This summer I am going to be in Uppsala, Sweden for six weeks on a summer mission project with Campus Crusade for Christ. I fly to Sweden on May 14th and will return on June 21st. While I am in Sweden, my team of 26 college students and 10 Campus Crusade for Christ staff will engage in relational evangelism. We will build relationships with the students that go to Uppsala University, and through these friendships, we will share with the Swedes the truth about Jesus Christ.
Sweden is one of the most secular nations in the world. Living in a place where the economy is extremely stable most Swedes are content with their lives and do not see a need to be forgiven. About 5% of the population are members of the church and only 1% profess Christianity. Sweden is truly a spiritually desolate place.
God has allowed me to see this reality first hand this previous semester. God placed three international students from Sweden (Johanna, Sandra, and Zeljka) on the same floor in my residence hall. These girls were at Winthrop for only one semester, which was the semester before I am traveling to Sweden. God allowed me to build friendships with these girls and gain their trust. I was able to serve them with my car by taking them places out of walking distance. They told me about their country and some of the things I will experience. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching God's plan for me unfold through them.
A friend of mine and I were able to share the Gospel with Johanna and Sandra. God allotted the perfect amount of time to communicate the most important aspect of our lives to Johanna and Sandra. Their responses were somewhat different. Johanna is extremely interested in searching for answers about who God is and how she can have a relationship with Him. She is having a difficult time accepting the truth that Jesus died and rose from the dead. Please pray that God would work in Johanna's heart and allow her to understand and believe these truths.
Sandra's response was quite different. She believes that there is a heaven and a state of nothingness. She believes in karma and feels that it is more important for her family to go to heaven than for her to. She does not believe that Jesus existed and stands firmly on the way she grew up. Please pray that God would open up her heart to see the truth of Jesus Christ and our desperate need for God's grace.
Through building these friendships with Johanna, Sandra, and Zeljka, God has grown my heart for Sweden and the Swedes. I love this country and my heart breaks for it, yet I have not even stepped foot in it yet. Please pray that God would continually break my heart for the Swedes and that they would see God's reflection through me.
This semester, God also placed a lady named Ann-Britt in my life. Ann-Britt is half Swedish and lives very close to Rock Hill. She is a Christian and was able to meet Johanna, Sandra, and me. She could speak Swedish with Johanna and Sandra, which was a great commonality she had with them. Ann-Britt's mother lives in the same town in Sweden that Johanna and Zeljka are from. Ann-Britt went to visit her mother in Sweden and got Johanna's parents contact information so that she could contact them while she was there! The way God plans out things so detailed continues to keep me in a state of awe. He has definitely been working in my life this semester and preparing me for the things I will experience this summer.
This summer is going to be filled with challenges, growth, and new experiences. My goal is to update this blog once a week. I want to share with you what God is doing in my life and how He is working in Sweden. I also want to share with you how you can be praying for me this summer. I want to thank you for praying for me. Prayer is the most important part of the process because without God we are nothing and have nothing.
Here are some initial prayer requests:
Pray that God would provide an opportunity for Johanna to visit me in Sweden
Pray that I would rely completely on God and not on my own strength
Pray that God would give me strength, courage, and wisdom this summer
Pray that I would love the Swedes like God loves them
Pray that God will challenge me and make me grow
Thanks for your prayers! Be looking for updates!
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