Written by a Cafe 1040 Student
Within the first weeks of being in Asia, our team was already eager to meet local friends and start fostering relationships with the people here. One guy that my roommate and I met was named Evan.
The excitement of a new friendship made me anxious to share with him the hope I had. However, the pressures here created some fear in me with sharing with him. I became discouraged with the limitations that I felt when I tried to share my heart with Evan.
Then, one night we asked Evan if he wanted to come hang out on our rooftop to just drink some tea. I asked him what the most impactful thing he had learned in the past year. He started to talk about Bit Coin and managing money which I thought was interesting, but then he quickly redirected the question to me.
I was caught off guard.
I began to try to think up the "right things to say" and how to take the conversation so I could share the gospel with him. Then I stopped. Why am I trying to think of the perfect words?
So I thought about what I genuinely learned this past year. I told Evan about how I struggled with social anxiety and would walk in fear of what others thought of me. I told him how this past year my Father has taught me to walk in boldness— that I can walk in confidence not because I am stronger or more confident in myself, but because the Father walks with me.
In the same way that a child walks to school with confidence because his father is walking with him, I can now live with courage. I stared at me for a second. Then he said, "I have a lot to learn from you guys."
When I tried to think of the words to say, I realized that my plans will always fail. However, if it's from Him, no one will be able to stop it's power.
