“He dwelled among us.” That was the theme this year at Urbana in St. Louis, Missouri the last week of the year. Seventeen thousand college students unpacked the first four chapters of John together through discussions, worship, and large and small group sessions. They saw how Jesus came and lived in their neighborhood, got dirty feet, and identified with us in our sinful condition. These students were challenged to move into the neighborhoods of those who don’t yet know Christ.
I was privileged to join 26 others from WorldVenture and dialogue with students about what God was doing in their hearts. For some, they just needed to talk it out and pray. For others, WorldVenture will be the organization that will help these young missionaries accomplish God’s purposes for their lives. I left Urbana blessed and encouraged having seen students desiring to dwell among people who needed to hear about Jesus.
Daily Toil
I have to remind myself that it takes a long time to prepare to relocate permanently. I am choosing to savor the time that I am here. I’ll come back to recharge for 9 months, but that will only happen every four years.
A month ago I told that to my niece, Anika. Her first grade brain did the math, so on Christmas morning she said to me, “Uncle Jonathan, then next time you see me I’ll be a fifth grader.” It’s moments like this that it hits me hardest.
Harvest
Twenty years ago, our family began hosting exchange students from Guatemala. Rodolfo, our first, knew who Jesus was and even agreed to go to church with us, but he never expressed an interest in following Christ for the 3 months he lived with us.
Five years passed. Rodolfo found the Bible our family had given to him, and he asked Jesus to be his Lord and Savior.
Today, Rodolfo is a pastor at one of the largest churches in Guatemala City. His church has been active in outreach and church-planting, participating in the salvation of thousands of Guatemalans.
Sitting in our living room with his wife, Rodolfo told his story of how he first saw Christ in our family. “Thank you for sharing,” he said as he handed us each a custom-made hooded sweatshirt saying, “20 years of Sharing.” We had trouble keeping dry eyes as he showed us the DVD he had made of the lives that had been touched through his ministry.
“Like Christ dwelling among us,” Rodolfo said, “you lived out your lives and shared them with me. Thank you.”
KARO Classroom
URBANA09
Timeline
1877: Students gather to study the Bible and pray at the University of Cambridge, UK. InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is formed.
1928: InterVarsity sends Howard Guinness as a missionary to Canada to raise up evangelical student groups. Within 10 years numerous campuses in Canada and the US had Christian Fellowships.
1946: Five hundred seventy-five students from 151 schools gather at the first Missions Conference in Toronto, Canada.
1948: The Missions Conference attracts 1,331 students from 254 schools and is held on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
2009: Over 17,000 students gather to experience how God dwelled among us, in St. Louis, MO.
KARO Trivia:
Where was the first Urbana Missions Conference held in 1946?
A. Urbana, Iowa
B. Urbana, Illinois
C. St. Louis, Missouri
D. Toronto, Canada
The answer will be on the next newsletter. (It might even be on this one. How carefully did you read?)
Last issues newsletter: What fraction of the world are oral communicators (people who can’t, don’t, or won’t learn through literate means)?”
A. 1/10
B. 1/3
C. 2/3
D. 9/10
The answer is C.