Throughout the summer, teaching English has been and will be
the main thing we do during the week, but our weekends look a lot different. On
Saturday evenings, we hold “hangouts” and invite all of the students who attend
classes at the place we teach along with other university students from the
area. So far, we have had a craft night and a movie night. These hangouts are
used to minister to students and grow relationships with them. Typically, we
have these from 5-7PM with one hour devoted to the fun activity and the other
devoted to group discussions. The goal of these discussions is to share God’s
love and discuss the gospel in some form or fashion. 
One of the discussions I was a part of during the movie
night was both encouraging and humbling. During that conversation, one student
in particular showed such a genuine interest in the topic of discussion and the
gospel itself. We had watched Despicable
Me with the students and were talking about what causes a change of heart
in someone and what effects that change of heart may have on that person’s life
as well as those around him. As you could guess, many conversations around the
room led directly into the gospel; we were so excited!
In my group, I was able to present the gospel as I shared
the change that took place in my heart when I became a follower of Christ. I
mentioned earlier that this conversation was particularly humbling to me. That
is due to the fact that one of the students in my group began asking questions
about the gospel while the others leaned in so that they could hear every word.
They were all so interested in what was being shared!
I had never really experienced an instance in which so much
interest was shown while the gospel was being shared. I think, because I and
most people I know grew up with such immediate access to the Bible and the Good
News, that we probably take the knowledge we have of Christ and His gift of
grace for granted more than we realize. Seeing these students show that they
truly wanted to learn more about God and His love is proof that God is moving
in big ways here. I am excited to continue this journey and witness the
knowledge of Christ spread throughout this place.
Please pray
specifically for the student who was asking so many questions and showing such
interest in the gospel.
Please also pray for
our team to be filled with boldness for Christ as we seek opportunities to
share the Gospel.
Finally, please pray
that these Saturday hangouts would lead to growth in relationships among the
team and students so that more and more students can hear about God’s love for
them.
Thank you for your prayers,
-Bethany
