My son, Eli, recently got to go on a mission trip to New York City to do campus outreach among college students with CRU. Upon his return home, he sent out a trip recap to all those who had supported him with prayer and financial gifts. He shared a profound insight in his letter about trusting God for every step of the process. I asked him if I could share a portion of it with you here, and he said yes! Eli wrote,

The team and I got back from New York on Saturday, and our trip was incredible! We got to see the city, bond as a team, and witness the Lord’s faithfulness even in the busyness and bustle of such a crowded place. The overall structure of the trip had over 50 college students spread out over six college campuses to have spiritual and gospel conversations with the students there.

Some of the tangible fruits of our trip included nearly 800 conversations, over 100 of which included a presentation of the Gospel, and (best of all) we saw eight people come to faith in Jesus for their salvation and begin relationships with Him!! There is literally such a big party going on in heaven!! Thank you each so much for the prayers and support you gave to me and my team as we went and got to have this influence in NYC.

While those numbers are pretty cool, it is even more cool to think about how much God is doing behind the scenes without us even knowing about it. Please be praying that the seeds He allowed us to plant would take root and grow in ways that we know nothing of! My prayer is that one day you meet someone in heaven who says,”You know, I wouldn’t have met Jesus but for you sending Eli and his team to New York to talk to me about Him.”

Something that the Lord taught me this trip was a deeper lesson of FAITH. I especially got to see the connections between faith and evangelism. When we go to have spiritual conversations, we have to trust God for every step of the process:

  • For the opportunity to talk to someone.
  • For them to be open to having a conversation with a stranger.
  • For them to be receptive and open about what they believe.
  • For them to be interested in what we believe.
  • For them to listen to the Gospel and hear it presented.
  • For us to be given the right words to say so that we speak clear and compelling words of TRUTH.
  • For them to respond positively and hear the Lord beckoning them through us.
  • For God to keep them and grow them.

And if they don’t respond to our conversation then, we have to trust that God will not waste our efforts but that He will see His will done in the life of the person we just met.

From before the beginning to after the end of my part in evangelizing, faith is essential. Seeing faith as such a vital part of evangelism has also compelled me to look for the other parts of my life that I need to rely on the Lord for – even if it doesn’t seem obvious. Looking to God to meet my needs and lead me forward has been a big part of what I drew from this trip.

All this to say – thank you. Thank you for your faithfulness to pray and to give. Thank you for your generosity and faith. You had no idea what this could amount to if anything at all, yet you gave of yourselves to see it happen. May the Lord bless you. I pray that He leads you into this week even more full of faith than you were last week. Thank you so much for being my supporting and sending community. I love you all.

–Eli