Students Coming to Faith

We have been consistently seeing students coming to faith in the community. Some recent stories:-

- J came to free lunches and fellowships where he met some CMA-ers. Initially he questioned Christianity and did not seem to be interested. But over the next one year, he kept asking questions and bumping into CMA-ers. Very recently, he utterly surprised CMA-ers by confessing that he did started believing in Jesus as Lord and Saviour! Wow.

- A CMA-er did a summer Bible study with couple of non-believers from India. During the two month of study they seemed to be totally sceptical. But after couple of months, one of them confessed on facebook that he started believing! He was then seen going to Church!

- A first year medical student once came to a free CMA lunch seminar. But, he did not at all seemed interested in God. But we prayed for him, behind him! And lo and behold, we now see him going a Church after a year!

- A CMA-er and his friends from Church once came across a teenager who claimed to be agnostic. They witnessed to him and shared the Gospel with him. But he kept refusing to believe in the existence God for a while. But, after couple of months he did start coming to Church!

- A CMA-er testified how a postdoc from China started believing in Jesus. He was watching Christians for a while and was eventually convinced that Christianity was legit! 

- A Chinese friend and some of his Church friend did summer outreach (dinner fellowships) to visiting Chinese college student. More than dozen of them were baptised by the end of the summer!

- ...

We consistently hear stories like these, around us, in the community … God is always busy saving people! :-)

Story of Raj

A guy named Raj was introduced to Jesus by a missionary in India who also helped him with his education expenses. Soon after, he arrived in US for his post-doctoral training. He came in touch with CMA. We are now helping him find a Church. He is now trying to help poor kids in his home country with their education expences (by connecting them with sponsors in US) - Isn’t that amazing?

Human Trafficking Conference

Recently we encouraged CMA-ers to attend a Human Trafficking Conference (http://www.freethecaptiveshouston.com/houston-anti-human-trafficking-conference.php). The conference was a much needed eye-opener. It educated the attendees about the growse and awful things (sex trafficking involving minors) happening in our own backyards! We are hoping to educate CMA-ers more about this issue in the coming months. http://enditmovement.com/ is calling everyone for mass anti-rafficking campaign on 27 Febuary, 2014.

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CMDA Regional Conference with John Patrick

Mentoring kids from needy families

Couple of CMA-ers have been mentoring kids from needy families (via a local Christian ministry). A kid could come from a family struggling financially or one with single parent finding it hard to meet ends. The kids of these families definitely need members of the community to invest in them, else they remain in the danger of falling out of school and even de-void of spiritual nourishment. Hence we always encourage CMA-ers to invest in the lives of such kids in the community!

Caring for the Orphans

Every last Saturday of the month the Redline Church invites us to go to an orphanage maintained by Galveston Children Center. The volunteers do Bible lessons, fun/play activities, and lunch with the children there. Most of children there have been rescued from the dire circumstances of human trafficking and illegal immigration.

Prison Ministry

Here is an experience of a CMA-er from a local Prison Ministry:-

"
"Title:- What has been your most peaceful moment in life?"
I met this woman at the UTMB Jail hospital. She is under custody and also suffering from cancer. She is probably in her forties. She said that right then at jail, as she is going through her cancer treatment, she has been most peaceful in her life. She has found her peace in eternal God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).

Hmm, so essentially she testified, what King Soloman said in the book of Ecclesiastes that our pursuits in this world is not going to give us everlasting peace/contentment/joy, if they are not centered around God.

It also reminded me of Apostle Paul: "I can rejoice at all times and I can be content in whatsoever state I am in, even when I am in prison" (Philippians 4:4,11). "Christ is everything I need! Christ is my Life!" (Colossians 2:10; 3:3). That is, our joy does not depend on circumstances, but on the eternal God.

This is also what Jesus said, in John 4, about the "living water" He gives: "Whosoever drinketh of this water (i.e., things of the world) shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life"."

Counselling (Bible & Science based) to Women Opting for Pregnancy Termination

We found that a lot of women opting for pregnancy termination were un-educated about both the reality and outcomes. So we are partnering with a Christian group which assembles outside a pregnancy termination clinic in Houston and tries to minister to women as they are about to walk into the clinic. The volunteers in this ministry often encounter post-counselling heart changes.

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Caring for the Homeless

Every Saturday morning, volunteers come together at the parking lot of the First Presbyterian Church to serve the homeless of Galveston. The outreach includes free hair-cuts, simple free clinic (which also offers prayers and Biblical counselling to them), etc. Some CMA-ers and other UTMB students often serve there. 

Some pictures from the site: http://picasaweb.google.com/109849378231171729458/ServingHomelessAtGalveston?feat=directlink

Lunch with the Burn Patients

A fellow Christian group at UTMB has been leading lunch fellowships with patients at UTMB who are recovering from serious burns. A CMA-er had the privilege of being part of it. Frequently the patients are Spanish speaking kids, who would be there with their moms. Incidentally a lot of patients were from Mexico and was funded by the Hospital foundation and co-hosted by Ronald McDonald House Charities. The mission of these lunch fellowship has been to provide the burn patients with some great God-centered fellowship and company. A year ago a leader of the group Philip invited the patients at their home for dinner fellowship, which was really great!