Had supper today with a guy from India who is serving with YFC in Thailand. He said his path to following Jesus started when he heard a song by Skillet. He liked the music, searched out the lyrics and prayed. -I should note here that I benefit HUGELY from sitting with Rox. She has a way of creating a space where people feel safe to talk. She'll come back from here with her ipad full of names and stories-
Not the strangest path I've heard, and in this crowd his response was pretty normal. A couple of weeks after he chose to follow Jesus, he enrolled in seminary in order to prepare for a life of mission.
I had lunch today with a couple of younger leaders from the middle east and then sat in a session led by a group from Eastern Europe. It really is amazing how similar the issues are that young people face. The Eastern team works primarily with kids who come from broken and blended families, the middle eastern staff work among ethnic Christians and the way they describe the challenges their youth face is very much the same. Even the methods many YFC's use are not that different. In the end it's all about trusting and authentic relationships. An emphasis on discipleship not conversion and a core belief that we can trust Jesus to do the work of changing lives.
Not to say there aren't differences. In the poorer counties (not just financially poor, but culturally less generous) they have fewer staff and thousands of volunteers. Rox was talking to a group from Hungary yesterday. (They let her cut into the Pad Thai line at lunch) They were amazed at our buildings and sports facilities. She was amazed at how so few staff could mobilize so many volunteers.
God uses what we have to bring about His purposes.
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