Of all the people that I’ve met and befriended over the past few weeks, who has God set aside for me to impact and to connect with on a personal and consistent basis for His Kingdom? To be quite honest, I don’t have an answer to this question yet. My perspective and intent is the following: to love others well and to pursue them selflessly. My hope is to be so grounded in Christ, and thus filled with his abundance, that I might have a great overflow to share with others regardless of the longevity or consistency of our interactions. However, God knows that I desire to follow the model of his son Jesus and to disciple a few men well. God knows my strengths and limitations and so I trust that He will provide me with those that He wants me to minister to in His timing.
Although I do not know who God will send my way for long-term ministry, in the short-term there are some very exciting opportunities for me to love others well. To be more precise, to love international students well! For example, my roommate Bryson and I recently got to know two students from Saudi Arabia. Since Bryson received his minor in Arabic at FSU, he instantly connected with Faisal & Mutaz on both a relational and cultural and linguistic level. Although I do not speak Arabic, it was so much fun spending time with them at “Breakfast for a Buck” on-campus and getting to know them on a more personal level.
In fact, we got to know them so well that Bryson, myself, our friend Matt, and some other international students decided to introduce Mutaz to an FSU birthday tradition: Wescott Fountain. You see, whenever someone has a birthday at FSU, their friends have free reign to throw them into Wescott Fountain! However, we neglected to share this little fact with Mutaz as we duck-taped his hands and feet, placing him lovingly into the back seat of Matt’s vehicle to experience this unknown American - FSU “tradition.”
Bryson and myself are looking forward to having Faisal & Mutaz over for dinner at our apartment, hopefully sometime within the next week (all of our schedules permitting). In their own words, they would be honored to join us. Who knows how God might use this for the advancing of His Kingdom and Gospel? As I’ve come to realize, the nations are definitely here at FSU. May I make the most of every opportunity to share with them His Word, His Truth, & His Son (Colossians 4:5).
