Hocking Hills and the great commission

One of the most beautiful things that I have experienced during my year with IFI is the possibility to interact with people and to be equipped to do ministry. I love the books that we have read, with group discussions and practical applications to my own life; the training that ha

ve always made me richer than before; the trips, the time with old friends, and the occasion to make new ones and be in touch with them.

This is the reason why I have been thinking lately about the way I put into practice all these resources that God is pouring onto me. Have I ever realized that the time is my most important resource? How do I spend it and to whom am I dedicating it? Working here, my thought goes immediately to the International students who left their home Country to come to the US. Will this experience make a difference in their lives? Will they find the real reason why they were created? How will I contribute to make God known among them?

Matthew 28:18, 20 says “ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The current circumstances allow us not to move from Columbus in order to accomplish the Great Commission. People from Europe, Asia, South, Central and North America, Oceania, and Africa, populate our cities today more than in the past. God is sending the Nations to us! 

I was surrounded by different cultures and experience this variety during the annual Hocking Hills trip organized on October 15^th. I think this kind of events is perfect to invite friends, get connected with new students and share life on life experiences. In fact, I was amazed of the possibility I had to listen to the students’ stories, the struggles they are facing with midterms and the difficulty of being so far from their families. At the end of the day, one of them told me: “Thank you for inviting me. I really needed some time surrounded by people instead of books! Being immersed in Nature without cellphones (we didn’t have service in the caves) was energizing!”

God, help me to engage in the students’ lives and to be salt and light for them. Teach me not to waste any occasion and to count my days wisely!