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God's Surprising Work

Baptist Campus Ministries: Brad Simmons
Sunday, July 1, 2007

The past semester has been a roller coaster of emotions. It began with dozens of new students attending The Mission as a result of our service to them when they first arrived in the country. Many of these students knew nothing about Jesus and few of them had ever even met a Christian. Our Valentine's outreach "drovie" (drama/movie) attracted over 300 students where they saw a story of sacrificial love and then heard the story of Jesus' sacrificial love.

During spring break, fifty students went to Webster Conference Center for a two day retreat where they spent time together hanging out, worshiping, and studying the Bible. The fruits of that retreat would be seen a few weeks later at Easter when three students gave their lives to Jesus. The semester was drawing to an end and it looked as if it was going to end on a positive note.

Then, on May 9, one of the students was killed in a car accident. Ingrid Yepdjuo, a 16 year old girl from Cameroon who had dreams of becoming a doctor and treating the poor in her country, had been a part of The Mission since she first arrived 18 months earlier. Students from many organizations gathered at the hospital to pray and cry together, all knowing that Ingrid was now with Jesus. At the memorial service that was hosted by WSU, Ingrid's mom delivered a speech I will never forget. She said, "There are things worse than death, like living and not knowing what you're living for." Ingrid knew what she was living for, and her mom challenged the 200+ in attendance to live for what matters most, Jesus. At the end of the service, Ingrid's brothers gave their lives to Christ.

Though the ending was rough, the semester truly was great. To see God work in such surprising ways is always a blessing. Thank you for allowing me to serve these students and God in this way.