this is what we pray for. this is what we live for. mmmmmm

so this week, i have been praying that NJCF “returners” would have hearts that are genuinely excited to reach out to new students this week… and that they’d step out and reach out.

that when they come back from a summer that grew them, when they came back from missions where their hearts were set aflame, a summer where they rested and restored for the plunge of being a campus missionary, whatever it is that God had used their summer for, that they would be ready and on fire and pumped to serve.

Jesus, why am i so surprised when you answer? thank you for showing the fruit of our prayers so evidently. its sweeet sauce.

jess cheng i have seen literally transform before my eyes. last year, quiet, shy, helpful, but not necessarily engaging. showed up, sweet, and spent alot of time with homework. alot of ‘i don’t know’s’ and ‘maybe’s’.

this year, thursday morning, bam she’s there. helps move people’s stuff all morning, despite being winded and maybe not as strong as she’d hoped. monday night. bam, she’s there. signs up to do follow up and lollanobooza.

tuesday, bam, she’s there. she picks up brochures and magnets and goes, “okay so what do i say?” nice! while other people talked amongst themselves she was ready to be pro-active.

minutes later she’s off starting conversations.

wednesday night, bam, she’s there. says hi, and makes her way to meet new friends. i glance around occasionally from behind the table or running out to buy more stuff, i see plenty of people talking with their friends, but each time i see her with someone new or at least someone not already her friend. comfortable, easy, her heart in it.

come home, and derouv tells me that jess cheng loved going out to do follow up. and so she’s doing more again thursday. then i talk to her, just to tell her how encouraged i’ve been, and she says

‘it was so much fun meeting the freshman! i cant wait to do follow up again ‘ ‘yeah yeah. i was kind of scared before, because i dont really knwo how to talk to people i dont know, but jessica chesney was tehre with me so it went by a lot better’ ‘yeahhhh! and it was less scary knowing that they specifically asked for information. and sometimes other people would be in there too, and they’d learn about njcf too! it was cool. the first guy we went to, like even beore we walked in he was playing mighty to save on his guitar and i was like… yeahhhhhhh. it made things a lot easier. i really want to like step up more than i did last year. like, i think missions really reminded that i cant just believe in God, i have to be his servant too… and follow up was so much fun!’

wow and my prayer was that people would come back from their summer, from missions, from wherever they were, and get pumped to share and step out in faith.

ummmmm hello_awesome_testimony.