Everything Under the Sun

Hey yall. Im ending a very hard but good week. I am refreshed at the hard work that I put in and the rest that it is yet to come. Ive had lots of great conversations this week that I wanted to share with you.

The first was at a small community campus. My group of about 10 goes every Monday. We do surveys, pass out water, enter people in to Starbucks drawings, and just strike up conversation with students on campus. I had the opportunity to share the gospel with a girl named Christina. Her heart was really open to her some refreshing words that hadn't been explained to her in this way before. Surprisingly she has grown up in church and had never had it explained to her in that way. It reminded me of the necessity to preach the gospel to each other, not just to people who have not yet believed. We cant go to church and not hear the gospel, we'll miss the point and grow up never knowing. She hasn't chosen to give her life to the Lord just yet, but she is really open and has more questions for me. We exchanged numbers and are already in touch. Ill keep you updated on her.

Second, another girl named Christina that I met on the beach two nights ago (something about that name huh?). She was really upfront with me in that she is a believer but struggles with homosexuality. We spent some time talking about freedom in Christ, how is grace delivers us, and the potential that He has for her life. It was a great conversation, I really appreciated her authenticity with me.

Yesterday I spent some time at a local bicycle shop with my friend Andy. He is a hardcore vegan and so we both stand on our soap boxes (mine being Christ) and exchange words. Its alot of fun! My hope is that he will convert to Christianity and maybe Ill convert to being a vegetarian. Let me tell you, its gonna be just as hard to convince me to not eat meat as for him to accept the Lord (hope that makes sense). Im excited to chat with him. He makes me laugh and we enjoy our conversations. So yesterday I went in there and there was this other kid from Ireland named Killian, and another guy named Rob who is mostly likely the most stereotypical California man Ive ever met. Middle aged surfer, ridiculous blonde hair, alcoholic, tan leather skin, basically a beach bum. Nothing against him, we chum along just fine. He blows me away with the stuff he says though. Hes like something from a movie. So picture this. Me, Rob the surfer bum, Andy the Vegan, and Killian the hardcore agnostic = an hour and a half of incredible converstaion. We covered it all, surfing, drinking, Ireland's history, Catholicism, and the gospel. I will admit it was a reallllly hard conversation. Killian kept me on my toes. He is a philosophy and English major and he knows his stuff! His heart was so hardened it made me really sad. He was blown away by my beliefs in Creation, anti-abortion, Christ, you name it he was against my beliefs. But... I got a fresh look into the life of a kid raised in southern Ireland, as a catholic, who is a far cry from believing God, and his completely into the drinking scence. Hear me out, I dont judge him at all. I learned alot from him. I walked away from that two hours hair blown way back, heart broken for these lost "live for the moment" fellas, and a greater understanding of present day Ireland.

Praise God for these incredible encounters. All in one week! Thank you for being part in God's efforts to share the gospel. My heart is pleased to know that I am hear because God blessed me with you to have opportunities like these. Gods heart is for every people group: student, homosexual, vegan, drunkard, surfer, agnostic, and people like me- who struggle to rub shoulders with all of these. I LOVE IT!