Big Bear 2024

But this trip is not just about fun. We make sure our students know that there is also a spiritual aspect to the trip. Every night, we watch an episode of "The Chosen," carefully selected to highlight a character's connection with Jesus. For instance, we always include the episode where Peter meets Jesus on the boat after a fruitless night of fishing, only to witness a miraculous catch in the morning. This powerful story of Peter seeing Jesus for who He truly is and accepting Him fully is something we pray for all our international students to experience.

Each morning, we follow up with a Bible study based on the episode we watched the night before. This method has proven incredibly effective. For many of our international students, the stories of the Bible are foreign and challenging to understand. Traditional Bible studies often require extensive background explanations, which can be an uphill battle. However, watching "The Chosen" brings these stories to life in a way that makes them more accessible and relatable. Our students, many of whom have never opened a Bible before, can grasp the story, the characters, and the teachings of Jesus with remarkable clarity. It's been a transformative tool for our Bible studies over the past three years.

One of my favorite moments of the entire trip happened on the drive home. The only student riding back to San Diego with me was the Chinese believing student, whom I'll call C. As we started our journey, I asked C what kind of music he liked, and we began listening to some tunes. But before we even left the small town of Big Bear, C turned down the stereo and asked if we could have a serious conversation about faith for the entire two-hour drive home. Of course, I eagerly agreed.

Our conversation was heartfelt and profound. C, a relatively new believer, expressed a deep desire to understand who Jesus truly is and why that matters in his life. We discussed the book "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis, which he had never read. A week later, at our first Bridges International Dinner after spring break, I gave him a newly purchased C.S. Lewis book that included "Mere Christianity" and many other works. I asked if he would read it, and he accepted.

I'm delighted to share that C is continuing to grow in his understanding and will become a leader in our group next year, focusing on building up our international student community at UCSD.