When a group of Canadian students joined up with the Euro Stint team for a week in Iceland the goal was to establish a campus ministry in Reykjavik. But for one Agape staff member the question remained; was God really at work in this remote land?
I tell my student leaders that God is at work, and we just need to step out in faith to see what He will do. But do I really believe it?
It was the first day of a mission project at University of Iceland and I was paralyzed by fear. I stood in front of a bulletin board pretending to look at posters. What I really was doing was trying to find the courage to initiate with students. I had talked with many already that day, and none of them were interested in God. “No one wants to hear about Jesus,” I said to myself. “And there are definitely no Christians here.”
Do I really believe God is at work? At that moment I did not. Yet how can I ask others to do what I am not willing to do myself? So I prayed, gathered up all my courage, and went for it.
I walked up to a girl named Hanna who was studying, introduced myself, and when she heard that I was part of a Christian group she exclaimed,
I’m a Christian! You know what? Yesterday I prayed and asked God to send me someone who could help me grow spiritually! I feel so alone, I don’t know other Christians, and I really need a community to help me grow.
When she heard there was a Cru group starting up she was thrilled. She came with us the next day to do evangelism and quickly said yes to being part of making Jesus known at U of Iceland.
During that week we met other Christian students who said they too had been looking for ways to grow in faith and this was God answering their prayers. One student named Disa was ready to move past her fears and start sharing her faith on campus. Sahara Rose accepted the challenge to make Jesus known.
It starts with us students, and it must be done.
By the end of the week, a core team of six students committed to meeting together weekly for prayer, Bible study, and evangelism.
But you know what else? Non-Christian students really were interested in God. One student loved discussing worldview so much that she said,
I want to continue talking about this! Can we meet again tomorrow?
After hearing the gospel, a Muslim student decided,
I need to learn more about Christianity because what I have been taught doesn’t seem right to me anymore.
Many students were interested in hearing how to know God personally, and one student named Hrefna said she wanted to accept Jesus as Savior!
God is at work. His hand is invisible at times, but He is still there working in His way and time.
