Connie walked toward her dormitory after class, taking her usual shortcut past the lotus pond. She thought of how much she missed her mother. Her home was a 24-hour train ride away, and it would be another two months before she could see her parents again. Her parents. She winced as the pain hit her yet again. The dad she had respected for so long had stopped loving her mother. For the past ten years he had stayed with her for Connie's sake, but now it was official: they were getting a divorce. Siding with her mom, Connie felt betrayed and rejected. Though she busied herself with her studies, the pain never seemed to go away. For the last few months, thoughts of suicide kept entering her mind. “What if I just ended it all? Then I wouldn't have to hurt anymore.”
Engrossed in her thoughts, Connie didn't even notice the two girls walking in front of her. They were on a mission. Deborah and Grace had joined my team for 9 days to help us reach our local campus. That afternoon, it seemed like no student would stop to talk to them. They asked God to send someone across their path. Suddenly spotting the girl walking behind them, Deborah spun around and greeted Connie. “Hello, we're just visiting from another country! We heard this is a historical campus.” The initial greeting led to hours of conversation over dinner. And Connie was happy to accept their invitation to our Christmas party. At our Christmas party, Connie poured out her heart to us. After hearing the story of Jesus, she was deeply moved. That night she prayed to receive Jesus as her Savior! I was practically in tears as Connie let Jesus in to heal her heart. She is so moved by her new Father's love for her! For the first time in her life, she feels a peace and hope that she never felt before. She just received the best Christmas gift ever!
***This season I am reminded of the fact that God wants to reach these students even more than we do! He is so faithful to bring the right girls across our path. We are rejoicing over 10 girls from our campus who have joined the family these last 4 months!