We print our text—a Bible passage or verses on a particular theme—so each person can follow along as we read aloud; not everyone who comes owns a Bible. From there, we ask questions to encourage discussion. Last semester, students discovered they shared some commonalities with a young exile who was willing to stand up for what he believed as we read and talked about Daniel. Last week, we talked about how the fear of God relates to the love of God in response to a student’s questions on the subject. At the end of our time, home-made cookies contribute to an informal atmosphere and further conversation.

We’ve also started something new, thanks to a colleague who passed the idea along to us. Each person is given the opportunity to share a life event with the group. It doesn’t have to be serious or religious. It can be a childhood memory, or something that happened yesterday. The purpose is to get to know each other better, which will tie us together emotionally. Hopefully, such story-telling in time will move from simply relating events to sharing deeper heart issues as we become more comfortable with one another.

Our Goals

We have three goals for the young people we meet with. First, we want to introduce students to Jesus. We provide various contexts in which non-believers can see Christians interacting with each other in love. With some, we read the Bible one-on-one. We may share the gospel in our home or at a café. Perhaps the biggest influence on seekers is time spent in dorm rooms, interacting with the few believing students who live among them.

Our second goal is to equip believing students to follow and serve the Lord. Virtually all the students here are from non-church backgrounds. They may never have read the Bible, and their familiarity with its stories may only come through films. We have to begin building a strong foundation from a very elementary level.

Lastly, we want to train students to become laborers who will live among and minister to the lost for a lifetime. One of my goals for the young women I meet with is to teach them how to study the Bible for themselves. Another key element in this process is connecting them to strong believers who live near them, whether in their home countries or abroad.

Ministry in Eastern Europe is challenging, but God is working, drawing students to Himself and raising up life-long laborers.