"I see the fruit of his labor ... "
As a first-year student in Brisbane, Australia, Ben’s confidence was contagious. During a dorm party in 2017, Ben connected with several Campus Outreach staff who were serving pancakes and water to students.
“He came over and was pretty talkative,” said Kyler Allen, who served as LEAD staff then. “We had a good conversation and got into a discussion about church and spiritual things. He had some really off-the-wall views about Christianity, so I asked if we could meet up for lunch.” From there, Kyler and Ben met several times to discuss Ben’s views.
The meetings continued and developed into a Bible study with several of Ben’s friends. “At that point, none of the guys were Christians, but they were interested in deeper conversations,” Kyler shared. As the group met regularly, Sam Miller, the CO Brisbane Director, walked the students through the book of John, answering questions and exploring Christ’s character. Though the meetings were encouraging, Ben remained resistant to the gospel. Kyler returned home to the U.S. to join the long-term CO staff at Georgia Tech.
Months later, Kyler received a surprising Facebook message:
“Hey Kyler, how is it going at Georgia Tech? Everything is good here in Darwin. And I’m a Christian now, man. Thank you for spending your time with me when you were here.”
Kyler remembered, “It was pretty crazy, now that I think about it. It still makes me praise God with gratitude for the privilege of being able to invest in guys on the other side of the world. It’s amazing that there are still ripple effects of the time and prayer I put into the guys in Australia.”
Today, Ben is one of the most influential student leaders in Brisbane.
“As I see God growing Ben and using him in the lives of others, I see the fruit of Kyler's labor here in Brisbane, fruit that he didn't see first-hand but that we will celebrate together for all of eternity,” Sam shared.
For long-term teams around the world, LEAD staff fill in ministry gaps, expanding reach exponentially.
“LEAD staff are in a particular life stage that means they can really give their all to ministry; particularly, they have lots of flexibility, meaning they can hang out with students in all kinds of ways that other staff may not be able to do,” Brisbane Director Sam Miller said.
Whether it’s playing soccer or hosting movie nights, LEAD staff have a unique capacity to develop relationships after outreach events. With an experienced team, that training can prepare LEAD staff for long-term ministry positions.
“I learned how to listen, ask questions and facilitate those discipleship groups,” Kyler shared. “It was also the first time I wrote and delivered a message to students and staff. That experience was invaluable. In Australia, we did 4-week discussion groups in dorms to open the door for Bible studies. I was able to bring that back to Georgia Tech.”
LEAD staff like Kyler are impacting campuses around the world. While gaining critical ministry skills, these young leaders are energizing long-term staff, filling in ministry gaps, and making an eternal impact for Christ in the lives of countless students.
