Back At It!
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Joel had the rare privilege in August of speaking at a couple college campuses in Ohio. First, he was the guest speaker at the OSU Athletes in Action kick-off meeting. More than 100 athletes came out to hear what AIA is all about. Joel was excited to head back to his old "stomping grounds" where we both grew so much in our walk with Christ. Joel and I actually met at an AIA meeting and Joel was able to recount that story to the student-athletes. The primary focus of Joel's talk was "spiritual procrastination." He challenged the students to avoid the common pitfall of putting of spiritual matters by adopting an eternal perspective and seeing Jesus for who he is.
Joel was encouraged not only by the reception of his speech but also by someone he met at the meeting. A girl approached Joel at the AIA meeting and told him that she began her relationship with Christ at a camp where Joel had spoken several years ago. She said to Joel that he was a part of her story in coming to know Him! And now she is coaching at a Central Ohio University and actively leading Bible studies on her college campus. How awesome!! We were reminded of Jesus parable in Matthew 13 about the seed being scattered. Only one fourth of the seed resulted in strong growth and solid roots but that seed brought forth fruit 30, 60, and 100-fold. God was so gracious to show Joel some of the fruit of the seed he has sown in preaching the gospel. I cannot begin to tell you how much encouragement it gave Joel.
Joel's second opportunity to speak at a college was at Hocking College in South East Ohio. Our long-time partnering church, Ebenezer Baptist, has been given a wonderful open door to start a campus church at Hocking. They invited Joel to speak at their first meeting. He shared the gospel and encouraged students to invest in their spiritual lives this school year. The response was great and again Joel met someone who had been impacted by the ministry in the past. When Joel arrived there was a student wearing a Stand Your Ground shirt, purchased at one of our outreaches a few years ago. How cool!
We can't thank you enough for all your prayers and support!
Until Next Month,
Bethany
Support Team Update
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This month our goal is to find six new individuals or families to partner with us by donating $30 a month to Stand For Truth.
If you haven't already, would you consider joining our support team with a monthly gift $30?
You can quickly and securely join our monthly support team or give a one-time gift online HERE.
