Have you ever seen the difference between a person who knows about God versus the person who knows God? It’s easy to know a lot about God and still not have much to offer this world. But when you come across a person who has first-hand experience with God’s power to bring real change—well that’s the kind of person I want to be around. This past summer God used InterVarsity’s Los Angeles Urban Project (LAUP) to take 50 students from knowing a lot about God to really knowing him.
Carrie and DeAndre
Carrie is a junior from the University of California—Riverside who spent the summer working in northwest Pasadena. All summer DeAndre—a black youth—was hostile to Carrie because she was white. DeAndre regularly muttered comments to other students in the class about Carrie being racist. Carrie spent the summer feeling intimidated and guilty.
One day DeAndre got in her face and yelled at her that she was a racist. Carrie was devastated. That night, she asked her team to pray for her. As they did, Carrie felt God revealing to her that she was wrongfully living in guilt about being white. “Yes, white people have done horrible things, but you don’t have to live under that,” she sensed God speaking.
The prayer time released Carrie to trust herself, and respond to DeAndre. The following day, no longer fearing his accusations, Carrie confronted DeAndre about his tirade, and apologized for ways white people had hurt him. “Would you be willing to tell me about how you've been hurt by white people?" she asked.
DeAndre melted. He apologized for his behavior, and they had an immediate breakthrough in their relationship. Carrie saw God heal and free her, internally, in a way that allowed her to lead in racial reconciliation externally, changing DeAndre’s experience with white people.
Jonathan and Angel
Jonathan (in the yellow shirt) is a University of Southern California (USC) sophomore who spent the summer tutoring Latino teenagers in East Los Angeles through LAUP. Angel was the biggest problem kid in the whole class: he was disruptive, disrespectful, and intimidating. Angel comes from a long line of gang members.
About a month into the summer, Angel brought a shiv to class. Jonathan was fearful for his own safety. Over the weekend, Jonathan’s LA Urban Project team spent a lot of time in prayer for Angel. When class began on Monday morning, Angel was a totally different kid: he was helpful, attentive, and responsive in a way he hadn’t been all summer. Jonathan and his team experienced God hearing their prayers, and bringing a powerful character breakthrough.
Faith Became Real
This summer, LAUP was a place where faith became real for 50 students. Reconciliation, healthy relationships, the power of prayer—these went from being theoretical ideas to daily practice. Your prayer and support is allowing InterVarsity to nurture people with the real kind of faith that our churches, our work places, and our world desperately need. As an InterVarsity staff member, it is my joy and honor to see God take the next generation of leaders from knowing about him to knowing him, and having him to offer.
