Evangelism was the topic at the Institute this week and we had the opportunity to get to go out into the community of Branson and share the Gospel with people. I ended up landing at Panera and sitting down to wait for some people that I might share with.
The first person I got to talk to was a girl named Tiffany. She had just moved here from New York and did not have many friends. I asked her about God and her views on who God was. She seemed to have a pretty God knowledge of who God was and I found out soon there after that she was a believer. We then discussed some of the tough things that she was dealing with on her transition from New York to Branson. I was then able to pray for her and invite her to attend Church this week at First Baptist.
The next person that I was able to get to talk to was a girl named Donna. She was very quiet but we had a great conversation. I found out that she had been living in Branson for several years. She was Catholic and has many beliefs that differed from mine. We ended up landing on Jesus and talking about Him for awhile. I could tell she wasn't very grounded in what she believed and I was able to hopefully speak some truth about what Jesus has meant to me in my life and what the Bible says about Him. It ended up being a great conversation and I got to pray for her.
I then struck up a conversation with another man who i began to chat with but then He quickly decided to leave as soon as I brought up the issue of God. 

This was a great experience for me and I was able to learn a ton about myself and other people as I shared. The biggest take away I had from this was the fact that I do not need to be nervous about sharing the Gospel because the Gospel will do the work itself. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile" (Romans 1:16) This verse brings joy and satisfaction to me because I can rest in the power of God and know that He will do the work.

This week we discussed the book of Romans at the Institute. We were able to cover the entire book in about 3 days time. There are so many great take away points from the writings of Paul in this book, but I had one big take away this week, in something that God has been teaching me recently. As God always does, he continues to soften my heart toward His grace and mercy, and continues to allow my flesh to die and realize that I can’t do this on my own. Romans clearly describes the Gospel message and our sole relaiance on Jesus and the Faith we have in Him. This just hit me hard this week. I really am thankful for the fact that Jesus has paid the penalty for my sin and Grace is enough to cover all my transgressions. It is a lesson I continue to learn and understand as time goes, but I truly love God and all that he has done for me, so to the best of my ability I am striving to keep His commands and grow closer to Him. 

This week be encouraged! Know that Christ loves you and has paid the penalty for your sins. Go live in the power of the cross!

This week in the institute we had the chance to hear from several different people and learn about several different topics. Something that was brought up this week and also something that I have been learning lately is on the topic of anxiety. With the next year coming up it has been a little nerve-racking not knowing what I am doing next year, and I have been worrying and wondering if God will come through. The good news about this is that I have scripture to look at. God’s word says that through prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. I know that God has a plan and that he will provide the right situations for me in order for His name to be glorified. That is a comforting fact!