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Bear Trap Ranch International Houseparty
"Can you recommend a book to help us understand the story
about Job in the Bible?" These two graduate students from
Taiwan were on their honeymoon at Bear Trap. We had not
talked before, but immediately I liked them. He studied
computer science, but struck me more as a theologian,
wrestling equally as hard to understand the nature of God as
revealed in story of Job, as to find the English words to
express his questions. She studied journalism, articulated
herself like a native speaker, and translated for her new
husband with an identical, authentic concern about the
meaning of Job's sufferings.
Their initial question dumbfounded me. Job? Who started
them thinking about Job, and why? Don't we normally discuss
Jesus at these house parties? What was the source of their
hunger to understanding Job that outweighed all the winter
recreational activities going on that afternoon?
Later I learned these two students were attending a
weekly Bible discussion led by Craig Colbert, ISM staff at
the University of Missouri-Colombia, and a few weeks earlier
the character of Job had been the evening's topic. And as
for their spiritual hunger, it clearly came from God, the
great hound of heaven and lover of their souls.
That afternoon I reviewed the themes in Job and
photocopied some reference and background material for them.
In the evening we talked for a couple of wonderful hours,
the three of us wrestling like Job did with understanding
the events of our world, the nature of God, and how we are
to respond.
 As
this couple left I wondered how many people God was
purposely placing in their path, each helping to show the
way to his kingdom. A dozen or more I guess. It's joyful
work to be sure, and I'm glad God uses the Bear Trap Holiday
Houseparties as a setting to encourage the spiritual
journeys of so many internationals each year.
This year, 92 internationals joined us for two house
parties over Christmas and New Year's. Over 17 countries
were represented.
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Each year we conclude the
houseparty at Bear Trap Ranch by having students
consider where they were spiritually when they came
to Bear Trap and where they found themselves at the
end of the week. Below are responses from eight
participants.
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| When they came to Bear Trap |
At the end of the Houseparty |
| Moved from Agnostic |
to Curious |
| Moved from Cultural |
to Curious |
| Moved from Cultural |
to Seeker |
| Moved from Cultural |
to Seeker |
| Moved from Uninformed |
to Curious |
| Moved from Curious |
to Seeker |
| Moved from Curious |
to Seeker |
| Moved from Seeker |
to Right-with-God |
By allowing houseparty participants to track their
spiritual journey along this continuum, we're able to
see better the impact of the party. When we totaled
the responses of all of the non-Christians who filled
out a sheet, around 60% indicated that they made positive
spiritual movement. That is astounding! It is hard
to think of any investment that brings that kind of
return.
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