Hanging out with a Cru group of Cal Poly undergrads in East Asia this summer was an eye-opener. They were excited, energetic, and fresh — qualities a 77-year-old prof has in short supply. And while they were learning the language and customs of our host country, they were so alive to sharing the Good News with others.
For several years, Faculty Commons has invited Christian faculty to invest a week or two on student/faculty summer mission trips. Faculty bring life experience, wisdom, and greater credibility to Cru’s work internationally. Students bring enthusiasm, boundless energy, and a passion to make Christ known.
Teachers often pander to students by saying: “I learn more from you than you do from me,” — especially when student evaluations are looming.
But I’m not pandering when I say:
These students awakened in me the memory of old truths–truths I’d forgotten or drifted away from.
Here's what these young students taught an old professor this summer:
1. Time is short.
With their fresh young faces, they seemed to have all the time in the world, but they had only a couple of months on campus; so they studied earnestly in their classes but also seized every moment they had with nationals. Early and late, in dining commons, basketball courts, and the library, they were continually looking to make friends and share.
2. Enjoy life, but don't get distracted.
They dove into new experiences with gusto–new sights, new smells, new food -but they dropped whatever they were doing to have lunch or just coffee with a new friend instead. They never forgot their central purpose.
3. If a new acquaintance expresses a lack of interest, move on.
Many nationals were attracted to our students. Some just wanted to practice English; others liked the idea of a new American friend. And why not? But if it became clear that there was no spiritual interest, our students graciously focused their time with those whose hearts were hungry.
4. Give what you have.
Their skills in the local language were minimal, and their new friends’ English was often not fluent, but they went for it anyway. Friendly smiles, gestures, and language apps were great starters; and a national version of the Knowing God Personally created bridges to understanding. The students knew they were inadequate, but that didn’t stop them. They trusted the Holy Spirit to do the real work.
Now, as I reflect over our time together this past summer, I’m reminded that these are my challenges too. Will I practice the lessons I learned from these students? Can I remember them, now on campus, where things are all so familiar and time is all too fleeting?
Michael Winn
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo