I wiped another layer of sweat off my forehead. I can't remember the last time I perspired so much while standing still! Dove, Carl and I had chosen the hottest place on the campus, at the very top of a small hill. It was near lunchtime, and the temperatures had reached their peak. The sun was beating down on us, but it didn't matter. The three of us were there for one purpose: to pray for God's presence on this campus!
We stood praying in silence. Then Dove led out with a song, the same one that had been playing in my mind just moments before. “God let us be a generation that seeks your face!” In my mind I could see students climbing this hill to spend time in God's presence; ones who would take time away from their studies to read God's word and seek His face. We had a sense that worshipers would be raised up on this campus.
Each campus we visited gave us a feeling of the openness and spiritual hunger in the students. For four days straight, 24 of us split up into teams of three to prayer walk and gather information on ten different campuses. We felt like spies, sneaking in and scouting out the territory. Each day we came back with good reports. There was an amazing sense that a harvest of students has been prepared on many of the campuses, just waiting for the laborers to come! This fall, we will send teams to work on several of the campuses in this new city.
Two days later my forehead broke into a sweat again. This time I was hunched over the sink, throwing up the previous night's dinner. For the next several hours, as my body purged itself of everything within, I found myself grateful for the ridiculously small bathroom in my tiny hostel room. The closet-sized space was actually quite convenient for throwing up in the sink while sitting on the toilet. (There's always something to be thankful for, even when food poisoning hits on your only two days of vacation!)
Throughout the ups and downs of the last two weeks, God has been so faithful! I really appreciate your prayers for this trip. I felt different attacks of sickness, disunity and discouragement surrounding the trip. Now I'm feeling healthy and more encouraged! Thank God that He always wins the victory!