During July 2021, Bellevue’s College Ministry–The Vue–sent around 35 students to Denver, Colorado, to partner with and serve alongside one of our church plants, Journey Point Church. Through this short-term missions project, Bellevue and Journey Point ministered to children in Denver, reached new families who got plugged into the church, and saw around 20 people come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior!
For Fernando Lobos and Abigail Read, two of Bellevue’s college students who were a part of this missions project, Denver was not the start of their dedication to evangelism, nor will it be the end.
Before ministering in Denver, Fernando and Abigail engaged in campus ministry at the University of Memphis. Every Monday, students who are part of Bellevue’s College Ministry gather on campus to invite students to attend The Vue, a weekly gathering for college students. They also pray, share the Gospel, and build relationships with other college students.
Abigail explained it in this way, “Being part of The Vue, I learned how to evangelize in my everyday life and on my college campus. The first time I was asked to do campus ministry, I was terrified. Walking up to fellow college students and talking about Jesus can be intimidating. Still, as I continued doing this every week and being pushed way out of my comfort zone, I saw how the Lord worked through these encounters on campus. I’ve been laughed at, ignored, and pushed away by college students, but I know it’s all for the glory of God, so who cares what man thinks.”
The Lord is sending Fernando and Abigail into mid-term missions this summer from Memphis to Denver and beyond! Fernando has accepted the call to Lima, Peru. He will spend eight weeks partnering with the International Mission Board to assist in church planting, evangelizing, discipling new believers, and more.
Fernando said he believes God used his experience evangelizing in Memphis and Denver to prepare him for this next calling. “I’m a firm believer that our work, our school, and our home is our first mission field. Sharing and living missionally here in Memphis prepared me to go out of the country,” Fernando shared. “Ultimately, even my experiences of getting rejected during campus ministry prepared me. When people reject us, they reject God. Our job isn’t to save them or convince them; it’s to share, so that is what I will continue to do.”
While serving in Denver, Abigail met other students serving through North American Mission Board’s GenSend program. She has now joined that initiative and will spend eight weeks serving in New York City this summer. She will work with a church plant, build relationships with locals, evangelize, and more. “After seeing how much the Lord worked in just one week in Denver, I can only imagine what He will do in eight weeks,” Abigail said.
Join us as we pray for these students and others as they prepare for where God is taking them this summer. “In Denver, we prayed big prayers, and we saw God multiply them in ways we didn’t know were possible,” Abigail said. “So pray big prayers!”
We’d like nothing more than to equip you to fulfill the Lord’s call on your life. If you’re interested in learning more about upcoming short-term missions projects or what it would look like to engage in mid-term or long-term missions, visit our Missions webpage or contact the Missions Department.