"Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel." Philippians 1:27
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| About to have some Asado! |
Okay, so this is a little late. So much has happened since
my last blog post that I need to glance at my journal just to remember the
specifics of everything. The last week of project was so busy, but I think it
was probably my favorite week for ministry, so that’s what I
want to focus on in this blog.
At our last Vida Estudiantil outreach meeting, I was able to share my testimony. It was really great to share how God has brought me from a life of finding approval in others, to now being able to find complete approval in Him. That night, 3 people prayed to receive Christ! Glory to God for using my story to bring students into a relationship with Him. That week was the last week for discipleship so I finished up with my guys by giving them vision plans. Vision plans are a tool that highlights someone’s character strengths, a couple areas for growth, and some next steps in life and ministry. I received my first vision plan on my last summer project and it was really meaningful and helpful to me, so I really wanted to duplicate that with the guys I discipled over the summer. We also had our last bible study that week and it was my favorite one yet! The study was on the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit and so we talked through those and what each of us were dealing with in our lives. At the end of the bible study we each shared individual prayer requests and prayed for one another.
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| The bible study I led over the summer |
Not
only was it a blessing to do ministry with those guys, I also had the privilege
of spending a lot of time on campus that week. Most of the summer I didn’t get
to spend a ton of time on campus, but that last week I had plenty of time to do
that. I got into several good conversations and I want to briefly talk about 3
of them. The first one took place at the Facultad de Medicina. A group of us
were inviting students to our English Club, when some of the students we were
inviting, invited us to sit down and talk to them. That basically was our
English Club because we talked to that group of students for the entire day!
About halfway through our time I was able to use Soularium and share the Gospel
with the guys. Although they didn’t agree with what I said, they respected me
and were very open to talking about Spiritual things. The next conversation
took place at the Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. I met a guy outside while we were throwing the football around. After a while, I was able to do Soularium with him and
share the gospel with him (All in Spanish!).
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| Doing Soularium at Ciencias Sociales |
He had a similar response to the
last group, but was very open and I could see him really thinking as I shared
the gospel and my testimony with him. The last conversation also took place at
Ciencias Sociales. I met a guy a few days before and had forgotten to contact
him to meet up again. He actually contacted me surprisingly and we decided to
meet up. He had class all day, but we managed to find slots of time during and
in between his classes, and I managed to share the gospel with him as well
after doing Soularium. He also had the similar response as the other guys, but
I could tell that he was seeking and I know if I spent more time with him he would
be more and more open to the gospel. It breaks my heart that I met all of these
great guys the week I was leaving! I don’t know if I’ll be going back to
Uruguay, but there is a chance and after being on campus so much that last week
the Lord really opened my eyes to the need in Uruguay. I didn’t meet one Evangelical
Christian, the entire time I was on campus for 6 weeks!
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| My good friend Matias and I |
After saying our goodbyes
to all the friends we made, it was time to pack our bags and get on a plane to
Miami, Florida. The sun and the heat were a nice change to the clouds and the
cold in Uruguay. We spent two days debriefing there, before heading back north.
I am so happy I made the choice to go to Uruguay this summer. It was such a
privilege to be a part of what God is doing there and I know He will continue
to use laborers in that country. In August, Uruguay will be receiving their
first ever STINT team! They are going to be there for an entire year and I am
so excited to see how God uses them. Thank you so much for all your prayers and support because this trip wouldn't have happened without them! God bless :)
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| Our entire team at our farewell party on our last night |
