It’s a tradition.  Every year, students come from all over California, Arizona, and Hawaii to San Diego for 4.5 days of teaching, fellowship, worship, and evangelism.  So many college students are deeply affected each year.

Also tradition is that my favorite part is world missions night.  Students are told stories of how God is working throughout the world, presented with the current needs, and challenged to consider going themselves to help meet the need.

The need was very well illustrated this year through a student choir, which sang “This Little Light of Mine”.  On the screen in the background, stats of the number of followers of Christ in different parts of the world flashed across the screen.  The whole choir sang vibrantly and joyfully as countries such as the United States were shown with its relatively large number of Christians.  Members of the choir began to walk off stage, however, as countries with smaller amounts of Christians were shown on screen.  The choir kept getting smaller and quieter.  Sadly, as Middle Eastern countries were being shown, there was only one choir member left.  She sung slowly and alone as countries with millions and millions of people only had a few thousand followers.  Then, mid sentence, her singing stopped, and it was dark.  Cities and provinces that had millions of people but had no followers of Christ were shown.  They kept coming one after another.  It was shocking.  And sad!

Students sing “This Little Light of Mine”.

Chris Ward, a sophomore from UC Santa Barbara, then shared about his experience last year in the Middle East.  He took a full year off of school to devote himself to helping reach Muslim students.  He then challenged students to go to the places of the world that need to hear about Jesus.

Chris Ward, UCSB student, challenges students to go to the world.

The next night, students were given a chance to indicate decisions that they had made at the conference, some of which were to go to the world for a summer or a year.  There were boards all across auditorium that were filled with responses.

Boards across the room are filled with students indicating how they are responding to God.

It’s so exciting to think that God is raising up laborers to go the world directly from the college students currently involved in our campus movements.  Thank you for being part of this process of reaching the world with the Gospel.