Freedom Within (La Liberte)

A few weeks ago, our team had the opportunity to welcome, Hannah Booth, a fellow Grand Valley alumni, and current staff member with Jesus Film Media.  While she was here, she showed us a culturally relevant way we could initiate spiritual conversations with students by using our mobile devices.   

We've been showing this video called La Liberte (only 5 mins long and totally worth the watch!) and then asking students what their thoughts are.  So far we've had some really positive results!  My last post about the great conversation that I had while initiating with a dutch student occurred while we were using this tool!

One of the things that this video does really well is it illustrates the natural human desire to help others after we've been helped ourselves.  I often find myself telling students that, I'm here to be the guy who points the other guy in the direction of freedom, because I've been freed myself.  From my experience this seems to sit better with dutch students who are have no desire to explore Christianity for themselves.  I've really enjoyed using this new tool, and I'm sure we will be using it more in the future!

Making progress towards the goal!

Our team's long term goal is that by five years from now there will no longer be a need for American staff workers to come to Tilburg anymore, because the ministry here will be completely sustained by Dutch staff workers and student volunteers.  

While on campus yesterday, I had the opportunity to conduct survey's with a Dutch student named Gijs (pronounced hice).  He's a great guy and he is really wanting to share his faith with his peers on campus!  I lead the first conversation, which didn't amount to any interest.  So then it was Gijs' turn to lead; something he'd never done before!  

A picture of Gijs!

We went up to 3 different people who all told him they weren't interested in talking to us, and I could tell he was getting a little flustered.  After a small suggestion, he initiated another conversation with a dutch student named, Carl.  Carl said he would do our survey, and so we took our seats.  After chatting with him for a bit, he told us that he hadn't felt completely free since his mother died a few years ago.  And that as a result of her suffering he didn't believe in God anymore.  We told him that we had found complete freedom before and that it is found in Christ.  And that we would love to share more about that with him if he wanted us to.

I could tell that Carl was deeply moved by our offer, and he said he was going to consider taking us up on it!!!  We gave him our contact information and now you and I get to pray that he follows through.

Even if we never that great conversation with Carl, the step that Gijs took yesterday was very significant!  We often quote Bill Bright and say that "success in evangelism is by faith taking the initiative in the power of the Holy Spirit to share the Gospel, and leaving the results up to God."  Gijs did exactly that in his four times today.  Three times people said no, and one said yes, but even if he got 12 no's he still would have been successful.

It is also really exciting for me to see Gijs step out in faith like he did, because he was the first male student at Tilburg University to do that.  We are hoping and praying that he is just the beginning.  And that soon we will have more and more students sharing their faith, giving Jesus more notoriety and hopefully a second thought from these spiritually apathetic students.

A Student's Perspective...

Here is the facebook status from a PhD student here in Tilburg from October 17 written after he joined us in practicing one of our evangelism tools called Soularium.  It's really encouraging!!!!

"I have been thrilled by what I have experienced today. It is not that I visited the planet Mars nor it is because I greeted a dinosaur. Far from it! It was just an ordinary day bound within the rising of sun and its setting. In the ordinary, however, there was something that made it different, extraordinary people. It was anecdotal evidence that what matters ultimately in life is relationship, both with God and People. It is not that they fetched a lot out of life as they turn gray amassing wisdom from everyday interaction, painfully learning from experience the hard lessons of life. They were indeed young and energetic American missionaries who are enthusiastic to share, the relationship they have experienced with their Lord. Their approaches were indeed ingenious. You cannot help but be overwhelmed by the love they have to the Lord and their attempt to make God at the very center of life. Their communication is a simple love that cannot be misunderstood.

In the interactions that I have they do not pretend “I have figured it out” mentality rather openly admit the fact that life is full of dazzling complexities. They are full of faith, not in the sense that they are sure of what is ahead (the customarily static understanding of faith as cognitive assurance), but in trusting the Lord (faith as dynamic relationship where at times an honest doubt being a means of refining it) even in the midst of confusions. Their friendship is not closed rather embracing, the invitation is extended generously.

In a sort of a creative game, a kind of projective test, we talked about our spiritual Journey. We all were presented to choose pictures from. In terms of representation the pictures range from concrete realities to abstractions. Indeed the pictures were a sort of stimuli or windows towards deeper understanding of self and God. At times we did not even know exactly why we have been attracted to the picture but once we picked it up quite an impressive insights unfold in a very fragmented manner.

The reflections were characterized by honesty with the spirit of openness among brothers and sisters. It was indeed a deeper introspection and of all we dare to share them even if they are not stories of victory. We have seen in our weakness also the presence of the Lord. In the stories told God always comes to the center. It was indeed an encouragement. After it I felt experiencing a true fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ. It is my prayer for all of us to exhibit such a character and be a blessing to the people around us. It was indeed a blessing day and blessed individuals were the reasons to realize that."