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Welcoming the Nations. Exploring the Gospel. Equipping the Saints.

Hello Again Dear Friends, 

Another semester is finished, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity that I have had to continue to welcome and serve international students here at Texas A&M.  Because of you, I have had the chance to continue to participate in this ministry and help play a role in bringing the love of Christ and the message of the gospel to as many international students as possible this semester.  

You have played an integral role in this ministry through your support over the last year, and I want to sincerely thank you for your generosity, prayers, and partnership!  I cannot adequately express to you how thankful I am for your partnership in ministry.  We move towards others with Christ's love because we have been loved first by Him and have now been transformed into ambassadors of His love.  Because of you, students here at Texas A&M are hearing the gospel every week. 

I am incredibly grateful for your partnership and participation in the ministry of RUFI, and I am praying for you from Ephesians 4, asking the Lord that you might be empowered to continue always to, walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  In Ephesians 4:4, Paul continues on to remind us of our unity, writing, “There is one body and one Spirit–just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call–one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”  Because we have one Lord, and are united in one faith, we participate together as one body (the body of Christ).  Thank you for your participation in and partnership with the ministry of RUFI this semester.  It is an expression of our unity in Christ that we get the opportunity to partner in sharing the gospel of our Lord.  It has been a long and full academic term and I am excited to share with you about the many ways in which God has been at work through your support this semester. 

Update on the Semester

This semester we continued to study God’s word in our weekly Tuesday night dinner and discussions as well as in our Friday night Bible studies.  We saw some encouraging growth in the size of our Friday night Bible study, and we also saw a large increase in international student participation in the larger welcome events that we did throughout the semester.  These larger parties have a lower threshold of commitment and it is thus easier to get buy-in from students.  A party is less intimidating to students than a weekly commitment like Table Talk or Friday Night Bible study.  Table Talk and Friday Night Bible study are also centered around the study of Scripture and the number of students who are interested in this type of event is just smaller than the number who are interested in attending a party.  Despite the fact that our larger parties are focused more on welcoming international students and fostering community than on Bible study, we do explicitly articulate at each of these larger events that our desire to love and serve these international students is based on the love of Christ for them.  

The larger events from this semester, including our beginning of the year Welcome party, our Thanksgiving party, and our Christmas party, had larger attendance than our largest events from last semester did.  Our beginning of the semester Welcome Party had more than double the attendance of any other event that we held last year, with 177 students showing up.  We had expected and planned for 60 students, not 177, but on the day of the event the sign up link exploded with responses and so we had to adjust on the fly.

Because of the aid of our awesome volunteers and also the generosity of a fellow church in town, who graciously allowed us to borrow a van and a minibus from them, we were able to provide enough food and rides for all the students who responded.  The large number of students who were willing to come to this event really opened my eyes to just how many international students there are on campus for us to serve.  This mission field is very full of opportunity.  Our challenge now is to figure out how best to be hospitable and how to build relationships with as many of these students as we can.  We are still figuring out how best to funnel students that we meet in these larger parties into our weekly Bible studies, but we are learning as we go how to adapt to the size of the response that God has enabled.  There are unique challenges to throwing events on this scale, both financially and also relationally, but these are good problems to have and we are excited as we continue to see and participate in what God is doing.

First Ever Fall Conference

This year saw an exciting development as RUFI at Texas A&M participated along with other RUFI groups from all across the country in the first ever RUFI Fall Conference.  At this conference, international students were able to disconnect from the rigors of academic achievement, and just be.  We were on a campground that included fun activities such as canoeing, sports fields, and a ropes course.  Throughout the course of the weekend we also were also able to hold two Bible studies, modeled after the way we do Table Talk discussions. And, even more exciting, we did a full worship service.  This was the first Christian worship service that many of these international students had ever attended!  We invited students to participate if they wanted to do so and almost all of them did.  We worshiped, confessed our sins, heard the assurance of pardon, read Scripture, and listened to the word of God preached.  Before each of these elements of the worship service, one of the pastors explained its significance and gave the reasons why Christians do these things in a worship service and extended an invitation to participate as they felt comfortable.  When the Scripture passage for the sermon was read, we had students from many different countries each read the passage in their own native language.  This was a powerful moment and a picture of the time coming when people from every nation, tribe, and tongue will worship before the throne of God in heaven.

A Few Stories 

One particularly encouraging moment this semester took place during one of our Table Talk discussions.  We were discussing John 15:12-17.  In this passage, Jesus is speaking to His disciples in the upper room on the night that He would be betrayed.  For the sake of the story, it is important for you to know that before we begin our Bible discussions we always go around the table and each person reads a verse.  After this, we go around the table reading the questions and answering them. This practice gets everyone at the table more comfortable with participating in the subsequent discussion.  I also know that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double edged sword (Heb. 4:12).  Allowing students to read Scripture for themselves can facilitate a direct encounter between them and the God of the Universe.  This is what I believe I saw happen that night.

As I said, on this particular Tuesday night, we were reading in John 15.  In the first verse of this passage, Jesus tells His disciples that His commandment is that they love one another as He has loved them.  Then comes the next verse which says, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”  By God’s providence, one particular student was sitting at the seat in the table that corresponded with him reading this verse.  He is a student who has been coming to Table Talk for a while, and he is a student who has told me that he is searching for God.  At one time in his life he was an avowed atheist, but he later came to realize that such a belief was “unlivable.”  So he abandoned his atheism and began seeking for what higher power might be out there.  

It was this student who read “Greater love…” from John 15:13.  I was watching his face when he read the verse and saw the verse hit him.  He read, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”  His face changed.  His expression was both amazed and moved.  He looked at me and said, “This bar is very high.  Who could ever do this?” How could someone love this way?” he asked.  I just looked at him and nodded in agreement.  Then suspicion followed by recognition crossed his face.  “When did Jesus say this?” he asked.  “The night before he went to the cross,” I replied.  His eyes widened and he repeated back what I had just said as a question, his voice tinged with wonder.  “Jesus said this the night before he went to the cross?” he asked.  “Yeah,”  I said.  “Wow… that is amazing,” he said.  This moment really struck me because it seemed to me that I was seeing someone really begin to realize in a deeper way who Jesus is.  Jesus is the High King who died for His people. Because of His love, He went to the cross. Jesus backed up His words about love by giving up His own life.  I could see that in this moment, this student was moved by Christ’s sacrificial love.  It was a powerful moment to watch a nonbeliever begin to understand who Jesus is.  Throughout the night, we continued to talk about the love of Christ as seen in the rest of the passage.     

The student from this story is a friend of mine but he is not yet a believer.  Please pray for him.  I believe from this and other conversations that he may not be far from the kingdom.  It is my prayer that he will give his heart to Jesus and find the joy of serving the King who is at once perfectly righteous and immeasurably merciful.  Jesus is the shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep.  My prayer is that this student will be our brother in Christ one day.  Please pray that God might reveal Himself to this student so that it might be so. 

Another story            

Another conversation that stood out to me during the semester happened in a conversation with an international student over lunch. This international student had come to America from a country where it is illegal to own a Bible.  I found out in the course of our conversation that he had known one Christian in his home country before he came to America to study.  They had worked together and eventually had become friends through their work.  The RUFI student told me that this Christian was a man of character and that he really respected him for his integrity before they had even become friends.  After they had been friends for some time, this Christian had eventually offered him a Bible if he wanted one and had just asked that he not mention it to anyone if he did not want it.  The RUFI student accepted the Bible from this Christian friend and began to read it in secret before he ever came to America.  This student now comes to Friday night Bible study almost every week, and comes to Table Talk frequently!  I was immensely encouraged by the story of this Christian friend who had been a friend to my RUFI student years before I had even met him.  This Christian had been a witness for Christ through his actions in the workplace.  But even more than this, he had shared about his faith in Christ with this RUFI student and had courageously taken the risk of offering him a Bible in a country where doing so could have landed him in prison.  

This conversation highlighted for me that God is on the move and He is at work all over the world, even in places where the government is expressly prohibiting Christianity.  Jesus’s kingdom is moving forward all across the world and it is doing so through ordinary people like this Christian friend and like us in RUFI.  Even though he did not get to see the impact that he had, the student that he befriended and gave a Bible to is now studying God’s word every week and hearing the gospel proclaimed. 

It also gives me encouragement to know that all of the students who graduated and left RUFI last year are now going out into God’s world where He is at work through so many more people than I know and through so many more means than I am privy to.  Sometimes in ministry you plant, sometimes you water, and sometimes you get to see the harvest.  But in all of it God is at work and God is glorified.  This moment really showed me that faithful ministry and faithful witness to Jesus never goes to waste.  It always honors God and often He will use it in mysterious ways that you and I do not fully understand.  I cannot save anyone but I can faithfully serve and love others and give them the reason for the hope that I have, and then trust that my Sovereign God is at work.  He is drawing people to Himself from every nation, tribe and tongue.  Please pray for the salvation of this student and please know that your witness to Christ is also likewise never in vain.  God is glorified by it.  And He may use it in ways that you do not see.  We get to witness to the hope that we have and then trust that the God who loves people even more than we do is at work doing more than we can see.

There is still time to Give

Once again I want to say thank you so much for your partnership with me in the ministry of RUFI.  God is using your gifts and prayers.  Because of you, students from all over the world are hearing the gospel every week.  I am so grateful for your participation in the ministry of RUFI.  There is still time to give before the end of the year if you would like to do so.  All of your generous gifts are greatly encouraging to me as are your prayers.  Thank you for another semester of partnership in ministry.  I love you all and am praying for you. 

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 

Grace and peace,

Joshua Coleman

Give
Your gifts play a vital role in helping us to share the good news of Jesus Christ with students coming from all over the world through gospel deeds and gospel words. Please help us to continue welcoming the nations at Texas A&M through our 22/23 school year.

If you would like to partner with me financially, please click the GIVE button below to make a contribution to "Joshua Coleman" on the RUF-I donation page. If you would like to give by check, please write "RUF-I Joshua Coleman" or "account #1872" in the memo line and send checks to:

Reformed University Fellowship

P.O. Box 890004

Charlotte, NC 28289-0004

RUF is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

May the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
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