This morning we gathered with area volunteers for one hour of training, fellowship, and to read God's Word. We read John 15: "I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing." It's a real blessing to abide in the vine to stay in the enjoyment of Christ.

We crew members split up into two teams. One team spent the day at Portland State University, while the other team drove the two BfA vans to the University of Oregon in Eugene, an hour and a half away.

Portland State University, in downtown Portland, is a campus of over 20,000 students. We were able to secure a parking spot for the motor home between two buildings on campus.

Twenty-nine local volunteers, including some high school students who were out of school for the week, joined us for five hours of distribution. For some, this was the first time they participated in this kind of BfA distribution. At the end of the day, they testified they would never be the same after their experience.

• Some volunteers stayed in the motor home to put labels on the Bible cases and to meet students who came directly to the door requesting a free Bible.
• One crew member interviewed a student who had received a Recovery Version two weeks ago. He said that he was very happy with the Bible and that it is very easy to read. His friend, who was standing nearby, overheard his comments and wanted to get his own Recovery Version.
• The chaperone of a group of high school students touring the campus accepted a brochure and walked away reading it. A crew member walked along, showing him the features of the Recovery Version, including the outlines and footnotes. After reading Matthew 1:1 and the corresponding footnotes, the man immediately signed up to receive the Bible on the spot. He is an assistant pastor of a congregation. We told him that many pastors are using the Recovery Version and that we would be happy to supply the people in his group with Bibles.

We heard reports that the weather today was the best that Portland has had in a long time. For a Friday, there were still many students on campus, and we handed out 331 Bibles.

The other team had a great day at the University of Oregon in Eugene. They distributed 850 brochures and 170 Bibles while stationed at an outdoor area called the "fishbowl."

• They came across some students who had met other BfA volunteers two weeks ago but did not get Bibles at that time. This time, they decided to receive free Bibles.
• One crew member spent 30 minutes speaking with a student about the term "God's economy" found in Ephesians 1:10 and 1 Timothy 1:4. The student then filled out a card and said, "I'll be waiting for you to contact me."
• A high school debate team visiting the campus received our brochures.

At the end of the day, all of the crew members met up in Eugene and spent the night there.

Abiding in the vine,
The "Salt Lake City Tour" Crew