Encountering…

I wanted to post an update about how the Lord moved at our annual winter conference, Encounter.  This was my 7th Encounter and it never ceases to amaze me how the Lord shows up and moves in people’s lives, both staff and student.  We had 8 students attend from our Eastern NC schools which was a great size for our first year because we were able to get to know everyone.

Our students heard from amazing speakers like Rick James (author of “Jesus Without Religion”), Marion Jordan, Tim McKenzie, a professor from Penn State, and Roger Hershey (who I have heard speak many times and I ALWAYS walk away having learned and been touched by something).  They participated in seminars dealing with discipleship, determining your calling, apologetics, evangelism, etc.  They had a day of outreach where they went into a rough neighborhood in the community and delivered boxes of love which contained food and other items for them.  They had campus times where they talked about how the Lord was moving on their campus, were able to process how the Lord was changing their lives this week, and were able to talk about how they wanted to impact their campus next semester.  Plus, there were lots of fun things going on, like a HUGE new years eve party, swag (swing and shag) dancing, and much more!

Here were some fun things that the Lord allowed to happen that week:

    • For outreach, our group broke into two smaller groups and both groups were able to see someone place their faith in the Lord!  One of our girls was actually able to even give one of those people a Bible of their own.  Now, their contact info will get passed off to a church who will follow up with them (one of these people had actually just started attending a church but hadn’t placed their faith in Christ).
    • God led one student  to do a medical mission all his life, another to step out in faith and share the Gospel with his friend, another to serve the Lord overseas this summer in Lebanon, another to start a ministry reaching out to Native Americans since he is half-Native American and sees the need for a ministry to them (this is something we have been praying for! – Lumberton, the city that contains UNC Pembroke, has one of the largest concentrated populations of Native Americans in the country and a lot of them go to school there), and many others to follow Jesus wherever he leads the rest of his life.
    • One of the students we worked with at University of the Cumberlands wrote this on her facebook page:
      I don’t know how anyone can come back from this the same person. I’m new. I’m changed. And I’m not turning back.
    • One of the leaders that April discipled for three years at University of the Cumberlands, Kitt, got to see one of the girls in her dgroup place her faith in Christ at Encounter.  Kitt has shared the Gospel many times with her, but at Encounter, the Lord broke down her walls and drew her to himself.

Thank you for praying for for us and our students.  I don’t know why I am always amazed that the Lord chooses to show up and do big things….isn’t that what he promised?  Ephesians 3:20 – “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ever ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.”

First pIcture is of our Eastern NC group.  Second picture is of all the students at Encounter in the main meeting.

 

 

 

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