By Marisa Moody, Communications Director for Revive Europe
I had a pretty average weekend planned in Berlin. I lead communications for Revive but didn’t have a role in the retreat happening in Denmark, so I wasn’t planning to be there myself.
A Danish friend of mine, Clara, was visiting me in Berlin when I took a call with Maria [red. Maria Kjær, koordinator på konferencen] to collaborate on our social media plan. When Clara overheard us talking about the retreat happening in Aarhus, where she happened to be going the next day to visit her brother, she and Maria both encouraged me to join them.
After asking God and feeling a green-light, we booked my train ticket to Aarhus – and arrived in time for the next evening’s program, also bringing along Clara’s brother. All totally unexpected, but God knows best where we need to be, when, with who.
It was such a gift to be there with my Revive family, and to meet our new extended family in Aarhus. I absolutely treasured hearing the student testimonies from the weekend and am honored to share a few with you here:
Andreas, studying theology said he’s “just hungry to see what the Lord wants to do here in Denmark – praying for God to pour out His spirit.” He said the listening prayer time was special to him. “It’s been really amazing to come into intercession, just to see the Lord’s loving perspective on me, and what He’s prepared.”
Nana, a student convicted by a YouTube video to leave her new age community and give her life to following Jesus told me about how she went to prayer with some questions and God gave her the same answer twice – to seek Him for Him, and keep that the primary. She said “Getting to pray for others, I get so filled with the Spirit. It’s just so amazing that God can use us like that.” Full of joy, she also shared a moment in worship saying to God how surreal it is that a year ago she didn’t know who he was and now she was “standing here at your feet, worshipping you and that’s where I feel the best in the whole world – that’s what you created me to do – worship you.”
Elyse experienced an increase in boldness and hope, sharing “I feel my heart being moved to my non-Chrisitan friends – it’s encouraged me to talk to them more about Jesus and that they have a more open heart than I thought. I have a fresh hope for their faith.”
Sidsel admitted she had a lot of anxiety before coming, feeling despair and that God was a big and frightening figure in her life, a person she couldn’t reach out to anymore – really questioning if she should come. “I had a lot of hesitations but I prayed with Sarah and she was so gentle and loving and just there – she took her time and I was able to completely relax. At some point, the walls just slowly came down…”
I have personally been so blessed by witnessing what is happening amongst this community in Aarhus. It is special. It is inspiring. And it is just the beginning of what we believe God has in store for this student generation across Europe. He is preparing the way!