Our Ministry
Text Messaging for Jesus
by Will Main
We are now in our third year of ministry here at the Haskell Indian Nations University. We are always amazed at how the time quickly goes by.
I was recently given the opportunity to instruct a Vision Quest class which is a mandatory class for the incoming freshmen. I was at first reluctant to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity that God had placed in front of me but as I began to teach, God revealed to me just what a blessing this opportunity was. I now have access to all the incoming freshmen and it is a wonderful time to begin relationships with the students.
On the first day of class I was assured by the head of Academics that I would have a small class, approximately 10-12 students, mostly males, but God had a different plan. What a surprise it was to me as I walked into class to be greeted by 32 students, mostly females. Our God certainly does have an awesome sense of humor! The Vision Quest class is basically an introduction to college courses so the students were eager to learn about the university and where they fit into this new environment. This eagerness to learn also made them very receptive to the Gospel and I have met many Christians this year. It is very encouraging for the young Christians to know that they can venture over to the LIGHT House for everything from school supplies to a kind word of encouragement.
As I continued teaching the class I began to notice a few very unique individuals. One young man in particular (Scott) not his real name, began to show some leadership skills in class but he appeared to be a very hard-hearted young man. He was fresh out of the military and adjustment to civilian life seemed to be a struggle for him. Whether intentional or not, he began to alienate himself from his classmates and he appeared to spend much of his time alone. His insecurity began to really show by the way he would attempt to control the classroom discussions and on occasion, he would attempt to also control me with his aggressiveness. I decided to initiate a discussion after class with Scott to try to get to the source of his aggression and general uneasiness. As I talked with Scott one on one he was a completely different person. All the bravado was gone and it was obvious that he was a young man with much woundedness in his heart. We began to meet at the LIGHT House so that our sharing sessions would be more private and in depth. He soon revealed to me the source of his pain. His father also a military man was very coarse with him and this behavior had caused Scott to doubt his self worth. In an effort to cover his low self esteem he would act and speak inappropriately, not only during class time but also in his personal life. He was also getting into trouble off campus as he would often find himself downtown on the weekends in the nightclubs. He shared with me that he was getting into fights and could not control his rage; little things would set him off.
I began to share with Scott about his Father in Heaven but he had difficulty understanding how this Father in Heaven had allowed his earthly father to treat him so badly. As I shared the Good News with Scott on a regular basis I began to see some positive changes in the choices Scott was making. He was using far less profanity and he was showing respect to his classmates. Scott, like all the rest of us, is still a work in progress but I am amazed at how much he has changed in the short time that I have known him. Our God is certainly at work in his heart.
Scott suffered a setback over the Christmas holidays and he found himself in trouble and he also had nowhere to go over the Christmas break. He stayed at the LIGHT House over the holidays so I thank and praise the Lord that we have the flexibility to offer the LIGHT House as a sanctuary to those who find themselves in need. My relationship with Scott continues to grow and I am excited and thankful that God has placed this young man across my path.
Scott is one of many that Patricia and I counsel and encourage to grow in the Lord during our time here. We continue to see the Lord at work in the hearts of the students and staff and ourselves. We are truly living in blessed times.
A new and very interesting and exciting way to reach the students on a regular basis that we have implemented is what I call our “text message ministry”. This form of communication allows us to reach a large number of students daily with an encouraging word or Scripture verses. Some of the students have commented that the messages are very encouraging and timely and they now look forward to this new way of sharing the Gospel. What a mighty God we serve!