“Do you think that Jesus might accept a person like me?” This was the final question that M asked after taking a free Bible and wanting to investigate Christianity as a curious outsider.

During the Meet Jesus Mission Cousmin and Focus initiated a plan to man a stall on Eastern Ave (the main thoroughfare of the campus) to engage with students who wouldn’t normally be attracted to our events.

The idea was to use it as a base from which we could also go out to students on the campus. In the very least we thought it would raise the profile of the EU on campus, provide another advertising point for the Meet Jesus Mission events and give opportunity for people to grab some free bibles and gospels to read for themselves and perhaps ask questions of those manning the stall.

We tried writing a few different questions on a large piece of cardboard to generate curiosity. One provocative question that had people talking was “When you meet Jesus what will you say to him?”

During the weeks of mission we had many conversations with all sorts of students. An international Muslim student after an hour of robust dialogue attacking the Bible and Christian understandings of God decided that she would like to read some of the Bible and investigate further.

We had many positive conversations with overseas students who also wanted to come along to our events, especially the weekly Focus Come Home Dinner. One overseas student approached us in the stall for help with an assignment about abortion. He asked us to help him understand how Christians came to their position on abortion. I was able to introduce him to the Bible which he didn’t know anything about. He was amazed by the gospel story and wanted to find out more. After taking a free Bible he was introduced to one of the Focus team. He enthusiastically went with them to a Mission event and then to the Come Home Dinner.

Following mission Cousmin decided to keep going once a week with the stall till the end of semester. We decided to offer free Bibles and literature. A number of students came up and began conversations with us and took Bibles.

One student, M, approached and said that he chose to study philosophy because he opposed the idea of religion, but his studies had moved him in the opposite direction and was now intrigued by Christianity. He questioned me like a skeptic at first asking lots of questions about the Bible and its history but as the conversation continued the questions became more personal and practical. He took a Bible and wanted to read it for himself and come to his own mind about Jesus and Christianity.

His final question before agreeing to come back and continue the conversation the following week after reading it for himself was “Do you think Jesus would accept a person like me?” I assured him that Jesus invites all and died for all. He gladly took his Bible and gave me his contact details in return.

– Moussa, EU Senior Staff