Young Scholars Program
By Joshua Au
As a 17 year old who had never been away from home for more than a week, the thought of spending six weeks 600 miles away from home, eating, living, and studying with some of the smartest students in Florida can be scary. However the transition wasn’t difficult because God provided plenty of friendly and receptive companions with whom I would build strong friendships in the next six weeks. Throughout the next six weeks of precious summertime we woke at 7:00 to rush to math class, dozed with each other in Biochem, and even played basketball (no nerds can’t play basketball but they can try; it’s OK though because my team always won). Time passed and we grew closer. Home didn’t seem so far away anymore. Yet as weeks led to familiarity, cursing became regular, evolution became the “Rule of Pinky”, and it soon became clear that I was not and should not be one of them.
It wasn’t easy to live a Christian life among non-Christian friends and many times I stumbled, but the Lord always picked me right back up. Throughout the first week, I was assured that the counselors would direct me to a church of my tendency, but as Sunday morning rolled around I still didn’t have a place to go for worship. Desperate, I woke my head counselor and together we searched for possible churches. I ended up attending a Methodist church that first Sunday at camp because the Campus Baptist Ministries happened to be closed on Sunday. This “college church” was comprised entirely of college students and was lead by a new pastor. The young pastor constantly complained about his poor working conditions and the decrepit condition of the church building. The congregation, probably distracted by the pastor’s grievances, wasn’t exactly hospitable either and didn’t offer a proper welcome. After the service I left frustrated and hopeless for a church home. In the meantime, I just thanked God for the church home that we have here in Miami. Indeed, I learned a very important lesson that day – it is imperative to welcome newcomers warmly so that they might feel the love and joy of a Christian church.
Later, when a fellow Chinese Christian camper, Angela Lin, heard that I was looking for a church, she invited me to Bible study at the Tallahassee Chinese Church. It was a real God-send. In fact, the youth there even knew some friends back at home through Lake Yale connections, which was really comforting. Although the church was small, their heart was big and I was obliged to attend their next Sunday service. The youth group there was my lifeline. They arranged to pick us up for Bible study and Sunday service and even took us out to lunch afterwards. They truly were angles without wings.
After that first week, my camp experience changed dramatically. I had found a solid spiritual base to build. Friday nights became my regular Bible study night and Sundays became my church day off. My fellow campers and counselors quickly realized what I was all about and, praise God, they were once again accepting. On numerous occasions, after observing me pray before a meal, my head counselor would even walk over and inquire about Christianity and I told him all I could. I’m glad God gave me a chance to share my faith on my first major trip away from home. However to live a Christian life is to be like Christ by word and deed and the latter is definitely more difficult. Luckily there were some wingless angels in my camp as well to keep me accountable. Once, while I got caught up in the heat of things, I openly made a bet with one of my counselors who happened to be a compulsive curser that he couldn’t stop cursing for a week. A Jewish friend of mine instantly told me, “You’re supposed to be the good Christian boy; you aren’t supposed to make bets!” I was stunned for a bit, but I was thankful that he caught me before I fell.
College life isn’t easy and this summer I experienced some college rigors first-hand. But God is great and God is good and he won’t ever deal us a trial we can’t overcome. I look up those college students who manage to continue to walk God’s Way in college and hope that they all do. But for the rest of us, whenever we encounter trials of any kind, we can always hop on God’s back for a piggyback ride because he’s always there for us.