Hello!
I hope you are having a great summer and that the Lord is revealing more of His unconditional love for you every day. My prayer is that you are making the most of every opportunity, friendship, and work environment to share the truth of Jesus Christ with those around you, embracing the fact that your life is a mission field.
By knowing the truth, the good news of Jesus Christ and sharing it with others, you can change people’s lives for eternity! Knowing and believing that God loves you and has a plan for your life and recognizing that we are all sinners, undeserving of God’s love and grace, that no amount of good works or religious acts will ever get us to heaven or pay the debt of our sin, but that Jesus Christ, the son of God, who lived a perfect life, died on the cross to take away the sins of the world, and by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you can receive eternal life and forgiveness from all of your sins.
Not only can you can share this truth of Christ with others, but you can come along people who already believe and encourage, teach, and instruct them!
Everything I have just shared with you, sums up my six week internship with Campus Crusade for Christ, a national college ministry, on the Virginia Beach Summer Project. I was one of 28 staff members who challenged and led 74 college students to share the truth of Jesus Christ and came alongside them to build them up for a lifetime of ministry. Recognizing that the most important, eternal, life-changing, thing that they will ever know or hear is about Jesus Christ, and that each of us are called to glorify Jesus Christ by telling others about His love and power.
A major part of Summer Project is sharing your faith and every Saturday the students and staff would organize an event to start conversations, talk to people and share our faith. One Saturday the students organized a “Battle on the Beach”, where the students split into two teams, the red and white – “good” – team and the blue and black – “evil” – team. The students marched ten blocks on the beach in opposite directions to gather a crowd, with face paint, wearing elaborate “armor” made of duct tape and cardboard. The students then marched another ten blocks back to the “battlefield” on the beach were the good and evil teams would fight. The students gathered hundreds of people as the soldiers came together and began to battle.
The battle was used to symbolize the spiritual battle that goes on everyday for our hearts. In the Bible it says in Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” At the end of the battle one “good” solider won and ended the battle by shouting the good news and truth of Jesus, so the crowd of people could hear. Students who were not in the battle stood among the crowd and talked to people about what they just saw and answered questions.
To watch the battle – search “Virginia Beach Battle 2009 – Part 1” and “Virginia Beach Battle 2009 – Part 2” on YouTube.com
After the battle, I went with a staff woman Julie, and a student Rachel, to talk to people who were lying on the beach, close to where the battle took place. Julie, Rachel, and I started talking to two girls, Jamie and Candace. Both Jamie and Candace had heard of Jesus before and Jamie did have a personal relationship with Jesus. Candace knew that she was sinful, but thought that if she was a good person and went to church, she would go to heaven. Candace had never heard that Jesus died so we, as sinners, could have forgiveness of all of our sins, eternal life, and a personal relationship with Him, and that just by believing this, she could accept Christ through prayer.
So we prayed this prayer with Candace, “Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.” And Candace prayed to receive Christ!
What greater purpose in life will we ever have, than to share the truth of Jesus Christ and build up those who already believe?
This summer I also “mentored” three female students, Sarah, Sam, and Melissa. I met with each girl once during the week to challenge and build them up in their personal walk with the Lord and in ministry. It was so neat to see the girl’s willingness to learn, giving up their entire lives to the Lord, and watch them change and grow. Through spending time with Sam, Melissa, and Sarah, my prayer was that they would be more equip to share their faith, realizing who Christ truly is, and prepare them for a lifetime of ministry.
This summer, was both busy and exciting, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity I had to intern on Summer Project with Campus Crusade, to serve Jesus Christ, and for supporters like you who allowed me to give six weeks to “full time” ministry. I loved interning with Campus Crusade and ask for your prayers for guidance in my future as I finish my senior year at West Virginia University.
“He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Luke 10:2
“Tell the students to give up their small ambitions and come eastward to preach the gospel of Christ.” Francis Xavier – a missionary to India and Japan
Join me in my next adventure to Hong Kong, by checking out my blog, at SarahMariePerry.blogspot.com. I will be studying abroad in Hong Kong, a predominantly Buddhist country, for four months, from August to December.
Whether you are in Hong Kong or Morgantown, a student or a dentist, nurse, or mom – remember that your life is a mission field and you have a truth that can change lives!
Again many thanks for all of your support and prayers, you truly have made an eternal investment.
