Author: Zack Russell

The Strategic Importance of Ministering to International Students

Writing for Christianity Today, Ed Stetzer lists three reasons why reaching internationals for Christ is a significant opportunity for the church in North America:

These students themselves matter.

The nations from which these students are coming matter.

Taking advantage of the opportunities for ministry God gives us matters.

From Stetzer’s article, “Ministering to International Students”

Only a quarter of these 1.8 million international students in North America gets invited to someone’s home. So the impression of America they go home with is often a mosaic of our media and politics. There’s an incredible opportunity for American believers to love these students by having them over for a meal.

Many of them come from places where Christians are very few and have to meet in secret. Missionary activity in many of these countries is illegal or culturally forbidden. Yet they have been brought near to our churches and fellowships.

Engaging in missions and reaching internationals is not an either/or, but a both/and. By sharing the gospel with the top tier students that come to North America, we are influencing the future leaders of countries hostile to or devoid of the Christian faith.

Watch “The Stamp Collector”

Check out our newest video about the ministry of Bridges International. It’s in the style of an allegorical short film:

Our fellow Bridges staff will use this video when presenting our ministry to churches, partners, volunteers, and student leaders. Please pray for many new people to join us in the mission of reaching internationals!

The Stamp Collector | June Newsletter

The Stamp Collector

Thank you for your prayers for our new Bridges promo video, “The Stamp Collector.” It was a whirlwind  two month project, going from concept, to script, casting, to filming, to editing, to completion. God really carried us through. 

In the film, an international student collects stamps that look similar to passport stamps. But each stamp represents an experience he has here in the States.

Zack was thrilled with the opportunity to write the script and edit the final product. It’s something he has dreamed of doing for Bridges for several years. Naomi enjoyed working as the  casting director, and Annalei assisted our director Lauren (pictured below). We are excited to share this film with you after it premiers at our Cru staff conference in July.

God provided in crazy ways, including using Coach Adrian’s old gymnastics space to supply the location for the set.

Forever 21

The day we were filming “The Stamp Collector” our beloved Granny passed away. We will treasure the memory of our last FaceTime call with her before she passed. She was opening her mouth and slightly opening her eyes. To quote Cassia, “she tried her best” to talk to us. We are also very thankful that we were able to have a wonderful visit with her over Easter. 

Granny’s funeral was a wonderful time of laughter and remembering this amazing woman who impacted all of our lives. We all wore red (her favorite color) or dressed for 4th of July (her favorite holiday). Her 8 great-grandchildren at the gravesite are pictured above. Zack wrote a beautiful tribute to Granny on Facebook.

My grandmother, Granny, went to be with the Lord this weekend. She was only 21.  (If you asked her age, that was always her response.) Granny was hands-down the funnest person I have ever known. She taught me to laugh about everything in life, and to never take yourself too seriously. She was the embodiment of generosity and the personification of hospitality. She could pinch pennies and drive bargains, but she was always generous with those she loved. Or our friends. Or people she just met. Because she never, ever met a stranger. If you’ve ever had a meal with Granny, you probably had more food served than you’ve seen in your life.

She always called me “Joe” by mistake, either thinking of my uncle or grandfather, but she never forgot my favorite foods, or any details about the clocks she collected. She was also, at times, my personal alarm clock, making sure I didn’t ever sleep in past sunrise. There was simply too much to do to be lazy. She herself never sat still, and was always hard at work. Her life was full of beauty and light and warmth. As such, my own life feels a little more drab and dim and cold today. I will miss her deeply.

With the work stress, and grief of Granny’s passing, Zack has not been sleeping well and has had dizziness and heart palpitations. 

Summer Seminary

We are now in Fort Collins, Colorado. As part of our ongoing training with Cru, this Summer we are taking seminary-level classes: Biblical Interpretation & Communication; Christian Worldview & Ethics; and Humanity, Christ and Salvation. We will end our time here with the national Cru staff conference. We would appreciate prayer that the time here would be encouraging & enriching for us, empowering the ministry work we do.

UPCOMING

We will gather with 5,000 other Cru staff for our biennial Staff Conference at Colorado State University. 

PRAISE REPORTS

  • God brought together all the details for the film, including Adrian supplying the perfect location
  • God carried Zack through and he finished editing “The Stamp Collector”
  • Granny’s funeral was a won-derful time of remembrance. 

PRAYER REQUESTS

  • “The Stamp Collector” would be a powerful tool in creating strong emotional connections b/w Americans and internationals.
  • Encouragement through seminary classes & staff conference.
  • Rest. (We are coming off an extremely exhausting month)
  • Zack’s insomnia & health problems from stress.

Jesus Has More Bite | May Newsletter

Never Been Convinced

My (Naomi’s) main focus of ministry for the past two months has been taking an online graduate-level Apologetics class, offered through Cru. I have learned a lot and it has opened many doors for evangelism. One morning at Miah’s gymnastics class, God gave me a divine appointment with her coach, Adrian. As we discussed his spiritual background, he told me that he has nothing against Christianity, but he has never been “convinced” that the Bible is reliable. Adrian had learned in college that the New Testament was basically a legend.

Later that day, my lecture was on that exact topic! After the lecture, I was able to send Adrian a detailed email about the number of New Testament manuscripts and how the textual variants are insignificant. Later, I gave him a copy of The Reason for God by Tim Keller. The chapter on the reliability of the Bible begins with Keller recounting how he heard the same thing in college that Adrian had.

Coach Adrian is very open and willing to listen and ask questions. He has already read through Matthew and Mark! Zack and I have had several email exchanges with him. In one email he said, “I am enjoying reading the Bible again. Jesus has more bite than I remember!”

The Reason for God

We were blessed with a wonderful week in Houston over Spring Break. We got to introduce new people to the vision of our ministry, and catch up with old friends (love y’all!). One friend we hadn’t seen in years was Florian.

Florian is a beloved former international student from Germany who was very involved in Houston Bridges. At the time, he wasn’t very open spiritually. But now because of various circumstances in his life, he is doing a lot more searching. As we talked, he mentioned that he had a lot of questions, like about whether God was real or the Bible true. I showed him The Reason for God and he said, “I will definitely read this book.” 

Strong Faith all Summer

How do you stay strong in your faith when you’re alone? This is a question that eats away at Cru students as the summer approaches. For many of them, Cru has been a transformative experience of walking closely with God. The thought of leaving that behind for three months can be unnerving. 

For the second year, I (Zack) was part of a team in Cru that is putting together a program called Summer Connect. Its purpose is to help students make the most of their summer by giving them valuable content from engaging speakers. But more than simply watching videos, students will have several opportunities to connect with others through this program. It encourages them towards devotion to God, holiness and missional living.

The core audience of Summer Connect is high school seniors through college students who are followers of Jesus, most of whom are not yet engaged disciples.

Space Explorers

Thanks to a special friend of ours in Houston, we got to tour the inside of NASA’s Vehicle Mockup facility (pictured in the header). This is where they house full-size replicas of the International Space Station for training astronauts. The kids loved it!

UPCOMING

I (Zack) and working with our Creative Media team to develop a new video to portray the vision and mission of Bridges. My role is the screenwriter and editor. I’m excited to get to come up with a creative illustration to show people what our ministry is all about. We’ll release it in July.

PRAISE REPORTS

  • Apologetics class was a great experience for Naomi.
  • God has opened the doors for discussions with Adrian.
  • Wonderful time connecting with old friends in Houston
  • God softening Florian’s heart!

PRAYER REQUESTS

  • God’s Word would not return void in Adrian’s life; that he would come to faith soon.
  • Adrian and his family would attend our church small group.
  • Florian to experience God’s reality and truth in a personal way.
  • Summer Connect would strengthen Cru students.
  • Provision for the new Bridges video: location, actors, set, props, editing, and for it to effectively mobilize others.

Take Me on a Journey

As Jonathan, a student from Uganda said, “Vision Conference answers questions or needs that all human beings have. Questions about identity, questions about what’s the most important thing in life.”

This short highlight video gives you a clear picture of the spiritual impact of our Vision Conference. Check it out! (Click the CC button for subtitles.)

Transcript:

Andre – A journey isn’t just defined by physically traveling from one location to another.

Dr. Shaw – All of us are on a spiritual journey. God has planted eternity in our hearts.

Sharon – Sometimes you can be on a crossroad and you don’t know what to do.

Jonathan – Vision Conference answers questions or needs that all human beings have. Questions about identity, questions about what’s the most important thing in life.

Julie – This is a chance where I’m able to meet different people from all over the world and I’m able to explore their cultures and learn about God with them.

Alan – Coming to a place where there’s so many different people, so many different cultures represented, really encourages me.

Sharon – It’s sensitive to everybody, to every different ethnicity, and religion, because you are important to God.

Kent – Everyone was created in God’s image, and God breathed the same breath that he breathed into everybody.

Mandy – Vision Conference is to me, is like my family.

Andre – And as we go through this journey we’re trying to make sense of the world around us.

Jonathan – Jesus Christ, ultimately, is the answer to all these things. Whether you feel a sense of emptiness and loneliness, Jesus is able to fill that. Whether it’s a sense of shame or guilt, he’s an answer to that.

Mandy – He’s the true love, and he’s the true one.

Ana – He doesn’t just want to hand you good things – he will, and he does. But he wants something greater, he wants to make you a good thing, a very good thing.

Sharon – Then you’re willing to change because you just want to be with God. You just want to have walked into his likeness and have his likeness in your life.

Julie – You’re here for a reason because God has a great plan for you.

Kent – Being able to recognize that and say, God I want to give you my life. Take me on a journey, let’s see what you’re going to do in my life.

We are His | January Newsletter

Thank you for your prayers and support that allowed our whole family to go to Vision Conference. It was a great experience for all. Annalei joined the prayer team, and I (Naomi) could see her growing more of a heart for prayer. She also got to meet students from all over the world as she hosted a craft table, where students could depict their spiritual journey through art (pictured below).

Miah connected deeply with new friends in childcare and loved all the Bible lessons she learned. Cassia and Paxton enjoyed the elevators, the escalators, and the snow. I have realized what a blessing it is to raise my children on Bridges staff. What better way for them to develop a heart for the nations than to interact with people from all over the world.

For me, this Vision conference renewed and refreshed my tired heart. It was wonderful to be on the prayer team with my mom (who also came to help with the kids). So much of what we do as Bridges is fought in the heavenlies.

One of the most powerful images of prayer was a huge map of the entire world that was set up in the Prayer Room (pictured below).

Conference attendees could say a prayer for their home nation or a friend’s nation and light an electric candle and place it on the map. It was SO powerful to walk into this room at the end of the conference and see the whole world covered in prayer.

Our prayer team was in the room while the Chinese students shared the gospel at their outreach party. It was so fun! One gal, Arya (pictured above), caught my eye as she glowed with excitement about Jesus while sharing the gospel with the non-Christians at her table. I got a text later that during the outreach time, “at least 2 students accepted Christ, but I’m sure it’s more than that!”

Two young women from India did a powerful traditional Indian dance depicting Jesus’s death and resurrection (pictured above). At the end of the dance they said, “This is a dance form used to worship deities. This is the first time we have used this dance form to worship Jesus. We are His.” It brought many in the room to tears. It was such a beautiful picture of all Bridges hopes and prays to accomplish in the lives of internationals.

HEALING

I (along with Harriet, the prayer team leader) did an inner healing prayer session with a Japanese woman named Eriko. It was a powerful and transformative time, where the Lord spoke deep truth to His precious daughter. I’m so thankful that I could speak some Japanese to Eriko during the time!

PRAISE REPORTS

  • 652 students from 71 nations attended the Vision 2018 Conference
  • Hundreds of these students heard the gospel clearly.
  • Believers were challenged to share their faith, commit their lives to the Lord, and some were challenged to go into full- time ministry.

PRAYER REQUESTS

  • For all students — believers and seekers — to take the next step on their journey of faith.
  • Eriko would live out the truth God spoke to her at Vision.

Michael’s Story | Intentional About God

“Growing up in the outskirts of Addis Ababa, I heard a lot about God, but I was never intentional about knowing him personally.” Michael is a student from Ethiopia who shared his testimony at the Vision 2018 conference. Hear the rest of his story, how he discovered a heavenly Father who understands our pain.

Vision 2018 Quick Report

Thank you so much for joining us in prayer. Wow. It was quite a conference. God really carried us (and all the Bridges staff) through it!

I heard from my friend who staffed Multi-Nations, that three Japanese Christian girls shared the gospel clearly during the outreach party. This is HUGE, as most Japanese Believers never share their faith (they think sharing the gospel is the pastor’s job). Also during the outreach party, a Japanese guy named Takuro said he wasn’t interested in God before he came to Vision, but he received the gospel explanation and is thinking  “to change religions and be a Christian.”

The prayer team got to be in the room praying while the Chinese students shared the gospel at their outreach party. It was so fun! One gal, Arya, caught my eye as she just glowed with excitement about Jesus while sharing the gospel with the non-Christians at her table. I got a text from a Chinese staff member later that during the outreach time, “at least 2 students accepted Christ, but I’m sure it’s more than that!!”

As we were leaving the hotel today, there were several people milling around the lobby. No one was wearing their conference name tags, so I didn’t know who was with Vision and who was just a guest at the hotel. I said goodbye to an American who I had met in the elevator during the conference. As he acknowledged me, the young men who were with him perked up. They happily introduced themselves with big smiles. Two were from Bangladesh and one was from the Ivory Coast. Their instant warmth towards me was God’s kindness in showing me that He had answered the prayer for love and friendships to be built here in Vision. It really was like one big family!

There are SO many more stories of the work God did at Vision. We will share more in our upcoming prayer letter. We will also send out the Vision Conference Report. It is written by our Bridges staff who are gifted in story telling, highlighting some of the life change that happened these past five days. We may never know this side of heaven all that God did, but we are so thankful to be a part of it. Thank you for joining us in this adventure!!

His,
Naomi (and Zack)

Praise Reports:
-Japanese Christians shared the gospel clearly
-Takuro’s heart to “be a Christian”
-We got to see Chinese students boldly sharing the gospel
-At least 2 Chinese students accepted Christ at the outreach party
-Students felt loved and had great camaraderie at Vision
-The kids did a great job at the talent show! I posted the video to my facebook page, if you want to watch it.

Prayer Requests:
-Good rest and recovery for our family over the next few days (Paxton especially is really worn out)
-Continued gospel conversations on the bus rides home
-Middle Eastern students would accept Christ in the next few weeks (most often students from these nations accept Christ after the conference, instead of during the conference)
-New Christians (including Takuro) to be plugged into fellowship and grow spiritually