Lessons from the Mission Field Applied on Campus, thanks to EU Graduates and ex Howie D and M.

The EU prepares to farewell D and M and their family to South Asia next month to keep serving God’s people there in church planting movements. Over the past three years they have sacrificially served euFOCUS (EU’s International Student Ministry) sharing their wisdom and experiences from the North Asian mission field.

We are very grateful that God used their unforeseen time here due to political pressure to help us reach the 33,000 international students at USYD.  They have helped us grow a God-sized vision, rely more deeply on Him in prayer, and become more confident and passionate gospel sharers and inquisitive discoverers of God’s word.

They particularly helped us to reframe our teaching strategies for multiplication, helping us to not just train students but to empower them to train others. As an example, an euFOCUS student Sophie* recently learnt how to share a gospel presentation called ‘three circles’ and was challenged to share it twice that week. She immediately shared it with her Christian friends at a small group bible study. Then two weeks later, D and I met one of these Christian friends unexpectedly, Elsie*, who was keen to join in sharing the gospel as she had learnt three circles from Sophie. We helped her practise it and challenged her to share it twice that week too.

The next week we heard that Sophie had been at the baptism of an euFOCUS student and was sharing three circles with the student’s Dad. Praise God that he empowered and emboldened Elsie to take up the opportunity to be a gospel sharer. It also demonstrates the potential of students training students training students training students. That is the power of multiplication.

Are you ready to share the gospel simply today? Can you train someone else to gospel share too?  Check out three circles at: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5W8ynRMr59k

Recently the euFOCUS staff team also had a special day of prayer for international students. We decided to walk around and visit the student accommodation buildings, where there are 1700 students living.

We asked the concierges about the students living there and how we could pray for them. One South Asian concierge was a little taken by surprise as we asked and was not immediately sure what to say. But as we were praying outside, she came out and asked us to pray for healing for her son. After we prayed for her one of us asked if we could share three circles, a simple diagram that helps us understand our faith in God. She was so thankful and warm. We pray for more opportunities to share with her.

We learnt that offering prayer and being available for people was key in gospel sharing. We all grew in compassion for students and their realities too, which fueled our prayers. We had a very encouraging day.

Please pray for the students during the June exams and as they live far away from home. Most of all, ask that God would be drawing many international students to home to Him this year.

– Karen Sowden, EU Senior Staff

*names changed