The DePauw Missions Challenge was a five-month, twenty person endeavor to pray that God would raise up missionaries, strengthen our persecuted brothers and sisters, save the unreached around the world, give us as individuals a passion for missions, and bring the international students to Christ through revival. Though we largely prayed individually and not all remembered to pray consistently, I do believe that God opened doors and answered prayers. Below is a summary I wrote in an e-mail at the Challenge’s conclusion.

God has opened many doors in the past five months. Bibles have been given to international students in their own language (at least two in Vietnamese, 12+ in Chinese, and others are in the works). A young Chinese believer was baptized at Cornerstone. DePauw Intervarsity was featured in the New York Times, an article that’s led to multiple gospel discussions. Two students have expressed interest in long-term medical missions. 5+ international students came to church for the first time in their life. The interfaith curry night grew to 30 people, many of whom heard the gospel for the first time (we hope to have a larger one in April). Many seeds were planted, and many tears shed. The other stories–prayers that affected the unreached and our persecuted brothers and sisters–we won’t likely hear until heaven. But God is good, and we’re blessed through our obedience.

The DePauw Missions Challenge was a blessing. I hope that events like this continue at DePauw and other universities, as they have since America’s founding (Read about the Haystack Prayer Meeting). In the end I am most comforted by God’s command and promise in Psalm 46:10.  Our God will be true to his word.

Greek at NW – Rebecca from InterVarsity-twentyonehundred on Vimeo.

I am studying abroad this summer in Kenya and working with a ministry here called HEART’S WEEP. They minister to 19-40 year old women who have AIDS/HIV who have been completely ostracized from their society by the enormous stigma associated with this disease. Abused and abandoned by their husbands, disowned by their communities, these women have worked together to completely turn their lives around, as well as the lives of their children (some of whom are HIV-positive as well.) Banding together to overcome the immense shame and degradation they lived through, they are now all on ARVs (anti-retroviral drugs) and have learned to sew school uniforms and other goods, which they sell for a profit. Some of the women could barely move and were expected to die any minute when they arrived at our doorstep, but now they are strong and healthy enough to dance and sing songs of praise with us…truly an inspiration. A lot of them told us that they were never expecting to live to see the year 2009, but now they all have so much faith and hope for the future. Maureen, who is 19 with two kids (one 4 years old) used to be so frail and so embarrassed/ashamed that she would hardly uncover her face or mutter a word. Today she stood up, and while still timid, smiled and introduced herself to us, sharing her awesome story. The women find out about the program because they see their friends lives transformed. When they ask these women what happened and how they look so great the women involved with our program bring them to the HEART’s WEEP center in Kibera, Kenya to see for themselves. One woman’s family had sent her away and literally bought her a coffin as they were just waiting for her to die…unimaginable. Today she is strong and is able to raise her children, make money, and empower other women as well. The women have become so strong that HEART’s WEEP just started a program called PROPS (Parent Rescue Orphan Prevention Strategy) where certain women are trained at the HEART’s WEEP center to become counselors to other women, because if we can help the parents fight AIDS and keep them alive, we will be preventing children from becoming orphans in the first place. From the moment I met the these women, they were constantly hugging me, shaking my hand, and thanking me for everything, even though they have done it all. They have come to God through HEART’s WEEP, they pray together, and their prayers have truly been answered…their prayers have saved their lives. And I get to see all of this happen right in front of me and be part of it. I know this summer will change my life forever. I am amazed at what God is doing over here. It makes me realize once more that God wants to use me in whatever situation he puts me in. This coming Fall I am excited to begin serving as a leader for Greek IV and to help transform the Greek system at UVA for Christ. God is moving in me this summer and I can’t wait to see how I will get to use this new found passion for my faith and the skills I am learning over here in Africa this summer this coming Fall.

Click here to read more about HEART