UTPA BSM

Don’t miss out on keeping up with what God is doing through the BSM Missions team… click here to visit.

Today we started the 2009 Valley Summer Project. The team is ready to go and excited to see how God is going to work in and through their lives.  There is no doubt in our minds that every member of this team will be an amazing servant of God. They all have a strong desire to make their lives count and see other people surrendering to Jesus.

As we trained the team today, we reminded them of the Valley Summer Project core values, our goal, and the importance of learning to live in community. Please pray for the team. Pray for energy and focus as they get up every day with a full schedule.

The Valley Summer Project will begin tomorrow at 10 AM.  12 students will move in to the Valley Baptist Retreat and begin a month of service in the Valley. We are so excited about this because of all the opportunities they will have of loving and serving others in God’s name.

You will be able to follow the team as they serve every week on tweeter and also on their blog www.bsmglobalimpact.com Read their stories, share on their joy, and see how God will impact the Rio Grande Valle through this faithful group of college students completely sold out for Christ. Rock on.

We have not posted for a while. This is not due to a lack of things happening at the BSM. Actually, there have been a lot of wonderful things happening at the BSM. God has been working in a very beautiful way among us.  We will post more on all the latest soon, promise, with pictures and all.

Support Missions, Get involved, Help other students go. The site is up. Sponsor now. Woot!

Support Now

The picture featured on this blog today was taken in Venezuela. We were told that we were going to have an opportunity to go visit kids at their school and share and visit with them. As we traveled to get there, we did not know what to expect, we knew that people were open to our visit but we did not expect to find such a warm welcome from the teachers and kids.

This picture is of Belinda hanging out with kids. We like this picture because every kid there represents the hope of the town we were in. The missionary in that town has a vision to transform the entire town by visiting schools daily, praying with kids, teaching them Biblical principles, and teaching their parents to be good parents. The encouraging fact is that it is working. Would you pray for this ministry that is happening right now in schools in Venezuela?

Last week we hosted Manuel Zarate, an evangelist who travels the world speaking in business settings, churches, and universities.  His visit to our campus was intended first to share the gospel with students, equip leaders, address faculty,and speak to students in classrooms.  As we look back at the events, we can say that thanks be to God all goals were achieved.

Here is a recap with key pictures and description: 

Wednesday

We went to the radio to promote the events and present the need to reach college students in universities all over the world. Manuel did a great job giving reasons and ideas for how to do this.

The phone at our BSM was ringing constantly during and after the interview with people waiting to know more about up coming events and our campus ministry.

In the afternoon Manuel spoke to leaders and pastors of the area. He presented the importance of value over vision.  His take on how Jesus looks at this was well received and it sparked good discussion afterwards.

We then went over to campus where Manuel was invited to speak at a philosophy class. He did a great job during his talk and in the way he answered questions from students.

That evening we hosted a Faculty Appreciation Dinner at out BSM. This went fantastic. BSM students got an opportunity to express their gratitude to faculty and share with them the difference that God has made in their lives during college. Manuel addressed the faculty during this meaningful evening.

One of our favorite events of the day was at 8:30 PM when we hosted BSM leaders at our BSM. During this time Manuel inspired leaders to believe that God can work through their lives in powerful ways. We had lots of fun as a group. You could sense a strong commitment in the air to the be the presence of Christ on Campus.  At the end one of our students decided to go up and share how much the BSM has meant to her during her college years. If you ask us, it was the best time to close the day.

Thursday

Mauel spoke during Free Lunch to over 100 students. Many stayed afterwards for a Q&A session. Questions included the existence of God, evolution and Christianity,  Jesus and other religions, myth and the Bible and others.

After lunch, Manuel was interviewed by our Media Magazine ministry team.  They asked Manuel questions regarding campus evangelism and the necessity of actively sharing the gospel. This interview will be featured in our up coming magazine this Fall semester.  

We finished the evening with  A Night Of Inspiration an evening where the gospel was shared to all of our Journey Groups and guests. It was a great night where Manuel shared the gospel message from the perspective of the rich young ruler that came to seek Jesus. Many decisions were made during this time, some to join a Bible study, rededications to Christ, and some surrender to Christ for the very first time.

Also featured during this event was the BSM Band. They played some of their original songs that helped the Banquet be a memorable evening.

This was a great day to finish two full days of evangelism focus in our university.  During this time we learned that God will bless any effort related to spread the gospel.  We also affirmed our belief that God is relevant to in the life of every college student.  We also learned that our evangelistic efforts during every day life can help point a person to Jesus, so when events like this happen, students are more willing and receptive to hear the gospel. 

Here are some pictures:  (large slideshow)

Next week the Baptist Student Ministry at the University of Texas Pan American will host Manuel Zarate for a series for events on campus and at the Baptist Student Center. Manuel has visited more than 20 countries in which he has had the opportunity to address people from all walks of life.  College Students from UTPA will now have their opportunity to hear relevant presentations on life from a Christian perspective.

We are excited about this opportunity to hear Manuel and expand our understanding of faith and how it plays out in the academic setting and beyond.  As preparations are underway, we see interest from students in hearing Manuel about humanity and what it means to be a human in this world.  Manuel will also have an opportunity to address UTPA faculty during our Faculty Appreciation Dinner and will also address BSM leaders and students at large. Here is the schedule of events:

Last Saturday UTPA BSM students spent their Saturday caring for people in one community north of Edinburg.  We called this event ” A Day of Hope” simply because we wanted to go show people that God cares for them.

For this event we partnered with Buckner, the RGVBA and a church that ministers in this community called Castillo del Rey. During this event we had a program for children that included a Bible lesson, games, and crafts.  We also had a time with high school students and a worship service for adults.  We had an amazing turn out.

As the day progressed we could definitely sense that God was working.  At the middle of the program we had a time where all adults and children received a Bible and new shoes.  I remember well a kid that came barefooted and got a pair of brand new shoes. He looked so happy, knowing that now he was not the only one out of all the kids that was not wearing shoes. We ended up the program feeding everyone hot dogs and chips.

As we move through the semester, we thank God that He has been able to give UTPA students an opportunity to pray, share, and care for other people.  We believe that is one key indicator of what we should be about as a college ministry as wee seek to be followers of Jesus. We praise God that he is mobilizing students to embrace this call and pray that new opportunities to provide Hope continue to arise.

As the week is starting and you are getting much needed rest, the temptation will be to simply not do much.  One suggestion to help you as you plan out your week is to take some time to have a silent retreat. This is a good idea to help you connect with God and discover areas in your life that you need to focus on.

The idea of a silent retreat is not new, Christians throughout history have practiced it as a way to grow closer to God. Here is a guide for the silent retreat:

Silent Retreat Format