Note: The names of people below are left out because they live in countries where the gospel is not readily accepted and, for their safety, their information is protected.
Jesus calls us to go and make disciples of all nations. Our desire is to be a church genuinely shaped by that call. Not only becoming disciples of Jesus but joining Him in multiplying disciples and churches. And that actually connects us to something much bigger than what God is doing right here in Omaha. Jesus is building His kingdom around the world one redeemed and transformed life at a time. It is so encouraging when we can get a glimpse into what He is doing beyond our context.
One glimpse of this is through our college ministry The Salt Company. God has done more than we imagined through The Salt Company's global summer teams. This past summer, one team of eight students were sent to a region in Albania to partner with a local missionary team. During the seven weeks they were there, they served Albanian college students on a local campus and helped local churches run activities to reach high school students. Here are a few stories of how they saw God at work and opportunities to pray.
H’s Story
At a volleyball tournament, H* was on the winning team. Afterwards, he went with the Salt Company team to a trampoline park to celebrate. One of the Salt students Jackson started talking with him and shared his story and the gospel. H* began to hang out more with Santi and Benttley, both Salt students, every week. H* had many questions, and he came every week curious. H* was super thankful for the time they spent together. He began to grow a lot, and he was finding answers to many of his questions.
In one of the Salt students' first Bible studies they hosted, H* gave his life to Christ! He is the first high schooler to become a Christian in their church. H* began to tell his family about Jesus and was so excited to tell them about his God. H*’s family said he was no longer allowed to hang out with the American boys. H*’s mother was Orthodox and father was M*slim, and they were not okay with their son converting. Be praying for his strength and for discipleship in the early season of his faith.
A’s Story
At the same volleyball tournament, A* showed up and asked people to go play basketball with him. Salt students Sami, Haidyn, and Jackson went to go play with them. They tried to engage with A* about the gospel, but A* had very minimal desire. A* was raised in a M*slim home and was interested in God but not in Jesus. They had a fun time hanging out, and the team assumed that was the end of their relationship.
The Salt team wanted to host Bible studies in their apartment to engage with all their new friends in one space. They wanted to cook food for them and read the Bible together. The local missionary said, “Go for it but I doubt it will work.” That week, a room full of Albanians of many different beliefs showed up! Some were M*slim, some Catholic, some simply curious. This weekly staple was 20 people deep every time. A* was one of those people.
A* was given a book Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus after coming to the study for a few weeks. A* began to read the book and questions arose. A* is currently meeting with the missionaries in his hometown as he is seeking answers about Jesus! A* still reaches out to the team regularly, sometimes sending Instagram reels or other times asking for recipes. He was with the team a lot over the summer, and the Salt team worried that he wouldn’t have good friends when they left. Be praying for A* as he continues to seek Jesus and pray that God brings a few other Christians into his life for community.
Salt Student Testimonies
The eight students (Neal, Sami, Savannah, Emma, Benttley, Santi, Jackson, and Haidyn) were all deeply impacted by their summer overseas. They were encouraged to see God move despite their own immaturities! In their short seven weeks, they saw fruit in a city with minimal gospel engagement. Each of the students caught a glimpse of God working in a different context. They each walked away from this trip different in some way, shape, or form.
Savannah, Salt student, shared:
“Doing ministry overseas has opened my eyes to just how vast the need for the gospel is around the world. There are so many lost souls out there and the burden is heavy on my heart…God has unexpectedly opened my heart to the possibility of going on more overseas missions. If you were to tell me a year ago that I'd be going on a mission trip, I would've told you you're crazy! But I found myself falling in love with every part of this trip and I would absolutely love to do this again.”
God is on the move raising up laborers in Omaha to reach the nations. These eight students are an answer to the Luke 10:2 prayer, and a few of them are now wrestling what a potential call to ministry, whether it be to the nations or locally in the states. Be praying for these students as God reveals to them the call that is on their life.
You are invited! Come and learn more about what God is doing here and around the world. Attend the Global Focus Lunch this Sunday, October 25th. >>> https://citylightomaha.org/global