On Your Mark... Get Set...

There is no better way to compare Outreach Season (the past three weeks) than with a sprint race. Building the sweet anticipation of being on campus is exactly like the nerves you feel as you reach your starting position. As adrenaline in your blood builds, you try to suppress it, however it packs down so tightly that upon gunfire, you explode off the starting line like a rocket in flight. Days are packed with prayer, on-campus evangelization, and (my favorite) one-on-one coffee dates with students. A story and prayer request to share from outreach season:

Rachel
I attended a freshman talk (don't ask how i managed this one..) during welcome week titled, "Unpacking Your Faith at College." You can imagine as at any university there was some hostility when the guest speaker walked the students through philosophical reasoning as to whether God exists or not... One student in particular responded to the group stating that,

despite her strong belief in Jesus Christ, she could not be more ashamed and disinterested in the hypocrisy of Christianity.

Naturally, curiosity killed this Kate, and I made my way back to her row at the dismissal of the session. In a short conversation I learned this stunning, young woman desired to know a deeper Truth and had countless questions. It was as though she was lined up at the start line, waiting for the gun to go off. With one invitation, she attended an opening outreach event - followed by another, followed by mass, followed by a Theology of the Body conference, got plugged into a small group bible study... and every day, coming back for more...

I love the sprint, don't get me wrong, but I am happy to see these successful three weeks soon come to a close. After a few days of rest, we will begin the marathon that is "build season", the educating and lifting up of students to make the decision to live their lives for our Lord.