Campus Missionary to SIUC

Fabiola Rojas
Ministry update

Calvary Campus & SIU Chi Alpha | 501 W. Main St., Carbondale, IL. 62901
Online giving | xafabirojas@gmail.com | 618.303.3429
Aug. 2016

Long runs or sprints... were ready!

I love running. Although I prefer long distance runs, specially on a cool morning, sprints help me build speed,
strength, and efficiency. That is exactly how campus ministry is. Sometimes long runs. Sometimes sprints. Summers
are like sprints. At SIUC most of our summer students are from CESL (English learning program) and their stay is a
sprint - 3 to 6 months max - compared to a full year. The time we have to build relationships and earn their trust so
that opportunities to share the Gospel come, is super tight. But God gives us favor and grace
to be intentional from the beginning so that His love is tangible through us, like what my
friends Grace (Congo), Bonaventura (East Timor) and Yuka (Japan) experienced.
I met Grace mid Spring when, as a new believer, she stopped by our XA info-table and came
to our Chi Alpha meetings. Every meeting, her heart awoke in greater hunger to know the
Lord and led her to attend the All Nations Chi Alpha Intl Student Conference. There, I had
the joy of seeing a miracle as she was baptized in the Holy Spirit and transformed into a
witnessing torch among her CESL classmates. Grace is now finishing CESL and moving to
FL to pursue her Graduate School. Although her stay at SIUC and fellowship with Chi Alpha was like a sprint, her
heart found an anchor in Jesus and her spirit is now empowered to witness of His love as she goes. Bonaventura, her
classmate, is an example of witnessing such love in her. She invited him to the Chi Alpha family. He has not only heard
of the Good News in our meetings but also experienced it through the welcoming heart of Jesus in our students.
We are believing that his sprint at SIUC will become a long-distance run for God!
And little that I knew that both Grace and Bonaventura, where also classmates with Yuka,
my English conversation partner!
What started as a weekly English
practice ended in a sweet friendship.
Last week as she shared of her dads
health, I had the joy of sharing of
Jesus heart to heal him and prayed
for him. She couldnt stop thanking me
as her smile sparkled with hope! Sadly, she is going back to Japan next week. But those seeds she heard are imperishable!
What an honor to partner with you for
such an eternal purpose of seeing not
only Grace, Bonaventura and Yuka transformed by Christs love but also every
international student on campus! We are
ready for the fall long run semester!
Thank you so much for your generous
support! God bless you!