It's Hard to be a Campus Missionary

It's hard to be a campus missionary, no one ever said it would be easy :) But before you stop reading the rest of this and throw off your dreams of becoming one for a season or for a lifetime, let me tell you why I choose to do this instead of my dream of becoming a doctor or a forensic chemist as I am technically a licensed chemist by profession.

I came to know God at a young age of 19, i was invited, "bribed",  and forced to attend a youth service by a friend who really loves Jesus- this story actually merits another blog. To make the long story short- i met Jesus, i really don't have enough words to explain it here but I did. Jesus set-me up to have a personal relationship with-He forgave me, cleansed me of my past and transformed my life. Indeed Jesus changed my life- from a life of insecurity to that of confidence, from my dream of becoming a popular sorority girl with lots of boyfriends to a life of purpose and significance. I didn't know that life transformation was possible until that time.

That was just the beginning, little did I know that I will become part of a radical bunch of people who are all passionate about loving God. Talk about activism redefined in UP Los Banos- we started believing God for 10% of the university, when we are barely a struggling group of 30 people in the midst of  an 11,000 population university. We radically believed God for our own center-even when the money coming in were mostly coins because we are all still students, call us crazy, but for us it was faith. But as Jesus has radically transformed our lives, I saw Him slowly transforming our campus as well:

• one student at a time
• one teacher at a time
• one organization at a time

I saw how God called people to fulfill His plans amidst great oppositions-there were so many black propaganda and rumors made towards the church, to the point that some of us received death threats when we tried entering even the student government. Again call us crazy but we also believe those times to be exciting and victorious in every aspect of it. 

I saw how God granted us favors in the buildings we occupied, how people generously and sacrificially gave beyond what they are capable of doing. Needless to say after many years of praying and sowing, we eventually had a place of our own- a place that was eventually packed with students so eager to know  and worship Jesus. I saw 10% my university worshipping in this place, i saw more than 1300 freshmen gathered there for our Freshmen Event. Indeed I saw how God gave us a dream, how He fulfilled it, how He could have done everything in His own and yet He called us to join in what He has purposed to do. 

When the church has grown, we dreamt of planting churches and reaching the nations. We are now a group of hundreds dreaming for the thousands in our neighboring cities, we are the hundreds that also dream of reaching the nations while we are studying in our campuses. And yes I saw how God planted the three churches we started reaching out as students all in its due time and yes i saw how He called members of our teams to become missionaries to the nations.

I saw what once were impossible things made possible by Him.

I saw one transformed life after another and yet every time I see it-its as if He’s making me see it again for the first time.

I saw how a campus can be won for Jesus.

I saw how churches can be planted even by mere, untrained students.

And the list continues because that is what I remain to see today after 6 years of ministry but now in a much bigger scope ,larger proportions and in more exciting ways than I could ever imagine.

Yes its hard to be a campus missionary:

-its hard to believe that there are people out there waiting to partner with you to reach the students in the campuses;

-its hard to explain to your parents that this is something you know God has called you to do knowing that they would not understand and they might even disown you

-its hard to get your family to support you and accept the decision you made

-its hard to explain what you are doing to the unchurched

-it’s a big risk

-in the outside world is as if you are throwing away all that you are, all that you can be and all that you can have

and the list goes on.

But I choose to be a campus missionary because I know God has called me to be one. I know my family will never get to understand it fully but I  have to believe that God can transform their hearts the way He has done mine.

I choose to be campus missionary because there was one point in my life God has given me the grace to step out in faith and I did even if in my heart there was still a lot of fear.

I choose to be campus missionary because I wanted to be an eyewitness to lives of students being transformed and campuses being won for Him for the rest of my life- I see nothing more bigger than the privilege to take part in what God is doing to this generation and the generations to come.

This is not an easy job, but I cant imagine anyplace that I would rather be in nor having another Boss than who I have right now.

If you know that God is calling you today, tomorrow or  in the comings months or years, my prayer is that God will give you courage enough to overcome your fears, the faith to believe that God has prepared everything ahead and will walk you thru whatever is needed every step of the way, the strength to go against the flow and a heart that will be yielded to obey Him no matter what the cost is.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6