I am thrilled to share with you an opportunity for one of our church members. Emilie Proctor is a student at the Impact 360 Leadership Program. Emilie came to me and expressed her desire and passion for missions and leadership development. She told me she plans to use her gap year to explore this opportunity and seek guidance from the Lord on what are her next steps. Emilie has asked for some financial support from the church, and many from Tim Johnson’s LifeGroup class have rallied around her to help support this opportunity. I am happy to share with you a report she has created to update the church about her time there and what she has learned thus far.
Hello Church,
I am a Fellow in the Impact 360 program in Pine Mountain, GA. This gap year program teaches us how to evangelize and how to apply a biblical lens to topics like abortion, homosexuality, and identity. It is important to approach gospel conversations critically, ask questions, and think deeply about issues. Throughout the program, we go on two immersive experiences to Utah and Brazil, evangelizing and learning about other religions and cultures.
At the beginning of the year in class, we focused on truth. We were taught how to ask clarifying questions and guide conversations using questions. We traveled to Auburn University to practice this concept; we unpacked the worldviews of college students to understand what they believe. We then traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah, and practiced this concept to share the Gospel.
We are trained before traveling to Utah on what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) believes. LDS members believe that God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all separate personages. While Christians believe that within the one being that is God, there are simultaneously three coequal, coeternal, and distinct persons. Another main takeaway is that they believe salvation is only acceptable after all that we can do (2 Neh 25:23). It is a works-based religion contrary to Ephesians 2:8-9.
We were hosted by Brett Kunkle and the rest of the Maven staff as we traveled to college campuses and learned more about the LDS church in Temple Square. We were given a tour by two LDS members in the conference center, where we practiced asking questions about their beliefs. The Maven team also put together a Q and A, which introduced intellectual arguments for the LDS faith. We visited BYU and Snow College, where we talked to college students about their faith. We also went door-to-door at apartment complexes. We heard testimonies of LDS members as tears filled their eyes; they would tell us how they felt the Book of Mormon was true. We had to learn how to hold their hearts in our hands as we gracefully showed the flaws in their religion.
Our Main focus was to learn about the LDS faith, help them think critically about their faith, and deepen our desire to think critically about Christianity. My heart broke for the young adults who didn’t know the true gospel apart from works. I learned how to depend on the Holy Spirit through conversations. I grew in courage as I went door to door, and I learned that it starts by recognizing that they are made in the image of God. It became easier when I was genuinely interested in what they had to say. Brett Kunkle explained that the main reason we go on this trip is for us to become motivated to deepen our theology and build sound arguments for Christianity.
I became aware of the goodness of the true Gospel. I was able to rest and sit in God’s grace and salvation that he freely offers; we can’t earn salvation; it is a gift from God. It allowed me to recognize that LDS members aren’t the only ones who live with this mindset. I brought home a heartfelt desire to share the Gospel with others. Please pray for Utah and the LDS members there; pray for hearts willing to listen and for the true Gospel of Christ to become known.
~Emilie Proctor
