Working with Greek students on the Purdue University campus is tremendously rewarding because lives change radically when they meet Jesus Christ. But lives that are on track also sometimes get off track.
First, there is “Lindsey”, a member of one of the most notoriously wild sororities on campus. Lindsey went to Greek conference last year, along with 20 other women from her house. It was there that she realized she’d ditched what faith she had and had entered the party scene. She became a Christian that weekend and has been growing in her faith since she felt met and challenged by the Lord.
Now a co-leader of her house evangelistic Bible study, Lindsey is on fire for the Lord. Her staff leader, Sarah, says she sees so much passion and “realness” in her. Lindsey wants to see everyone know about this kind of relationship with God. She and the Christians in her house pray for their sorority sisters every day at noon. They put out a prayer box for the women in the house and have publicly shared that six requests have been answered! The girls in her house are amazed, and we can’t wait to see what seeds are sown as a result of seeing God at work in their lives.
Then there is “Steve”, who also went to last year’s Greek conference. He said that it was then that “Christ became real” to him. He’d always known about Christ and had grown up in the church, but this was the first time he’d experienced anything relational like this.
His story is like so many who enter college: his freshman year he had decided to enter the party scene and put his relationship with God on the backburner “As a sophomore, it is amazing to see his boldness,” says Sarah, his staff worker. When asked who are the “unreachables”, or the people you are most intimidated to talk to about Christ, Steve answered, “The whole first floor of my fraternity.” Even though they are all upperclassmen, Steve has a deep desire for them to know God. Currently, he is co-leading his house Bible study of 18-20 guys.
Recently, we heard from a star student that he no longer considers himself a Christian, but instead had converted to Islam. When you give yourself to the development of the spiritual life of another, there can be heartache in some of their stories. This particular student is a precious life that once took the seat in the booth across from us every week for years.
We watched him make huge decisions to follow Christ in the midst of opposition and temptation. We walked with him as he understood what sacrifice Christ offered, and rejoiced when he became a believer. We feel like pseudo-parents in our bond with him. Our care and concern is always there because of our friendship and God giving us such a fondness for him… We continue to place our hope in the power of Christ to change lives—even if that means a second time for our dear friend.
You can make a direct financial donation to support InterVarsity’s work with Greek students on the Purdue campus by following this link.
