We’ve been encouraged by several students who have had great things to say about SOI 21 this past fall.
One day at the Mason Prayer Table we were seated next to a group of students promoting their organization. We engaged them in a seemingly unimportant conversation about the economy. Later that day, we ran into a friend of ours who had just finished an economics class where she had overheard a group of students talking about some Christians they had met. “I didn’t know Christians could be so cool!” said one. Then turning to her they asked, “Are you a Christian like the guys we met at the Prayer Table?” When she responded yes, they replied, “If all Christians were like them, that would be awesome!” Wow! When we reflect His heart, God can use even ordinary topics like the economy to “draw all men to Himself.”
Recently, a student stopped by to ask us about the Prayer Table. Our good friend Elias, who visits us frequently, happened to be there that day and responded to the student before we had a chance. To our amazement he answered the stranger’s questions about what we were doing and why we pray for people. He then added, “These guys are my best friends on this campus. You should have them pray for you.” Although Elias has not yet embraced the Gospel, he is undoubtedly seeking Truth, and he enjoys spending time with us. We are praying that our relationship with him and the Message we share will land on fertile soil in his heart.
Yes, more exciting news from the Prayer Table! It’s always amazing to see so many students share their prayer requests with us, especially when a single encounter begins a relationship. One friend we’ve made over the past year is a GW student named Hector. He visits us every week to share about his life and challenges in his family, regularly asking for prayer. When on one such visit a friend of his dropped by, Hector explained to him why he enjoys coming to see us every week,
“These are the greatest guys on campus. They are the friendliest and most sincere gentlemen I know. I stopped by the first time because I needed a prayer. But I’ve been coming back because I know they care about me. I’ll even tell them things that they remember to ask me about weeks or even months later. That’s how I know they care.”
For all you facebook fans we have a special announcement: SOI 21 has recently revamped it’s facebook page! Visit www.facebook.com/soi21 where we will be posting pictures from our events, live updates from the prayer table, and notifications of upcoming activities. You can even buy Bill’s book or donate right from facebook. Cool! To stay plugged into SOI 21 you can “like” the page and follow our updates and posts as we minister on the campuses. Enjoy.
We hope you’ll be encouraged by the testimony of Mahala, one GW student who has been significantly impacted by SOI 21. Your prayers and support make ministry to students like Mahala possible!
“When I moved to Washington, DC in 2008 to attend graduate school at GW, I earnestly began praying for the Lord to plug me into a Christian community on campus. This prayer was answered through SOI 21. I learned about the organization during my first week of classes when I saw a flyer advertising “The Truth Project”, a video series seeking to reinforce Biblical truth, in an elevator on campus. I was instantly intrigued and eager to contact SOI 21 about this opportunity.
Attending the Truth Project, and participating in the discussions that followed, led me to open up to Bill and Josh about my personal walk with the Lord. I was relatively young in my faith, and was really struggling to trust God with my circumstances. From the first time I met with Bill and Josh, I felt comfortable sharing my struggles and hardships with them. Through this difficult time, they met me where I was in my faith by investing in my spiritual growth through continual prayer and encouragement.
Looking back at my first year at GW, there is doubt that the Lord lovingly and purposefully placed Bill and Josh in my life. They were an answered prayer! I can see how God has used the ministry to strengthen my walk with God by challenging me to trust Him with areas of my life that I never thought (nor wanted) to relinquish before being a part of SOI 21. Through God’s provision, Bill and Josh have taught me how to surrender control to Christ. The Lord has shown me that my ultimate purpose on earth isn’t to make good grades or to find a good job. Rather, my life is meant to serve Him by loving others. God continues to teach me that maturity in Christ is evidenced by the way I love others, and God has made Bill and Josh my sources of inspiration.
After graduating from GW in May, I continue to remain close with Bill and Josh. I am always encouraged when I hear about the Prayer Table at GW, and all the students being prayed for and encouraged by the ministry. I am convinced that revival in our nation’s Capital is paramount to the spiritual health of our country, and I am convinced that Bill and Josh are being used by the Lord to pave the way for a spiritual awakening on college campuses in Washington, DC.”
We hope you will be encouraged by the testimony of Amanda, one GW student who has been significantly impacted by SOI 21:
“Bill and Joshua have been central figures in the Lord’s transformation of my life over the past year. I met them while I was going through a very trying season in my life, in which I had just turned back to the Lord but was still wary of becoming involved with any sort of church or Christian community. While I was going through this “storm,” my roommate (who had met Bill and Joshua through SOI 21 at GW) asked Bill and Joshua to pray for me. Even though they had never met me before, they both emailed me and expressed such genuine care and concern for my difficult situation that I was completely taken by surprise. At the time I thought that there must be something different about these two. The past nine months have only served to reinforce that first impression of Bill and Joshua, in the best way possible.
Given my hesitation to join a Christian community, meeting with Bill and Joshua was a leap of faith for me. Had it been any other two people, I honestly don’t know if I would have even considered it, but that first impression of them praying for me intrigued me and made me want to know what they were about. Thankfully, it was Bill and Joshua whom the Lord brought into my life, and God used our time together to deepen my relationship with Him in ways I never realized possible. You cannot help but be drawn more deeply toward the Lord when you are around two people who are as genuine, wise, compassionate, and more than anything, loving, as Bill and Joshua.
I saw so much change in my life through our time together that it astounded me – it was truly the Lord changing me from the inside out. Not only was I personally being transformed, but God was also using Bill and Joshua to show me His heart for those around me. I see it as a “domino effect”: by investing in my life and my spiritual journey with the Lord, Bill and Joshua have led me to want to invest in the spiritual lives of others. I used to think that my time at GW was just for me. After spending nine months with Bill and Joshua, I’ve come to realize that my time at GW is not about getting a higher degree– it’s about touching the lives of students around me for the Lord. The love that Bill and Joshua have for college students is contagious, and by being around them, you cannot help but start to feel that as well.
I have had the privilege of sitting with Bill and Joshua at the prayer table at GW several times. It amazes me the kind of people who come to the prayer table – usually they are not Christians, but just students who are surprised by the fact that two guys consistently sit there for hours each week to pray for people. Once students approach the table, Bill and Joshua have a remarkable gift of being able to demonstrate God’s love in a matter of seconds. You can literally see students walk away, surprised, touched, and intrigued by Bill and Joshua.
SOI 21 is boldly loving the students at GW in ways that they have probably never seen or experienced before. This is my third year of being a full-time student at GW, and I have never seen a campus ministry do anything like the prayer table to reach non-believing students. The prayer table is becoming a staple in the quad at GW, so much so that other campus ministries are eager to be involved. They see how much Bill and Joshua are touching the lives of students that would never go to a Bible study or church. SOI 21 is bringing God’s love to students exactly where they need it, in a way that is approachable. SOI 21 is changing the spiritual landscape of GW.”
We would like to share with you a highlight in the life of our good friend Aisha, a Muslim convert to Christianity. Last month she was baptized in front of thousands of people at local church, boldly proclaiming, “I left my household to give my life to Christ, without fear. I want to be baptized today…to proclaim my whole heartfelt love for Jesus Christ.” Afterward she ran up to both of us screaming in excitement and almost knocking us over with her hugs. She later told us that she is so thankful for us in her life. Praise the Lord! We encourage you to watch her baptism, it’s really moving.
What if SOI 21 earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support SOI 21? Well, now it can!
GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. More than 75,000 nonprofits and schools now participate in GoodSearch.com and 100 new organizations join daily! Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and bless SOI 21 at the same time!
Similarly, GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to a designated charity! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy’s, and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop, and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting SOI 21.
All you have to do is go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter SOI 21 as the charity you want to support. And, be sure to spread the word!
Tomorrow, January 13th, Bill Lewis will be a featured guest on Janet Folger’s Faith 2 Action radio program. Bill will be discussing the escalating crisis in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. The show airs from 2 – 3pm EST. For a list of radio stations in your area, click here.
Yesterday, June 9th, Bill Lewis was the featured guest on Janet
Folger’s Faith 2 Action radio program. The overarching theme was
“Seeking God’s Face.” In the stirring hour-long discussion, Bill
and Janet cover the link between personal and corporate revival,
as well as the need for a holy desperation for God…in our lives,
the Church, and the nation.
PARADISE is a gathering of thousands of college and high school students on May 25 in the center of the nation. Called by the Father and empowered by the Spirit, they will assemble before King Jesus to worship Him in all His majesty from sunrise to sunset.
The multitude will surround “the foundation of the heavenly throne,” built in the center of a rural field.
Many members of Christian bands and worship teams will use their instruments and voices to lead the multitude in pure praise to the very Son of God. In humility, the musicians will be hidden so all focus will be on Jesus.
Interwoven with music will be times of absolute silence and awe in the presence of His majesty. At other times worshippers will connect with one another to unite their voices in deep prayer.
Nothing will be sold or advertised. The only name called will be Jesus. No agenda will be promoted. No one will become more famous. No organization will make money. The only cause will be His glory and reign.
Like Simeon and Anna, some members of the adult church long to see the full glory of Christ revealed before they die. They may follow the students to the center of the nation in order to intercede over them . . .
. . . and to wonder whether maybe, just maybe, an awakening back to Christ—for all He is today—is about to begin.
This week in Kansas 24-7 Prayer USA is hosting a national gathering for those individuals and ministries interested in 24/7 praying communities on college campuses.
Campus America, a ministry associated with 24-7, will be leading a track focused on college campus ministry:
There is a movement of God underfoot in this nation on our colleges and universities, and it’s starting with prayer. Campus America is an initiative responding to God’s word spoken to us to “Call Campus America to pray!”, and we want to see 24-7 prayer on every one of the 2,582 campuses in America – and then we long to see students engage with the needs of the world out of this place of prayer. The Campus America Track is for students (or soon-to-be students), campus ministers, faculty, parents with kids in college, or those who have a heart and burden for the university. We’ll gather to hear each others’ stories, to pray, and to scheme how each of us can be part of this wave of God sweeping the nation.
This Friday, April 11th, Bill Lewis will be the featured guest on Janet Folger’s Faith 2 Action radio program. In a stirring hour-long discussion, Bill covers Prayer, Revival, Israel, America, and the Millennial Generation. The show will be broadcast from 2-3pm EST on the VCY America radio network.
To view a list of VCY America affiliate stations in your area, visit www.vcyamerica.org.
