Dec 19 2011
Sad story of a Asian student, New Jesus followers, A Joyful yet Sad Goodbye
Sad story from this last week that hit me hard. I took a student to the airport to go home this week that I first picked up 6 months ago from an affluent country in Asia. He was an short term English student who happened to be a PhD student. We saw him occasionally at different events but lost track of him as the year went on. Anyway, as we were driving to the airport, I asked him what he planned on doing when he got home, he told me he was planning on quitting his PhD program and getting a job so he could “demonstrate.” “Demonstrate?” I asked him to clarify. He said, “yes, demonstrate against my government.” I was surprised. He is a humble young man, seemingly not too taken to passionate expression. I wasn’t sure what to say.. so I asked, “What kind of job will to do?” He said, “Self-Sustenance.” I was thinking he meant self-employed and I asked him to clarify. He said, “You know, living off of the land, planting vegetables, etc.” All I could say was, “Oh…” I asked why he was doing this. He said, “People from my country have so many things, everything a person could possibly have and yet our people are not happy.” Like Emerson and Thoreau, he sought the peace and meaning by chasing simplicity. At that moment, I realized something. He was a man who was looking for something while here. Something that would sate the angst that he felt living in modern Asian society. I have no doubt God could have filled that void, but I was not sensitive enough to his need. I didn’t sow broadly enough, thinking he would not be interested and so I missed an opportunity. I was sad. I learned alot from the conversation. I needed to salt all my conversations with the Hope that I have in Jesus so if God is working in someone, like this young man, he could identify himself to me.
- A new student Andrew from Nepal made a decision to follow Jesus through one of our volunteers doing Discovery Bible Study with him. God was influencing him in many way through many people and when he read the Bible he recognized what he was looking for.
- We are praising God that several of some of our closest students finished school this last weekend. Still we will miss them dearly. Vritant, Fernando and Bibianna specifically said that we all were their family in Texas (they even said it in a caption on facebook). Cynthia and TCU was showered with many blessings by the team over there. We are very sad to see these very special friends go home.
- We are excited that our student friend, Greg from East Asia welcomed his family to the US to join him after 6 months apart.
Wow your prayers were huge this week. The Tarrant County Space Weekend trip went well. Many of the Spiritual Warfare skirmishes were dealt with and God opened up some doors with students in surprising ways. Also, Lisa was on fall break at her work and we had a lot of time together. Praise the Lord.
We recently got a message from UNT about a former student. She is from Taiwan and she was a part of some in-depth Bible studies, helped to lead at both our spring break retreat and with the local team. This student got to know Lisa when we sent her to Urbana with a student scholarship to be exposed to missional service. It was an encouraging message the development of her “missional heart to serve and share. She currently teaches 6th grade in her home country.
A cool thing happened this weekend. Some friends of ours are moving overseas in the next couple of months and they are in the process of selling many of their belongings in preparation. We were able to buy their refrigerator. Ours was over 15 years old and we figured it was time for a more efficient model. Anyway, we didn’t know how we would move it. We asked our Friday group to see if a students might be willing to help. A Chinese student who had been in the Bible Study Roy lead volunteered.
Here is a report from Ron Bunyard about of of the many students I shared about in the past. After one round of practice, I had the opportunity to talk about Christ and why I believe. It was the work of many people coordinated by God powered by the Spirit who made all this possible…
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