If you ever get a chance to visit an Asian dorm room, I recommend the experience. I was in my second meeting with a local friend, and he gave me a tour of his room. First of all, the room is huge compared to an American dorm room – maybe 40’ x 16’. This sounds nice, until you remember that for freshmen there are eight students per room. Eight! There is one shared desk, four bunk beds, a little closet space, and a dirty concrete floor. That’s it. I would like to officially retract any complaining that I’ve ever done concerning my year in the dorms at RIT.
Anyway, after my eye-opening tour, we headed over to my (comparatively luxurious) apartment to play cards with my roommate, Leonidus. By the time we had played a bunch of hands, I had been hanging out with this friend for at least an hour and a half, and no significant conversation was on the horizon. We talked a lot about the differences between Asia and America, and other such topics, but nothing about the Good News.
I shot up a quick, silent request: “Okay, God, please do something, because this is going to be a pretty lame meeting if You don’t show up.”
Five minutes later, as our friend was shuffling the cards, he looked over at me during a lull in the conversation and asked, “So, do you read your Bible every day?”
What!? Where did that come from!? “Why, yes, yes I do,” I could barely reply, which started a powerful 20-minute conversation about what we each believe and why. It was incredible to see how quickly He answered my request, and by the end of the time, we had roughly sketched out why Jesus died for all people. I even asked him if he would ever consider becoming a Christian, to which he said he would have to think about it, and he seems open.
Thank you for thinking of me over the last month as we have settled into life here. You’re making stories like this one possible! God has given me a great deal of grace for many aspects of life here, and, while not every day has been easy, they have all been good because of the doors He is opening and the lessons He is teaching me. Please continue to lift me up, along with Leonidus, Ginger (my team leader), and the whole team here in K-town. God is doing great things, and I’m thrilled that you are supporting me!
In Him,
Ben