When Jacob was trying to decide what college to attend, he made a conscious decision to attend a secular university. I remember going on a walk with him around the neighborhood when he was trying to decide where to go to school. He said that he felt his faith would be more authentic and intentional on a secular campus. The Lord seemed to be leading him to the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), and that is where he enrolled. Since starting school this fall, he has gotten involved with the Chi Alpha campus ministry. Right before getting baptized, Jacob shared a brief testimony at the church, which he has given me permission to share:
When I was six years old, my family moved to Papua New Guinea to become missionaries. Growing up, I was surrounded by the Christian faith, and it was honestly all I had ever known. I had always considered myself a Christian. I went to church every Sunday with my family and read the Bible and prayed occasionally. But my faith never really felt like my own; it was more a product of my environment. When I graduated from high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, so I took a gap year and then completed two years of community college. After completing the first half of my gap year, my family returned to Papua New Guinea, and I didn’t see them for eighteen months. That was one of the hardest times of my life. I didn’t go to church much and struggled greatly with loneliness, lust, anxiety, and depression. I sought the validation of others and grew tired of feeling like I wasn’t good enough. When my parents came back to the States, we started going to a church called New Community, where I joined a small group and made some friends. I felt like my faith was growing, but I still struggled with the same things. Near the end of last semester, I was introduced through a family friend to some people involved with the Chi Alpha ministry at Pitt because I needed a place to live near campus. I started going to the early Friday morning worship gatherings at the Chi Alpha house and ended up moving in to the Chi Alpha house this semester. At a Chi Alpha worship night, the pastor asked everyone who wanted to accept Jesus to come up to the front to receive prayer. I went up and accepted Jesus into my life. I have decided to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior and to live my life for him, and I want to take the next step in my faith journey by getting baptized.
We are so proud of Jacob, and we can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for him as he continues his involvement with the Chi Alpha ministry at Pitt. Please pray for him as he lives out his faith.
Bella's Trip to Indonesia
In January, Bella will be participating in a service-learning opportunity through her college, Taylor University. The team she is going with will be sharing the love of Christ through English teaching in several Indonesian cities. Indonesia has 275 million people and is 85 percent Muslim. Students on this trip will have the opportunity to teach English as a Second Language (TESOL) in Christian schools, Muslim schools, and Hindu schools and to be a light for Christ in all those places. They will partner with an International School and a mission organization that has been serving in Indonesia for over 75 years. Please pray for Bella and her team as they prepare for this trip. Pray that God will work in and through them to build relationships and be a light to those who don't know Christ. Each team members has a fundraising goal that they need to meet in order to participate. To learn more about Bella's trip and how you can be involved, please click here.
Prayer Requests
Please continue to pray for Martha's visa application to be approved in a timely manner. We expect the approval to come around December 1. We are scheduled to fly to Papua New Guinea on January 4. If Martha's visa is not approved in time, Asher and I will still go to Papua New Guinea on January 4 and Martha will join us as soon her visa is approved, but we would prefer to travel together as a family and not be separated. Please also continue praying for rain in Papua New Guinea. The drought has become a national crisis as rivers are drying up and farms are failing. (Click here to read more about the drought.)
