Monday, January 26, 2009

Changed Life Stories :: Dallas

Last week we shared with you a changed life story from our San Diego FastBreak Conference.  Below is another story, this time from Dallas. Both conferences were held over Martin Luther King weekend.

Our conferences are very special and strategic times for all of Student Venture.  It is an opportunity for our students to get away from their hectic lives to focus on God.  For those who are already Believers, our prayer is for them to deepen their walk with God.  For those who are lost, our prayer is that God would capture their hearts for all eternity.  As you will see in the story below, God did just that in the heart of Yesenia!

Thank you, thank you for your part in bringing Yesenia to Jesus.  May many more come!

Another Changed life
by Benton and Susie Hall, SV staff in Dallas, TX

Yesenia thought she came to FastBreak because it was an opportunity for her to spend time with her older brother, whom she admires. But God had a bigger, eternally significant purpose in mind. On the second night of the conference, as she heard the speaker describe the work of Christ on the cross, and the implications of His sacrifice, Yesenia was struck by a sudden, unprecedented awareness of God’s love for her. After the evening session was over, Jacquelynn, an adult volunteer, found Yesenia crying in the cabin. Jacquelynn found out that Yesenia had surrendered her life to Christ that evening.

“You know that feeling you get when you’re high [on drugs]?” Yesenia asked, desperately grasping for words to describe what was going on inside of her. “I feel that way right now! I can’t believe I’ve missed out on something so great for so long.”

As Jacquelynn celebrated with her, Yesenia disclosed that she had been making a lot of unhealthy choices in life, and she recognized a need to leave those things behind. Since she returned from FastBreak, Yesenia has asked her mother for forgiveness for wrongs done in the past, and their relationship has taken a turn for the better. Yesenia has also shared her testimony with her non-Christian friends. “They don’t understand. I really want them to experience what I’ve experienced.” Yesenia has joined a girls’ Bible study and has committed to praying for the salvation of her lost friends.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Changed Life Stories :: San Diego


One of Student Venture’s crucial evangelistic strategies is conferences. Each January across the country, Student Venture holds Winter Conferences/FastBreaks to gather students for a “fast break” from their normal lives.  At the conferences, the students benefit from Bible teaching, worship, and evangelism, plus fun and fellowship.  Most importantly, God always works in the hearts of students to make Himself known to them.
 
Below is a report from one of those conferences.  As the story states, the San Diego Conference was a combination of high school and college students.  God is working through these partnerships, and we are excited to see Him fulfilling the partnership vision He gave us!
 
God is so creative in the ways He reaches down to us. Over the next few weeks, we look forward to sharing more of His ways with you, our Treasured Ministry Partners.


SAN DIEGO WINTER CONFERENCE
by Oscar and Candis Avalos, SV staff in Peoria, AZ

What do you get when you take 60 high school students, 650+ college students and a really cool city? Pure chaos, you say? Yes! But it was wonderful chaos which helped transform the lives of many students we work with during our time at the SDWC.
 
It was especially exciting because, for the first time, we did a conference with both college and high school students. Both parties were able to see each other worship the Lord and be inspired to live a life fully committed to Christ. It was also great for college students to catch the vision of reaching high school students and for high school students to see that being a college student doesn’t mean you ditch your faith, but can actually get excited about following Jesus.
 
One of the conference highlights were our “chat rooms”. Every night, after our main session, our students would break up into small groups and discuss what they were learning. It was so exciting to hear from guys who, just 3 months ago, didn’t know who Jesus was or how to read the Bible, but are now excited about growing in their faith and about sharing it with others. That’s the kind of life-change we long to see, and it’s happening in powerful ways!