We're in mid-stream of the rush of the first week's activities. It's been a good weekend and start to the week, but there's lots ahead between tonight's picnic and Thursday's first large group.
One of the things that I really love about New Student Welcome is watching students step up. Sunday night from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m InterVarsity had a table at Fall Fest along with several hundred other student organizations. Thousands of students walk up and down the blocked-off street signing up on random listservs and getting information about various organizations.
In the midst of this chaos, I spotted Whitney, one of our leaders who had volunteered to help work the IV table for a couple hours.. Whitney is a wise, gentle, thoughtful person and an excellent small group Bible study leader. She's very relational one-on-one or in small groups but not exactly the kind of person you'd expect to flourish in a "work the crowd" kind of setting.
But I watched Whitney strike up a conversation with an interested student. I watched her ask thoughtful questions and care for this freshmen who was all by herself in a sea of people. Whitney got her contact info and continued to talk with her for a good five minutes--an eternity by Fall Fest standards.
The freshmen left with a smile on her face. She had just been loved on by someone who genuinely exuded Christ's love to her.
This is the work of practicing hospitality that I believe the writer of Hebrews calls us to. And it's a joy to work alongside students, each of whom does it slightly differently, in order to bless the campus.
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