Editor’s Note: SOLA Network is excited to present a 4-part series focused on connecting international students with the gospel of Jesus Christ. This series is written by Karisa You, a volunteer at Bridges International—a branch of Cru committed to serving and engaging international students. We hope you are encouraged by her stories to support and connect with ministries geared toward international students.
God Knows My Name
On a frigid Saturday morning, students from all over the world climbed into a packed van, their excited chatter mingling with the forty-degree mountain air. We were on our Bridges International* student trip to Yosemite, and students couldn’t wait to see Half Dome.
As we scaled the side of the snowy mountain, I found myself talking to a kind girl with short, straight black hair named Jennifer. Her Chinese name was Yahui, which we native English speakers pronounced “Yah-huey.” Upon our introduction, Yahui asked me almost immediately to explain Christianity to her. Growing up in China, she had never really learned much about it.
After returning from Yosemite, Yahui expressed continued interest in hanging out and even coming to campus ministry events at school. As I drove her back from a Gospel outreach one night, I was surprised by Yahui’s direct question: “How does one become a Christian?” She shared openly about how she considered Christianity amazing but still needed time to process everything before giving her life to Jesus. I dropped her off and lent her my Bible to read.
As I drove home, I could feel my pride beginning to swell, believing I had brought Yahui (or “Yah-huey” as I pronounced it) so close to Christ. In that moment, God suddenly spoke so clearly to me: “Karisa, her name is Ya-hway. I gave her that name, she is mine, and I LOVE her.”
I was struck. Leave it to God to correct me in pronunciation. But even in His correction, He was so gentle and kind, and I began sensing how beautiful Heaven was going to be, imagining how beautiful it would be to be close to the God who knows our names and loves us immeasurably.
A few weeks later, Yahui and I met again during a Bridges movie night, where we watched the Prince of Egypt, which recounts the story of Exodus. Yahui was amazed by this God who fought for His people’s freedom like a loving King. When the movie ended, she asked me about the significance of the plague of the firstborn. I explained how God sent His own firstborn as a sacrifice for our sins, and she prayed to ask God to reveal Himself to her, as she yearned to know more.
As Yahui expressed her heart, I smiled. “God loves you, Yahui, and had a purpose for you to be here tonight.”
Yahui gasped in surprise, her hand flying to her mouth.
“Everything okay?” I asked, puzzled.
“Yes,” she laughed, “Of course. I’m sorry—I was just surprised.”
“Why?”
“My name.” She replied simply, beaming. “You knew how to pronounce my name. No one ever says it right, they usually say, ‘Yah-huey’.”
I chuckled, remembering the night God gently corrected my pronunciation of her name in the car. “Actually, it’s funny you say that…”
As I told her the story of God’s words regarding Yahui’s name, she looked to heaven, deeply touched in gratitude.
“Thank you, God!” She exclaimed. “He knows my name.”
“I have redeemed you. I have called you by name—you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1
God Chose Me
Another student I met at Yosemite was Bridget. Bridget was a Chinese student who sat next to me in the backseat on our drive down from the mountain. After a long hike and a warm dinner, I was exhausted, ready to sneak a quick nap in the car like everyone else.
That’s when God tugged on my heart. Talk to the girl next to you.
I glanced around before leaning back in my seat again, closing my eyes. God, come on. Everyone else gets to sleep! Can’t I, too?
But God always wins, and He does awesome, breathtaking things when we trust Him. We stopped at a traffic light for a full five minutes that seemed to be broken.
I felt God urging me.
Talk to her.
Fine.
I sat up. “How was the hike today, Bridget?”
She smiled. “It was fun!”
We small talked for a bit, and then she admitted to my surprise, “Actually, I met a woman today on the hike who said she talks to God, and He actually responds to her. I think that is amazing. Does that ever happen to you?
I wanted to laugh as I thought, Yeah, He literally just told me to talk to you!
Though I was exhausted and could barely keep my eyes open, I began word vomiting simple truths that all my life I had taken for granted. Jesus loves you. He knows how many hairs are on your head. We messed up and created a rift between us and God but Jesus mends that rift.
At each thing that I said, Bridget gasped, exclaiming, “This is incredible—so beautiful!” Her eyes glistened with tears as she listened, eating up simple truths as if her life depended on it.
When I asked if she wanted a relationship with God, she suddenly hung her head.
“God wouldn’t want to choose me,” she confessed with genuine disappointment. “I’m nothing special.”
“Oh, Bridget.” I smiled. “God has already chosen you. You must choose Him.”
She hesitated, still afraid of one thing. “You see,” she admitted, “there’s a problem. My English isn’t very good—I’m afraid God won’t understand me.”
I laughed. God created her language, I told her. He could speak Chinese.
She gasped, as tears filled her amazed brown eyes. Up until that moment, Bridget never knew there was a God loved her, let alone one who was able to communicate freely with her. “God speaks Chinese?”
There in that 20-minute backseat car ride in which I had planned to sleep, Bridget prayed to receive Christ. But perhaps the best part wasn’t until that next morning—that Sunday, the church that hosted us held a service. Every cushioned chair they set out was green, except for one random red chair. The church wanted to give a Bible to whoever happened to sit in that red chair as a tangible symbol of salvation given by grace.
Of course, it was Bridget who happened to sit in that red chair. Talking on the phone a week later, Bridget shared with me, “Karisa, I keep that gift on my windowsill, and every day I look at it and remember that God chose me. I read the Bible every night and pray to God and feel Him in my heart. I feel God opened a door to my heart, and the light entered my life, and I have so much joy and talk to God all the time. I know Him now. God chose me.”
God of All Nations
Of all I’ve encountered, international students are the most eager to learn about God. When students study abroad, they feel the freedom to consider new ideas.
However, while many international students are extremely open to the Gospel and often go on to become influential heads of state, 80% are never invited to an American home, and 60% never make close friends. Many of these students come from closed countries where Christianity is illegal or comprises less than 1% of the population. God has brought the nations to our backyard for a limited time, and He yearns to deliver His good news and love to them through us. They are itching to learn about Jesus.
In all these stories, I didn’t do anything extraordinary – I just prayed God would give me the words and then opened my mouth, obeying when He gave me opportunities (even when I wanted to sleep). Usually, I just share about what God’s doing in my life, and He takes it from there. He loves to introduce us to curious people who have plenty of questions prepared.
After all, God loves people. And He wants all to be saved and to know His unconditional love which transforms lives.
1 Timothy 2:4 -6 “This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony that was given at just the right time.”
*Bridges International is a branch of Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) focused on reaching international students with God’s love. For more information about volunteering with Bridges International, please contact Karisa You at karisayou@g.ucla.edu.