Take the Initiative to Go

I grew up going to church every Sunday. I went to a private grade school and high school. I was involved in every way possible in serving in the church and had mastered the outward actions of faith, but I was not actively learning about Jesus. When I came to college a group of girls stepped out and took the initiative with me and I now have a relationship with Jesus and am experiencing the blessings of it daily. Towards the beginning of freshman year one of the girls on my floor invited me to hang out with her and some others. I had no idea I was going to spend my night with Christians, but in the middle of dinner they began talking about churches and invited me to check out one with them that weekend. They talked to me about what they were learning, invited me to a bible study and church hangouts. They got to know me and built a friendship with me. I think if you asked any of these girls today if they knew during that time the impact they were having in my life, they would say no. They had no idea what they were doing, but God used their tiny steps of faith to make a big difference in my life and draw me into relationship with Him.

So when I heard about taking the “initiative” in sharing my faith, I always thought that was my time to tune out. I was simply here to hear and absorb the message of Jesus.  Never in my wildest imagination did I think I was going to be someone going and taking the initiative myself. But God used other people taking a step of faith in my life to bring me to Him and He is daily changing my heart to desire to do the same for others. So, my prayer is for all of you to realize that God is ready to use you and will when you make yourself available! God, in His grace and love, has called us to go and be a part of what He is doing.

Why Do We Share?

• ·      Romans 10:8-15—“ But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
• ·      Our hope for others to experience hope in Christ and eternal life with Him
• ·      God has designed the gospel to be spread through us. Paul leads us through 4 logical points that show this…

1) People will call on Jesus to save them only if they believe He can do so.

2) Belief in Jesus only comes when people have knowledge about Him.

3) Knowledge only comes when someone shares the good news!

4) To share the news, we need to be sent.

à You’ve already been sent. Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus says “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

So if we proclaim Jesus to be our Savior and love Him and as an overflow of that love, serve Him, how is it that this command to share is often forgotten?

Why keeps us from sharing?

1) We aren’t qualified

• ·      “I won’t know what to say. I won’t know how to answer their questions. I don’t have that kind of personality. I could never be bold enough. I’m not gifted in evangelism. I still have my own questions and doubts, how can I share with someone else?”
• ·      This puts the focus on YOU and your abilities—but it is Christ that is working! Not us.
• ·      When Jesus sent us, He promised to be with us always so we do not need to fear about our strength not being enough
• ·      The woman at the well went and told people about Jesus immediately. She was not qualified but Jesus was so great that people were drawn to Him. (John 4:1-42)

2) We have a misunderstanding of our purpose in life

• ·      Think our purpose is success in school, work, family, etc… but our purpose is to glorify the Lord in all we do. The purpose is the gospel!
• ·      We take initiatives in other completing other goals in life, so why is it taboo to take initiative to complete our purpose to glorify Christ by sharing Him?

3) We do not understand the importance or urgency of sharing the gospel

• ·      Do you believe in a heaven and a hell?
• ·      Do you believe that you and others are sinners and need someone who is perfect and flawless to mend our brokenness?
• ·      Do you believe Jesus is the perfect and flawless one who took God’s wrath that we deserved?
• ·      And do you believe it is by His grace and faith in Jesus that you can confidently live your life in the freedom of knowing you have eternal life with God in heaven?
• ·      If your answer is “yes” to the above questions, you have the GIFT of eternity to share with others—life is fragile. Don’t wait.  

Once we understand our purpose and motive for sharing, how do we reach out to others?

Tips for Sharing

1) Walk daily with the Lord

• ·      We can only lead others as deep as we have gone.
• ·      Take it one step further and talk about your faith with Christians around you too. If you can’t talk about faith with other believers, how can you talk about it with someone who does not know Jesus?
•  

2) Reach out as a community

• ·      Christian community is a gift God has given us and we can use it to reach out to others
• ·      What if we were so invested as a community in seeing our friends come to Christ that you could walk into Cru, see someone and ask, “hey how’s your friend Sussie? Have you had any opportunities to talk to her about her faith lately?”

3) Use opportunities Cru offers

• ·      Go out and do soularium or perspective cards—it’s the easiest way! If all you are comfortable with is watching, then you don’t need to say a word. Come and observe
• ·      It will give you the opportunity to observe conversations and pick up ways to explain the gospel or ask questions
• ·      Share everystudent.com

4) Understand you have the responsibility to share the gospel and the capability to do it because of the Holy Spirit living in you!

I am far from perfect. I know I have so much learning to do for sharing my faith with people around me and I think about the opportunities God has given me in the past to do so, it doesn’t even make sense! But I’m praying that one day Cru would be known as that group of people that love Jesus so much they can’t stop talking about him. We could walk in to cru and expect to meet someone who is hearing about Jesus for the first time and being encouraged by a group to pursue Him. Wouldn’t it be sweet if there were more new believers in cru than people who have walked with Jesus their whole life? I’m going to keep praying and trying my best to walk in the spirit to do my part. I invite you to do the same and I think God will do some incredible things if we join this effort together. 

For more information check out the book, “The Finishers” by Roger Hershy and Jason Wiemer. Also, check out this video for a neat perspective on the urgency of the gospel.  

Outreach posters

"Do you feel like you have to choose between science
and religion? If so, why?"

Occasionally we have not been able to meet in our regular meeting place Wednesday nights for Cru this semester. At first we didn't know how to use the time or where to go but it has turned out to be a huge blessing! We used the time to be on various campuses and get students talking about faith and Jesus. The beginning of November we went out with these posters and asked students passing by if they would answer the questions. If they wanted to talk more, than we would dive deeper into conversation with them and the results were incredible. Cru students stepped out in faith to start conversations and others passing by were given an opportunity to think about what they believe is truth.

"What is love?"

I think there are two things that always surprise me about doing these types of things. The first is that students want to talk. Religion is often classified as a taboo topic, but ultimately students want to be able to tell their opinions and be heard, no matter what the topic. We aren't trying to force our opinions on them, rather let them be heard and be there to boldly speak truth when the Holy Spirit opens their hearts. The second thing that always surprises me is how apathetic people are towards faith. If heaven and hell are real, isn't understanding faith the most important thing? It's eternity, not a few years, that are at stake. It's not the decision students make that surprises me, but that so many have not even thought about what happens after this life. 

"Who is/was Jesus?"

Overall, it is really neat to see students share their faith and for there to be a real excitement among them to do it! 


"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:16-18
Check out this link to learn more about the question,  Who was Jesus?

The Millers Wedding

The Atwood Apartment--Me, Cookie, Kayla, and Elise

This past month has gone so quickly. Work has been challenging but incredible to see God reveal Himself to students and myself. It is crazy how working in ministry makes me so much more aware of my shortfalls; but, the blessing with that is I also understand God's immense patience and love for His children much more too.

Along with my responsibilities for work, this past month has been full of adventures. Fall retreat and staff retreat filled part of my time along with a visit to Chicago to see my brother run the marathon and surprise my parents too. The month ended then with the celebration of my roommate's wedding! Living with her this past year, we got to witness the planning and preparation for their marriage so it was a true blessing to then be a part of it too! Her and her husband both love the Lord so much and when they are together, that passion overflows to everyone around them. I'm excited for where God takes them.

A wedding feast.

On August 6th, my cousin Aaron married his beautiful bride Kao Kalia in the park! Even though the Hokanson clan is small, Kalia has a huge family so they rented a pavilon and decorated it with tons of flowers. The day was one big party with a mix of traditions from Kalia's Hmong heritage and traditional Christian wedding traditions. There was delicious food, songs, speeches, and dances to honor the new couple!

If you're looking for a good book to read, Kalia Yang is the author of "The Latehomecomer". It's an incredible story of her family and their journey. Definitely worth the read!

Be Utterly Amazed.

This past month has been a whirlwind. I knew my focus had to be on building my ministry team and raising all of my funding, but I was also trying to balance other responsibilities and spend time with my parents and extended family while home in Wisconsin. I'll be honest-- I was stressed for a good part of the month. In the moment, I always know logically that stress isn't going to do any good, but it's hard to shake the feelings and emotions that go along with it. Inevitably though, I look back and see that God had everything in control the whole time and my "stress"(a.k.a. attempt to control the situation) was energy lost...

On June 14^th, I wrote in my journal that I was at 16% of my support goal and had no idea how I could possibly be at 100% by August 1^st. I then scribbled down a verse I read that day, Habakkuk 1:5—“Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” By July 1st I was at 50% of my goal. Truthfully, I was brought to my knees in awe of how God brought that all together but even then I had no idea how I could reach 100%. I had made arrangements to be in Pittsburgh to move the first 2 weeks of July and though I tried to set up appointments and get contacts, only one appointment worked out. I return home to Wisconsin in the middle of July and raising support consumed every one of my thoughts. I knew there was no way for it finish except for God bringing it together, but I was still trying to work out the details for Him. Did you read that closely? I was trying to work out the details for Him. Well, had I realized that in the moment, maybe I would have let go and acknowledged the ridiculousness of it. But I thought if I couldn't see how the plans would unfold, then meeting my goal wasn't going to happen. Well, I owe God all the glory for being able to say that I am at 100% today and can honestly say I never predicted the way it would end. I also understand that verse I scribbled down in June so much more now. I wrote it down thinking I love that God can do something that surprises us and is beyond our imagination but I never thought of that verse applying to me. When I finished building my ministry team, I looked back through my journal and I was floored to see I had written this down. How did I miss God speaking to me in this verse? He didn't tell me to work and solve the mystery of how He was going to bring in 100% of my finances. He told me to look, watch, and be amazed. All very hands-off commands. Then God even politely told me I was never going to figure it out. So why did I spend so much time and energy trying to tell a story the Creator hadn't finished writing for me yet? Who knows. This seems to be a lesson I've learned over and over again from all different angles. I hope and pray that one day I'll really be able to just "watch—and be utterly amazed."

So, I am officially hired and while I thought this past month was crazy, August is going to be even more full of adventures. This weekend I will be traveling to Minnesota for one cousin's wedding, then going to training in Pennsylvania all of next week, before coming back home to be the maid of honor for my other cousin's wedding. She'll get married on a saturday and then it's off to Pittsburgh to begin work that Monday, August 15th. Yikes! Well, I'm looking forward to all of the things God has planned this week, month, year, etc. and I now truly know I will never be able to tell the story for it till God writes it.

All moved in!

This past week has been busy! On Saturday I returned to Pittsburgh to move into our new apartment. I wasn't able to get a flight till the evening but our help was available during the day. Well, my wonderful roommate and a group of friends moved EVERY single thing of mine from one apartment to the next. I got in at 8:00 at night and came home to a bed already made for me. Isn't that sweet? I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends.

The first few days were spent cleaning and organizing. It's slowly beginning to feel a bit more like our new home. We still need furniture and decorations but on a tight budget we'll be patient till the right things become available. Though we are still close, we are outside of the busy college city of Oakland and it's great! The past two years I spent living above a pizza shop where being serenaded by drunks outside my window after 12 was not uncommon. Now I can stand outside at night, see the stars, then fall asleep peacefully and wake up to the birds chirping in the tree outside my window. Somehow...this makes me feel like an adult.

Once things were put away, I went for my first run in the neighborhood. After 4 years of running around the city, I knew it was hilly but now I have a whole new perspective. I took this picture with my ipod after running uphill for half a mile. Downtown was not visible when I started. Yes, it's beautiful but my legs were burning when I got to the top. It reminded me of running in the mountains in Colorado last summer and battling a love for running with a hatred of hills. At least in Colorado I knew I wouldn't get lost in the loop that went around camp. Getting lost yesterday didn't take any work. Not a single street in our neighborhood is straight and though logically I know some streets must go downhill, I felt like I was stuck going uphill the whole time. Luckily the beautiful views of downtown Pittsburgh and the Cathedral of Learning in Oakland give me something to look forward to at the top! It's great to be back in Pittsburgh.

Divine Appointments.

Every Thursday morning starts with a phone call at 9 a.m. with my support coach and every conversation begins with the same question, "How are things going Laura?" Most weeks have had a pretty similar response. "Well...okay. Not much has happened this week. Support is going pretty slowly." I usually have a few conversations I can tell him about and he'll be encouraging and say that I'm doing great. Inside though, I still feel like I'm falling short and have a difficult time seeing the highlights of the week. Well, this week was completely different. I was anxiously awaiting Phil's phone call and couldn't believe a week I was excited to talk with him, he would dare call me 10 minutes late! He called, I answered, let him ask his question, and then was so excited to share with him what happened this week...

Two weeks ago I went to a doctor's appointment and they told me I needed to do a follow-up appointment for some medicine I take, so I quickly scheduled an appointment for this past Tuesday before I leave town. I went to the appointment and of course the nurse asked me what I was doing next year. I responded with the same thing I say to everyone, "I'm interning with an organization called Campus Crusade for Christ." People usually say, "oh, great" and quickly change the conversation. This woman took me a little off-guard when she said she was familiar with CRU. We began talking and rather quickly realized we were both Christians. I shared my story with her and she shared a little bit of hers with me. Turns out her and her husband were previously on staff with another mission's organization and have gone through the process of raising support too. She could relate to what I am experiencing this summer. My test lasted an hour and fifteen minutes and we talked nearly the whole time. At the end she informed me that if I ever have the test done again, it usually doesn't take that long. She was just so engaged with the conversation that she was going slowly. She asked for a brochure and said that she wants to support me. She felt like the Lord brought us together. Okay...let me recap: A medicine I started taking four years ago brought me to a doctor's appointment two weeks ago where my doctor told me for the first time ever that I need to have a precautionary test done which brought me to a hospital for the first time in my life with a nurse that just happens to be a Christian who had experienced support raising and, without me asking, was moved by the Holy Spirit to join my team. I believe that is called a divine appointment arranged by the Lord. Even if something were to happen and she is not able to support me or if it was a five dollar bill that came in the mail, I still know God used that in my summer to encourage me. I was craving being in the presence of a Christian and someone who could relate to the experience I'm going through. God answered that prayer in such a unique and encouraging way.

After I told Phil that neat story, I surprised by self by still having a list of other things to tell him. I got two more supporters in the past week, one of which I was not expecting or even thinking to contact. I also got two really encouraging messages from friends willing to go above and beyond to help me. And to top it all off, I had a wonderful appointment where I was able to share about CRU and my story but also hear how God was working in this woman's life and moving her to want to share her faith with others too. When I asked her if she would like to partner with me, she said yes and that she had been praying about a way to get involved with sharing the gospel somehow. I was an answer to that prayer for her! Isn't it neat that God had gone ahead of me and prepared someone's heart to hear my story?

Phil graciously listened to my excitement and once again was very encouraging. We finished up our conversation, got off the phone, and I sat on the couch still overwhelmed by the way God worked this past way. I know there are a lot of different reasons to have a coach talk to me once a week but I think I realized how grateful I am that it forces me to look back and recall what God is doing. Obviously my appointment on tuesday was hard to not see the Lord's hand but when I put it all together, everything that happend this week was by His strength and doing--not my own. The second thing I noticed was that for the first time in weeks, I wasn't concerned about what percentage of my support has come in. I still have a loooooong ways to go but I'm just so in awe of God's working that I'm not as phased by it and I think that is how it should be. Not just in this time of support raising, but through all of life. What if I was just so constantly in awe of the Lord that all the things that get me down were of no importance? I think I understand a little more of what it means to "run with perseverance the race marked out for us,² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." (Hebrews 12:1-2)