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| Dave with some 2012 grads from the AAI |
What do Buddhism, communism, atheism, agnosticism, witchcraft and Christianity have in common? They are all worldviews embraced by the students in my (Dave's) Bible classes this year. Yep, you heard me right! I have the challenge and tremendous blessing to work with teens who are convinced either that Jesus never lived, that Buddhism is the only reasonable religion, that faith in a Divine Being is the source of the world's greatest evil, that witchcraft can heal a wounded soul, or that knowledge of absolute truth is impossible. I love my job! Seriously, what other job can have you discussing historical evidence for the person of Jesus at 8a.m., debating the philosophical foundations for absolute truth at 10a.m., praying with a hungry group of Christ followers at lunch, and hearing the confessions of a practicing witch after school? This is our new current reality at the Alliance Academy International (AAI). Please pray for continued Holy Spirit-given wisdom to love these students well! I believe that Jesus was on to something: by our love (which can mean listening to an eighteen-year-old atheist rant and rave about the hypocrisy of Christians) people will know us to be disciples of Jesus.
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| Lina, our own 2027 grad of the AAI? |
INTERCESSORS UPDATE
In short, the Intercessors CSO (Christian Service Outreach) went very well. Thank you to all who prayed for this new ministry! It has been a great experience to challenge, encourage and equip students to be prayer warriors.
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| The Intercessors show off their team T-shirts |
For many of the students, prayer became a more natural expression of their faith. This was most clearly demonstrated when the students were given the task of planning and executing a fifty minute chapel service dedicated to the theme of prayer. When I first challenged them with this task, they couldn't believe I would entrust a whole chapel service to them. To their own amazement, the service was very well received. Each student shared a mini-lesson on a different kind of prayer. Once the teaching was done, each student oversaw a different prayer station. For the next 35 minutes, students moved around the chapel engaging in a variety of kinds of prayer. I was so proud of my students for stepping out of their comfort zones. Some students commented that this was the best chapel all year. Others insisted that this kind of student-led chapel should happen more often.
Intercessors now has a core group of student leaders who have tasted and seen the power of God through prayer. This ministry will start its second year with a lot of momentum. How encouraging to see these young men and women respond to the Holy Spirit's work in prayer!
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| Students at prayer during chapel |
