Changing Lives During COVID-19
Holly’s main focus this semester, besides sitting beside our children with online learning, has been to train these college students that attend various universities in the valley. Each week they are meeting to learn how to become disciple-makers and take steps of faith with their peers on campus or online.
Bridgette (middle pic) attends Grand Canyon University and is a Resident Assistant in the dorms. One week she couldn’t attend our group because a resident named Maddie came to her room pouring out her heart that she didn’t know what she believed about God. She was raised in a Christian home and went to a Christian school but in High School wanted nothing to do with religion. She saw herself as agnostic, yet admitted that before she engaged in sin she’d contemplate, “Would God approve of this?”
Bridgette felt led by the Spirit to take her through the first lesson on the gospel in the “Disciple to Disciplemaker” curriculum Holly was teaching through. When the topic of confessing sin came up, Bridgette felt led to confess her sin first. Maddie started crying and said she’d never seen a Christian be honest like that. She was raised in a very condemning, “holier than thou” environment. Bridgette’s vulnerability to confessing her sin first gave Maddie the courage to confess her own sins. Though she felt ashamed, she wanted to get right with God. She was ready to fully surrender and invite Jesus into her life. Now Bridgette will continue to disciple Maddie as she begins her new life in Christ!
Bridgette has pulled out the Discipleship curriculum more than once, using it as her guide to share the gospel with her residents. In a time where Holly can’t be on campus to share the gospel, it is exciting to see that training others is bearing fruit!
Since many campuses are not allowing clubs to meet on campus due to COVID, Holly has also been recording talks for campuses to use on their Cru Zoom gatherings so that students can still grow spiritually while social distancing. Her most recent talk for Virginia Tech students on how to build bridges to the gospel can be watched below.
Though COVID might make ministry challenging, we are finding ways to minister to others and seeing God change lives! Thank you for partnering with us as we continue to find creative ways to train students and reach others with the gospel!
PERSONAL UPDATE & PRAYER
Carter turned 7 this past month! We got to celebrate with both sets of grandparents which brought a lot of joy to all of us. We are continuing to have our children in online schooling and would appreciate prayer for perseverance and joy in this season. They are doing great! It’s Holly that needs prayer to keep going!
Please pray that we know how to best bless and care for our neighbors in this holiday season. We are continuing to try to intentionally live out the principles in the book, “The Art of Neighboring” which helps us think of ways to engage with our neighbors.
