Last year, during my senior year of college, I was working in the dining hall when this guy walked up to the coffee dispenser and proceeded to fill up his own mug. My job in this dining hall was to maintain the beverage station and one of my duties was to prevent people from using "outside containers" - this was a big violation.
So I stroll over to this guy, as I had to countless other people. "Hey man, we're not supposed to let you use your own mugs when you come in here." "Oh", he said, looking at me and finishing off one more pump, "Sorry about that." Everybody finishes one more pump. "No problem," I said, "Just remember for next time, please."
The next day, he came in again and got some more coffee - this time using our mugs. He made a point to tell me, not sarcastically (I don't think) but just so I knew I guess. He usually sat at the bar which was close to my station. We ended up introducing ourselves. His name is Tyler. From then on, I would say hi to him when he came in and would occasionally talk with him a few minutes at a time whenever I got the chance.
One day, we were talking about our majors - his being psychology and mine religious studies. "I would really like to talk with you about that sometime." he told me.
Occasions like that are really quite rare. I was blown away.
We planned to get coffee over the weekend. As I waited for him, I was nervous because I didn't really know what he was looking for or what questions he would throw at me. Was I prepared to walk him through salvation if I needed to? Was I ready?
Despite these questions, I really was more excited than nervous. And we had a great conversation. Tyler is a very genuine guy. An introvert, he does a lot of internal processing, but he is one of the kindest guys I know. We hung out a few times over the past year and now, whenever I visit, we will hug each other and really want to know how the other is doing. He would not call himself Christian, but isn't entirely opposed to the idea. He is a very deep thinker and has an open mind about a lot of things.
The last time I visited Columbia, Tyler and I got together for lunch. After catching up, our conversation went, as it always does, to a deeper level. "What are you searching for in life, Tyler?" I asked him at one point. He told me that occasionally he will experience moments of peace where everything seems to fit together, everything seems to be in alignment. He told me that he wants more of these peaceful moments.
"I guess that you get a lot of these peaceful moments from your religion, right?" he asked. "Yes" I told him. I shared a bit about the idea of hope that we have in our faith for a better world to come. I mentioned that God is about the restoration of all things to their original and wonderful form and that I could definitely relate with moments where everything just seems to "fit".
Tyler told me that he thinks everyone has to have some level of spirituality in their lives or else they are missing out. I am very grateful to have his friendship. Friendships like his are at the core of what I desire about ministry. Each conversation goes a little deeper, a little further. I don't have an agenda with Tyler but I want him to experience the God I know on the deepest and most intimate levels and I want to share with him about it, and love him like a brother. I believe God is working in Tyler's heart and that our friendship was orchestrated from above.
There are hundreds of other students like Tyler seeking for something. Because of your prayers and giving in the future, I hope to have the opportunity to develop friendships with more and more students and to share the hope and salvation found in Christ to as many as I can.
