There are so many opportunities for me to share on my campus.” That’s a statement I have heard over and over again from one of our students on our recent trip to Chile. This statement has challenged me in my ministry. This statement has encouraged me in knowing that God can use these students in mighty ways as they seek to be obedient to Him.
As we completed spiritual surveys with students in Chile, we found Chilean students aren’t that different from Alabama students. There is a deep sense of searching, lostness and openness to the gospel of Christ.
More than 400,000 college students attend universities in Santiago. A small number of student ministry organizations are at work on campuses in the city. There is much work to be done there.
Some estimate that 75 percent of the 300,000 students who attend college in Alabama do not have a personal relationship with Christ. There is much work to be done here also. With Baptist Campus Ministries and local Alabama Baptist churches at work on college campuses across our state, my prayer is that we would see a steady increase of the number of students who come to know Christ as their Savior.
I believe the 10 students from six universities across Alabama who joined Tanner Ethridge and me on our journey to Chile will help that become a reality. These students were united with one purpose — to make Christ known in Chile. They were passionate about their relationship with the Lord and willing to share about that relationship with any who would allow them. They are gifted in the Spanish language, teaching, preaching and encouraging their fellow believers. And they were convicted of the opportunities they have here that they have neglected.
As I work with mobilizing students for the cause of Christ, here and abroad, my desire is to see them come to know Christ more and share Him more. My prayer is that others may see “that they have been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). May others see that there is something different about these students — and that is Jesus. Will you join me in that prayer for the students who served in Chile this summer, for the other students who served through One Mission Students and for the countless other Alabama Baptist students who have served across the globe this summer? May their missions journeys be more than just trips, but lifestyle changes. May the campuses across this state see the impact of the time that these students have had with Jesus, and may many come to know Christ through their boldness and obedience as they see their campuses and communities as their missions field.
Editor’s Note — Chris Mills is a state missionary serving as an associate in the office of collegiate and student ministries at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.
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