ANU Market Day Update
posted by Navigators on March 10th, 2026 in Blog | Evangelism | Prayer
By Levi & Lindsey Swartzentruber, Canberra Labouring Community
Over the last ten years we have noticed a steady increase in hostility toward spiritual conversations and a corresponding decline in interest among ANU students in joining a Christian group. You have been praying with us that God would turn that tide, and we wondered going into this Market Day what God might be doing in students’ hearts.
Our stall was out of the way on a side path, along with the other Christian groups, where we would see significantly less traffic than the main thoroughfare. Thinking optimistically, I had printed off more flyers than we gave away last year and we brought our cooler filled to the brim with ice pops. We set up our whiteboard and began asking students to share their thoughts on Psalm 118:5 in return for an ice pop, not knowing what sort of responses we might encounter.
‘Thinking optimistically, I printed off more flyers than we gave away last year … not knowing what sort of responses we might encounter.’
Lindsey and team speaking with students on Market Day. Photo: supplied.
Almost immediately students began coming up to our stall to chat. Some just were interested in getting a freebie but to our surprise many were genuinely interested in Jesus and being part of a Christian group. We ran out of flyers (and had to get a student to print more), as well as ice pops, and had more signups than we have had in years. I was delighted as I watched our team engage in spiritual conversations with multiple groups of students at a time and then beam at each other in their excitement over the marked difference in response from last year.
‘We ran out of flyers … and had more signups than we have had in years.’
Since then, a few of those students have connected with our group and our team is continuing to follow up the other signups. It is clear that God is at work on the ANU campus and we are excited to be a part of what He is doing. Please pray with us for God to advance His kingdom through us and our students over this year.
Levi & Lindsey work with students at the Australian National University in Canberra. To find out more about them and their ministry, or if you would like to make some connections, visit: navigators.org.au/staff/swartzentruberll/