A month ago, I got a call from a recently-graduated OSU student.

"Hi Paul!"

"Hi Sarah!"

"Did you get my card?"

"Yep!"

"So you know why I'm calling?"

"Yep!"

"So...can we schedule a time to meet and talk about supporting me next year while I work with Chi Alpha?"

"Let's do it!"

A few weeks later, we settled into one of the coffee shops just off campus.  I knew Sarah pretty well, but never really heard her full story.  She told me about coming to OSU, feeling lonely on campus and needing answers to her spiritual questions. In her search for answers, Sarah visited several local churches.  Regardless of how hard she tried, she never really felt like she fit in.  In desperation, Sarah cried out to God, "If you are really there, you're gonna have to do something."

That night, Sarah had a dream.  In that dream, a woman came to her dorm room and told Sarah that she would introduce her to Jesus.  The next morning, Sarah woke up and decided to give church one more try.  As she walked into this new church, a woman came up and introduced herself, "Hi!  I'm Beth!"  Sarah was blown away! Beth was the woman from her dream!  Beth introduced Sarah to Jesus and she was later baptized in one of the fountains at OSU.

Now, I trained Beth and her team in  Contagious Disciple Making principles and coached them monthly.  Because of her dream, Sarah didn't complete the Discovering God curriculum before she decided to follow Jesus.  But, Beth used the Discovery Bible Study format to disciple Sarah.  

Later, Sarah met a student from a limited-access country.  She had a ton of spiritual questions and Sarah invited her to work through the Discovering God Discovery Group series.  It wasn't too long before the student followed Christ and Sarah baptized her in a bathtub.  Later, the student returned to her home country and is reaching out to her friends and family using the Contagious Disciple Making principles she learned from Sarah.

During her presentation, Sarah showed me pictures of her baptism and of her baptizing the young student.  

Now, Sarah sat across the table from me and explained how she wanted to use the gap year between her undergrad and medical school to make disciples of international students, like the young student, who came for an education and discovered a God who loves them.  She asked me to be part of her ministry team. I told her that Christi and I would be honored.

As we left, she looked at me and asked, "Does this mean you will coach me like you do Beth?"

"Absolutely!"

As I write this, I am overwhelmed at the graciousness of God.  He prodded Beth to contact me for training years ago, way before I even thought of moving to Oregon.  Years before that, He planted Beth and her team on the OSU campus.  He gave Sarah the dream.  He caused Beth and Sarah to meet.  He filled Sarah with His Spirit.  He encouraged the young international student to choose OSU and come all the way to the United States for her education.  He introduced her to Sarah.  And, in time, He introduced Himself to her through His Word in a Discovery Group.  God watched over Sarah as she baptized the young student.  Now, while the young student is making disciples in her home country, God had Sarah sit across from me in that coffee shop and talk about how she wants to give a year to focus on discipling students at OSU.  

We serve an amazing God! I am so grateful He allows us to take part in His story.