Talking about Jesus

This week I'm at a New Staff Development Conference in Minneapolis. It's been a huge blessing so far to pull back for a bit from my responsibilities (yes, even though I've been here just 2 months!) and focus on personal and spiritual growth and development. What a privilege to work for an organization that values my walk with God and helps me deepen it in significant ways.

I'll blog a bit later to share some of my thoughts on what I'm learning. Right now I just returned from a short afternoon of outreach on a local campus. I went out with a couple women to learn more about Asian culture and beliefs, specifically with Hmong students. I had lunch with these women at a great Vietnamese Restaurant, where we met a woman who works there, Nune ("Noon"). She came to America from Vietnam 30 years ago on a boat, knowing no English. She worked in the Healthcare system for decades, up until 2009, when her sister died of breast cancer. She immediately got checked, only to discover she had stage 4 breast cancer that had spread all over her body. Two years later she's still doing chemo, but she's beating it so far.

Talk about a second chance. She was incredibly outgoing, energetic and amazingly positive about her life. I asked her why she's still here, and she wasn't quite sure what to say. She is a Buddhist, but prays to Jesus along with Buddha, while believing in reincarnation. Pray that she'd realize the huge gift she has been given- a second chance at life, and that she would see Jesus different than just any other religious figure.

We also talked with two different female Hmong students at a community college in Brooklyn Park. Both were raised in Shaman homes, one actually is a Shaman, though she practices it very liberally. They both knew a little about Jesus. Pray that they would understand what they themselves believe, as it was apparent talking to them that they don't really know what they even believe.