weekend.

2.26.10

+leaving the hospital early friday evening, I stepped into the elevator and a guy asked me where the nearest pepperjax was. his girlfriend needed the special ranch sauce they serve. he was very kind, we introduced and I tried to help him out. as we parted ways at the parking garage I handed him a tract. he seemed very grateful, and shocked that I would give him something. he was very kind and I trust he read the tract, and I hope he shared it with his girlfriend, along with her ranch.

+on my way back to campus, I picked up some ice cream for the night at bag'n'save, and handed one to my cashier, Lea.

2.27.10

+after church a very generous friend bought me a meal at wendy's. I had not given out my tract yet for the day so I handed it to an older couple sitting in a booth eating their food.

2.28.10

+me and a friend went to hy-vee to pick up some juice. I left a tract with our cashier, Phil.

yup, still going!

2.23.10

+made another trip to the bank and left my million dollar deposit with Kat. she was a very enthusiastic girl and was excited about getting to keep the tract. after, I stepped next door into the bag'n'save to grab something quick. I left a tract with my cashier, Jessica.

2.24.10

+a friend and I stopped at mcdonalds and we left a tract with our cashier, her name was also Jessica. she started reading it right as I handed it to her.

2.25.10

+my brother took me to dinner at chipolte tonight. I left a tract with the man who made our delicious chicken tacos.

my soul cries out.

2.21.10

+on my way to meet up with my friend to head to our all church baptism, I passed a tract to a girl in the mav village walkway (definitely becoming a favorite spot for me!) she had a black jacket on with a NE emblem. she kindly accepted it with a smile.

2.22.10

+test today. I'm never the first to finish. if anything I try to stay the longest and use all the time I can, to check my work. today however, I finished 2nd! hope I did good...anyway, there is an older gentlemen in this class and he finished 1st. we kind of walked out together and he just started talking to me about the test. then I asked him about his major, he was in the military (woot!), etc. he liked to talk-but that's ok! we started walking out and as we were going to part ways I handed him the dollar bill tract. he stopped and glanced at it, and then said he would read it. I told him if he wanted, he could tell me what he thought about it next time we have class. so far, every time I say this no one brings it up again. so we'll see!

+me and my friend met up, but while I was waiting for her on a bench a girl was sitting next to me. she was mad because the doctor at health services wasn't in and she thought she had strep. I gave her a tract and told her I hope she feels better soon! as I walked away and turned to go up the stairs I could see her reading it.

+we talked to a guy and girl, they were christians and the guy had been to the rock a few times.

+then we met Shawna. she was very kind but as soon as we asked her if she knew where she was going she said, "are you christians?" she then told us about how she practices wicca. my heart sank. I honestly do not know much about this religion, but I do know that they are so lost. the more she told us the harder it was. it's just all based on twisted truth. sometimes I feel like there is no hope for girls like her, but she said one thing at the end, and that was that she didn't completely have it all figured out yet. we encouraged her to keep looking. I know God is way more powerful than I can imagine. I pray she stops believing the devil's lies, and turns to Christ's truths.

Matthew 9:36

When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

I am OK with snow.

2.19.10

+we have had a ton of snow these days, but this day, I was particularly grateful for a little more snowfall. as I was coming back to work after my lunch break, there was a man shoveling snow outside of the clinic I work at. I told him thanks for all his hard work and then handed him a tract. he didn't look up very long but took it with an "okay." I pray he read the tract.

2.20.10

+dad and I spent the day together, he is the custodian for the church that I grew up at and I tagged along to help. he took me to lunch after (what a great dad!) and we went to popeye's (his favorite). as we ordered, my fingers fished for my pocket tract but there wasn't one! I frantically kept searching in there hoping one would just appear, and it didn't. I must have left them in the car. I told dad and he said, well, I do have to make one more stop...perfect! so we enjoyed our lunch and then we headed over to the cleaning store to get vacuum bags. I gave a tract to the nice man who checked us out. later, my college group went to the amazing pizza machine, UNO was having a free pizza/games deal. it was a blast and me and a friend had a tract and gave it to a dude playing one of the games. I asked him to read it before he went to bed and he said, "sure!" the pizza was amazing, but God is even more amazing and I pray these people come to know that truth.

routes.

2.18.10

+again, another long day without actually handing out a tract. my friend dropped me off outside the back of my building tonight. all of the sudden, I look to my right, and this girl was walking right beside me. okay, God! I just said hi, she very nicely said hi back, and I said, "can I give you something? the message inside this little booklet changed my life and I like to share it with others. just read it before you go to bed tonight." she seemed surprised but very gratefully said thank you. then I turned into my building to call it good for the night. it's funny because earlier today I actually took a different route then normal on the way back to my dorm from class, just to switch things up, but I ended up not giving one. then God came through tonight, and planted that girl right there, in front of my home.

power of prayer.

2.17.10

+I had it on my mind all day today, my eyes peeled for the prime opportunity to give out my tract. well. it came to the end of my day, and I still hadn't given one out. I had actually tried giving one to a lady standing by herself outside of our rec center earlier, but as I handed it to her she asked me, "christian?" "I said yes I am..." she responded by saying, "me, too-God bless!" and handed the tract back to me. I was kind of sad because I got my tract back, but then smiled because I met another christian! so anyway, back to tonight, I got home and put my coat and shoes back on, and headed out for a little prayer walk/looking for a person to give my tract to. I eventually turned the corner in the direction of the library and saw a girl quite a ways off on her phone. I prayed, "God, if she needs this message then I pray her conversation ends by the time we pass ways." sure enough, she hung up and I gave her the tract. I think I kinda freaked her out--she responded with an "okay." as I walked off I was just amazed at how quickly God answered that prayer. I pray He amazes her heart too.

Psalm 149:13

Let them all praise the name of the Lord. For His name is very great; His glory towers over the earth and heaven!

million dollar doughnuts.

2.16.10

+so I don't know what the deal is with my recent doughnut posts...but somehow it seems to be a theme! today I went to hy-vee to get a bunch of doughnuts for my residents tomorrow that will be attending my morning program. I explained to my cashiers why I was buying 4 boxes of doughnuts-they were super nice. I had to buy two separate orders because I was buying some things for myself as well, and needed to have two different receipts. well I got done paying and I gave both of them "million dollar" tracts. James was super excited and loudly claimed that he just got a million dollars. he also said, "the message really changed your life?!?!" I said, "yes! it did!" my sacker, Amanda was not as excited but she still took the fake bill. what was funny was that I started to leave with my cart but James came running after me telling me my UNO hy-vee card didn't work. the lady behind me in line must have been real confused seeing me try to pay with what looked like a fake credit card and fake million dollar bills...haha. we just ran the card again and all was well. but when I went back the million dollar bill peeking out of James's pocket caught my eye. would others see it and ask him about it too? will he share that message with his other co-workers? I pray they read the bills and that the message changes their lives too.

mouthy monday.

2.15.10

+I love mondays. tract giving is so exciting when you know you're guaranteed conversations! today was good. we first talked and gave a tract to Lizbeth. she was really willing to talk. she had a home church but we gave her a rock card with our tract and contact info. it seemed to brighten her day that we were interested in wanting to get to know her more and just be friends. our second conversation was with Casey. this was a quick one as she was a christian. we left her with a rock card. our last convo was with Elana & Nikki. Elana was a catholic and I don't know where Nikki stood, she didn't stay long but we gave her a tract when she left. however the convo with Elana lasted about 45 minuets. she had a very strong catholic background. she seemed pretty active in her faith and mentioned a lot about having that personal relationship with God. I'm still not certain if she is saved or not, but I do know that God knows her heart. we talked a bit on faith without works...I'm not sure if she really had a full grasp on grace, but I pray God makes that crystal clear. she had also mentioned during our conversation that she & Nikki had actually been approached many times by rockers/other organizations. she specifically didn't agree with the rock's approach of the christian faith on campus, but I often find it encouraging that we are a campus organization known for handing out gospel tracts or talking about Jesus. He's our focus for all we do. today was good. after talking I felt what I like to call a "spiritual high." I just love talking about HIM--especially with others that may not know Him personally.

Matthew 28:19-20

"Go therefore and make diciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

sunday morning doughnuts.

2.14.10

+my friend and I were raving about doughnuts last night on our way home from church and decided that we would go on a winchells run this morning for breakfast. we purchased our delicious chocolate covered doughnuts and handed Modesta a tract before we turned to pick out our booth. she seemed slightly confused but smiled and said thanks.

bucks at bucky's.

2.12.10
+this was another late-nighter tract. I arrived back at my dorm knowing I hadn't given one out yet. I hadn't checked my mail in a few days so I made a journey up to the clubhouse, praying again God would send me someone. no one on the way there. I got my mail, and then headed back. I made it all the way back to my dorm, and still no one! so I dropped my mail off, and then just went back out. I live on a college campus, there has to be someone awake at this hour! I just walked back through the main walkway, with two tracts in my pocket. then I saw them! two girls walked out of a building a little up ahead. I said excuse me and handed them both a tract, telling them the message inside changed my life. I do not know where they were headed off to that night, but I hope they thought about where they were headed to for eternity.

2.13.10
+on my way home to see my family and do laundry today, I needed to stop at my usual bucky's to fill up my car. normally, I just pay with my card so I never go in. but today, I still had that leftover cash in my wallet from that jacket I returned. woot! an excuse to go inside and hand out my tract! I went inside to pay my 25 bucks (don't you love it when you can get an exact number at the pump!?) and my cashier, Amy, asked me if there was anything else. I said, "actually, can I give this to you? the message inside changed my life and I like to share it with other people." she responded, "you bet! thanks!". she turned away and immediatly opened it to read it. I left smiling.

Psalm 119:111-112
Your laws are my treasure; they are my heart's delight. I am determined to keep Your decrees to the very end.

good night.

2.11.10
+something I've had to keep in check while doing this tract challenge is making sure my heart and motives stay right. I don't want this to become legalistic, something I just get done and check off my list, but I want it to be done out of love and obedience for Christ. today I didn't give my tract out until later into the night. I gave it to a resident named Emma. I trust God had me wait all day for that divine appointment to meet this particular girl.

everywhere & anywhere.

2.10.10

+the bathroom is a great place to give out tracts. you may be surprised to hear this, but this actually isn't the first time I've ever given one in the bathroom. (maybe I will tell you that story some other time...) anyway, today I was hanging up my coat on some hooks in the bathroom, and a nice lady came in. I hadn't given one out yet and I so I said, why not!? while the woman hung up her coat, I said hello and she took my tract and looked at it very curiously. she said confidently, "sure, I will read it." I appreciated her tone of voice. she then asked me how she would get it back to me and I just said she could keep it. I never expected people would want to give me back a little piece of paper, but for some reason that is a concern for them. it really is a Free Gift.

responding to emergencies.

2.9.10

+last semester I took a first aid course that it was required for my program. well, I passed (woohoo!) and got certified for CPR/AED. our really awesome official american red cross cards saying I am certified were ready to be picked up in my graduate assistants office. so, not having handed out a tract yet today, and walking from my class to the field house, I made a deal with myself that if my GA was there, I would give him a tract. so I get to his office (he's not there) and I see the envelopes that have our cards, I find mine and then turn to leave. well, from out of nowhere he came and we said hellos and then before I knew it my little "tract line" was coming out of my mouth, and I was pulling a tract out of my pocket! he just said thanks and I wished him a good day and then left. whew! that was scary, but by God's power Chris thought about heaven today.

+hung out with my mom today over my lunch break-she is so cool! before I left for work she generously gave me some money to get a coffee on the way. at first I felt bad because complained but then I truly was grateful, and she opened up another opportunity for me to give out a tract! yes! so I gave one to the man in the drive thru. no name tag, but I pray he turns his life to Christ.

Psalm 107:1-2

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others He has redeemed you from your enemies.

gospeling.

2.8.10
+it was a typical monday, my friend and I went "gospeling" today! we usually hit up the student center, but today we changed it up and headed over to the library. we introduced ourselves to Ashley, a freshman, made some small talk, and then jumped into the gospel. it was a good conversation, and we left her with a tract and a rock invite. during this convo, me and my friend were reminded of His perfect timing. Ashley told us at the beginning that she was waiting for her group to show up to work on a group project-they were late. we were able to share the gospel completely and when we were grabbing our coats to walk away, she was just getting a phone call from one of her group members, wondering where she was at in the library. how perfect. God allowed His word to go forth in just the right amount of time.
+we then went to the basement and sat with Jenna. she had a church background (something other than non-denominational, but I didn't know what it was) and seemed to be okay that she was only 90% sure she was going to heaven. she thought that one day she would be 100%, but it just wasn't the time. I don't think she completely understood grace, and that she felt like she had to do something. I tried to explain the urgency of my message to her, but not sure if it got across. I believe God is working in both of these girls hearts and I do hope they can both 100% claim that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
+also! I went to wal-mart on two separate occasions today. oh my. we left a tract with both of our cashiers, Tammee and Roxanne.

on duty for Jesus.

2.7.10

+on duty this weekend so I haven't left campus much. tonight I headed out for my first round of the evening and a girl in a red pea-coat caught my eye. I said, "excuse me, can I give you something? the message on the back of this changed my life and I like to share it with other people." she just smiled and said thanks. I walked on, but couldn't help looking back to see if she was reading it...she was! I prayed the message would change her life.

shopping with a purpose.

2.6.10

+the mall is a place you won't find me often, but today I made the journey there to finally return a fleece that I didn't need, and to give out my tract. sometimes I get really nervous going to places like the mall because I just feel overwhelmed with the opportunities to approach people, or simply just hand them a tract. as I passed the families, older couples, and young kids today I couldn't keep from wondering if they have Christ. are they living for something greater? or what are they living for? I made it to the counter at dick's and returned the fleece. after I received my change, I gave Megan a tract. she had the most excited expression I've seen yet! it was encouraging to see her smile and hear her genuine thanks. I hope she is encouraged by the tract today.

westside story.

2.5.10

+after taking my p&a examination today I found myself walking out with a girl in my class. I went to high school with Danielle (#2!) and have been praying for an opportunity to give her a tract, this was perfect! we talked about the test and then as we parted ways I handed her one. she had a two hour break before her lab so I'm hoping she read it. I played basketball and had classes with Danielle in high school, but we weren't in the same circle of friends. I am continually amazed at how, and who, God brings back into my life and I'm thankful for these opportunities. I pray God works through her heart.

one million dollar deposit, please.

2.4.10

+handed out another "random" tract to a girl as I walked back from class this morning.

+I had to close one of my accounts at the bank today. I thought it might be fun to leave one of my million dollar tracts there with Mary, who helped me out. she seemed very grateful for the 'money'. I hope she shared it/showed it to her coworkers.

+studying late into the night with a friend from class in the library cafe. she left for a moment and I decided to engage in conversation with the guy at the table next to us. he was studying his french as I handed him a tract. he read the cover and thumbed through the pages and then asked if I was from the rock. he then mentioned two of my friends and explained that he had a methodist background. my friend came back so we went back to studying, but as Franklin left a little later he said thanks again and wished me good luck on my test. it always amazes me at how gracious God is, he gives so many people second chances. why don't they turn to Him? I do not know where Franklin stands spiritually, but I hope he has Christ in his heart.

wednesday workout.

2.3.10

+today I was walking out of our rec center and the girl in front of me held the door for me. I told her thanks and then realized she was the girl I had noticed on the bike next to me while I was in the rec center. I proceeded to walk behind her, my fingers on my tract in my pocket. I finally felt led by the Spirit to say, "excuse me, can I give you one of these? the message inside changed my life and I like to share it with others." she took it and paused to look at it (!!!) and I asked if she had ever read one before. she said yes and that she used to attend a Bible study. I then asked her if she was ever interested in getting involved with one again and she said maybe. I told her about our college ministry, the rock, and she said she had been before and that she knew one of my friends! cool! I told her about our service tonight and that she should come back. I don't know if she has ever prayed to receive Christ, but I hope she is reminded again of His love today.

+as I continued to walk back to my dorm I wanted to give out another, this time hoping for someone who may not have ever read a tract. in passing I saw a guy from the building across from mine who helped us pull a "trash prank" once on a snow day so I decided to give him one. Brandon took it and said "thanks, I'll let you know what I think next time I see you." cool!

Proverbs 3:27

Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it's in your power to help them.

sword in my pocket.

2.2.10

+this last month I've gotten into the habit of sticking a tract in my coat pocket before I go anywhere. I've got to make sure I'm loaded up and ready for any opportunity God may provide! today I used my "coat pocket tract" and handed one to a girl I walked by. I think I startled/surprised her a little but she took it with a "thanks."

monday sandwiches.

2.1.10

+gave a tract to a previous classmate, Brian.

+my friend and I "have lunch" together in the student center on mondays. we sat by one girl named Jennifer and ate our pb&j's with her. we small talked and then she had to leave so we just handed her a tract as she left. we went and sat by another girl and had a really good convo with her and got to walk her through a tract. she was still working out a lot of past issues and trying to understand forgiveness and God's just character, but also seemed pretty set in her beliefs. I believe God is softly knocking on Stephanie's heart.