This past month, Fellows Class 18 has been learning about God’s heart for the lost and implementing it into our own lives. We have been learning about different religions, cultures, and tactics for sharing our faith and practicing it on trips to Auburn University and Utah.
We have experienced firsthand the hopelessness, stubbornness, sadness, and longing of lost people and can see how important it is to share our faith. As Christians, we hold the Truth. We have what people need and are searching for. In Matthew 28:19-20 we are told to make disciples, so we are not only under a personal obligation to share what has drastically changed our lives, but God also commands us to do so. Our faith gives people hope, purpose, and certainty unattainable from earthly things. We have the best news there has ever been, and we as believers have the privilege and responsibility of sharing it with others!
I (Lauchlinn Bays) got to put this into action alongside my classmates a few weeks ago on a visit to Auburn University, where I was challenged and encouraged. It was outside my comfort zone to go up to a stranger and start a spiritual conversation, but I grew bolder and more comfortable throughout the day. Through my conversations with multiple people, I was shown the brokenness in this world and the apathy many have toward the Gospel. The Lord grew my confidence in sharing the Gospel that day; not so much in myself, but in what He can do through me.
Another great experience I got to have with Fellows Class 18 was in Utah at the beginning of this month. We had the opportunity to go to Salt Lake City and the surrounding areas to have conversations with Latter-Day Saints. The Lord broke my heart for the people I encountered and spoke with; they were so close to the truth yet lost. 
The darkness that surrounded the places we went was almost tangible. During my week there, I was shown how little I can rely on myself and how I constantly need to lean into God. The Lord gave me the strength, boldness, clarity, wisdom, discernment, and patience that I needed to be an effective ambassador for Him. If I had leaned on my abilities, I would have been too exhausted to carry on my conversations about the Trinity, the reliability of the Gospel, eternity, creation, and everything in between. So many people are deceived by a false gospel, but it cannot hold up under the scrutiny of the true Gospel. I am hopeful and optimistic for the Lord’s work through us in Utah. Many were open and curious; one young woman even gave her life to Christ. The Lord showed me His faithfulness and might in such a beautiful, yet dark place.
Overall, the Lord has grown me in ways I never thought He would, and I have been privileged to watch my classmates grow with me. My heart has been broken for the lost, but I have been emboldened after seeing what God can and will do when we share His Word. I have seen how small I am without the Lord and yet how He uses me to do incredible things that I could not do alone. My heart and flesh may fail, but God is my heart’s strength and portion forever (Psalm 73:26).
Lauchlinn Bays
Owensboro, Ky