EXPERIENCE - SOWING THE SEEDS OF FAITH | KAIROS GLOBAL | APRIL 2019

Author: Arun Sebastian

Intro: Arun Sebastian shares about his Kairos journey; how a magazine proved to be a powerful tool of evangelization

It was 2018, and I had only one more year left in Trivandrum. It was at that time that I got the opportunity to lead Campus Meet 2018. Though it was very challenging, I couldn't resist taking it up for Christ. Even though we had to go through many hurdles, it ended up gracefully and we could see the faces of the participants lit up with joy.

But after this huge venture, a deep emptiness came over me. I wasn't satisfied having completed a major task and did not feel like I was now ready to rest. I was totally disturbed and wanted to do more for Christ before my time on earth was over, and I wanted to do all that was possible within the short span. But whatever I did, what I wanted most was, that it should be sustained for a longer period. Even when I leave, it should help someone get closer to Christ. But I had no idea what to do.

It was at this point that I happened to call one of my friends who was shifting from Trivandrum to Thrissur, and during our call she said there were Jesus Youth in the new place where she was going and it was found by her parents who were in no way connected with the movement. They in fact got to know about it through Kairos Magazine where there was an article about the prayer group in that place. She said her parents used to read Kairos and they got to know more about the movement and its beauty through it. Also, my friend added that it was through Kairos that she came to know about the movement first; it helped her to come closer to Christ.

Suddenly, it struck me. This is an opportunity for me to do something which can have a long-lasting impact. Until then, my attitude towards Kairos had been negative. l mostly took it only to see pictures. I personally didn’t feel like it was benefitting me. But after our chat, I realised that even if I never read it and it was not benefitting me, it did not mean that it would never benefit others.

Thus, if we bought the magazine it could inspire and enrich others whether they be our friends, siblings, parents or teachers. I saw a huge possibility here. If we got these magazines into hostels it's reach would be huge and I felt it might help students in the hostels to get to know about Christ and Jesus Youth. I was convinced that this is a good evangelization tool and it can inspire anyone at any time. And I still remember a senior Jesus Youth asking me to get these magazines in all the hostels of Trivandrum but at that time I didn’t do it, as I wasn't convinced of the need of doing this. But now, I understood.

So, moving forward, I contacted Kairos team and they helped me out to do it really well. Later during December 2018, just before the Christmas vacation, I happened to get two days leave and decided to go to hostels in Trivandrum along with one of my friends in Jesus youth to talk about Kairos and get them to subscribe it. As we started our journey, we submitted every hostel to mother Mary before we entered to talk about Kairos to the respective persons there. Most of the hostels we entered were Catholic hostels and they were very welcoming. We also used it as opportunity to talk about Jesus youth and the possibility of starting prayers groups there. It was a wonderful experience, as we could visit many hostels and interact with people and observe different responses about the magazine, Jesus Youth, the church etc.

Out of 15 hostels we visited, we were able to get subscriptions from 12 of them. This filled me with a deep joy as I could do something more for Him and I believe Kairos will make an impact on many in these hostels. God will do miracles through this.

Kairos is a huge opportunity for Evangelization, especially now that it has come up in a new style which is more appealing to youth. Just as we sow seeds, we must sow Kairos wherever possible with prayer. I believe it will be a light for many in the dark, and its results, though they can't always be measured, could create a huge impact especially among the youth.

Arun Sebastian is a final year student at Government law college Trivandrum, India. He is actively involved in campus ministry and is a member of Kerala Campus Team.