God has still been doing great work in the freshmen Bible study that I am co-leading. Here is an update!
So far this semester, we've had at least 7 people come that have never studied the Bible before. It has been a blessing to look at God's Word with these people for the first time. Overall, our Bible study has been holding strong at about 15-20 people each week.
Laura (pictured above, in the middle, in black): During the first day of outreach, which was "move in day" for freshmen, I met a blind girl named Laura, and her parents. I asked them if they had a faith background and her mother said that they "used to go to church but stopped because the church wasn't meeting her (Laura's) needs." I explained the InterVarsity ministry and freshmen Bible studies. Laura was interested and as we talked I found out she would be able to read the Bible it if it was printed in a large font. (she is able to see out of the corner of one eye). After a few weeks of her coming to Bible study, I found out that this was the first time she had ever been able to read the Bible, because it had never been given to her in a format she could read. Praise God that Laura is able to read God's Word for the first time!
"Lisa": At the beginning of the semester, I met Lisa and she expressed interest in going to Bible study. All 3 of her roomates go every week, but she finally came to her first one last week, when we met in their dorm. Afterwards, I asked her what she thought about Bible study and she said, "It was interesting, I never knew you could analyze something so short so deeply." I then asked her if she had ever read the Bible before and how she identified spiritually, and she said, "I'm an athiest. I don't have a religion." She asked me why I was a Christian and I was able to share with her how God has changed my life. Please pray for Lisa as she continues to learn about Jesus through Bible study, her roomates and I.
Brent (pictured) is a senior that I have been mentoring for the last three years. During trilogy he spent a lot of time praying and seeking guidance about his future. He felt called to intern on staff with IV next year. It is such a blessing for me to see how Brent has grown, and to have him want to continue on in ministry.
