Testimony from BSU freshman Idahnell Lopez
I've been a Christian for more than six years. Colleges out of state interested me most because I wanted to discover
Idahnell Coronado Lopez, the individual, not the team member. Escaping to a college back east was necessary if I wanted to stay sane because family life wasn't too great. That was my plan,
but instead God brought me to Boise State, and I don't regret it at all. My Chi Alpha small group has helped me discover the individual that I am in God. I remember during our first small group
how Anu (small group leader) said that we, as in all of us, are individual brides of Christ. I had known for some time that I am His bride, but having a woman say that just impacted and amazed
me! I saw then what my relationship with God should be like. Ever since, I've tried my best to speak to Him as I would my best friend or parents. I've considered him my best friend
from almost the beginning of our relationship. The problem was that I wasn't being a good friend to Him. Now I try everyday, regardless of how busy I am, to pray to Him and talk to Him.
I just want to seek Him whenever I possibly can. I talk to God the way I would to anyone. Reading the bible, praying and conversing with God are now regular everyday events. If I don't talk
to God on any of these levels, then I can't grow in Him. What blesses me most is knowing that I'm incapable of doing anything on my own.
"I laid down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me."
Psalms 3:5(From Neno) Okay, I am
going to be a bit philosophical for a moment. Please bear with me; I promise it will be good:-) Rachel Liles (our pastor of Discipleship), myself and our small group leaders have
been putting much thought into the purpose of XA small groups. The main question we are asking ourselves is this: Should the focus of our small group meetings be outward or inward? Let me
put it another way; should our small group meetings be inclusive or exclusive
in purpose and focus? Is the purpose solely discipleship/mentoring or does God want to use them for evangelism as well? Over the past three years our small groups have been essentially
inward focused and exclusive. We have placed a great priority on intense discipleship, leadership training and community building within the groups. This has led to some strong and
spiritually mature Christians. However the inward focus has also brought about consequences that are not so desirable Nearly all of our groups resist growth after the first month of
school. In terms of conversions and numeric growth, our groups change little from September to May. We talk about multiplication in small groups, but it rarely moves beyond theory. Could
this be due to an underlying philosophy which emphasizes "discipleship" and "intimacy" above evangelism? We believe so. Therefore we believe it is time for us
to make a philosophical and practical change in our groups. But how? First, by making the small group meetings open and primarily evangelistic in purpose and function. Second, by changing our groups from same sex to coed, which may in fact keep the groups from digressing to exclusivity.
But what about discipleship? We have found that discipleship seems to occur in our "one on one" mentoring and everyday life situations much more than in the two hour small group
meeting each week. This will continue, and receive even more emphasis next fall. Our heart and desire is to see the unchurched students converted to Christ! Please pray that God will
show us if this is a means to that end. Also feel free to email us with any suggestions you may have. From Tammy:
It's amazing how big the kids are getting. Jonathan is now 8 months old and is getting into everything. I think he may be an
early walker too. Emma walked at 9 1/2 months. Jonathan is already pulling up onto things and crawling along the furniture. He made his first trip up the stairs this morning. Time
to put the gate up I guess. Emma is getting more articulate everyday with her words. She has an incredible vocabulary and is able to express herself very well. She is full of spunk
and energy and is definitely the life of every party. She's got quite a sense of humor. We are really enjoying her and listening to her sing songs. She's got quite a repertoire of songs
that she likes to sing. She is also in the middle of potting training and is doing very well. She lets me know now when she has to go potty or just takes the initiative herself and heads for
the bathroom. She is so independent now! I had the privilege of going to a woman's conference in Portland, Oregon at the end of March for 3 1/2 days. It was the first time I've been away
from the kids overnight. I was a bit hesitant about going at first but Neno did a great job of holding down the fort at home and allowing me to have the much needed break and time of
refreshing. I will be coming back to Michigan with the kids in May and returning the first week in June while Neno is ministering in the Netherlands. I am hoping to get see a lot of family
and friends while I am home. There really is no place like home. I can hardly wait!
(More from Neno.) As you may know, I am taking a team of five BSU Chi Alphans to the Netherlands during the month of May. This will be our
very first foreign missions trip since we pioneered the ministry! We have been meeting weekly as a team for prayer and planning. God is doing great things in our hearts, and preparing the way for
us in the Netherlands. On this mission trip we will be doing inner city ministry, helping with a church plant in the Hague, painting a teen challenge center and worship/mime evangelism. We are
praying that many people will come to faith in Christ during our trip!As I said in the letter I sent out a month ago, I will need $1,500 to make this trip a reality. Currently I have
received $400 in support. Big thanks to all who have given! This means that I need about $1,100 in the next month. Please ask the Lord if He would have you contribute towards this work in
the Netherlands. Thanks! Prayer
- Small Groups -
Please pray that God will direct us in the upcoming changes to our small group structure within XA.
Student Leaders – Please pray that God will raise up quality and committed student leaders for our next fall.
Parenting – Pray that God will help us to be godly examples to our children and grant us wisdom in raising them.
Summer XA Meetings – Pray that the students will take leadership of our summer meetings. Pray that this will help them mature in their leadership skills.
Personal Intimacy with Christ – Please pray that Tammy and Neno will really fall more in love with Jesus this summer. Pray that He will take us to deeper levels with Him.
Little Known and Remarkable Facts About Idaho
- In 1949 the United States National Reactor Testing Station (NRTS) was established in southeast Idaho.
- The NRTS was 687 square miles in area – larger than the state of Rhode Island.
- In 1951 the NRTS was the site of the first use of nuclear fission to produce electricity.
- In 1953 another milestone was reached: the principle of "breeding" was discovered. That a nuclear reactor can actually "breed" more fuel than it consumes.
Have you wanted to support our ministry to BSU financially, yet lacked the funds? If so, there is now a way that you can support our ministry without significantly increasing your monthly
expenses. One of our friends, Jonathan Barnett, has a business which sells household products, cosmetics, personal products and pharmaceuticals. If you purchase these products from this
company, our ministry will receive from 10% - 20% of the sale. The products will be delivered right to your door each month. This is a new and creative way of supporting our ministry.
If interested, please email Jonathan (jonathan_barnett@bc.com). |
