Kelly is a Team Leader at UCLA for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Her team seeks to establish and advance witnessing communities of students and faculty on every corner of college campuses in the greater Los Angeles area. Here is her story:
Give into defeat or take matters into my own hands? These have been my most frequent go-to options in the last 4.5 years of battling chronic widespread pain. Like Elisha’s servant when surrounded by the enemy army, I often find myself fearfully saying, “Alas, what will I do?” Or like the King who wanted to kill the enemy as fast as possible, I am tempted to frantically seek for ways to eradicate this villainous pain (2 Kings 6:8-23).
But perhaps there is another option. Last weekend I was in the middle of leading a student retreat with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and I woke up screaming in pain. I asked God, “How can you call me to lead a 350+ student movement at UCLA when I am always interrupted with these flares?” I ushered my students out to go pray while I rushed to a massage therapist.
“How long have you lived in Pasadena?” I asked, through my tears.
“Just a month,” the therapist replied.
“How’s the transition been?”
“Horrible. I don’t know anyone.”
“Have you ever considered church? I know lots of great people at that huge church over the freeway. Would you like to come with me sometime?”
“You know, I’m sad you’re in pain but I think God sent you to me. I didn’t grow up in church but I would love to go.”
Now we were both in tears.
I went back to my students and told them that our witness to the campus begins by asking God to reveal the spiritual reality around us. God is at work all the time…even when your evangelism training retreat is usurped by an emergency massage therapy session.
“Do not be afraid, for there are more with us than there are with them… Open our eyes that we may see (2 Kings 6:17)”
We thank Kelly for sharing her story of evangelism with us. If you have any friends or family who do not follow Jesus yet we have a great opportunity for you next weekend! Wow Jam is a city-wide evangelistic effort in which Pasadena residents will experience the Good News of Jesus in loving, practical, and spiritual ways happening next Sunday, August 30 at 3 pm at Pasadena City Hall. Please also pray that many people will experience the Good News of Jesus! We hope to see you there! For more details visit www.lakeave.org/wow-jam