Kaleo

Matthew 28:18-20(NIV)

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age"

My sister-in law, Kayla, and her cousin, Taylor, are actively living out this verse.  As of right now, they are spending their summer in Florida with a ministry called Kaleo.  Kaleo's mission is to bring together college students from all over to spend a summer learning how to be and make disciples.  I don't know all of the details, but I do know that the students are split into groups. These groups live together all summer, get jobs in the local community, attend regular in-depth Bible studies, weekend conferences, group sessions, and training.  Every Sunday, the groups also are paired off to actively engage in face to face evangelism. This is where the students go out each Sunday into the community, the beach, the walkways, and engage people in a conversation about faith and Christianity. The ultimate goal is to preach the gospel, and change lives.

I had the privilege of talking with Kayla about her experiences thus far, and I wanted to share a little about our chat. Now, again, I don't have all the details, but I hope to get the main point across because it's pretty awesome.

During one of the beach evangelisms, Kayla and her partner began engaging a girl (we'll call her Sarah) in conversation about faith.  They use what's called the "bridge" approach, and if I try to explain it all, I will completely mess is up. But, it's Biblically based, and the students have training on how to approach people and get them talking and thinking about sin and grace. So anyways, Kayla and her partner talked for a while to Sarah about Christianity and sin. Sarah was selling icecream at the time, and Kayla was concerned that Sarah would get distracted, and eventually end the conversation.  However, come to find out, Kayla's partner had been praying the whole time that Sarah would stay focused, and that Holy Spirit would keep her engaged.

Well, it worked. At the end of their conversation, they asked her if she would like to accept Christ....and she said YES! Praise Jesus! Hallelujah! I just find this completely fascinating and amazing! Here these students put themselves out there, in probably an awkward and intimidating situation, and now look..the angels are rejoicing in Heaven over this found sheep..and the story gets better....

The girls prayed with Sarah, and she accepted Christ!  Sarah then expressed that she thought she worked with someone from Kaleo. And, sure enough, another girl from the group did work with her.  Later, when Kayla told this coworker what had happened, she freaked out. Apparently the Sarah had been extremely intimidating to this other Kaleo memeber, and she was overjoyed and in awe that she had accepted Christ.  The girls are now in the process of setting up a Bible study with this new sister in Christ.

Wow. So many things factor into the awesomeness of this story, and I know I don't do it justice. But, God used these willing hearts, gave them words, and strength to minister for Him. Not only did He lead them, but He had a support system for this girl already in place! How Amazing!

This whole idea/program is so amazing and wonderful to me, but also intimidating.  It's a scary thought to put myself out there and boldy approach citizens about their faith.  I, for one, don't even know how I would begin, and I wouldn't want to "inconvenience" anyone. However, Kayla's story shows that people are more willing to talk than you think, and that the Holy Spirit will always do His job. :) Not all of her envangelizing has been successful, but for the most part, she has found it easier than expected, and people are very open and willing to share and talk. And, not only are they beach evangelizing, but they are learning how to minister to in their job situations as well.

I am so impressed by the willingness of these young people to go and stretch themselves, to be used fully by God, and to grow in their relationship with Him.  It gives me hope for the future, and challenges me to want to dig deeper.  I hope today you were encouraged by this account, and that you will lift up the whole Kaleo experience, the students, the directors, and the community, that God will move in powerful ways in Panama City, Florida. The students will be there until the end of July, I believe. Can you imagine what God will do in that amount of time?! So exciting.

I hope today that we will all be challenged to live out those words "Go and make disciples." We don't have to be on the beaches of Florida, or put ourselves completely out of our element. We can disciple those we see everyday..a coworker, a neighbor, a friend. Today I take comfort and encouragment in seeing the Holy Spirit work, and I know that He alone can give us the strength to overcome our fears and bring glory to God if we will just listen and obey.