God Moves off Campus into Our Families

       My pastor once remarked how much he enjoyed seeing the Kingdom of God breaking in to the world. He would read articles and see it and he would also see it as he partnered with God. I think we too agree that it is awesome seeing the Kingdom break in. Our focus is on the college campus but God's focus extends from the campus and beyond. I have been blessed to see God’s work through the lives of students as they get transformed and soon after their families start to get touched. There are at least 3 families that are being touched by Jesus and have tangible markers of God's hand moving within them.



Sy

         Remember the promise of Sy’s story from the newsletter that many of you just received (I only had 60)? I don’t know the whole of it but I do know that after Sy became a believer at our fall ’11 Soul Food fall evangelism conference, his parents started to get touched. Sy told me that after he became a believer he started to have conversations about Jesus with his mom who was from a Catholic background. In the midst of these conversations, her husband and Sy’s dad left the family to move up to the desert for reasons I don’t fully remember. I am learning how high a value is placed on family within the filipino culture and so when Sy’s dad left the family this was probably a tragedy and maybe even a deep betrayal. In the midst of this Sy’s mom started to attend a local church and found a renewed relationship with Jesus. She was so inspired by God’s heart that she and Sy decided to go after the wayward father. They traveled all the way up to the hi desert from Oceanside and invited him to come back. Whatever happened, there must have had some powerful love involved because he didn’t just come back but started to go to church and decided to follow Jesus too.

           Another student who I’ll call Mack also is seeing changes in his family after he came to faith. I had been hearing about a lot of things happening in his family but I would like to share a few of them along with a moment that paints a picture of what is happening in his family. This guy loves to listen to people and show them love through that, Christian or not. He told me that after visiting his brother and talking to his friends, his brother started to pick up the bible and began to read it. His sister has attended several functions with intervarsity including the bible study Mack and I lead. She has been in tears and eager for Jesus each time. Finally, he told me of the extremely odd and rare event that happened with his dad. His dad attended church with his mom and it wasn’t Christmas or Easter! (I was told this was big J) Mack told me of one moment that signified a change in his family. When he went up to thanksgiving with his family, he noted the changes going on with their level of communication. He said that they were having deep conversations and there was a sense of true love among them. Come on Lord!

My Family Christmas '11

          Sy and Mack’s families aren’t the only ones getting touched by God. I saw my little brother Mike and the fruit of the prayer over his life. I now can tell that Jesus is his source, even when crazy difficulties are happening around him. Both my brothers are dads now and I am so blessed as I see them loving their children and I see a lot of elements of God’s love. Finally, my rolling stone dad who has been getting touched by Jesus is finally starting to go after God and His word. He just told me recently he has been going to church for the past 3 weeks and even hit a Wednesday night service. I can’t describe to you but it has been a long journey of my dad moving from being so lost and broken and wandering to being found as he places his hope in Jesus.

            I hope this encourages you as it does me. God’s work starts to affect the spheres we have influence in if we’ll yield to His heart and His guidance and if we’ll persevere in loving those around us. I also hope you see what I am seeing; our work together doesn’t just stay on the college campuses. May the only one who can bless you and your families. Remember, God is able to do more than you can ask or imagine (Eph 3:20).

5 Reasons for Us to Be on Campus

1)    I believe God wants to be known and one of my passions is to see Him be known. As I was on campus this fall, one student said this: “God was trying to kill me.” Its amazing how skewed the perspective of God can be. I think God’s character is one of the Enemy’s gravest deceptions.

2    2)  As I was sitting waiting for one of our students, a random   student came up and started to chat. During our conversation he proceeded to pull out a mason jar filled with marijuana, rolled   up a joint, and preceded to smoke it at our table while we  learned about each other’s background. I invited him to large group and weeks later he actually came!

      3)    While our staff was on a prayer walk at a sorority house near SDSU, a loud bang occurred. Something had hit the house, we began to pray again not knowing what was going on and soon after another thump happened as what seemed to be a water balloon hit a truck on  the street near us. We realized soon  enough someone was launching water filled condoms (instead of balloons) from across the street. Were they aiming at the sorority house, the  truck near us, or maybe us?

      4)    As I was trying to help the students grow in their prayer life, we began as a community to write down our prayer requests to see what God would do. We were in dire need for a full time faculty member to become our advisor or else our campus access would be limited. So, we set a time (not trying to rub a lamp or anything) and asked God to give us an advisor by Sept. 30^th. Several weeks after we wrote down our prayer request, God provided a faculty advisor in a miraculous way! Even better than the actual provision is that our students began to see the living God respond to their prayers. We have been seeing more and more of our prayers answered and I believe God is doing things like this to build our faith as a community. Thank You LORD!

5)    During the Bible study I lead on campus we met so many people who came to explore the question: “who is Jesus”? One guy who I was trying to get connected with us all semester finally came to one of these Bible studies. After seeing that through Jesus he could see and understand who God is, he said “this is what I needed to hear today”. This student is a Christian, at least in name, and is going through a lot. Shortly after this study his dad passed away from liver failure. Please pray for him and his fam.