International Student Track Reports
From India to Illinois
Nick Johnson
On Tuesday night, huddled together around nine large tables in the Illinois Street Residence Halls, around 40 Indian students gathered, as they did each
evening, for fellowship and prayer. Part of the International Student Track
delegation at Urbana 2003, these students were passionate about seeing Jesus
Christ exalted both in their own lives and back in India, a nation of incredible
religious diversity and pluralism.
The scene was beautiful. These Indian international students and scholars came from campuses all across North America;from UCLA to Southern Missouri State University, to Boston College. They came at various stages in their educational programs—freshman undergrad students, seniors, graduate students, doctorate level candidates, and beyond. They came from all across India—from Hyderabad in the south to Delhi in the north. One student was from Nagaland, which is predominantly Christian. The varying colors of skin tones accented the diversity of the group, as well as the differning parts of India where the students were from.
One male student commented at the beginning of the meeting, “It’s wonderful to meet other believers in Jesus Christ who have a heart for Him.” This Christian student believes God is preparing the way, just like John the Baptist did for the coming of Christ, for him and others to bring the Gospel to the nations. And India is a nation that needs to hear the Gospel. In some parts of India, only 3% of the population is Christian. The country is divided between Hindi and Islam as the majority faiths there.
The female student from Nagaland encouraged everyone in the group, with a deep sense of responsibility and passion, to pray for the 25 different states in India for the spread and advancement of the Gospel there. Students had grappled earlier in the week with Jesus’ warning that those who have been given much, much will be expected in return. These Indian students took that injunction seriously.
Another female student confessed ethnic superiority in India as a major barrier in the spread of the Gospel. Ray Aldred, a speaker during the General Session from the Cree First Nation in Canada, provided a backdrop for a discussion in the group about ethnic division and conflict in India. Ethnic division, coupled with the caste system which still controls the thinking of many Indians, has scarred the country deeply in the past. Students agreed that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was the only answer for India’s ills.
But missions, in the strictest definition, wasn’t the only thing on student’s hearts that evening. One delegate believes God brought her all the way to Urbana to learn to really give of herself and allow Jesus to rule and reign in her life more fully. Another student was convicted by the way he’d shared the Gospel in the past—just telling anyone he could without much love or compassion for the person he was sharing it with. He wants to invest more intentionally one-on-one with people, really listening to them and allowing God to work through that. He referenced Jim Tebbe’s talk on sharing the Good News with Muslims. The three most important keys to sharing Christ with Muslims are friendship, friendship, and friendship.
One student was challenged to not limit God. Being the only Indian student in the college where he’s studying, he was thrilled to be with other brothers and sisters in Christ from his homeland. W___ said he went through the Armory at the University of Illinois campus three different times where several mission agencies were available to talk to students. Becoming frustrated, he felt led to nothing there to consider. Later in the week, though, he walked through another exhibit area, IMPE, that he didn’t know about before. Enthusiastically, he shared that he found an organization that used engineering technology to help spread the Gospel in closed countries. He was elated! “Don’t limit God” because you never know how He might work!
One student shared, “I came to Urbana with questions. I am leaving with all the same questions.” But, undaunted, the student shared that the Convention gave him a fresh realization of the firm foundation he has in Jesus. Helping him see that was worth the trip.
As the hours passed by, a large variety of topics were covered: broken marriages, growing up in a minority Christian culture, unequally yoked relationships (Christians with people of other faiths), poverty, technological advances in India, and so forth. There were a lot of things on delegates hearts that evening, which was the final evening they were meeting. A sheet was passed around for email addresses to be shared. An “Indian Urbana03 Listserve” was being planned so students could keep in touch over the Internet after the 5-day event concluded.
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