As a part of our churching to the bay area of California, the brother also took us to Standford University and the University of California, Berkeley. These two universities are within the top ten ranking of the best universities worldwide. Just to get the feel of the highly, scholarly, and academically charged ambiance of the campuses we visited both the campuses. Thank God, the churches nearby are burdened and are propagating in these campuses too. The church in Palo Alto is within the vicinity of Stanford University and the church in Berkeley, UC Berkeley. Visiting these campuses made me wish I could be younger again to study. I hope that many of our young saints be enrolled into these top universities for the Lord's testimony, besides the academic reason.
At the church in Berkeley, the leading brothers took us for a love-feast and campus tour. The fellowship with these brothers was very enlightening. In fact, the earlier opposition to the Lord's recovery stemmed from this university with a publishing house that published a negative book located just near the university campus. I was impressed by the wisdom the Lord gave to our brothers in handling such a fierce opposition diluted with false allegation. Believe it or not, I read a negative article against the Lord's recovery sixteen years ago when I was still a student and seeker who was not yet in the church life. That letter was straight from the heart of an opposer from this university in Berkeley. Though that letter was intended to spread "bad news" about the Lord's recovery, to me it was a "good news," as the content of the letter cited a testimony of a brother who left his girlfriend after he got saved through the saints and brought into the church life.
The church could never be defeated as it of Christ, so also His recovery. The church bought a very good building from the Baptist many years ago, renovated it, and now is being used for multiple purposes. Besides the church meeting hall, brothers and sisters' houses were also part of the building usage, and this is also the building from where defense and confirmation of the truth was started and carried out. The brothers labored in the truth writing theological articles to refute the false claims of the opposers. I deeply respect the brothers whom the Lord pleased to use in upholding the truths. And I felt honor and privileged to be able to visit the church and fellowship with the brothers.
Another interesting matter is, a brother who had done his Ph.D. and is now working in UC Berkely. Twelve years ago he visited the church in New Delhi as a student and working ones yet without informing his boss. It was then that his debit card was blocked out of suspicion. Then helpless with nothing at hand, he somehow was introduced to the brothers in the church at that time and was financially and spiritually restored back. This brother was so happy to meet us from India and reminded us of his visit to New Delhi and Gurgaon with throwback photos.
May the Lord gain many top students from these top universities for His testimony!
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