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For the second year in a row, the InterVarsity students at Hood College (MD) went in pairs to each dorm to distribute care packages that included homemade cookies and information about local churches and the I-V chapter.

The project started with a generous gift from a man who offered to buy an evangelistic book to include in the packets. They chose More Than A Carpenter, by Josh McDowell and purchased enough for every student on campus. The chapter spent all night making cookies and preparing packets. They prayed for the people they would meet, and set off with their packets, eager to see what God would do.

The responses to the care packages that first year varied widely from thankfulness to irritation. One freshman made a thank-you card for the student who visited her, happy that someone took the time to care for her. But others reacted strongly and soon the campus was buzzing with news of what InterVarsity had done. A junior sent an angry note saying she was going to throw the book away and that it was a waste of money.

God even used a shy new believer to soften the heart of an outspoken student who saw InterVarsity as a threat. She was giving the two InterVarsity students a really hard time, asking questions such as “What’s in the bag? Why are you here? Why are you trying to get converts so early this year?”

With the tension mounting, the InterVarsity students tried to convey God’s grace in the face of antagonism. The new believer suddenly piped up and said, “We’re just tryin’ to love people!”

Immediately the other student’s attitude changed and she reversed her reactions. She made a comment about how rare it was to receive a gift without the demand of anything in return. Suddenly, she was introducing the InterVarsity students to all her friends, saying that all people should follow their example.

The InterVarsity students at Hood College still encounter resistance to the gospel on campus, but they’re committed to “just tryin’ to love people.”