IFES world student day

Today is IFES World Student Day. I am a big fan of the student work IFES does all over the world, and can testify to having benefitted much from my involvement in OICCU. I remember truly understanding the global reach of IFES a couple of years ago when I heard Lindsey Brown, the former General Secretary, speak twice, once to a predominantly white audience in Oxford at a missions evening, and then, that summer, coming to Kuching and encouraging an audience of local tertiary students whose English was not the best but who were so obviously hungry to know God better and to live for Him. (It was actually pretty surreal as I was the only overseas student at that Kuching gathering!)

Students can testify to God's workings everywhere, and this is my favourite student story of 2007:

BGC CU (a small arts college in the UK) are a small group of students, around 15 or so, who were recently thrown out of their Student Union, derecognised as a student society and had their bank account frozen. The SU had sent along a "spy" to the weekly CU meeting, which happened to be one of the PURE course sessions which teach the biblical view on sex and relationships. The girl enjoyed it so much that she actually came back the following night, boyfriend in tow!

After much prayer and discussion, the Student Union decided to reinstate the CU just before they were due to put on some events designed for student witness. Guess who became a Christian at those events? Yes, the very same spy!

Let it not be said that God doesn't possess a sense of humour! :)