SUMMER BATTLES
By Steve Cohen


Picture yourself riding in a van with three others from The Apple of His Eye. It is towards the end of the intensive two-week outreach. You have moved beyond the “butterflies in my stomach because I am not sure what is going to happen” phase. You have taken time to pray and now you are wearing a shirt emblazoned with a question on the back: What do you think of Jesus?

Now you are preparing to engage in the summer battles – of the spiritual kind that is...

The site for the evening sortie (going out with gospel tracts, conducting your mission, and then coming back) is the St. Louis area University City Loop. The Loop is named for the place where the trollies used to loop around and head back into town. Now it is a trendy gathering place filled with eclectic shops and restaurants.

As you exit the van and enter the summer evening heat, you find youngsters on skateboards showing their moves and older folk sitting at sidewalk tables soaking in the ambience. Some bring their pets to stroll casually about. Cool jazz wafts through the sultry night air. You decide that your favorite spot is “The Wall”. This is a spot by Fitz’s Root Beer about mid-way in the Loop.


When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.” Matthew 16:13-17

During this summer outreach, that question, “What do you think of Jesus?” was asked over and over again as we distributed 44,150 broadsides.

Photos of the outreach

NEWS YOU CAN USE:
YOUR MISSIONARY SUPPORT CAN WORK HARDER...

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans offers a benefit that enhances the charitable giving of its members. Through the GivingPlus Program, a member’s financial gift will be supplemented by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans will contribute $1 for every $2 donated to The Apple of His Eye by members up to a $300 maximum supplement per year. (You can choose two organizations per year to receive these supplements.)

A monetary gift of cash, check or money order will be supplemented and stock or mutual fund share transfers are also eligible.

You can download the forms for your selected organization to receive supplemental gifts from the Thrivent Web site: http://www.thrivent.com/index.html and go to the GivingPlus page. Send your completed form to The Apple of His Eye.

We covet your prayers:
For more volunteers to assist us in our growing ministry
For Alexey’s growing ministry in Russia
For Jan Cohen’s battle with Huntington’s Disease
For the followup to the contacts we received during our summer outreach
That Christians would sustain their mission support over the summer
For the peace of Jerusalem!



Is it possible to do effective street ministry in 2005? Giving strangers Gospel tracts? Going door to door? Aren’t these things outdated?

Our Summer Outreach ended here in St. Louis on July 9. Here are just a few stories of how the Holy Spirit worked thru the 25 people who participated:

Shelley, a Jewish believer in Jesus who lives in St. Louis, has an unbelieving friend who received two of the 44,150 Gospel tracts we distributed. Her friend read the tracts, remembered that Shelley is a believer and called her to ask questions about Jesus! Please pray that as they get together to talk about the Gospel, the Holy Spirit will open this woman’s heart!