Hello from snowy, upstate New York!
This week, two teams consisting of 25 students from IGNITE have dedicated their Spring Break to serve alongside two of our church partners: Missio Church in Syracuse and Restoration Church in Buffalo. Our hope with the trip is that students grow in their personal intimacy with God as well as their understanding and personal participation in the mission of God to reach every man, woman, and child with the gospel.
Both Missio and Restoration are situated nearby major universities, so a main point of emphasis so far this week has been to evangelize on those campuses. For the past three days, we have partnered with campus ministries at the University at Buffalo as well as Syracuse University to engage students who are not yet saved. On Tuesday night at the University at Buffalo, we served alongside a ministry called Bridges International, which seeks to present the gospel to every international student who attends the school. Since nearly 25% of UB’s student population in international students, it’s a tremendous mission field. That night, after evangelizing and reaching out to students all day, we had the opportunity to worship alongside those students and experience a taste of heaven as we worshipped Jesus alongside people from every nation and tongue!
As we prepare to take on the second half of our week, I’d ask you to continue to pray in three specific ways:
1. Pray that the gospel would take root in the lives of the people we had the opportunity to evangelize to at the University at Buffalo and Syracuse University.
2. Pray that our students would be encouragement and blessing to Missio Church and Restoration Church, and pray that God would continue to transform hearts and lives in their respective cities.
3. Pray that our students would catch a glimpse of the mission of God in these cities and that it would stir a desire in them to join him in his work at FGCU, in Estero, and the rest of Southwest Florida.
We are so grateful for your love and prayers,
Stephen Johnson, Ignite Director
