Like a freshmen on my first day, I wandered around the University with Mae, trying to familiarize myself with the new campus. Unlike my beginning at Fredonia however, I didn’t have a map or a classroom to find; I wasn’t surrounded by roughly 70,000 students; I didn’t share the sidewalk with motorbikes and taxis; I certainly did not carry my own toilet paper for the communal squatty potty.
And yet, I still found that familiar feeling of anticipation and excitement as Mae and I began to chat with a group of girls near the sports bug tea shop. At the time, it seemed like a completely random, spur of the moment encounter: I tried my hand at saying hello – Ni Hao! – and asked where the East Gate was. Luckily, these girls are seniors with a lot of free time. We spent the rest of the afternoon together and had dinner on campus with them.
During our first conversation, I had wondered if these girls would become intimate friends or if we would just enjoy the afternoon together. But I think that God definitely has plans for these girls. During our second meet over tea, we had a chance to get deeper, and eventually started talking about the Bible. I showed Yuen and Bellamy one of my favorite passages, Romans 8: 38 – 39. As Yuen slowly finished reading, she looked at me with such a joyful expression, and began to ask me questions about God and what it’s like to believe in Him. Bellamy was excited too, and translated John 3:16 for Yuen. I think that Bellamy is destined to become a teacher and church leader, and I sense that Yuen is going to join the family very soon! I feel very privileged to be part of what the Lord is doing in these girls’ lives and in this country!