Category: Newsletter

Pictured above: Bluebonnets are blooming in Texas (left). Annalei and Miah recently performed in The Wizard of Oz (right). Annalei played the Wicked Witch and Miah was the Flying Monkey Captain.

Evangelism Training

I (Naomi) had the opportunity to lead an evangelism training time for Annalei, Miah and three other students from their school’s Cru High School club. I taught them how to use the “Knowing God Personally” booklet. It is also on the GodTools app, which can be downloaded from the App Store. Check it out! It is a wonderful way to share the gospel.

One of the High Schoolers who attended taught the training to her younger sister who was unable to come. There are two other middle school girls who were disappointed to miss the training. Our plan is to have Miah (and another middle school gal) teach them what they have learned!

Middle Eastern Harvest

God has brought about a distinctive harvest in people from a country that we call “Telmar” (for security reasons). Our Bridges staff and volunteers have seen 11 students from Telmar come to faith in Jesus this school year! This number is extraordinarily high. Most “Telmarines” have rejected the official religion of their country because they see it as a tool of oppression by their government. Most are agnostic or even atheist. But many now have a spiritual openness. A Bridges staff member named Ben was able to lead a Telmarine student to Christ after sharing the complete gospel with him for the very first time!

Many Bridges staff will stay at their campuses for the summer. Students from Telmar are not likely to return home over the summer because of political unrest. Please pray that God would guide our staff to Telmarine students this summer.

Spring Break Mission

Our friend and UT student, Odinaka (pictured below in the red hat, after watching our girls perform in the Wizard of Oz musical) went on a Bridges Spring Break mission trip to Vancouver. She and a team of Bridges students and staff joined a Canadian ministry team to help launch Bridges movements at two campuses in Vancouver. Both of these campuses have a high percentage of internationals but no international student ministry.

Odinaka said the trip was a wonderful time to learn to share her faith because they received training and then immediately went out on campus to share the gospel. Bridges staff went with alongside them to give encouragement and feedback.

“I know the Lord has used me mightily and He has been teaching me so much. He is helping me to grow and helping me understand how to interact with students from different backgrounds and different beliefs.”

The trip was very faith-stretching as Odinaka learned to trust the Lord with finances, her health, and doing initiative evangelism. She even saw prayers answered about the weather!

PRAISE REPORTS

Cru High school students trained in evangelism.
11 “Telmarines” have put their faith in Christ this year!
Odinaka grew so much in her faith on her spring break trip.

PRAYER REQUESTS

Cru High School students at the kids’ school would boldly proclaim Christ among their peers.
Bridges staff could connect and share the gospel with Telmarines this summer.
Odinaka and the other students on the Vancouver trip would become life-long laborers for Christ.
Both Vancouver campuses would have new Bridges movements that last.

Vision Conference

Despite the national airline meltdown right before Vision22, over 1,000 attendees from 78 nations made it to the conference. God worked miracles to get staff and students there!

Zack did videography and Annalei assisted him with admin/production tasks. This was a great learning experience for her. Zack and his team captured six amazing stories of God’s work in the lives of international students. We will feature these stories in future newsletters.

I (Naomi) coordinated prayer for the Children of Abraham (COA) Track, which hosts students from the Middle East. Through the Covid pandemic and zoom prayer calls, the Lord has grown my skills in leading prayer. I felt like I was in my ministry niche this year at Vision22, and I just loved it. A COA staff member wrote, “Naomi, thank you for your diligence to get us all praying even more! Jesus is so pleased with this and His Kingdom is advancing even more mightily!”

Miah was a “gofer” for the COA Track. She also prayed with me and other Bridges staff  during the discussion groups times. One evening she was invited to join a discussion group. The next morning, Miah had gone to a different session. “Mike” (a Middle Eastern Christian student) said to me, “Where is your daughter? We need her in our group! She is so wise.”

Meeting Jesus

It is typical for the COA Track to not see any decisions for Christ at Vision, but sometimes a week or two after students will accept Christ. We prayed that God would bring COA students to Christ during Vision22, and He answered by bringing an astounding six precious ones into His kingdom!

“Lisa” had a dream about Jesus before coming to Vision. She was moved to tears when she heard that God was her Heavenly Father. She came to Christ and was already sharing her testimony with others!

“Sammy” was miraculously healed of a severe headache and high blood pressure after his group leader prayed for him. He was able to stay for the morning session, which covered the power of the Holy Spirit and how to receive Christ. After the session Sammy accepted Christ! Reflecting on the conference, he said, “I accepted Jesus with my heart and my mind. The Holy Spirit lives in me, and I already feel more peace and love for others.”

I spoke with Sammy’s fiancée, “Margaret,” that evening. She understood that Jesus is God but did not understand that He died on the cross for our sins. I was able to use the God Tools app and share the gospel with her in her heart language. Her heart was open and ready, and the prayed to receive Christ with me. It was such a joy!

Another gal “Jessica” also came to Christ and so did a married couple “Rodger” and “Penelope.” God was so faithful to answer our prayers for these students!

Quotes from COA Students:

“I came thinking Jesus was just a prophet, but now I know that everything He said about Himself is 100% true!” 

“We didn’t know that Jesus is God!” – “All my life I have been thinking about purpose of life and what happens after death.” – “In my country someone could be killed for this decision so it’s not something I can decide quickly.”

“I feel weary in having to pray every day and wear this covering.”

VISION STATS

42% of students who attended were not Christians
1699 spiritual conversations took place
827 gospel presentations
20 students (including 6 from COA) placed their faith in Jesus!

PRAISE REPORTS

God was so faithful to get over 1,000 people to Vision22
Lisa, Sammy, Margaret, Jessica, Roger, and Penelope all came to Christ during the conference!
259 Christian students signed the Kingdom pledge to go, do, save, and give whatever the Lord calls them to.

PRAYER REQUESTS

Spiritual protection and growth for the new believers.
That all students who attended Vision would take the next step spiritually.
For those who are still seekers, that God would give them Spirit-led discussions with Bridges staff and volunteers on their campuses.

Walls Broken Down

“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.

Cassia’s Baptism

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.

Refugees and Immigrants

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.

Virtual Vision

We had a wonderful experience co-leading a group for the Vision Together conference. The three students (pictured below) who were most committed to attending were Samuel (Nigeria), Beulah (Nigeria), and Leticia (Brazil). We had a wonderful talk about faith and science.

Samuel had this to say:

“One topic that stands out of all is the discussion of how science and Christianity work together explain the creation of God. Before this conference, I never really agreed with the fact due to different opinions people shared with me about that topic. So, this conference has opened my eyes to another view of how science and Christianity work together.”

You can watch the Faith and Science presentation here:

From Art to Christ

Zack and I (Naomi) were on the planning team for Multi-Nations Track seminars. The breakout rooms used a new ministry tool called Conversation Art Cards to facilitate gospel centered discussions by looking at famous works of art. Zack and I both shared the gospel with students. As we were discussing the topic of suffering, I was especially encouraged by a student from Congo who told the group that Covid had brought him a bigger community through Bridges.

You can see the art work and a link to the ministry tool on the Conversation Art Cards website.

Losing a Friend

Thus far, 2021 has been a very difficult year for us. On January 1st, our friend and fellow Bridges Staff member, Mike Holberg was hospitalized for Covid. It was a very long two month battle, as we prayed daily for Mike’s healing. Mike was welcomed into the Lord’s presence on February 20. Zack worked closely with him on the Bridges Operations Team for years. Mike will be greatly missed. Please pray for Jenny and the kids (14, 14 and 10 years old). Pray also for Mike’s younger brother, Jeremy, and their parents who have also been deeply affected by Mike’s loss. 

Winter Disaster

In addition to our grief, we had a huge amount of stress during the Winter Storm Disaster that hit Texas in mid-February. 

Zack did a great job caring for us and literally fighting for our survival. We praise God that our house did not lose power or water during the coldest days of the storm. Ten years ago, God directed us to purchase a home that––unbeknownst to us––was on a “critical infrastructure” power grid. We were able to help others in the neighborhood and be a safe haven to Zack’s mom and sister, as their home lost power. It probably saved their life, as an elderly man in their neighborhood froze to death in his home.

Just when we thought we were done with the storm stress, Zack discovered that the carpet in our bedroom was soaked. It turns out that the dramatic drop in temperatures from the storm caused a massive foundation shift which cracked the caulk in out shower and led to leaking water through the wall. 

  We really need your prayers for us personally. With all the daily stress of Covid life, and now all of this, we are weary.

Upcoming

Naomi recently started an International Women’s Zoom Bible Study. Please pray for our friend, Jenny (Taiwan), to come to know the Lord through the study. 

Praise Reports

•We had a wonderful time during the virtual Vision conference

•Samuel, Beulah, and Leticia all grew in their faith during Vision

•We have a very real hope in Christ. We will see Mike again!

•Our home had power and water through the most life threatening days of the storm.

Prayer Requests

•Peace and comfort for Mike’s family (widow Jenny, 3 kids, brother Jeremy, parents) and all of us Bridges staff who knew him personally.

•God would provide (through insurance or other assistance programs) the cost of the shower replacement.

•We would fix our eyes on Jesus. He would strengthen us in our weariness. 

Celebrating 15 Years

God has blessed us with fifteen years of marriage and four children. We are thankful for how Jesus continues to breathe new life into our life together. Thank you for your ever-effective prayers for our relationship and family.

EveryInternational

Randy’s scheduled mission trip to Africa was cancelled due to Covid-19, so he turned his focus to international students in his area. He learned about EveryInternational.com and worked through the lessons. To put it into practice, he contacted the eleven international students that played in his church orchestra. Through them he met other students. Later, he and his fellow church members delivered home-cooked meals to 42 international students and prayed with them.

EveryInternational, our digital training program, continues to make an impact. I hope you are encouraged by stories like Randy’s above and the other stories below.

Since we launched EveryInternational, over 1,600 people have signed up for training courses on the website. These lessons have been viewed a total of 15,000 times! Believers are being equipped to reach the nations.

And it’s not just folks here in the U.S. getting trained. Grace was working on a diverse campus in Hong Kong and had the chance to share the EveryInternational video, “Entering Multiple Cultures.” This video helped her International Student friends to better understand one another. They also learned how to share the gospel with their friends coming from various worldviews.

At Chico State University, David is a campus missionary. He was appointed to lead a new sub-ministry for international students. He had no previous experience or training in working with internationals. Two months ago, David found EveryInternational, which gave him a sense of what it means to engage with different people. God gave him a clear vision for reaching internationals. David has not only grown as a campus minister but as a follower of Christ as well.

RightNow Media

An exciting new chapter is opening for the EveryInternational curriculum. We’re taking it beyond the website! RightNow Media, often dubbed the Netflix of Christian media, is now hosting our entire catalog of 40+ videos. All of the content can be watched on the RNM website and using the RNM app on Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, and Roku devices.

RightNow Media has 3.2 million users. Their content is accessed by 18,000 churches and organizations. This partnership will give EveryInternational access to our key target audience: church volunteers.

Your church might have a membership with RNM, and you might even have access from home through them. Talk to your pastor! This would be a great way for your Bible study, small group, or Sunday School class to get trained in reaching internationals. Go to RNM and search for everyinternational.

Naomi’s Health

Thank you for your prayers for Naomi. It has been 15 weeks since she first got sick. She is improving week by week, but she is still dealing with joint pain and fatigue. Naomi does not yet have a clear diagnosis (Mono is a possibility) and is going to be undergoing further testing. 

PRAISE REPORTS

•The Lord has sustained our marriage for 15 years!
•Believers are being equipped through EveryInternational to reach the nations.
•EveryInternational is now available on RightNow Media.
•Naomi’s health is improving.

PRAYER REQUESTS

•A correct diagnosis and total healing for Naomi.
•We would continue to grow closer to each other and Him.
•Creativity and direction for the EveryInternational team to help users during this difficult time for ministry.
•Smooth process for Every International website updates.
•This Covid season to end.

Summertime Quarantine

What does your summer vacation look like? Perhaps you can relate to the photos above in the header. Cassia (left) receiving her certificate for completing Kindergarten at a social distance; Miah (right) jumping on a trampoline with her friend, Belle, at a social distance; all while wearing masks.

Or how about a squirt gun battle, like Cassia and her friend, Eduardo, from opposite sides of the driveway?

Send us your creative ideas! We’d love to see some interesting ways you and your family are making the most of the time.

What is Hope?

“Knowing that I have a God whose love for me is constant.” That’s how Joke (pronounced Joe-Kay) answers the question, “What gives you hope?” in a video she published on YouTube. You may remember how Joke, a student from Nigera, was in Naomi’s group at Vision Conference. We have been so encouraged by her outspoken faith!

“Be strong, take courage, don’t be intimidated, because God is striding ahead of you, he’s right there with you, he won’t let you down, he won’t leave you,” she explains from a passage in Deuteronomy 31.

God really flipped a switch in Joke’s heart during the Vision Conference, and that change has been lasting. She just wants to glorify Jesus and point others to Him.

She started her own YouTube Channel, and puts together videos to encourage people in this difficult COVID season. She wants to show non-Christians where Christians find hope. Her video contains testimonies from several other international students. For example, Emmanuel talks about the importance of having “confident trust” in God in order to have hope.

COVID Hits Home

Last week, we had an extremely difficult week. I (Naomi) was sick with headaches, body aches, and fatigue, and I am still recovering. We had an agonizing 6 days of waiting, praying, worrying, social distancing, masking in our own home, trusting the Lord, and worrying some more before my COVID test finally came back negative. Praise God!

Please pray for Austin (and other cities in Texas). Things are really bad. Our mayor said, “We frankly don’t have enough testing capability and the tests are not coming back quickly enough.” Hospitals are near capacity.

Zack and I got a taste of the agony that families affected by COVID are feeling, being separated from their loved ones. Pray that Jesus would reach down into the pain and worry of the families being affected by this terrible disease.

Upcoming

Our training video, for a tool called Conversation Art Cards, will be published soon. This tool is a pack of 25 cards featuring great works of art from around the world. Each piece of art is matched with topics for a discussion along with stories from the Bible. The cards are built to promote thoughtful discussion, spiritual reflection and friendships across all cultures.

Praise Reports

• Naomi tested negative for COVID, and the rest of our family stayed healthy.
• Joke and many other students from Africa are being bold in sharing their faith online.

Prayer Requests

• Healing for Naomi, from whatever she is sick with.
• Joke’s gospel preaching would reach students who feel hopeless in this season.
• Texans would make wise decisions to protect each other.
• Conversation Art Cards would spark cross-cultural gospel conversations.