Jessie Still- Campus Missionary to Michigan State University Update: November 2010

Greetings friends, family and partners!  I can’t believe the Fall semester – and my first semester full-time on campus – is already winding down!  What a great ride, and what a great beginning!  The Lord is moving in great ways at MSU!  Here are a few recent testimonies from the campus [via Campus Crusade]:

-One young man was a heroin addict, but gave his life to Christ and how his testimony is “I just want to fill myself up with Jesus!”

-One young woman was living with her boyfriend, then met Jesus, and knew that she needed to move out to live His way.  The boyfriend, instead of being angry, is seeking to know Jesus now, too!

This semester at the Furnace, we have spent specific energy in different meetings, praying for those struggling with addictions AND praying for righteousness and sexual purity to become the norm in the lives of MSU students!  So, we know that our prayers are “powerful and effective” (James 5:16)!

Keeping the Fire Burning

I had a revelation recently as I pondered Matthew 21:13-14.  In a provocative and stirring statement, Jesus ran into the place of worship in His day (the Temple), knocked over some tables and started throwing people out!!  He was zealous for His HOUSE, and said that the place He would call home would be a place where people are praying.  We want Jesus to feel at home at MSU.  We want Him to feel like He can do whatever He wants on our campus, that it’s a place where He will want to dwell. Pondering this has caused me to strengthen my resolve to encourage and establish prayer on our campus, in any and every way possible!  And, I’m very encouraged, because we currently have corporate prayer happening every weekday (Monday-Friday) on the campus!

On top of that, Vision campus ministry (some of their students pictured above) is hosting TWO of our weekly prayer meetings, bringing down racial and cultural barriers as we join as One Body in intercession for the campus – this is the (partial) fulfillment of a prophetic dream that came to us last Spring!  Also of note:  just this past week at Tuesday prayer with Vision, the power of God began to break in with miraculous healing!!  One girl was healed right in the meeting — and the anointing went with us out of the meeting, where and many others got prayer later that day!  This too, is fulfillment of a dream about MSU!

Compelled to come!

When one of the staff leaders from Intervarsity approached me about the possibility of leading an Intercession Room for their state-wide conference, “Compelling”,  this month (which HAPPENED to be happening on the MSU campus) I pondered, and then JUMPED at the chance!  I knew it was something I had to do.  Initially, I was drawn to the fact that some of the participants would be out on MSU campus sharing the Gospel with MSU students (that gets me excited!) – AND that they had a “track” (ongoing class/session) specifically for seekers who wanted to know more about Jesus, and what it means to follow Him, many of whom were from other nations.  However, at the event, the TRUE impact of investing in prayer in this event struck me, and I was SO GLAD that I said yes!  You see, at the conference were 550+ students and Intervarsity staff workers from 22 different ministries from across the state.  And, I realized that by investing in prayer for these campus leaders, that WE (that means you, the one reading this) we’re actually IMPACTING thousands of lives on nearly every campus in the state of Michigan.  I LOVE the idea of impact (in fact, it’s one of the reasons I’m so committed ot PRAYER) – so, I was profoundly blessed to have such an opportunity.  And you should be blessed!  Who knows how many lives we’ve impacted through this ministry of prayer – Eternity will tell the story!!

Here are a few highilghts from the conference:

[picture to the left is from one of the sessions]

• On the second night of the conference, an opportunity was given for those in attendance who have never committed their lives to Jesus, to make a public decision to do so – and at least 30 students DID!!  in fact, we counted at least SIX from MSU (several international students included!) who came into the Kingdom of Light that night!
• Many students at the conference opened up about serious life issues (sexual abuse, immorality, addictions, etc.) and allowed the Lord to come in with healing and transformation!
• I was asked (at the last minute) to share some encouragement and testimonies with the students in a track entitled “In the Gap”, which was focused on raising up campus-transforming prayer.  I had a blast sharing with the students in there!

One Body, One House

We hosted the bi-annual MSU Ministries Prayer Breakfast this week, and I think it might have been THE highlight of the year so far, for me!!  [see pics from this, to the right]

We gathered about 30 campus ministry staffers, representing 14 different ministries for a time of fellowship, exhortation, worship and prayer!  Some of the students involved with the Furnace cooked up an amazing breakfast to serve these laborers in the harvest field at MSU.  There was a really sweet sense of brotherly love in the gathering.  We had a time of corporate worship that was dynamic (and with more liberty than I’ve seen in past gatherings), we spent time praying for the campus, thanking God for all He has done, and blessing one another.  I shared a message highlighting Ephesians 4 and I Peter 2, where we are told that we are Jesus’ Body and that He is building us, many parts, into One.  I challenged us to learn to give and receive Life with one another, so that the Body would be alive and well.  I also exhorted these leaders that we should be a people of PRAYER, because Jesus said the place He wanted to dwell is in a place of prayer.  It was a strategic Word from the Lord, I believe, and He IS building His house at MSU!!

ThanksGiving

BIG THANKS TO YOU WHO ARE GIVING (and praying) !! I can’t thank you enough — with Thanksgiving Day just around the corner, I wish I could shout it in your ear!!  It’s because of your partnership with God that all these great things are happening, and WE get to be a part of them!  Also, if you are one who likes to itemize your tax deductions, PLEASE consider making a year-end/holiday donation to this ministry!  It would be a great blessing!!

“Lift up the Name of Jesus; Lift up the Name of Jesus;
Let there be a GREAT AWAKENING!”

– This is a chorus we created in one of our prayer meetings that keeps getting repeated over and over again. 🙂

-Jessie Still

If you’d like to give, visit the “Join the Team” Page!