Back in May, I was on a flight from Europe to the Middle East. I was on the way back to my country after visiting my family in Europe. Sitting next to me was a girl from Germany and her sister, who were on their way to spend the next two weeks in Korea. Sophia and I talked for over half of our eight hour flight. We talked about anything and everything, from American and German politics, what our upbringings were like, pop culture, and all sorts of other topics. We talked about our favorite holidays, and one of my favorite holidays is Thanksgiving. Sophia said she has always wanted to experience an American Thanksgiving. Half joking, half serious I said “Well, come visit in November, we can do Thanksgiving!” We exchanged Instagram accounts and have kept in touch since May.
Well, it actually happened. Last week Sophia flew in from Germany to see me and spend Thanksgiving with Americans. My new friend, who I met on an airplane, spent real money to come visit me (a near stranger) and experience Thanksgiving. Unreal!
I got to be a tour guide for the weekend and show her the beautiful city I live in, plus welcome her into our team’s Thanksgiving meal. She loved Thanksgiving and even put up with us watching the Lions lose late at night.
Sophia comes from a Muslim background in Germany. She follows an Eastern religion, but has a very Western mind. In my experience, Muslims who come from a Western background are more open to examining their beliefs. We talked a lot about religion during her visit, and at one point she asked me “Who was Judas, and why is he important?” I answered her question by telling the story of Holy Week, starting with last supper and ending with the resurrection. After I finished, she said “Wow that makes a lot of sense, thank you for sharing that with me.” I’m praying that this seed leads her to read the Word on her own and discover Jesus for herself.
This story was a reminder to me that above the call to my placement and the people I’m serving here, there is a call to be faithful with who God puts in front of me. So often in overseas work we put ourselves in a box of who God wants us to reach. Language learning and moving to a new location does help us reach a particular group of people better, but God also wants to use us right where we are to impact others. We have no idea who He will put in our paths, and one interaction is enough to change someone’s eternity. Take the call of Christ to your location, and be faithful to whoever He puts in front of you.