Zack and Naomi Russell

Hungry for God

“Would you be interested in reading the Bible?” Brianne asked.

“Maybe,” said Juan (pictured above, left).

Brianne, a Bridges staff member in the Bay Area had just met Juan, a student from El Salvador. The Bridges team had set up a large world map on campus. When students passed by, Brianne and her teammate would ask them to place a sticker on their country of origin, and then ask them about their hometown. Through these conversations, Brianne would ask students like Juan if they wanted to join a Bible Study.

Juan told Brianne that his grandmother was a Christian, but he considered himself an atheist. He never had learned that much about the Bible, though, so a seed of curiosity was planted. A few months later, the Bridges team started up a Bible Study. Brianne remembered Juan’s “maybe,” and invited him to that first meeting. He attended every week after that (pictured above, right).
“He asks the deepest questions as we read God’s Word and is always hungry for more knowledge about God,” Brianne says. Juan has also attended church with Brianne and her husband, David. Please pray that the seed being planted in Juan’s heart find good soil.

Welcoming New Students

Thousands of new students are arriving in the U.S. right now; many have never left their home countries before. Our fellow Bridges staff are working hard to welcome these students, serve them in practical ways, and invite them to weekly events like Bible studies and socials. These next few weeks are a critical time for Bridges teams to build momentum. It is also typically an exhausting time. Pray for significant connections and stamina for our staff.

Here is a list of some Bridges welcome events. Please pray that God would lead our staff to spiritually open internationals (just like Juan):

8/18: U. of Texas Sunset Dinner Cruise
8/19: Houston City Tour and Welcome Party
8/19: Kansas State Welcome Picnic
8/26: Kansas State Kayaking Event
9/1: Philadelphia Welcome Party
9/1: Washington DC Metro Welcome Party

Back to School

Our kids just had their first day of school! We are building up the Christian community that was formed last year through the Cru High School club and Moms In Prayer group at their school. God has already given us divine appointments connecting us with Christian families. Please pray for more.

Publishing Progress

During July, I (Zack) traveled to St. Louis for Realm Makers, the annual conference for Christian writers of fantasy and science fiction (pictured below). I pitched my sci-fi novel to three publishers at the conference, and two have shown interest. The story is about a detective and scientist who battle a research lab that’s experimenting on a captured angel.

Upcoming

The National Bridges prayer team will be supporting our campus staff in prayer. We will have 21 Days of Prayer from 8/21 – 9/19, over Zoom. Naomi will get to lead a few of these prayer times, which she greatly enjoys.

Praise Reports

•Juan is seeing truth in God’s Word.
•God has raised up hundreds of Bridges staff and volunteers to reach out to International Students here in the U.S.
•Two publishers have shown interest in Zack’s novel.

Prayer Requests

•Juan would place his faith in Jesus very soon.
•Stamina for Bridges campus staff in this busy season.
•God would give divine appointments at every campus that Bridges has a presence.
•Spiritually-open students would attend Bridges events.
•Zack’s book to get published.

The True Dao

Zisong is a Chinese student involved with Bridges at UC Irvine. I (Zack) met him at our Vision conference and had the honor of filming the story of how he went from a lost student to a passionate laborer for Christ. There are quotes from the video below, and you can watch the whole thing below:

“I grew up atheist. I don’t know anyone who actually believe any kind of God. Within communism taking over China, all the religion is considered superstition. People worship science, money, or themselves.

“I grew up never thinking about this until age 19. My mom at that time got chronic cancer. I began to think, what is life really about? Is there even meaning behind this?

“In college, we have a professor there studying Daoism, and he seems to be convinced about that. And I really dig into that. There’s some part really make sense, but as a whole, it’s very blurred picture. It’s bringing me a new picture of human being and this whole world. It’s not substance alone, it’s not material alone. There’s something beyond that. But I never got to the point to confirm there’s God.

“The first time I came to America, and there’s a lot of culture shock. I was like, ‘Why have I come here?’ That time I met Bridges staff and she said many thing about Bridges, I only remember two words, ‘free food.’ I found these people so nice to me. They so love me, so care about me. And they invited me to Bible study and I was like, ‘no, I’m not going to do that.’

“Spiritually, I was never satisfied. I got lost. I just got more anxious. And when I go to [Bridges], they really listen to you and physically care about you. I feel peace among them. I was always pushed to be number one. But here a bunch of people, they don’t care which number you are.

“That impressed me. I was like, this is not just a religion. These people have something they deeply believe. Something deep inside as a power to support them to do this. That’s something I never found in this world.

“I began to read Bible by myself. That’s very hard. I don’t even know which book should I begin with. But fortunately I registered for Vision Conference. And then they bring me to the gospel of John. I was a very naughty sheep, and I was lost. I never knew I have a shepherd. And that moment, the love of Christ made sense to me.

“The moment I follow Lord I got a conviction: I have to share this to my countrymen. The Lord brought me through a lot of training. Bridges staff helped me go through evangelism. I got an invitation to teach in a seminary for the rural area of China. Missionaries who go to China, usually they go to urban area. The rural area is poor, it’s harder, transportation is not good, but the majority of church is there and they need the same God, same teaching as we do. They don’t know English, but I know. So I’m translating all the things I have learned.”

Reaching Beyond China

Zisong’s story has so encouraged us, because he perfectly embodies our vision of lost international students being transformed into laborers for Christ. I talked to him recently and he said he recently led a Middle-Eastern student to Christ and baptized him. This student works as an Uber driver and now shares the gospel with his passengers, most of them American, and all of them stunned!

Steps of Faith

Miah did an evangelism training with two of her peers from school (pictured in the header) These middle school gals were unable to attend the training that Naomi conducted. We are so proud of Miah as she has stepped out in faith this year, sharing the gospel with her peers. Then for the first time, she taught others how to do the same!

FAMILY UPDATE

This summer, Annalei and Miah will be attending a national theater conference.
Zack will attend a Christian Fiction Writer’s conference to pitch his novel to a literary agent for publication.

PRAISE REPORTS

God brought Zisong from Atheist to seminary teacher.
Zisong led a Middle-Eastern friend to Christ, who is sharing Jesus with others.
Miah did her first evangelism training with friends!

PRAYER REQUESTS

God would protect Zisong’s virtual training of rural pastors in China and protect the churches led by these pastors.
The Lord would continue to use the Middle-Eastern friend to boldly proclaim the gospel.
God would open doors for Annalei, Miah and their peers from school to share their faith.

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.