Prayer Request

Before we arrived, the Orthodox priests were making a fuss with Darin and the Kompas classes. They handed out fliers saying Kompas (Campus Crusade for Christ) was a sect and students should not attend the English classes. Darin talked to them and they seemed OK with the classes. They even said they'd write an article for their newspaper (or some publication ... details are sketchy what they intended). But everything was fine.

Last night a student in one of the classes was real nervous and getting a lot of calls on her "mobile". It was her parents saying she should not be in the class. Apparently there is a rumor and maybe some radio ads saying Kompas is a sect and anyone involved with them will be kicked out of the university and lose their flat.

The threats don't seem like they could be carried out, but the terrorist tactics may work regardless. So please pray that students would not give into fear and doubt but that they will be steadfast and continue with the classes and will attend the weekend retreat. Please also pray that the seed being sown will fall on good soil and that those with thorny or rocky soil will allow the Spirit to work in them and remove the barriers to eternal life.

Also, please pray for the retreat; aka. Forrest Fun Party. Pray that all the students will come and have a good time and get connected with Kompas and with a Stint-er who will follow up with them in the coming year.

I have been with these same students for 2 weeks now and the relationships and changes are awesome. At first there is a "formal" relationship that progresses with time into a real friendship. When we invited students to dinner at the beginning, they would resist or only order a drink or insist on paying their own bill. But yesterday we (Lindsay and Rodney) took our group to Morretti's and the students were picking out pizzas, drinks, everything. They freely accepted our offer to treat them. This shows me that they accept us as friends and we are past the formalities! I can't wait to see what this next year brings in their lives, God is certainly doing a good work here in Ekat.

Thank you to everyone that came and to everyone that gave so that we could be here!

-- 
Rod
http://nbc2ekat.blogspot.com/
http://iwanttokeepanon.blogspot.com/