very small campus with only 2000 students. Students here have never shown a great interest in spiritual things but this year we've had about 40 students indicate an interest! We started our first weekly Bible Study
there Ever! Praise God! Like I said, times they are a-changing. Something is different here at Griffith Uni then previous years. Students CARE about their classes and want to learn. They're excited about going to class! The Lord is moving here in powerful ways. He is drawing all those who are seeking what's true. He is slowly breaking the chains of apathy and relativism that bind this Uni and this country. On top of that, God continues to bring Christians to us who are passionate about Jesus and sharing their faith. God is gathering the small group of Christians here at Griffith and slowly uniting us in one body. I can't wait to see what He does as we continue to step out in faith with the power of the Holy Spirit!
there Ever! Praise God! Like I said, times they are a-changing. Something is different here at Griffith Uni then previous years. Students CARE about their classes and want to learn. They're excited about going to class! The Lord is moving here in powerful ways. He is drawing all those who are seeking what's true. He is slowly breaking the chains of apathy and relativism that bind this Uni and this country. On top of that, God continues to bring Christians to us who are passionate about Jesus and sharing their faith. God is gathering the small group of Christians here at Griffith and slowly uniting us in one body. I can't wait to see what He does as we continue to step out in faith with the power of the Holy Spirit!
First Year Outreach (3/18)
This was an Awesome Day for us! We threw a first year party for all the students who we've been in contact with and met in the past 3 weeks to make them feel welcome. We pulled out Giant Jenga! It's just like regular Jenga except it stands about 3.5 feet tall and the blocks are huge! It was so much fun and there were times when we had 50-60 people watching us play. Students joined in the fun with us the entire time! We were able to have so many deep spiritual conversations through this party/outreach! There was a girl named Eliana who came and sat with us for more then 2 hours, discussing Christianity. She is going to start going through Christianity Explained with us and attending our weekly Fusion events!
What do I do for Fun?!
I have had so much fun doing ministry! Although it's very hard and demanding spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally, it is such a blessing to be doing what God has called me to be doing. Besides ministry, I've been having a blast! During the past few weeks I've gone to the Movie Theatres with students, gone to the Broncos-Cowboys Rugby game-which was unbelievably awesome [AP would dominate though ;)] and even spent a Saturday over at Will's house, a vietnamese Aussie student, for an international dinner! We had a Vietnamese barbecue and it was SO good! Needless to say, I'm having a blast in the land of Oz!
Learning Points:
One thing that I've been consistently praying for is that God would continue to reveal to me the depths of my sin and wickedness before Him. Boy has He been answering that prayer in many different ways; through my relationships with my teammates and as a roommate through the Spirit, and especially through His Word. It is so humbling to see your own sinfulness. Sometimes, I regret asking for that in prayer but at the same time, it allows me to see in a deeper way the grace and beauty of God in Jesus Christ. I have been thoroughly enjoying my daily reading in my Chronological Bible, currently going through Deuteronomy. I have also been graciously learning the disciplines of studying the Word and memorizing Scripture! I have been studying the book of Romans once a week for 2-3 hours and have almost got the first chapter of Philippians memorized! It's been so rewarding!
Until next time...
