International affair

God is good.. as if thats not apparent..

A few weeks ago, I came to a Thursday night at the BSM with a "holy expectation." Chris and Katie and I had been talking earlier that day about what having a "holy expectation" means... and how we when we come to worship expecting to meet with God, not only will we meet with Him, but He will surpass any expectation we have.

That night, as I stood in the back during the first worship set, I saw five Chinese guys walk in. Seeing as the BSM is 99.99% percent white, I won't lie, they stood out. I went over and introduced myself and invited them to have a seat with me.

Luo, the leader of the pack, sat beside me, and while Chris was on stage giving his spill about something that I am sure pertained to Jesus, Luo leaned over and asked if we had a small group for non-believers. He went on to explain that he was a believer, but the other four guys aren't...this started an amazing relationship...

These five guys, Luo, Raymond, Jayson, Henry, and Bill, have come to the BSM pretty much everytime its open. They have brought some other friends with them, like Lily, Lemon, Lee, Cee Cee, and on occasion, Suoy.

I have developed and incredible friendship with everyone of these people. They are all international students, having only been here since a couple of days before classes started. Through their broken English and some hardcore patience, I have had some of the most amazing conversations with these new friends.

I dont know if I have ever met anyone that was seeking as much as a couple of them are.

Every time I see them, everything else that I am stressed about goes away. We have our inside jokes. They are a sassy and hilarious group of people. God has given me such a heart for these people. I love sitting with them, discussing Chinese culture and hearing how they were brought up. Lily even gave me a Chinese name, Ya Ya...

These new friends of mine warm my heart. Not a day goes by that I dont think about them and stop to pray for them. I pray that God would reveal Himself to them in a way that they cannot deny. I also pray that they would see Christ through me, as well as all the other amazing people that have befriended them.

So next time you see a big group of Chinese international students, stop and say "hey!" And ask Jayson when the last time he had a hamburger was!