Charlotte Martin (Power to Change)
Can you speak at our campus?
Throughout the month of November many P2C campus groups have a global missions emphasis called "GOvember." They promote P2C mission trips, highlight God's heart for the world and encourage students to consider how they can be involved in God's global work. As part of this emphasis, I have been asked to speak at the weekly gatherings of three campus groups. Here's where I'll be.
Nov 10th - Wilfrid Laurier University
Nov 11th - University of Guelph
Nov 25th - University of Waterloo
Pray that God would use me to inspire students to care about what God is doing around the world.
Also, this week (Nov 7-11) I may be visiting a few other campuses (potentially University of Windsor, Western University, Fanshawe College, Brock University) with a teammate from BC to speak one on one with students about global missions opportunities. These visits have been a logistical challenge to set up. Pray for my teammate Evelyn as she tries to make them happen before she leaves Ontario on Nov 12th.
Why do we send students on mission trips?
Mission trips are formational and transformative experiences in the lives of students. Students learn so much about themselves and God as they engage in missions. Below is a recap of our 2022 mission trips.
DESERT RAIN: The focus of this trip was on building relationships with local students through planned activities, running English classes and interacting with students on campus. By the end of the trip, each participant had developed at least 2-3 friends. Justin, one of our staff participants shared how he and a teammate first met a local student on a campus prayer walk. As they continued to meet with the local student they were able to share the gospel, pray with him and even leave him with a Bible in his own language. Thanks to technology, they have continued to keep in touch with him.
NATIONS NEXT DOOR: Participants were invited to Guelph, to experience international (IR) student ministry in Canada. They used lots of creative ways to build relationships with IR students: a bubble tea social, a Giant Dutch Blitz game, an outreach where a former IR student, now a businessman, spoke on balancing faith and career. They ended with a visit to a local farm for a hayride, hotdog roast and of course s’mores. These friendships led to spiritual engagement. Cathy and Betsy used the Perspectives tool to engage Japanese students in spiritual discussions. Andre, met a Brazilian believer for weekly Bible study. IR students joined participants in attending church. We trust these friendships will lead to changed lives!
PRAXIS EDMONTON: PRAXIS created space for participants to grow as missional leaders as they learned to integrate spiritual formation with missional practice. One participant summarized her experience this way: “One of the biggest things I've learned on PRAXIS is the importance of being. I always thought mission trips were about doing, but we can also show God's love in a powerful way by simply being with others and listening with a caring heart.” What a beautiful reminder!
VIETNAM: our team partnered with the local ministry to invite students to picnics, English conversation groups and soccer. Through doing ministry together, our team was able to see students, both Canadian and Vietnamese, gain a desire to share the gospel with friends. Four students came to faith while the team was in country. After the Canadians left a few more Vietnamese students accepted Christ as the local staff and students continued to interact with interested students.
Wallenstein, thank you for helping to mobilize students with your prayers and financial support during “GOvemeber.” Your partnership means so much.
