Part one of the invitation...

This past Wednesday, my small group members and I threw a party for the residence floor we have Bible study on once a week. I had an idea that instead of going out for a Christmas dinner, we should pitch our money together to throw a party for the floor. I was shocked that everyone was up for the idea! By the end of the night, we had pooled together $60 and made plans of our tasks and what food we were serving at the party.

And the party was pretty awesome. It started off slow at first, with students from my small group sticking together and students from the floor, who always hang out, sticking together. About 30 minutes or so went by, and the mingling began with the introduction of Apples to Apples.

The party went on for about 3 hours. We had different people dropping in all night. Some were shocked about it, picked up some food, and went back to their rooms. Others soaked in the fun and stayed to play games and eat more food.

I was able to talk to connect with quite a few students and have some good conversations with them. A few people asked me why we did this. I was quite excited they did, because I had spent some time thinking about it.

Basically, I explained that we were a group of people learning more about Jesus. And in Scripture, Jesus throws extravagant parties and tells His followers to do the same. So, we were a bunch of people just trying to be more like Jesus, doing what He taught us to do.

Most people thought that was cool. I hope that they will join us one Wednesday night, to encounter Jesus for themselves. I didn't throw the invitation out that night, but I know that my students who live in this residence are hard at work, telling their floormates to join us.

So Wednesday night's party was just part one of the invitation. Part two will come in January, and I am praying that some students will join us for Scripture study. If you remember, please pray for the students we were able to connect with on Wednesday. I have a sense that God has been working in them for the past little bit.