The Substitute

For the first time in his life a tentmaker in Asia enjoyed being a substitute when his team was playing. Foto: Istockphoto.

A tentmaking student in Asia was not very happy when he did not get to start the match with his university´s soccer team. His role as substitute did however give him options he had not thought of beforehand.

I enjoy playing football with my team one to two times per week. In yesterday´s match I was however an unused substitute through the whole match. In many ways, this became a joy since it made it possible to have good talks with the others on the bench. They shared their thoughts on life. I also got to tell them about Jesus when they asked me what I find to be important in life. One of the substitutes said that this was the first time he really understood who Jesus is.

Persecution and openness

The student lives in a nation where the several generations of Christians have been persecuted. Even today, Jesus-followers are suffering for their faith in regions of the country. A life as a student still gives many opportunities for sharing Christ with others.

As I was eating dinner today I got to talk with some Muslim students. One of them said that he reads the Koran, but that there have been no new revelations from God after Muhammed. His conclusion was that the contact between God and the Muslims have been broken. This gave us a great starting point for an exciting conversation, tells the student.

For many months, the Christian students have had to gather outside campus. Now the university leaders have approved that they can use a room on campus.

This is an answer to prayer and it makes it a lot easier for us to invite new people, says the student.

By Steinar Opheim