Launching Baby Movements!

Hey everyone!

So I'm sitting here on my second 30 minute time block of the week, which I usually use for skyping with my parents. They aren't able to get on tonight though, my mom has a pretty crazy week so please be praying for her! Something incredible happened today so I wanted to take the time to update you on it!

Once again, it starts with Stephen, or Etienne. I don't know if I've shared this with you guys or made this clear but his real name is Etienne, and its Stephen in English, so I kind of alternate between calling him both of those names. Anyway so I was going to meet with him for Discipleship (since we're not called to make converts of all nations, but disciples) and I brought with me one of the STINTers, his name is Ben. That stands for Short Term International, and they are people with Campus Crusade for Christ who live here for 1-2 years. I was supposed to bring one of them to get Etienne plugged in with them so they can continue to meet with him after I go home. Anyway, so discipleship went great but thats not the point of the story. Etienne's cousin Patrick was around, and another guy that I didn't know. Towards the end of our Discipleship lesson, Andy (one of my teammates on summer project) walks up and begins to share the Gospel with Patrick. Patrick speaks little to no English so Andy was basically just reading him the Gospel in French which isn't an ideal way of doing things but its better than him not hearing it at all. He used his little bit of English to tell Andy that he had questions but didn't know how to ask them in English. Right about that time Ben and I were finishing up with Etienne, and Ben speaks really good French. So Ben was able to translate for Andy as he shared the Gospel and answered questions for Patrick. As this was going on, the aforementioned "other guy that I didn't know" (His name was Saiv) got involved because he had only been quiet up to this point because he didn't know English. He was curious and next thing I knew  there were multiple French Bibles out as they all began to study. In the meantime, Etienne was off to the side having his very first quiet time!!!! It was an incredible scene here in Senegal, Africa where there are almost no believers and everyone in eye shot was studying the Bible. Turned out that Patrick said he was going to pray and receive Christ into his heart but he wanted to do it at home in his room!!! Saiv was interested but not ready to take that step yet. Patrick had the idea of starting a Bible study and as we were sitting there he invited 10-12 of his friends by handing them Gospel tracts and saying "Read this, prepare questions, we will have Bible study every Wednesday morning at 11am" and he is even trying to reserve a room on campus for it (which we can't do but students can). It was so exciting, a baby Senegalese movement of believers was started today at the University of Cheikh Anta Diop and I was privileged enough to be a part of it. Not only are people coming to know Christ here in Senegal, but those people are telling people, and Spiritual Multiplication is happening where it has never happened before! Guys, we are talking about a movement of believers among unreached people groups here!! I serve such an incredible, powerful God, and he has allowed me the undeserved privilege of being his ambassador and what I witnessed today was such a treat I had to tell you all about it. Thanks for taking the time to read, and please pray for these Wednesday morning Bible studies! Pray also for Patrick and for Etienne who are just beginning to have quiet times and walk with Jesus and are very excited about him (enough to want their friends to hear). Pray that this movement would spread from the little copying shop where all of this happened to dorms to the whole campus to eventually the whole country of Senegal. God is big enough to do that.

In Christ,
Matt