Monday, Novermber 26, 2001 - We regrouped at the motor home this morning
at eight o'clock. After some planning, the caravan left Jacksonville and
began the drive to Gainesville, Florida. One and a half hours later, we
pulled into Gainesville and were met by a group of volunteers and their
guests who were visiting them from Taiwan. Everyone was eager to offer a
free Bible to as many college students as possible.
After a wonderful time of prayer and fellowship together, we headed for
the University of Florida campus. When we arrived around eleven thirty,
we were immediately engulfed in a sea of students. There are 45,000 students
at this university, the largest university in the South and the fourth
largest in the nation.
Here are some highlights of our time on the campus:
A student
from India who was baptized just one month ago approached one of our
volunteers. As the volunteer spoke with her, he asked her to read John
3:16 and footnote 2 with him. As she was reading her jaw dropped and
she said, "I can understand it. I always wondered what this meant.
Now I see."
Another
student was invited to come to our table to get a free Bible and her
response was, "A short while ago I ordered my Recovery Version
on-line, and I just received it." We asked her, "How do you
like the footnotes?" She answered, "I love this version!"
As she was speaking, another girl, whom she didn't know, came over and
said, "Me, too. I just got mine from on-line." The two began
chatting away, exchanging phone numbers so they could have more fellowship
together. Then spontaneously, to show their gratitude, both went around
the campus looking for BfA volunteers to offer to get them something
to drink since it was unseasonably hot. We couldn't believe it! They
left us glowing with the joy of the Lord.
At the
campus Burger King we gave the two cashiers a brochure offering a free
New Testament Recovery Version. They asked for another for their manager
and then one cashier said to the other, "I need to give my life
to Jesus." The other responded, "Yes, and not one foot in
and one foot out. We need to be all the way for Christ."
At another
area of the campus, a girl was getting on a bus, turned around, came
back to a volunteer and said, "What you're doing is really encouraging
to me. I'm also a Christian."
A professor
of religion and languages at the university came to see our Bibles.
He was actually reading aloud the Word in Greek while he read the Recovery
Version. After he read at length, a volunteer said to him, "We're
giving away the Word of God to every home that's open in the USA."
He replied, "This is a good translation because you covered the
problem places that most Bibles miss," approving of this translation.
He then got his Recovery Version New Testament.
A BfA volunteer, describing the hungry atmosphere on the campus, remarked
that the University of Florida was like a county fair of open people.
In four hours we gave away 123 Bibles. It was marvelous.
After our time at the university, we went to a nearby Walmart. As soon
as we set up, people immediately flocked to our table. Although we could
only stay for forty minutes, we gave away 34 Bibles in that time! Here's
some of what happened at Walmart:
One
surly looking girl turned out to be almost the most tender person that
one volunteer had met. He spoke with her and showed her the New Testament
Recovery Version, using Acts 8 about the Ethiopian eunuch. It was the
only thing he could think of at the time. She let down her defensive
posture and hurried over to get her own copy at the motor home. When
she left, she had a big smile on her face!
We met
a man who said, "I don't believe in the Bible." A volunteer
said, "You may not believe in it, but you should read it."
With that the man decided he needed a Bible and got one.
As we
were leaving, we had a delay with the motor home. While we were waiting,
a young woman ran up to the cargo van and said that she had just been
saved in September. She wanted to know if she could buy a Bible from
us. We said, "Well, we have one to give you right here." She
was shining with Christ and with appreciation and watered our spirits.
It was a real joy to meet someone so hungry and grateful at the end
of a long day.
We gave out a total of 7,612 pieces of literature today. We are happy
that more and more people will begin to taste the food supply from the
Word of God and the footnotes in the New Testament Recovery Version.
To
our God and Father be the glory forever and ever,
The "Word of Truth USA" Crew
Report
Day 41: Monday, 11/26/2001
After a wonderful time of prayer and fellowship together, we headed for
the University of Florida campus. When we arrived around eleven thirty,
we were immediately engulfed in a sea of students. There are 45,000 students
at this university, the largest university in the South and the fourth
largest in the nation.
One
surly looking girl turned out to be almost the most tender person that
one volunteer had met. He spoke with her and showed her the New Testament
Recovery Version, using Acts 8 about the Ethiopian eunuch. It was the
only thing he could think of at the time. She let down her defensive
posture and hurried over to get her own copy at the motor home. When
she left, she had a big smile on her face!