Highlights.
- Megan* went to church with us again on Easter! The service was very moving to her and she was crying with my wife and daughter and her friend afterwards as they prayed for her! She then went forward to talk to the pastor and speakers. I asked her if she became a Christian and she said- not yet. Still, I could see in her eyes the Lord had done a huge work in her heart!!
- I made a bunch of Giveaways myself for the upcoming FLC Open House at the RCC we were invited to. I made bookmarks, stylus/pens and selfie sticks all with our new Facebook page and logo. Since I did all the design and printing myself I was able to save lots of $
- Talk Time continue to goes well with two new Muslim students coming. We are are averaging ~6/week this semester. I am looking forward to seeing how many come when we start up at the RCC in 2 weeks
- I was able to speak to ~20 students at our all area club a couple weeks ago. I spoke on "What is Love?" Besides sharing about the 4 types of love described in the Bible about love I was able to turn my focus on to God's love which is unconditional and the ultimate love that everyone needs/desires. I then asked them how they would know God loved them which led to a great discussion that led right into Creation and then Jesus.
- Our Talk Time at FLC- Rancho Cordova Campus (RCC) will be on Thursdays at 1 pm starting in 2 weeks.
- I go on Medicare in just one more month which will save me lots of $ :)
Lowlights.
- Assembling the 20 volunteers at Bayside to speak with the international students got delayed *again* for a couple more weeks due to priority conflicts there.
- About 5 of the Muslim students have stopped coming to Talk Time. I am hoping they will reengage when I go out to the RCC campus.Two have returned and I suspect when Talk Time starts in 2 weeks at the RCC many more will return since they live closer.
Story 1 - Zoey*
Zoey* is from Iran and has returned to the group. I hadn't seen her since our Christmas luncheon. She is married to Mohammed and she told me he wants to come but is waiting for us to start up at the RCC. She is a little older but very happy in the group and very energetic. In our last Talk Time we talked about lying and how much lying does it take to be a liar? Then everyone said- we are all liars then. I said- that is true. Do we stop as we get older? How can we stop? Zoey was troubled in deciding if we can stop by our own will or we need God to help us. She was very honest. She really didn't know. We will address that question at the Talk Time in 2 weeks.
Links
Donation: http://isiervthomas.weebly.com/donate.html
Metrics: http://isiervthomas.weebly.com/metrics
Nations in the US: http://www.ice.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Document/2015/by-the-numbers.pdf
FLC Club: https://sites.google.com/site/flcinternationalclub/
My Talks: http://isiervthomas.weebly.com/my-talks.html
Pics: https://plus.google.com/photos/+ervthomas/albums/6053038271389882641
Prayer Requests
- For Megan*. That God would continue to show Himself to her and build on the experience she had with Him at Easter. That she would know for sure she has found the relationship with Him she desires. Pray for my wife to be able to follow-up with her soon and say the right things.<<Ongoing>>
- I can instruct, and God will use, the 20 volunteers from my church to effectively model and communicate the love of Christ to the students they meet with. Pray that God would match them up according to His wisdom. <<Ongoing>>
- That our new club at the Rancho Cordova campus will be successful. <<Ongoing>>
- That we can start an Alpha club (Bible study) with the students that are interested in learning more about the Lord. <<Ongoing>>
- Our first outing as a group to Miniature Golf will be fun. That everyone will naturally enjoy each other and the experience and draw closer. <<Ongoing>>
- That God would help us get over the hurdle(s) in lining up the 20 Christian volunteers who will meet with and practice English with the FLC students.
- I can create 2 good Bible Talk Time lessons that cover the book of Revelation that would point the students to Jesus. I am happy they asked me to do this! It might be a challenging task but I am up for it :)
- For Ana* and Zoey*. Like Megan* that God would start drawing them to Himself and making them aware of their need for Him. They are both great friends with Megan*, that perhaps Megans* seeking will inspire them to seek also.
- I am going on a 3 day Regional Retreat for the All-West ISI Campus Staff. Pray I can self-regulate the whole time and be a blessing to my brothers and sisters. That I would hear from God as to what would bless Him most as we close out this school year.
Admonition
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses." - Rev 19:11-14