Sent: 12/20/2008
Subj: Bless you and thanks for your time.
Hi. I was one of the Christian girls hovering around the Indiana State University fountain area during the couple of days you preached there. I think I made the observation that you seemed to break a whole lot of the guys that spent most of the previous day heckling you and harassing your fellow preachers. I have come to believe strongly that these kinds of "confrontational" messages are the best way to make a lasting impact. I go out soulwinning door-to-door with my church whenever I can and it seems that it is much easier to convert a family living in a run-down, crime ridden neighborhood than it is to preach to middle-class university students existing in the comfort of their pricey apartments/dorms, iPods, and fancy laptops that do can everything but the laundry.
I've been at State for a while but this is the first time I had ever seen street preaching.' I actually barely noticed it because that's the kind of pastoral approach that I'm the most used to. When I returned from class, the group had become much more agitated and angry. I decided to stop for a while and see what all the fuss was about,....well, I figured it was because someone decided to preach the BIBLE, which doesn't really happen too much around here with all the watered-down feel-good ministries for students.
One thing I will always remember about the first few minutes I watched was the horrible fear. I looked around and swore I saw my classmates turn into literally demons and creatures of Hell. I had never seen such anger and frightening reactions directed towards something that I have known, loved, and understood for such a long time. I started to realize that I stuck out like a sore thumb in the group with my long skirt (and attire that covered what should be covered in the first place.) I could feel some of the angry students direct their attention towards me. Actually, some students thought I was a part of the evangelists as well. Eventually, things got so tense that I figured it might be in the best interest of my personal safety to make a quick exit.
I ended up feeling awful that I didn't stick around just because I was afraid so the next day I made sure to stick around and I had a very good conversation with the lady evangelist.
Anyway, I hope you will make Indiana State a regular stop and maybe do some preaching a couple of times a year. I think there is a lot of potential here in spite of the ugliness that can (and will) rear its head. This past year there has been a strong but small group of like-minded fundamentalist young people that are growing in confidence. I'm also thinking about starting something, but God has not put me in any definite direction just yet.
Many times I feel quite suffocated here, as I told the female preacher. I am just not happy at all in a state college with all of its politically correct, idealization of personal apathy nonsense. I do not feel as comfortable or as safe as I used to after witnessing the intense hatred directed at good Christians who are really just looking out for everyone's well-being. College has been for me nothing but a dark abyss that has tried to sap everything from me that is right, good, and essentially, what holds my sanity together.
Anyway, I'll end here because I know you've probably got a lot to do. Be sure to come back and maybe I'll get the courage to join you guys on the platform and speak about the Word as well!!!!!
M.
