Our theme for the week of the Habitat for Humanity work project in Oakland was flexibility. I shared this theme in an introduction to the group on Monday evening, and it became all too relevant on Tuesday morning when my car was stolen. Thankfully and amazingly it was found Friday without any damage, and with nothing missing.
One of my goals was to see a sense of community form among these Greek students from different sororities and fraternities and different spiritual backgrounds. This clearly happened as we moved dry wall, put up insulation, worked on siding and did other construction tasks. It also happened as we ate meals together and sat around talking late at night in the youth room at the church where we stayed. The students loved these times.
Another goal was to see this community of people talk about spiritual matters. I wanted the Christians to share about Jesus and the seekers to consider Jesus and move closer to him. Wow! There were some compassionate and confident evangelists in this group of Greek students. And there were some thirsty and curious seekers.
I watched as Emily shared the transformation that has gone on in her life this year while being involved with InterVarsity. She was talking with Mary, a freshman with a Christian background who hasn’t been interested in following Jesus this year. Mary ended the week excited about getting involved in her church this summer and in being a part of a Christian community in her sorority next year.
One dinner I sat with Misty, a seeker; Karen, a Christian without fellowship; and Sarah, an emerging leader. As we talked about many deep subjects the conversation turned towards Sarah’s testimony. Sarah shared some about her life and the place where Jesus has brought her and her family. After dinner I chatted with Sarah for a minute and asked her if she’d be willing to ask Misty about her thoughts on Jesus. Sarah took the plunge and they talked for part of the walk back from dinner.
The last evening was by far the best. Throughout the week I had some glimpses that spiritual conversations were happening, that Jesus was present and at work, but I still wasn’t sure what was going on. At dinner Friday night I asked each person to share one thing they appreciated or learned over the course of the week. They had stories and lessons learned, but what struck me the most was the three seekers (Heather, Nancy, and Misty) who each shared about a change in spiritual perspective. Each of them in their own words shared that they had seen something about Jesus, faith, Christianity or Christians that was attractive, that made them want to investigate him more.
I followed up with Heather on the ride back to Stockton the next morning and asked her where she saw herself on this journey towards Jesus. If following Jesus is a relationship does she just know of Jesus? Is she dating Jesus? Is she engaged to Jesus? Or does she want to give her life to Jesus? Her response – she’s dating Jesus. She’s seen some good things about Jesus and she wants to continue to figure this out.
Please pray for Heather, Nancy, and Misty as they continue to ask questions and seek out answers on their journey towards Jesus. InterVarsity is working towards creating more witnessing communities on campuses across the United States.
Erin Murray is a campus staff member at University of the Pacific, in Stockton, California
