One of my roles on our STINT team is to co-plan the weekly campus Bible study with a teammate named Lisa. I am so thankful for this job. I love studying the Bible. It is so rich, live-giving and challenging. I love getting to help others study the Bible and fall in love with God's word! My teammate and I have this in common and it has been so exciting seeing the Lord work in both our lives as we prepare the study each week. We've been studying the gospels with the students and looking at who Jesus is, what he did and how we should live in light of that.
One of the challenges with leading a large-group Bible study is that we encounter students at varying parts of their spiritual journeys. Some have never heard the gospel before, others are just beginning their relationship with Christ and still others are leading their own Bible studies on various parts of campus. Another challenge has been the language barrier. There is a huge range of Spanish and English ability among students and STINT team members, so Bible study is always in both languages.
Even with these challenges, God has been doing really awesome things through the weekly Bible study. The range in spiritual backgrounds has actually been beneficial because it allows the students to be able to learn from one another. Everyone has something to offer and something to learn. It's awesome listening to students share what they're learning and explain concepts like grace and forgiveness! There is also a lot of teamwork in translating Bible study, both before and during. Lisa and I write the Bible study in English and then have a our Venezuelan campus director translate it. During study, we read the question in English and then have it repeated in Spanish. People respond in either language and then someone will translate as needed. It takes extra time, but it is so worth it because God 's desire is for every nation, tongue and tribe to know Him. (Revelation 7:9)
Throughout all the other activities we have during the week, such as English Club and evangelism, we try to invite students to our weekly Bible study because we want them to get connected to a community of believers who study God's word and seek to live it out. A few weeks ago, a student named Antonio whom we met through English Club and who did not know Christ, came to Bible study for the first time. He joined one of the smaller groups and sat next to a Christian student, Kevin. During study, Kevin began to talk one-on-one with Kevin about Jesus and shared the gospel with Antonio. At the end of Bible study we found out that Antonio had prayed to receive Christ right there!! Praise God! It's so amazing to work with students who love Jesus and want to see others come to know Him.
Please pray that Antonio would continue to get connected with other believers and begin growing in his faith. He has been coming regularly to Vida Estudiantil events and meeting other students. He has also introduced us to friends whom we have been able to share the gospel with. One of them, Rafael, also prayed to receive Christ a week later!
"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth; It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:10-11
