Dr. Jim asked me to lead the team for the first week of the Fall tour. The team was last here in 2019, and my wife Emma and I had the opportunity to actually be on the team that week. It was great to already have a feel for the school before we got in and to already have a burden for the week. The student body was definitely more receptive to us this time, and although we didn’t see a lot of outward decisions, multiple students came and told us that God was working. 

One young lady who was going through some challenging situations at home was very closed. We got burdened for her, and her name was mentioned many times in prayer meeting that week. Finally toward the end of the week, Hannah was able to spend some time talking to her. She admitted that she knew her bitterness was hurting her, and definitely realized she would have to access God’s grace to forgive.

One young man responded to the invitation on Friday. He had a good spirit all week, but God had worked in his heart about getting right about music. He wanted to be a good leader in the school.

Another young man in the school raised his hand after the message on bitterness. He didn’t go back at the invitation, but Mateo pulled him aside and asked if he would be willing to talk. The young man admitted that there was deep bitterness towards someone in his heart . After talking for awhile, the young man realized that he was the problem and asked God to forgive him. He took the step to go speak to the person he was bitter against and fix that relationship. 

Zeb, the Seal team captain, was recruiting at Walmart and saw a young man there, but wasn’t sure about his age. He was a teen, Zeb invited him, and he came out all three nights. He hadn’t responded to any of the invitations, so Zeb approached him on the final night and went through the gospel with him. He understood that Jesus had died for him, and made a profession of faith that night!

One young lady shared a testimony: 

“…there was balled-up hatred and a lot of bitterness and anger, and I just want to thank you for having such great teaching because I was really convicted.”

One young man who had made decisions during summer camp, admitted he was struggling to stick to them. He was encouraged by the Friday message and shared in this testimony:

“…I think God was really trying to get a hold of me and encourage me….that we as humans are so weak and so incapable that we literally cannot live the Christian life on our own….Realize your weaknesses are not something you have to deal with on your own. Put those weaknesses on God, and ask God to take those off your back.” 

Both the youth pastor and his wife shared their testimonies to the teens on Friday night, and it was encouraging to see their heart for the teens and their understanding for the pain and struggles that teens face today. It was also encouraging to see several young people who had come on and off to youth group get assurance of their salvation this week. Praise the Lord for the work He did!