The Harvest is Plentiful…

This weekend over 120 students from all over Iowa gathered in Boone for fellowship, teaching, and worship at InterVarsity’s annual Fall Conference.  We took 27 students from Central.

Jesus was once again powerfully at work during the final session of Fall Conference. When the spaker asked folks who wanted to start following Jesus to stand, about 20 folks stood up! Typically, this number is made up of folks who want to “recommit” their lives to Jesus, and those who have never followed Jesus before (about 50/50, usually), so it’s very likely that anywhere between 5-10 folks made decisions to start following Jesus over the weekend!

We will have a better idea of this number as the stories from personal follow-ups continue to roll in, but God was without a doubt working powerfully on many students hearts, nearly everyone also made a public commitment saying they wanted to go deeper into their relationship with God and to start thinking missionally about the world.

Last week I lead a scripture study of 40 students in our bi-monthly dorm gathering called a Vintage Community.  We studied the parable of the sower in Mark 4.  The main theme of the passage is to illuminate the reason Jesus taught in parables.  So, why did he? So that the condition of our hearts would be revealed, and that those who were ‘good soil’ would pursue understanding.  Jesus taught with an element of mystery so that we cannot be passive to him in our response.  We will either seek understanding, or we will not understand.

Here is an email from a Central student to one of our student leaders who led her small group discussion during the study…

“Hi, I was in your small group for Vintage community last Wednesday
night. I don’t know if you can help me but I don’t know who to ask
about faith. I am…new to the bible, and have grown up in a home with
atheists. I have had a rough past and am ashamed of it, and am looking
to find some guidance for my future. I have been told that I can never be
forgiven by God for what I have done in the past and I am scared because
if that is true I am afraid what my life has in store for me. Can something
from my past be so bad that God can never love me?”

This is the exact sort of response Jesus was looking for! She looked at the stories Jesus told, was intrigued, and even though she did not fully understand, she was captured by her encounter with Jesus in the word and sought out understanding.  Here is the email our student leader sent the following night, after having met with her…

“Amanda” and I just got done talking, and she prayed tonight to accept
Jesus as her savior!! She asked a lot of good questions about
forgiveness, prayer and church. I made sure that she knew that she
just wasn’t accepting my beliefs, but was beginning a relationship
with a living God. She prayed for forgiveness and to receive the Holy
Spirit and said that she felt amazing! I went with her back to Graham
as she shared with some girls what she just experienced, then I left
as she went to a prayer meeting that another girl in Graham had
already set up.

I can’t say anything else but praise the Lord!! Thanks for praying.

Last night another student was adopted into our family!  I hope you are encouraged.  I hope also that you see you are making a real impact in real individuals lives by enabling this ministry with your prayers and support.  I am so grateful for you and to our Father who forgives even those, like “Amanda,” who feel like they could never be forgiven.

Thank you! for making these stories possible with your prayers and support.  I hope you are encouraged by this return on your investment!!

Grateful,

Jordan