God is at work in the hearts and lives of students at Sydney Uni! Throughout the semester so far, many non-Christians have attended small groups, read the Bible with a Christian, come to public meetings, and signed up for AnCon. Here are some of the encouraging stories emerging from across the EU’s faculties. Please join us in praying for these students specifically, that our Lord and Saviour would lead them to a saving faith in himself.

Business/Law: the first year grappling with suffering.

Howie Andrew got chatting to a first year, D, who had registered for AnCon as a ‘non-Christian’. He’s has just started going to uni church at UNSW and believes in the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection from the dead: and this has started making an impact on the way he lives (moving away from the secular Sydney Uni Business Society party culture to live faithfully under the Lordship of Christ). He still has some big doubts and had gone down a rabbit hole, investigating the Holocaust, and was wondering how a loving God could allow suffering or something like genocide to happen. Andrew shared some points from a sermon series John Dickson ran at his church on suffering, based on his book ‘If I were God, I’d end all the pain’.

Please pray for D, that he would know the Bible’s complementary but not contradictory truths that God is in control and that there is real evil in the world because of human sin (of which God is not an agent), and that God has entered into human suffering himself, dying on a cross, and has set a day when he will climactically defeat evil and wipe every tear from our eyes.

EU Post-Grads & Staff: the postgrads bringing believers and non-believers together.

In week 9 EPS had the first gathering of the Social Sciences Discipline Network for 2022. Discipline networks in EPS bring together staff and postgraduate researchers from the same discipline, less regularly than small groups, to enjoy fellowship, encourage one another, pray together, and think/discuss about how to incorporate faith into the particular discipline. They got to hear the testimony of a relatively new Christian, an exploring ‘not-yet but hopefully very close!’ Phd student, and just generally got to see postgrad students who’d been feeling quite isolated enjoy the company of Christians working in a similar space.

Health: the second year students with a bold prayer.

Second year Occupational Therapy students have been choosing not to sit with each other in class, so they can meet more non-Christians. Lots of good conversations and new friendships have resulted. Give thanks with us for the three second year Occupational Therapy non-Christians who have joined small groups so far. One student decided to pray that God will save half her cohort. With a cohort of 80, they are praying for God to save 40 second year Occupational Therapy students.

At a recent evangelistic Easter event, about 37 students attended, and three students indicated they would like to know more about Jesus. Give thanks for all the students who came together to make the event happen.

FOCUS: the international students discovering God’s word.

Y from Korea joined euFOCUS this year. At Discovery Bible Study with Ira, chatting through the messiness of life, Ira was able to share the gospel using the 3 Circles summary, and led Y in a Sorry-Thank you-Help Me prayer (which Brian had taught him the day before) to trust in and now live for Jesus. Praise God for another lost child who’s come home.

Student K also joined the Discovery Bible Study for the first time. She had boldly (and awkwardly!) joined some Senior Leader Training in ISL, asking ‘Are you studying the Bible? Can I study the Bible with you?’ and then proceeded to sign up to the EU, hear about all the opportunities to hear God’s word, met a Senior Student, and then started coming to the bible study. K asked about whether confession was just a heart feeling, or whether you need to make up for the wrong you’ve done. Taiwanese Christian first year student C shared the story of Zacchaeus with K, showing how repentance is a heart attitude and actions of restitution. Praise God for how he works in and through people.

ACES + the Con: the student with a bold request.

Student J decided in week 1 to message 5 of his non-Christian friends and ask them if they would like to hear him explain the gospel – but he didn’t expect for all 5 of them to say yes! J’s since met with each of them to explain the gospel, and when he asked them if they would be keen to hear more, again, all 5 said yes. So J has been reading the bible with some and chatting about questions with others. J was reminded that God is working in people’s hearts, but often we just don’t get to see it because we are hesitant to start the conversation. What an encouragement for us all to be bold!