Students Missions Conferences

Part of my role within Mobilization is to attend student Missions Conferences and share some of my personal experiences to inspire young people to become involved in long-term overseas work. This year, I went to both Urbana and Cross19. Between the two events, over 18,000 students from across the U.S. and Canada were challenged to consider what role the Father might have them play in seeing the Good news taken to the furthest corners of the world. 

One of our main initiatives was to encourage the participants to join us in praying for an unreached people group. We had the names of over 400 people groups (all with a population of more than a million) printed on colourful pieces of paper according what religion the group followed and folded up in little strips in a fish bowl. Each student affixed a push pin to the ‘unreached’ board to mark that they had joined us in praying. One woman, in her earnestness of prayer, picked up the whole fish bowl and raised it heavenward asking God to bring His salvation.

The leaders of the Cross conference had also planned ways to build prayer for the unreached right into the daily large group meetings. One evening, they set aside time to lift up the current plight of my people group in prayer. What an encouragement for my heart to hear a massive body of believers calling out for God to have mercy on the people I love! 

I talked with many students, one-on-one, about their reasons for coming to a mission conference and their plans for their future.  One young guy outright admitted to me, “If I had known it was a mission thing I might not have come. I just came to hear John Piper. I am not really the pastor type. I am just a nurse. But I love sharing my faith in Jesus with my coworkers and patients. I like talking about Him all the time. Do you think there might me a way that I could help out overseas somewhere?” I wanted to hug the kid; he was the exact type of person we were looking for. He had a practical skill, a humble attitude, a willing heart and a readiness to share. Continue to pray for this young man and the many others that, because of the solid teaching of the word, felt moved by God’s Spirit to make next steps forward towards serving overseas.