Wow, this has been an amazing semester and kick off to the year! I’ve been completely blown away by what God has done, and is doing, here in Middle Tennessee among the young men and women He’s drawn us to love and serve. If you’re unfamiliar with The Father’s Heart, fathering and equipping the next generation to see a mighty move of God take place among millennials has been our heartbeat. The reality is, right here in the United States, a huge opportunity for missions has opened up as only about 50% of millennials call themselves Christians. I say opportunity because I see it as just that, a beautiful mission field for God to be glorified in! This will be a generation marked by their love for Jesus!
Day-by-day, week-by-week, we made ourselves available to the Holy Spirit seeking what He desired to do among the young men and women in Middle TN. We felt led to spend much of our time this semester at Middle Tennessee State University, which by the way, is the largest undergrad school in Tennessee. We’d take “Free Prayer” signs or simply walk up to people the Spirit highlighted, introduce ourselves, and share Christ. The results were awesome. We literally had conversations with students every single time we went out on campus. I remember one day, in particular, when Justin was standing up joyfully sharing Christ with a group of 8 or so students, who were totally engaged and open to hearing about Jesus.
There are too many stories to tell them all in this post but I’d love to share what God did in the lives of a couple young men. One student (L) met us when he heard Justin playing a song on his guitar and singing outside at the Quad. Every week, for several weeks, L repeatedly stopped by to see us, during class breaks, and our relationship grew. I spent quite a bit of time with him, had some great conversations about Jesus, and one day, he decided he wanted to walk around campus with our “Free Prayer” sign. He held it proudly and was thrilled to pray with several students. You should have seen the brilliant glow on his face when, while I was speaking with another student, a guy walked up to him and L started praying with him all by himself. L told me the guy said he had hardly ever done anything like that and was so thankful L took the time to pray with him.
Well, L was so excited, he went home that very day and made a ton of flyers to pass out to try to start his own “Discovering Jesus” group. He texted me the flyer, asked for advice, and then wrote, “Thank you for letting me be a part of this beautiful movement.” L is gone for the summer but can’t wait to get back and get his group going when the semester begins in August!
We met another student (M) our very first day on campus. He immediately loved our sign and said he wanted to be apart of what we were doing. M was going through some difficulties and wanted to follow Jesus, but his lifestyle and friends were constantly pulling him away from Christ. M needed a group of folks to love and encourage him in Christ, and he’s been with us since January. We’ve become very close, and he’s growing in the Lord. A couple months ago he sent this text, “I just wanted to tell you how much you mean to me. You’ve been like a father to me, and continue to encourage me during the hard times in my life. Love you, M.”
I also have to brag on the incredible work God is doing through my man at Belmont, Seth. He’s baptized two students this semester and been a huge encouragement to so many more. God’s doing big things through him, so pray for Belmont and Seth and continued open doors!
God’s just getting started 🙂