This year!

I really wanted to write to let you know what has been happening with me here in Lincoln since I came back after Christmas. It seems such a long time ago! Before anything, I would like to apologise for not personally writing to each of you. I would love to however, there are just not enough hours in the day and I have a lot to say at the moment!

Up until recently, I have been feeling spiritually very low. I have been through a time where I 've felt really challenged about what I believe and why I believe it. It is only until recently that I have felt a real closeness with God; I have had a real renewal of faith which has been a great encouragement for me. The people around me must have seen a dramatic change this week from someone who was seriously contemplating throwing in the towel on Christianity, to someone who is currently so fired up for God. I really praise God for the support that I 've been given over the past few weeks, both in Lincoln and Worthing. I am almost certain that if it wasn 't through the prayer support that I have received, I wouldn 't be writing this letter to you now, nor would I be going to church on Sunday.

I think that this time of trail has left me with the realisation and challenge that I really need to fully depend of God for everything as nothing else comes close to the release and satisfaction that I am feeling, particularly the freedom that I am finding in Christ. I ask that you will continue to pray for me that I will be constantly reminded of this need for God as He is the only way I am going to make it through university, in all that I do outside of my university work and throughout the rest of my life.

I think that this spiritual battle has been allowed to happen now for a reason. I was asked a while back to be involved with the Christian Union small groups and become a leader, to help and support others. My first real session as leading a group was on Thursday just past. Another member of the CU who was going to be leading had to drop out as she was feeling unwell, leaving me to lead this group through a study on Hebrews 3 alone. This experience of feeling cut off from God created by this spirit of downheartedness really showed me that self reliance would get me nowhere. I needed to know that I could not lead this group using purely my own strength. As a result of relaxing into God 's car, I honestly have never felt such a feeling of rest with God, so much so that I know it wasn 't any part of me leading the group, but God leading through me.

At the moment I am on such a spiritual high, I cannot express adequately how amazing and awesome God is.

I think that through this, not only have I drawn closer to God but have a much deeper understanding on His word too. Two verses that have really been opened up to me are James 1: 2-3 which says “consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of you faith develops perseverance." Truth be told, until now this verse has seemed totally crazy, how can trials be “pure joy"? However, in hind sight I completely understand that I had to go through this period of testing and trial to come out the other side feeling the way I do right now, even if it took a bit longer than usual.

he other verse that has really come alive to me is 1 Corinthians 10:13 which talks about God being faithful and not allowing us to be tempted beyond what we can bear and supporting us through it. God was supporting me through these trials through the people He put around me to guide and help me during this time.

This is especially relevant now to me as the Christian Union at Lincoln will be running a week of evangelistic events on campus. It has become so apparent through the atmosphere on campus that the devil does not want this event to happen. It was described to me as a ‘spirit of negativity’ that has settled on the campus, I know first hand what that is like now. As a Christian Union, we will be doing a daily brunch bars with talks about big questions that people often have about Christianity, such as how do we know that the Bible is a reliable source and that it hasn 't been changed over the years? Through these talks, we will be able to speak to so many people to truly communicate our message and attempt to rid the apathy that young people often have in relation to Christianity. (I 'm not sure about this sentence…you didn’t need the times and such like so don 't know if what I 've written is completely off the point…if so, just ditch it!)

Every evening this week, we have events that have been designed to be accessible to bring friends along to. On Monday night, the guys in the Christian Union are running a football and pub night just for the guys, meeting in a place where people are comfortable to come along to so that we can talk to them about God and invite them to the rest of the events in the week. The female equivalent is also being run at the same time.

The other main events we 're running each day are called ‘First Contacts '. Within the university we are going to be going out into the main atrium on campus and asking people how they feel about God and answering their immediate questions, but also to invite them to the rest of the week 's events so that they can really meet with God, maybe for the first time. I believe that during this week we will see lives changed on the Lincoln campus.

I would really appreciate if you could commit this week to prayer; praising God that we have this opportunity to witness on campus and that the devil will have no part in it. Also that God would be moving powerfully through the university, be softening hearts and that people will want to come. For the CU members and for Lee McMunn, who is coming especially to speak at many of these events, and that we as a group will be united. Moreover, that the group will have the strength, courage and endurance to actively witness on campus. Most importantly though that we won 't forget why we are going this; for God 's glory and not our own, and that we will be totally relying on God for everything this week.

Personally, if you could be thanking God that I have been released from the spirit that was causing me such negativity and therefore praise that I am feeling so excited about the coming week. Please pray that I will fully depend on God constantly and that even after this events week, I will still have this passion and fire for God.

There are so many people that I want to bring along to these events and I really thank God for the opportunities that He has already given to me to invite people such as H and S, T and J and only a couple of hours ago to talk to one of my flat mates. Please pray that more opportunities will open up to invite people in my flat and on my course and that they will come with open hearts willing to listen to be transformed by God.