Here are the people that we have met on campus during EV. Please be in prayer for them!
Outreach Times: (S12)
M : 11
W: 12
Th: 5 (COVEL)
IF NONE OF THESE TIMES WORKS FOR YOU, PLEASE LET ONE OF THE OUTREACH MEMBERS KNOW AND WE WILL BE HAPPY TO GO WITH YOU
5/22/12
Jeff
A first-year biology student. He considers himself an agnostic. He doesn’t like absolutes and doesn’t want to close himself off to any possibilities (as pertaining to religion). He was willing to listen and he seemed to understand the gospel account. This was claimed to have been an ideal evangelism experience.
Kate
She has had 12 years of Catholic education but she had a bad experience with one of her religion teachers during her sophomore year of high school. She identifies herself as a lesbian and she finds that Christianity is hypocritical. She believes in a higher power but it is not a personal god.
Lucy
She went to church until she was age 7. She believes in a god but she does not feel that it is necessary to have a relationship this god. She was invited to church and to KCM.
5/17/12 (Unofficial Dining Hall EV for Lunch)
Lan
A student who was born in China but now lives in Anaheim. He is a transfer student studying MIMG. He used to go out to church for about a year but he stopped going because he didn’t feel the need for it. His roommate goes out to church regularly but Lan doesn’t identify himself with one religion or another. He is so occupied studying that he doesn’t consider questions of faith and of God. He has learned much about evolutionary theory in his classes but it’s more about knowledge and knowing things for tests than actually considering them. He has/had two exams today so the conversation with him was brief.
5/15/12
Emmanuel
A Catholic man who works in the UCLA Architecture Department. He also serves at a Catholic center near UCLA. He does not idolize the “saints” but rather looks upon them as examples and respects these heroes of the faith (especially the virgin Mary). He places an importance on works (rightly so)but he realizes that one cannot add to the work of Christ to be saved. He does admit that many Catholics do indeed hold to some form of salvation by works. His prayer request is that we would continue to pick up our cross and follow Christ!
Johnny
He is a Christian and will be going on missions to China with an organization called Daybreak Asia. He is involved with Cru on campus. He currently attends a local church but is not plugged in. He, however, understands the importance of the local church and of the Great Commission.
Min and Tau
Min is a first year graduate student. Her boyfriend Tau was visiting her. She goes to a bible study for international students. They were both interested in the conversation. They wonder whether there is one God but people worship different forms of this God.
5/14/12
Qiao [pronounced chow]
She was raised in a culture that is a mix of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism. It is more of a culture than a religion. She believes in the existence of multiple gods, and not not one God. A brief form of the gospel was shared with her (sin and man’s need for God as well as God’s provision for salvation). More than the gospel being proclaimed to her, Christ’s love was demonstrated to her. She was very much thankful for the understanding and manner of the conversation. In the past, she has had Christians throw things at her and show unnecessary intolerance.
Chris
A third-year psychobiology student (on the pre-med route). He was raised in a Catholic background but does not agree with everything. He doesn’t like how you have to do certain things to be accepted as a Catholic. Many questions were asked but he could not answer them. He does believe in the existence of heaven and hell but he is too focused on the present to consider this reality. Please pray that he might have been challenged by the conversation and that he will ask himself the tough questions.
Carlos
An economics graduate student. He was raised as a Catholic in Mexico. He goes to church and is quite religious. He likes the rituals and sacraments, and he sees the need for good works. He had to leave before follow-up questions could be asked of him.
5/7/12
Freddie
He has been a trauma technician at the UCLA hospital for three (3) years now. He has seen it all in the ER. He is a Pentecostal Christians (more specifically, Assemblies of God). He was raised as and baptized as a Catholic though. He can’t go out to church as much as his family does due to weekend shifts at the hospital. His faith does not really play out in his workplace because he finds it difficult to bring it up with fellow workers and patient’s families. He does, when he gets the chance, pray silently over patients’ bedsides. Please pray for his family as his brother recently died.
Robert
A man from South Africa who completed his undergraduate to doctoral education at UCLA. He was from a well-to-do family and he believed in God until his family (wife and children) were killed during the apartheid years. He then converted to Islam, but a Christian relentlessly pursued him and befriended him. Ultimately he put his faith in Christ again. He now works with gangs and in crime prevention. He had no prayer requests.
5/3 – Danny
I went with Ed to Covel dining hall ministry, and we ate with a guy named Danny. Although he was hesitant at first to talking, we started a very nice conversation. He was genuinely interested in both of our testimonies and we had a very nice exchange of dialogue. It is interesting because he listens to Jesus Culture and other artists like that because he likes the idea of “unconditional love”. Please pray that the Spirit will open his eyes to see that unconditional love only exists through Christ!
PS – I got his number and we are going to try and meet up more. Oh and he lives in Sproul with me!
5/1/12
Wesley
The same guy as last week (see post below). He was in a better mood and he shared more about his experience at UCLA. He feels like he needs to change for others. It is a very strong desire to please others. He seems to understand what the gospel is but can’t commit to something that holds such uncertainty (for him).
Leon- post doc student. He knew a little bit about Jesus and has read through some portions of the Bible. He claimed that Jesus was God but he explained that his healing power and great knowledge made him God. The gospel was preached to him and we talked about matters of (original) sin and how and why Jesus died on behalf of sinners.
Hey, I went with Elias
4/26/2012
Wesley
Very introverted guy. It was very apparent that he had been hurt. We asked him how his freshmen year was and he said it was full of disappointments and problems. We asked him if he had ever thought about dieing or the after life and he said, “Yes, I’ve thought about dieing because I think it would be better than living.” Very grim and sad experience to talk to him. Thankfully, Elias was able to share the gospel with him and get his number before Wesley left for class. He says he doesn’t initiate but is down to talk if Elias calls first.
4/23/12
Moises
A man with a Catholic background. He was encouraged by the fact that we engaged him in conversation. We weren’t able to get to the heart of the tensions between Catholicism and Protestantism but we were to briefly discuss the sacraments (of Catholicism) and their role in salvation. An interesting thing he said is that if one knows and can defend his/her religion there would be no reason (or rather no opportunity) to convert. He noted that there are a number of people who “convert” from Catholicism to some form of Protestantism and he attributed this to the fact that many Catholics do not know (and hence cannot defend) the teachings and beliefs of Catholicism.
Alessandra
27 year-old PhD student in her last year for computer science. She was extremely welcoming and even though I was nervous, we had a fluid conversation that made things a lot easier. I didn’t get her ethnicity, but Alessandra comes from a Latina background and grew up Catholic. She stated that she now believes in “nothing,” even though she knows that statement entails a certain amount of belief. She had a lot of questions regarding my own faith and the Christian faith in general: we tackled issues of the meaning of the “gospel,” a work-based faith, the ambiguity/illogicality of the Bible/God, the purpose of evangelism, etc… She seemed really open during the conversation, but seemed to be battling a lot of different doubts regarding different points of religion (which lead to the discussion of faith and other religions). Though I felt extremely unequipped throughout our conversation, I just hope that some of the things we discussed will pique her curiosity or even challenge some of the beliefs/unbeliefs she holds. She didn’t mention any prayer requests because she doesn’t believe in God! Please pray for God to continually work in her life!
Ye (April 12, 2012)
Foreign exchange student from Shanghai. Majoring in Economics. Very passionate about his own country, his family, and making money. He was turned off by Christianity when his friend invited him to a church but he respects the religion and has nothing against Christians. Life’s purpose as doing well in school, finding a nice job, and climbing the corporate ladder to make more and more money.
Very friendly guy though! The Dan and I had a really nice long conversation about a lot of things (Dan went to China last year and I will be going to China this summer). We exchanged information and we will hopefully get to play tennis or basketball together. Please pray for him!
3/8/11
April
A MCDB sophomore student. She has grown up in the church and considers herself a Christian She was baptized into the faith at the age of twelve. She is from northern California and has yet to find a church. A church near campus was recommended to her. Please be in prayer that the Lord may lead her to a church and for her to be more consistent in her Scripture readings.
Mike
A freshman student who is involved in a church ministry called SEED (Scripture Ethics Evangelism Discipleship). There is much emphasis on Scripture in this ministry but not so much on evangelism. The ministry was described to be fairly small (5-10 people). As the quarter winds down it is harder for him to find time for the Word. Please pray that he makes Scripture a greater priority in his daily life.
3/2/12
Jullian
Second-year computer science student. He had a midterm at 1pm and we talked with him til 12:50pm. He has been out to church before, and he sought out church because he was feeling lost. He’s looking for answers but he has accepted that there are problems (in the world) and that’s just the way it is. He thinks he may have “accepted” Christ once before; however, there is no transformation/change in his life. The gospel was shared with him and contact info was given.
2/24/12
Yo yo
She used to go out to GOC but is now too busy to go out. She hasn’t been going out to church lately but she does read the Bible occasionally. Please pray that she may make the Lord her priority.
Michelle
She says she is a Christian but she doesn’t go to church nor does she read the Bible. We encouraged her to grow in her relationship with God. Please pray that she may center her life around God.
Boxing
Third-year international student from China. The gospel was presented to him and it seemed to make sense to him. He has never really seriously considered Christianity or any other religions. He was a person who wanted to hold off until later the question of religion and God but the challenge to seek God out now was given to him. Please pray that the Spirit may reveal to him his need for a Savior and that the urgency of the gospel might have been conveyed to him.
(Note: These are the actual names of the people we met this day. No names were altered to protect identities or anything of that sort.
It has been brought up that the harvest is plentiful around the bomb shelter!)
2/23/12 (Covel Dining Hall Evangelism)
Steven
Third-year economics student who transferred from a community college in northern California. He is a part of ACA and showed little interest in Christianity.
Shen Ling
An international student from China. She is Buddhist but has relatives who are Christian. The gospel message was shared with her but she thinks of it as just a story. Please pray that she may be exposed to the gospel.
Arthur
Fourth-year biology student. He was in a hurry and made it clear that he did not want to hear the gospel. He was very much closed off.
Taylor
A transfer student who is studying history. She was in general very happy.
Xianbin
A freshman business economics student. Her family is “holiday Christian” meaning her and her family go out to church a couple times a year (Easter, Christmas,…) She has read the Bible and seems open to the gospel.
2/22/12
Ginny
She was an atheist growing up but her mom was Buddhist. She seemed interested in the conversation/dialogue. Shared the gospel with her but she had questions on God’s justice and whether religion is man-made.
Kyle
He is a second-year physics student. He grew up in a Jesuit background. He knows the gospel on an intellectual and factual level but doesn’t believe in it. He thinks Christianity is about love and that God is love BUT that love is God. He basically boiled the idea of God to a feeling/emotion.
Non
He grew up in a Buddhist background/family. It’s in his background but he’s currently not connected with it. He went to a Christian high school and did Bible studies. (The Bible studies he has done have portrayed God as violent and angry) Hence he knows a fair amount about the Bible but the gospel was shared with him nonetheless. He asked about Christians who party, do drugs, etc.
2/17/12
Jane Doe
There is a connection between outreach and inreach. This person’s name is not Jane but it’s actually a KCM member, whose name I am not revealing. For whatever reason, she came up to me while I was waiting for campus ev to start and we ended up talking (for the first time) for a while. It was quite encouraging to learn how much the Lord has been growing her this past year. Her prayer request would be that she would find satisfaction in Christ alone, as she had turned to other people to fulfill these needs before.
02/21/12
Jeannie
She is an extremely intellectual…self-proclaimed atheist. She had a lot of quesitons as to whether God was an all-loving creator, whether we have total forgiveness of our sins, etc. In my perspective, she was seeking the same things that Christians do as in struggling to submit to God, seeking him, but the fact that she didn’t want to accept the gospel although she has heard about it reminded me of (I looked it up)
Psalm 115
5They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but they cannot see;
6they have ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but they cannot smell;
7they have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but they cannot walk;
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
Her roommate is supposedly a Korean Christian (very vague) but my prayer request would be that through her roommate’s faith, whether small as a mustard seed or not that her faith will also increase. Another thing I noticed was that she just kept asking questions but it wasn’t because she was interested in hearing the gospel but rather what she can do to justify her own beliefs…I think she saw religon as a means to an end whether than constant, on-going relationship between creator God and us, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Therefore, we are reconciled with God and to each other.
Also, on a side night, her Chinese international friends later joined us LOL I hope for a greater understanding of international students at UCLA because they are seeking like us, probably have even more questions about religon, Chrisitanity, etc. and also not as exposed to it. When I was living with my roommate from Japan, the first time she heard about Chrisitanity was through KCM ice cream social. Yea yuh.
Sorry, and in the context of Psalm 115 you need to read the whole passage to understand that it’s an exhortation to trust in God and not in idols. 5 minute Q.T. look up Psalm 115.
2/10/12
Kasperas
He is a Linguistics Ph.D. student. He is a native of Latvia. He is a fourth-generation Seventh-day Adventist. He desires to read the Bible in the original languages and is currently reading through (and enjoying the beauty of) Hebrew portions of Scripture. He went over the validity and historicity of Scripture and of its numerous manuscripts. We were very much encouraged in speaking to him. His prayer request is for his grandfather who has been fighting cancer for the past year.
Jackie
A graduate student studying mathematics. She grew up with a Methodist background but now claims to be an agnostic.
Austin
A fourth-year biochemistry student. He is from a Buddhist family/background but is now a believer in a Catholic-based religion. In saying “Catholic-based” he wanted to get across that his views don’t necessarily line up with mainstream Catholicism or the beliefs of other Catholics. He has come to believe in Catholicism through his girlfriend and he shared his conversion account with us. We were able to discuss differences between Catholicism and Protestantism (the role that works play in salvation, the sacraments in Catholicism). We also talked about Jesus being the only way and truth. He did not want to share prayer requests.
Brooke
Attended a Methodist church when she was really young, moved to a Presbytarian church when she was 12, and started practicing Wicca and cultism when she got to high school. She knows the Bible cover to cover and has definitely done her research. She has been hurt by the church, as her dad was kicked out of their church when he got divorced, as well as her uncle when he came out of the closet. She says that she believes there is a higher being and feels a personal connection to that higher being, but doesn’t think that it’s God. She doesn’t believe in creationism and her views on religion are very dynamic, as they are open to change as she lives her life and experiences new things. Super smart, so she sees Christianity in a logical way, so sharing things about the gospel, love, forgivness, etc. was very hard. Prayer request is for her to know, not in her head, but her heart what the gospel is and what it means to have eternal salvation. Please pray for God to just send her people who will challenge her logic and help open her heart to Him.
February 8, 2012
Daniel — an atheist who comes from a strong Christian background (dad went to seminary and is on the way to becoming a pastor) but does not agree with various issues on Christianity and society today. Our prayer request is that his parents continue to witness and talk to him frequently and that he would come to faith.
Ammy — a non-student newly from China who didn’t grow up with much knowledge of Christianity nor ever really sought to know more; however, her aunt is a Christian and our prayer request is that she continues to share the Word with Ammy and that God would use that to soften her heart.
Sorry I’m kind of late, but here are the people that we met on Friday, February 3, 2012.
Nick: 3rd year Mathematics major; raised Catholic, but not agnostic.
Nick served a lot in the military, but even then he was very complacent with his life. He never really feared death, and he rarely questions his place in the world. He researches math and is very interested in his research. So interested that he said that it’s all he ever thinks about. I asked him questions such as, “Do you believe in God?” and “Why do you think we exist on this world?”, but all I really got were empty stares and “I don’t know. I don’t really think about it.” Prayer request: I want to pray that God shakes up Nick’s life. Hopefully these are questions that he may continue to think about and perhaps begin to seek answers for.
Jamie: Freshman Christian; attends KCCC bible study (but doesn’t go to general meeting)
The conversation with Jamie didn’t last very long, but she had several prayer requests.
1) to have a good rest of the year
2) her walk with God hasn’t changed much in the past year. (I think she hopes it will change for the better soon)
3) She is looking for a church!
4) (I just added this in, but…) hopefully she will join a ministry to help nudge her in the right direction! KCM was mentioned, so hopefully she will come out
Jeffrey: graduate physics student; from Holland; very scientifically-minded; very logic-based (needs hard evidence to believe); very fascinated and appreciative of the world
Jeffrey offered very good explanations for different attempts used to display God’s existence. He doesn’t seem to open to Christianity at all, but he seemed interested in the creation itself. A question he had was, “Why is Christianity the true religion?” Overall it was quite a humbling experience talking to Jeffrey. Let’s pray that the Holy Spirit will use somebody to answer his questions and lead him to the Christ!
2/2/12 (Covel Dinner Evangelism Test Run)
John
Second-year student who is studying computer science. We talked about academics and school work. He was finishing up his meal when I joined him so I was unable to bring up the subject of God and Christianity.
Abhay
A third-year student who is studying business economics. We also talked about school and academics. He also left before I was able to bring up the topic of Christianity.
Toby
A Chinese, first-year student. He attended a Seventh-Day Adventist high school in the San Bernardino county for two years (junior and senior year). He came to faith in Christ during this time in high school. His parents are fine with him being a Christian but they want him to hold off on baptism for some reason. He was/is part of an Intervarsity small group and also attends another Christian club meeting on Thursday nights. Please pray that his faith in Christ may increase and that he would be a witness to his family.
2/1/12
Juan – Agnostic who believes in a “higher power” but content with not seeking/searching for more. Please pray that the sharing of the gospel with him would encourage him to delve more deeply and be challenged to think of why we need God.
Anna Marie – Fellow Christian sister from Navigators (campus ministry). Her prayer request was that her ministry would further grow by God’s grace.
Bill – Atheist who views religions in general as a coping mechanism for people. He’s really busy with academics/extracurriculars and he credits his lack of interest in religion to his lack of time. Please pray that his couple of Christian friends (one in GOC, another in a Christian sorority) would continue to witness to him and that the Spirit would work in his hardened heart.
Crystelle – First year UCLA student who is both Catholic and a Jehovah’s Witness. She attends mass weekly with her parents but also does bible study at a Jehovah’s Witness church. We were able to share the gospel with her, and she showed interest in learning more about Christianity/coming out to KCM possibly. Please pray that God would work in her to open her eyes to the gospel and who Jesus Christ our Lord really is.
1/27/12
Magaly
Catholic student who we met at the “harvest fields”. She was raised in the Catholic faith and has “made it her own”. She seems to understand sin but struggled a little when asked what she was saved from. She was glad to be reminded of the gospel, a presentation of the gospel where God’s wrath and love were emphasized.
12/1/11
Dahbin
Korean, second-year student. She doesn’t believe in anything because she has never really thought about it. She claims that she is open to learning about religion. Although (and because) she doesn’t know that much about Christianity, she says Christianity doesn’t make sense. Please pray that the Lord would open her heart.
Alaysha
First-year law student. She was raised up in a Hindu family/background. She does not identify herself as a Hindu nor does she want to subscribe or associate herself with a religion. She is quite tolerant of other’s beliefs.
Yes! Should I transfer the evangelism reports from the prayer room to this page?
Anyway, here is the update from two weeks ago:
11/17
Alex
An MBA student who believes in the supernatural and has Christian friends but she doesn’t know if Christianity is the right religion. She claims to need convincing and maybe she’ll believe if something big happens.
Jim
A chemical engineering student who has been to church but doesn’t believe fully in Christianity. He believes in Christianity and science but when they (seem to) conflict he can’t take a side on either side. He likes the “gray” area and seems hesitant to dive into Christianity.