TALKING TO PEOPLE

I am a lifelong introvert. Over the years, I have come to accept that fact but every now and then I wish I were an extrovert.

This week I am on the campus of Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana. Months ago I had signed up to lead a couple of seminars and man a table for Mission Resource here. I didn’t know if it would be a good use of my time or not – it just felt like the Spirit’s leading.

But when I arrived on campus Monday, I began to question my discernment!

That's because there were 40 other missionaries and over a thousand students – all strangers – and I was supposed to talk to people. And my wife was not here to act as my safety net. 

But I am glad to report that God showed up in the midst of my anxieties.

So far I have talked to dozens of people, including:

• A guy who directs a ministry in the Central Plateau of Haiti. He is looking for help in combatting the extreme poverty he sees. Could this be a route to establish Mission Resource’s microfinance methods in Haiti?
• Five freshmen who showed up to my seminar to learn how to start habits of consistent prayer and Bible reading.
• A senior who plans to become a homeland missionary to young women on college campuses across Indiana. We talked for almost two hours about how she could go about raising the financial support she is going to need. 

I am not so great at small talk, but when the Lord is in the midst of a conversation, I couldn't be more engaged.