Hill Country Fall Retreat
Imagine 310 students from 39 countries packing out a room in rural Texas. That was the scene at our ministry’s Hill Country Fall Retreat. We had the highest number of students ever attend. This was largely due to a huge influx of students from South Asia––the majority of which were seekers.
(Pictured below: Students attending the evening main session where they clearly heard the gospel.)
We also had a greater amount of spiritual warfare than ever before. As I (Naomi) led the prayer team for HCFR, it was clear there is a spiritual battle for the souls of these students.
Family Effort
We are so thankful to have our kids involved in ministering to internationals. Cassia and Paxton enjoyed playing games and interacting with the students, and the students loved talking with them (righthand header picture). Students who I never got to meet said hello to Paxton.
Annalei joined the retreat as a student and brought her friend, Aida, with her. Aida had never experienced anything like a Bridges event and was so excited to meet students from all over the world. Both girls spoke truth into their discussion group, which was a mix of seekers and believers. Aida shared the gospel with a South Asian student, “Susie,” in the craft room (picture below, right). It was Aida’s first time to share the gospel cross-culturally.
Miah joined a discussion group led by a student from UT, who said, “It’s my great pleasure to know Miah, and she made great contributions to the table.” The final talk was on the topic of Jesus’ divinity. During discussion time, Miah shared the gospel with her group! One South Asian student, “Judy,” thought very deeply about what Miah shared. On the whole, our family made great connections with students from UT.
The Lord opened a door for me (Naomi) to have a spiritual conversation with a South Asian, “Debbie,” in the craft room (lefthand header picture, center). She is very open and said she was exploring Christianity. I also met her best friend, “Mary,” who is a new believer. The staff from her campus said “She’s on fire! She invites [South Asians] all the time to Bridges and loves praying for people.”
Knee Injury
Unfortunately, Zack couldn’t make it to the retreat. A week prior, he tore his PCL while coaching Paxton’s baseball team. We are praising God that his knee does not require surgery, but this injury has been painful and has limited his ability to drive and walk. Please pray for quick healing for Zack.
Praise Reports
• 148 Seekers and 162 Believers were engaged in spiritual discussions at the HCFR.
• The gospel was proclaimed clearly to the seekers by Bridges staff and Christian students like Aida and Miah.
• Mary is a new believer, and her friend Debbie is very open.
Prayer Requests
• God would bring South Asians like Susie, Judy, and Debbie into His kingdom
• We could build relationships with the UT students we met.
• Quick healing of Zack’s torn PCL, and an extra measure of strength for Naomi in this season.