Highlights.
- Megan*s husband has been approved to come to the US!! :) We have been praying for this for a long time. Now he can come with us to the Farsi church, as well!
- I go to Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) every year. It is a tremendous program! It runs in 40+ countries over a 9 month period (each year) and goes verse by verse through the Bible (which I love). You get 5x the Bible learning by- reading it through yourself, answering the discussion questions throughout the week, discussing your answers with your small group each Monday, listening to the BSF teaching pastors sermon on the same material and then receiving excellent theological notes afterwards! :) I called BSF headquarters a couple weeks ago and asked them if they could do a virtual class for me since I have a hard time driving after my brain tumor. They agreed! They also asked if my peers at our 7 NorCal colleges would want to join me! Then they asked me if any of the international students wanted to join me!! I said, 'yes and yes!!' God has just given me another way to save and disciple my international students by making a new way in something I was already doing!! I know this is a miracle.
- As mentioned a couple months ago, I have been helping Megan*s son learn to drive. Today I took him out to breakfast and got to share the entire gospel with him for about an hour! More details in the Story below.
- My Regional Field Director (RFD) went to a YWAM conference where they discussed the 7 spheres of society. The thrust of the message was- As surely as He designed the systems that give life to an individual, so also has He designed the systems that give life to a nation. We call these systems the “Spheres of Society” – each designed by God, but over time since Genesis 3, twisted by humans. They are no longer functioning healthfully and therefore nations fail to thrive. How can they be restored to full, God-designed functionality? When he returned, he asked me to find 6-7 of the best passages from the Bible that explains each of these spheres and what God's original design for them was. I have pulled together 100+ and now am going though each one to decide which are 'best' for the students to study.
- Another international student ministry recently contacted me, International Friendships Inc (IFI). They have an interesting focus where they take international students who are beginning their OPT and help them find the job portion that fulfills the OPT requirement PLUS adding in-depth Christian training alongside it. The student benefits in both ways- finding the OPT opportunity and continuing their Christian development.
- I have been asked to participate in three-five rounds of surveys with a panel of experts on international student ministry. The results are for a research paper entitled "An Enhanced Delphi Study to Determine International Student Ministry Best Practices." The PhD student informed me of at least two benefits- help identify international student ministry best practices and help encourage more Christians to serve in this capacity.
- Warriors. NBA Champions. Just sayin'
Lowlights.
- I took Shawn* to take his DMV driving test and he accidentally scheduled it for LA.
Story 1 - Shawn*
Shawn* is the son of Megan* and is 17 years old. We have been sharing Christ with his mom for well over a year now and taking her to church each week. By offering to teach Shawn to drive I have been able to become good friends with him. Even though I get to share with him in snippets as we drive, today I took him to breakfast and the conversation completely opened up and I was able to share everything in my heart. He said- "wow, Christianity is Free. It is Freedom. So different than Islam. Christianity is not even allowed to be discussed in my country so no one knows anything about it." That is not fair. Oh, and get this! You know how I mentioned above about inviting my students to my BSF virtual class? He said he would translate the Bible materials- the discussion questions and sermon notes into Farsi for me! :)
Prayer Requests
- This is the new prayer for Megan*. Continue to pray for heart that she would open the door to Jesus. She knows enough now. Pray for her son Shawn*. He is also learning a lot about Christ and seems to like what he is hearing! He is getting close. Pray for Megan*s husband! He finally has been approved to come to the US. I expect him to join his wife and son as they go to church and learn more and more about Jesus. Maybe the whole family will accept Christ at the same time :) He also will need a job in the US. He is an engineer and it would be great if he could stay in the area or get in a company with other Christians. <<Ongoing. Drop the other 2 Megan* requests next month>>
- Megan* has decided to return to Iran for the summer to be with her husband. She now knows so much about being a Christian pray that she share with her husband and God would draw him to Himself. Pray for her safety! She is very open on Facebook that she does not want to be Muslim and has been going to a Christian church. I know of people there who have been killed for such things.<<Ongoing. Drop next month. Start praying for the whole family>>
- Plans for the summer. Right now, I am pretty busy with technical projects for ISI home office. Still, I have 2 students still here for the summer and there is a large number of Christian student leaders at each of the 7 campuses that I know well and would enjoy discipling. Pray for wisdom and direction. <<Drop. Right now the technical support and Bible research support I am doing is taking up all my time. 6 more weeks until the students come back and the new school year begins>>
- As mentioned above, pray for the ~28 ISI staff doing Returnee Visits to >10 countries this summer. <<Ongoing>>
- God would prepare the hearts of the new students that will come to us in the Fall! <<Ongoing>>
- Pray that my technical work will not be an end in itself but will translate directly into building up the kingdom of God. I see it much like this present day parable. <<Ongoing. So far it is going great and appreciated by the staff>>
- 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. Drop next month>>
- 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. <<Ongoing>> <<Zoey* is getting her hair done by Jane this week :). Ana* has dropped out, I believe>>
Admonition
“Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes,You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." - Micah 7:18,19
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