In international student ministry, we are always asking questions. How do we, for example, do a better job of adjusting our attitudes and activities to reach the different groups of international students on our campuses? How do we discern authentic spiritual hunger? How do we partner with God and His people in describing and displaying the wonders of God’s grace, cross-culturally? Our prayer is that many international students will have a genuine encounter with Jesus Christ during their sojourn in our midst.
One former Hindu asked, “Who was this Jesus who could break the bondage of karma, who said he had the power to forgive sins? I had to know.” In his search, this Hindu delved seriously into the gospels, and in the end, he wrote: “For a while I tried to incorporate Jesus into the pantheon of deities arrayed on the altar.” It soon dawned on him that Jesus did not belong there. Jesus was unique and utterly different. “One night, after meditating on the account of the death and resurrection of Jesus in John’s gospel, I asked Jesus to forgive my sins, to set me free from the bondage of karma, and to become the Lord of my life.” For a full account, read “Christ and Karma: A Hindu’s Quest for the Holy” on page 179 of Finding God at Harvard: Spiritual Journeys of Thinking Christians, InterVarsity Press.
In this issue of Internationals on Campus we focus on how to relate with South Asian students. India, for three consecutive years, has been the number one country sending international students to the United States. Nepal is number 13. The articles give helpful and practical tips on crossing culture and sharing the gospel.
Lisa Espineli Chinn
National Director, International Student Ministry
InterVarsity/USA
This article is part of the "Reaching South Asians" issue of Internationals on Campus magazine published in Winter 2008-09.
