Today was my first day of ministry activity on CSULB. Me, Sarah, and a few students passed out free water, helped move, and gave directions to lost freshman as they were moving in today. It was hot, and the agua was very appreciated :)
I got to talk to one of the IV students a lot, which was AMAZING (we will call her "A"). She is such a strong woman, I am already impressed by her faith and her belief that God is in control. She is married and her husband is in the navy. From how she describes her, her life is a constant question mark. They never know more than a week in advance what the situation is. They may even restation him in another state in January! She is constantly forced to be flexible, trusting, and hope in the LORD. Hearing more of her story and relationship with God, I am blown away (and honestly SCHOOLED!) by her steadfast belief that Jesus is in control and won't drop her. My financial situation (part-time job may not be enough money...ugh) seems so small in comparison. But, more than anything, I am reminded to TRUST AND HOPE IN THE LORD! AMEN! :)
As for the students I met... here are two stories:
First, I met an RA (we shall call her "K" to respect privacy). We were helping a family find the nearest restroom, and it was in the lobby of K's dorm. A and I starting talking to K, and eventually we told her that we were with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF). She told us that she was a Christian, and that one of our fellow IVers is a friend of hers, and a strong partner in faith. It was encouraging to find another Christian, and she seemed interested in our group. At the end of the day, after passing out most of the water bottles, I brought K a couple leftover. I told her how much of a blessing her being an RA is to the students, and that I am blessed to have a sister caring for others on campus. She said we needed to encourage and support each other, and that we would be a light at CSULB. Her faith impressed upon me how vital it is that I am here for this season, and reminded me how much God loves CSULB that He is putting His people allll over. I took down K's info to contact her about IV stuff, and asked where she goes to church. I hope to visit with Brendan, Sam and Daniel soon :) She was awesome, and I look forward to getting to know her better!
I also met a guy (J). So J pulled into the parking lot with a car full of stuff and no one around to help. A and I offered, and he was very grateful. When we started, some basketball players came to help (many sports team and those in the Greek system were there to help today, mandatory I think). We had so many people helping J, he was floored. I started talking to him, asking him how he felt about the year, where he was from, his major, etc. We talked about various things, and after two trips with 7 or so helpers, he was mostly unloaded. He told us he would get the last few things and thanked us for our help. I wanted to tell him who we were, but honestly froze. I felt bad as I left the dorm, and I told God "if only I had another chance." Then here comes J, walking behind me. He says he left something he needed in his car, and I tell him who we are, that we have BBQs and stuff coming up, and if he would want to give me his information. He says yes, and now I can follow-up with him later! I ran into him a few more times (his dorm was by our FREE WATER stand).
So, those are my DAY 1 stories. Please pray for J, K, the other students we met, those we have not yet met, that God would continue to ordane moments like these where we can love the students of Beach State!
Throughout the day, I noticed quite a few differences (the ethnic diversity, the amount of transfer students from community colleges, the size of the place, the lack of discussion amongst first year-aka no real bonding stuffs yet/random convos like in the dorms of Scripps)... but I noticed one similarity: college students are college students. Conversations with them are not unlike those I had back at Scripps welcoming first years. Though I have much to learn, this much is true: God has called me to LOVE students; it is a ministry that, for this season of my life, causes me to rejoice and be glad for all the LORD has planned!
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