E2
E2 (E Squared, which stands for “Explosion and Expansion”) was exciting. We were praying for 100 people to show up from different universities and churches. DeAnn at one point did a headcount and we had 104! So that was just one cool part of the evening. But to really understand why this was an exciting night you need to realize what the point of it was.
With E2 we wanted to have the opportunity to captivate students in many different universities with the vision of leaving a legacy when they are gone. But not just any legacy, a legacy that had eternal significance. We wanted to see the students that were there take significant steps to honor God by sharing Christ with their friends, parents, professors, neighbors, classmates, etc. To start small-group Bible studies in their department/university. To trust God to see movements start that give every student in Puebla the opportunity to know someone who truly follows Christ.
So then to see 104 people show up to and get to sign, pray, worship, and learn together was truly exciting. We started with a time of great praise and worship led by the Maranatha church (our church!) band. They did a great job of bringing us in an attitude of worship before God. Then we spent time praying for our friends, our universities, Puebla, and the world. It was amazing to hear the 104 voices lifted in prayer! Then we had Rene Zapata from the church Torre Fuerte share his experience with a student movement at UDLA. It was powerful to hear how through Rene and his wife God raised up a movement and has sent missionaries and pastors and lay ministers throughout the world. The challenge was, “If God could do that 20 years ago, why don’t we ask Him to do the same today in our generation!” Then finally, Octavio Herrera and his wife, Pastors from the church Amistad, shared how that very group impacted their lives.
So be praying with us that students would understand that God wants to use them to reach their universities. Pray that we would also be able to help coach and mentor and provide the resources and encouragement that these students need as they trust God to start a movement on their university.
One really amazing “extra” that God gave us that night was Jose Luis. Christy came up to me to introduce me to Jose Luis, her Salsa dancing partner. I had no idea who he was or why Christy wanted me to meet him so badly but it was obvious that Christy really wanted me to meet him. So finally I just asked Jose Luis why he was at the event and what his spiritual background was. And that was the right question! Jose Luis, having heard much about Christ from Christy and friends, was at the point where he knew all about Christ and his need for a relationship but didn’t really know how to take the step. So to make a long story short, Jose Luis ended up praying with me, in the midst of about 50 people eating cookies and drinking coffee, to ask Jesus into his life. Praise God for working in Jose Luis’s life. Pray now that Jose Luis would grow and that we would know best how to help him!
Photos should be us sometime today!