Welcome to CIU

Wednesday

Panicked parents and frightened freshmen made up the majority of the student population on the first day of orientation. Geographically speaking, think “CIU, next to a river, next to a Penitentiary.” So the question arises, “what do you do when an inmate escapes and is believed to be in the area the evening before Welcome Week begins and all the new students begin milling about?”

The natural answer to that question is to put the school under lockdown, detaining all students and frantic parents in a corralled area, created the prime environment for a calming effect…This is how all the parents were began the process of letting go of their children. Only a felon could bring people together in such a way.


Saturday

After a rather disappointing day, I connected with a guy named Ray sometime in the early evening. Ray, perhaps the most energetic person I have ever met. He brings a powerful personality to the Pastoral Ministries students here, along with his soon-to-be fully tattooed arms. A powerful leader, he rallied students to head for downtown Columbia for Hardies (Carl’s Jr.) and street evangelism. It was ‘just what I needed’.

Sharing the Gospel is difficult in Russia, because you have to do it in Russian-naturally. So I was eager to return to America and avoid the language barrier. Somewhere between Russia and SC I forgot that your ability to articulate has, ultimately, a limited effect on a person’s acceptance of the Gospel. I shared the Gospel with two students hanging out and, about half-way through, was struck that, even though I could articulate so clearly, it had not changed their hearts towards the Gospel. I have not been so frustrated since I left Russia.

I just want everyone to know Christ and it is painful when they reject him. Perhaps that is a confirmation that I am headed in the direction I need to be here at CIU.