My heart is filled with joy as I (Naomi) write this…God allowed me the privilege of leading a precious Children of Abraham student,”Margaret,” to Christ last night. Earlier in the day her fiancé, “Sammy” had prayed to receive Christ! We will send more details about their story in our next prayer letter.
Thank you for your prayers for Lisa. The Lord brought her into His kingdom as well! She was already testifying to other students about what the Lord had done. Her teenage son (who is also here at Vision22) said he can see that her heart has been changed. Thank you Jesus!
It is typical for the Children of Abraham track to not see any decisions for Christ at Vision. Students usually make a decision a week or two later, after they have had time to process. The prayer team has been praying that God would bring COA students to Christ during Vision22, and He answered by bringing three precious ones into His kingdom! Please pray that the Lord would watch over Margaret, Sammy, and Lisa as they return home. That they would get plugged in and grow spiritually.
There is so much more to tell of the Lord’s faithfulness to answer prayer. Zack is not sick, and his team was able to film six wonderful interviews with no technical problems. He even had time to join a Children of Abraham discussion group. Miah joined one as well!
We have heard of students in other tracks coming to Christ! And there are many other students who were very open to the content they learned at Vision22. On the long bus rides home, often there are wonderful spiritual conversations and time for reflection. Pray the Lord would bring even more students into His kingdom on the buses!
“I come from a country that lies in the 10/40 Window and I didn’t even know what ’10/40 Window’ meant.” That’s what Reshma (pictured above) told us when I (Zack) met her last year at Bridges International’s Vision Conference. Reshma comes from the Middle East and is involved with Bridges in New Hampshire. But she wasn’t always a Christian.
“I was an athlete, and became very aggressive. I didn’t find satisfaction in a lot of things I was doing, but felt like I needed something to worship. Something that was higher above. Very quickly I fell into demonic activities.” Due to family turmoil, Reshma later became an atheist. But through her siblings’ influence she gave her life to Christ.
“I didn’t just accept God as my savior. I accepted him as my father. Having a rough relationship with my dad, it left a hole in my heart. But when I accepted God, I felt fulfilled.” And now at UNH, Reshma reaches other international students with the gospel.
“It really hit me when I heard that people across the world, especially where I come from, do not know the name Jesus. If God is calling me to get the gospel out, I have to go.”
We will gather with international students like Reshma at our upcoming Vision Conference in Denver. It’s our biggest ministry event of the year. Naomi and I are also bringing all four kids to Vision so they can minister to students from the whole world. We pray this instills in them God’s loving heart for the nations.
As the year ends, we are trusting God for $15,000 to meet our annual ministry budget. Would you consider giving a donation to our ministry?
I (Naomi) was blessed with the opportunity to coordinate prayer for the Bridges Hill Country Fall Retreat, an annual retreat for international students from Texas and Louisiana. I coordinated Zoom calls before and after the retreat as well as in-person prayer. One of the program directors said to me, “Thanks for organizing prayer. It made a difference having someone committed to leading it for us.”
It was a joy for me to not only lead the charge in prayer, but also to attend the retreat for a full day with Annalei and Miah. (Zack had to stay home with our sick Littles.) Annalei and Miah got to enjoy the zip line (pictured above) and go on a hike with international students.
Our big girls also joined Bridges staff for several prayer sessions. It was such a blessing to hear both my girls boldly interceding for internationals, and even have Annalei highlight it as her favorite memory of the retreat!
Miah’s favorite memory was a conversation that she had with Odinaka from Nigeria (pictured above). They met while going on a group hike and had a conversation that greatly encouraged both of them. Miah learned one of my favorite things about international student ministry: when you meet a fellow believer from anywhere in the world, your bond in Christ is greater than any ethnic, cultural, or national differences.
From Ukraine to Texas
My favorite memory of the retreat happened during the craft time. I met and had a wonderful conversation with Mariia, a student from Ukraine. She shared with me about her grandparents and her mom who are still in Ukraine, and how the war has affected them.
As we talked, I was able to tell Mariia about situations in my life where the Lord clearly showed His hand, and she was very attentive. Her heart was very open to hearing about Him, so I shared the gospel with her. Mariia comes from an agnostic background. She was amazingly receptive to all I shared. I offered to keep in touch with her over phone calls or zoom, and she texted, “Thank you so much for showing interest in helping me navigate in this. I am definitely interested in learning more and giving this a chance!”
One of the main ways that Bridges staff prayed was for the Lord to bring students with open hearts to the retreat. God was so kind to show me a direct answer to our prayers in Mariia! Another answer to prayer was shared by our Houston Staff. A student said, “I find my peace in being kind to people but I haven’t found my peace with Jesus yet. I want to try to do that.”
Cru High School
The charter school that all four of our kids attend does not have many Christians. It’s mostly secular students, but there are actually more Muslims than Christians who attend.
In order to encourage fellow believers, Annalei decided to start a Christian club on campus that would meet for prayer and Bible discussion. After meeting with a coach from Cru High School, she decided to have the club come under their organization.
Attendance has averaged about a dozen high school and middle school students, and all have been encouraged by the time! One Christian mom told me, “there has never been anything like this at [our school].”
HEALTH UPDATE
• Naomi just sprained ligaments on the top of her left foot. She is currently on crutches.
PRAISE REPORTS
• Zack’s brain fog has greatly improved • God brought students with open hearts to the Hill Country Fall Retreat • Annalei and Miah got to participate in prayer ministry • Despite opposition, Annalei was able to start a Cru High School club
PRAYER REQUESTS
• Mariia and her American husband would both come to know the Lord soon • Wisdom for Bridges staff as they follow up with students who attended the retreat • Every student who attended the retreat would come to know the Lord, whether sooner or later • Complete healing for Naomi (Epstein Barr and foot sprain)
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph 3:20). This is the verse that comes to mind when we think of our Cru22 Staff Conference. It was excellent! Thank you so much for joining us in prayer for the time. The conference was exactly what we prayed for: focused on Jesus and the Great Commission, unifying to our staff family, and spiritually refreshing for us and other staff.
The speakers were excellent. Zack’s favorite was Dela Adadevoh, VP of Global Leadership (pictured below). He reminded us how Christ is building us into one nation. There were walls of hostility separating us, but they have all been broken down, because God has made peace through the cross. “We don’t need any theories to help us socially integrate and do what God has called us to do.” Dela’s talk was a subtle rebuke of ideas like CRT which have caused so much disunity in the Body of Christ.
My (Naomi’s) favorite was Heather Holleman. She encouraged us to embrace our “Sent Identity” as believers. The Father sent Jesus, who sends us. She shared some wonderful stories of God’s powerful work through personal evangelism, and reminded us, “God continually invites us into the work of evangelism.”
We were most encouraged that our organization is starting a sending focus to North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Being on staff with Bridges, people from this region of the world have long been on our hearts. We are so excited about this and want to do all we can to help give lift to this sending focus. Zack is exploring new opportunities in this area.
Water Walk Challenge
Annalei and Miah were blessed to join the CruStu program for middle and high schoolers at Cru22. They received training and encouragement in evangelism. They also raised funds for the Water Walk Challenge.
All the CruStu students walked 3.7 miles from Lake Michigan taking turns carrying five-gallon buckets of water, just as women and girls in impoverished nations have to do every single day. The CruStu group raised $20,000 for Unto (Cru’s humanitarian aid ministry) to drill & repair wells in 15 countries.
Bridges…Back on Campus
With Covid restrictions lifted, our Bridges Campus Staff are back into the full swing of welcoming international students across the nation. This season is a “sprint” for our staff. As a member of the National Bridges prayer team, I (Naomi) have been on zoom calls to support our staff in prayer. Please join me in praying for our campus staff.
HEALTH UPDATE
Naomi’s Epstein Barr (Mono) symptoms are improving; she’s able to do more. But Zack caught Covid in mid May and then again late July. He is still dealing with Covid brain fog and is in need of healing.
PRAISE REPORTS
Cru22 was a time of spiritual refreshment, healing and encouragement in evangelism.
God spoke clearly to both of us at Cru22 and encouraged our big girls in evangelism.
Cassia’s friend got baptized recently, inspired by Cassia’s own baptism!
PRAYER REQUESTS
Zack would be healed from lingering Covid brain fog.
Complete healing for Naomi.
God would be glorified in carrying Bridges staff through this busy welcome season.
God to guide Bridges staff to spiritually open students.
Zack to make connections in exploring new ways to reach students from the Middle East.
Our VP of Global Leadership gave this powerful talk at the Cru22 Staff Conference. Key quote: “We can see the Great Commission fulfilled in our lifetime if all of God’s people use all of God’s resources to reach all of God’s world.”
What spiritual purpose does fiction serve in our lives?
That’s one of the big ideas of the podcast I (Zack) co-host, called Fantastical Truth. Although it’s technically a hobby, the podcast is something I take seriously as a medium for discipleship. We hold weekly discussions about Christian novels, pop-culture, and pressing cultural issues…all through a gospel-centered lens.
We recently hit a milestone for our show: 125 episodes! We’ve been blessed by many great discussions with Christian authors and other guests. So, I would love to share with you my ten favorite episodes so far. Please take a listen and let me know if any of them minister to you.
Christians often sound negative about popular culture, but some secular critics seemed to forget that God made humans to gather in public and celebrate stories.
From absent hairbrushes, to kitchen-based boy bands, to Merle and Pearl Squirrel freshly thawed from the first century, Mike Nawrocki shares his stories.
Christianity Today news editor Daniel Silliman explores why fans loved top Christian fiction, including This Present Darkness, Left Behind, and The Shack.
Let’s explore a big debate: Should we look for the “Christian label” on Christian-made novels, movies, music and other creations?
You can find Fantastical Truth on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and most other podcast players. I hope these episodes will be a blessing to you on your commute, in the carpool line, at the gym, or whenever you need something encouraging to listen to.
Our next update will be all the great things God did at our recent Cru22 staff conference. Thank you for your prayers and partnership in ministry.
On June 5, Zack had the great joy of baptizing our youngest daughter, Cassia. She has talked about getting baptized for several years, so was more than ready. The first thing she said when she came up out of the water was “I can’t believe I am baptized!” She read her testimony in front of the church beforehand, and we wanted to share it with you…
When I was not a Christian, I was doing a lot of bad stuff and I wasn’t even caring about it. I didn’t say “I forgive you” or “I’m sorry.” I heard about Jesus from my parents and my big sisters and church and Awanas. I learned that my sin is bad. And that Jesus died on the cross for my sin. He took it away. He has forgiven me. On the third day, he rose from the dead.
When we were driving home from “Mom’s Prayer” Mommy asked me, “Cassia, do you want to ask Jesus into your heart? and I said yes and asked Jesus into my heart. And it made me change and I was not super bad. And now I say, “I’m sorry and I forgive you.” I will go to heaven after I die because I believe in Jesus Christ and I know He will take me up there.
Many of Cassia’s friends were able to either attend her baptism or watch the video online, and it’s spurred several conversations about Jesus. We are praying for her friends who were excited for her but don’t know the Lord yet.
Adejoke’s Story
Zack just completed a very powerful testimony video of my friend, Adejoke, from Nigeria. She was told by friends back home that sharing the gospel was something that only special Christians who were “called” were allowed to do. She always wanted to share the gospel, but thought she wasn’t special enough to do it. Through our Vision conference in Atlanta in 2019 (when I met her). She was taught that all Christians are called to share the gospel, was trained in sharing it, and shared it for the first time.
Her video below. Please take a moment to watch this video and be encouraged by Adejoke’s story.
Cru22 Staff Conference
Our family will join thousands of other Cru staff and staff kids in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from July 16-23 for Cru’s biennial staff conference. The last time we all gathered was in 2019, pre-pandemic. We have friends that we are very eager to see, but we both feel apprehensive about the content of the conference. In 2015, 2017, and 2019, the conference had some controversial speakers and topics. This led to a lot of hurt, pain, and division among the staff, and has also resulted in many leaving staff, on both sides.
Please join us in praying that this year’s conference would be focused on Jesus and His Great Commission, unifying to our staff family, and spiritually refreshing for us and other staff. We really need the Lord to speak to us personally as well as Cru collectively.
As we drive to and from Milwaukee, all the way from Austin, we are facing unusually high costs at the gas pump, grocery stories, and overnight lodging. Would you please consider making a special donation to our ministry? You can give right here.
UPCOMING
We are traveling to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the Cru22 staff conference.
PRAISE REPORTS
•Cassia chose to get baptized! •Adejoke’s video is complete, and more importantly, she is trained and excited to share the gospel with many others.
PRAYER REQUESTS
•God would use Cassia’s baptism to lead others to Christ. •Adejoke’s video would spur others on to evangelism. •Cru22 would be a time of spiritual refreshment for all staff who attend. •Cru22 would be a time of healing and reconciliation. •God would speak clearly to both of us at Cru22.
Adejoke grew up in Nigeria, where she heard that you need a special calling to share the gospel. But she always wanted to talk to others about Christ’s love. She is, after all, a people person. Through her local Bridges ministry and the Vision conference, she learned how to share the gospel in-depth.
As Ukraine has dominated headlines, you may have heard that six million people have left the country as refugees. Estimates are that 100,000 of them will come to the U.S. In addition to this, approximately 76,000 Afghan refugees came to the U.S. last year.
When refugees come here, we have a wonderful opportunity to reach them with the love of Christ. Zack has finished editing a new video series for EveryInternational to train Americans to reach refugees and immigrants. Some of the new topics:
Befriending a Refugee Family
Biblical View of Immigrants
Partnering with Christian Immigrants
Understanding and Reaching African Immigrants
Journeying with Your Friends
Three Stages of an Immigrant’s Experience
Using ESL Classes Effectively
Understanding and Reaching Hispanic Immigrants
If you are interested in viewing any of the training videos, everything is free on the website everyinternational.com. You just need to create a login to access them. I (Naomi) just watched Biblical View of Immigrants, and it was wonderful. I was literally tearing up at the end of the video.
Because Zack and I are not currently on a campus team, the majority of our interaction with internationals is with immigrants. Through our kids’ school, we have been blessed to befriend immigrants from Vietnam, Honduras, Morocco, Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Africa, Kashmir, and Ethiopia. Pray we can reach them with the love of Christ.
New Friends
People from the Middle East have become even more near and dear to our hearts, as the Lord has placed us at a school where all of our kids have friends in their classes who come from this part of the world.
With Cassia’s upcoming baptism, I (Naomi) have had the opportunity to talk to three Middle-Eastern moms: “Faye,” “Allison,” and “Molly” about the meaning of baptism and the free gift of forgiveness that Jesus offers us through his death on the cross. (They believe that Jesus never died, but that he was an honored prophet who was taken to heaven like Elijah.)
Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, ended in early May. This period follows a lunar calendar so the exact date of the last night, called the Night of Power, is uncertain. Most devout followers will stay up praying all night the last ten days of Ramadan to make sure they don’t miss it. They deprive themselves of food and sleep to gain Allah’s favor.
“Faye” and her husband “Ferris” are extremely devout. At the end of Ramadan, I spoke with Faye. She said they were up all night for the last few days, praying and hoping that they will be accepted and forgiven.
What this mom of young kids puts herself through in an attempt to earn God’s forgiveness! I shared Bible verses with her about the rest and free gift of forgiveness that Jesus offers, but she responded with a common belief that the Bible has been corrupted. Please pray that Jesus would speak His truth to her.
UPCOMING
Cassia’s will be baptized on Sunday 6/5
Zack is taking a virtual seminary class on Church History this summer.
PRAISE REPORTS
The new video series on refugees and immigrants has been released!
Our kids are gaining a heart for Middle Easterners through friendships at their school.
PRAYER REQUESTS
God to use Cassia’s baptism to lead others to Christ.
Zack would be refreshed spiritually by his Church History class.
The new EveryInternational video series would train many to reach immigrants and refugees with the gospel.
Our kids would continue to pray for and share Christ with their friends.
Faye, Allison, and Molly would long for the freedom and rest that Christ provides
Ferris and Faye would know the Bible is not corrupted.
Zack was able to attend Vision Conference in person this year and I (Naomi) was on the Virtual Vision Prayer Conference team. I want to thank the many of you who read my daily prayer updates and joined my prayer team in battle for the hearts and souls of these precious internationals. God heard and answered our prayers. Here are some highlights…
-Vision Conference did not become a super spreader event for Covid; just a handful of people got sick.
-A seeking student studying in Michigan named Samuel texted his Bridges staff saying, “the conference was truly amazing and I’ll never forget those 5 days of my life. I really thank you so much for your help and guidance…Bridges International has the best motive for connecting international students and I enjoyed so much in the Multi-nations group.”
-A Christian student, Nicole, was trained in how to more effectively share her faith and caught such a vision for reaching internationals where she studies in London. She said, “I wish I could quit school and work with you guys!” She is considering interning with Bridges after graduation.
-A Seeker from China shared how the conference impacted her and how she could see that Christianity was not only for Americans but for people from other cultures too! She is now considering becoming a Christian and has started attending a Mandarin Bible study.
-“It’s been like a reconnection with God,” said a Brazilian student from the University of North Carolina. His wife agreed. “Something happened there. I want to spread the word.” Already this couple is seeking ways to serve at their local Bridges movement.
You can read more about the amazing things God did at Vision Conference in the full report.
Planting Seeds
Zack and his film team spent a lot a time with five Christian students from Nigeria, Indonesia, Malaysia, and India capturing the stories of ways God has worked in their lives. One of those students was my friend Joke (pronounced Joe-Kay) who was in my Multi-Nations group when I went to Vision 2019.
Joke (pictured below) attended the Ambassadors Track, our highest level of training for students at Vision. Joke said “It was an amazing experience to learn how to be a leader and to share the gospel using PLANT: P- prayer, L- listen, A-articulate, N- invite, T- try again.”
Family Health Update
Our entire family got Omicron in mid January. Zack, Miah, and I are still dealing with some lingering symptoms. Thankfully I was able to get medicine that prevented a major flare of my Epstein Barr. I am still experiencing some fatigue, but I don’t know if it is from EBV or Covid.
Annalei was our biggest concern, as she was experiencing shortness of breath (the same thing happened when she got the vaccine). Praise God, she is fine now, but she has seen a pulmonologist and will undergo testing because this has been an off-and-on exercise induced problem since she was vaccinated.
FAMILY UPDATE
We were challenged to each pray for 3 people we wanted to share the gospel with. All 4 kids have been having spiritual conversations with friends at school. Cassia was nervous, but actually saw a friend ask Jesus into her heart!
PRAISE REPORTS
God changed many lives at Vision conference. Covid did not trigger another huge setback for Naomi. Our kids are each gaining a heart for evangelism.
PRAYER REQUESTS
For students who attended Vision: Seekers would believe in Jesus, and Christians would share their faith. Our kids would continue to be bold for Jesus at school. Cassia’s friend would grow in her new faith. The new EveryInternational video series would train many people to reach immigrants and refugees with the gospel. Total healing for our family from Covid symptoms.
