Yes, you read that right.
I did make a new friendship over Craigslist.
Do I normally search for new friends on Craigslist?
Of course not!
I want to introduce you to my sweet friend, Umbreen.
The University of Illinois has over 8000 international students ranking it second for the most internationals at a university. That means 20% of the student population comes from China, India, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Isreal, etc!!!! This is one of my most favorite things about living in Champaign. We have an incredible amount of opportunities to learn about different cultures and meet people from countries we couldn't dream of visiting, all in our small Midwestern town.
So back to Umbreen and our Craigslist encounter:
In January, I was selling a suitcase and got an email from a student new to campus looking to replace hers that was damaged during travel. I responded with details of the luggage, asked where she was from, and if there was anything I could help her with as she got settled in. She was from Pakistan, had been in the US for a few days, and needed to know where to buy a mattress. I welcomed her to America, directed her to a furniture store, and then invited her to church with Alex and I that Sunday.
It is hard for us to believe, but many internationals have never seen or been inside a church before, so many are excited to come as a tourist experience. (Ironically, our church meets in a gymnasium so it wasn't as picture-worthy as she probably imagined).
Umbreen responded excitedly with our invitation, and we met that Sunday as we picked her up from her research lab on campus.
97% of Pakistanis are Muslim, including Umbreen. She had never met a Christian, so we had many wonderful conversations about our differing faiths. We also loved sitting on the quad, talking about jewelry, makeup, marriage, food, and Alex. (She just loved Alex. In fact, she specifically called him tonight to say goodbye before she flew back to Pakistan.)
Some of my favorite moments this semester were when Umbreen cooked me Pakistani food along with her friend from Mexico, and when she came to my Church Small Group for milkshake night and and fell in love with my friends' baby. (She will be a great mother!)
Today, I said goodbye to Umbreen. She flies back to Pakistan in the morning to finish her masters degree and to marry the man she has trusted her parents in choosing for her. It was a sad goodbye, but I told her over and over how grateful I am that God gave me the opportunity to become friends with her. My eyes and heart were opened up to a whole new country and people.
I don't normally "encourage" you to do anything when you read this blog, but today I want to highly encourage you to make friends with an international student or family. Many times they are here alone, trying to get around a city where they barely know the language, and wanting to experience real American things. They would 9 times out of 10 be delighted by a new friendship or even just a quick, welcoming conversation.
Don't know where to start? (& don't want to start with Craigslist. haha) Here are a few ideas:
-Simply say hello at the grocery store. If they are looking lost, ask if you can help, and then ask where they are from.
-When you see them waiting for the bus with their 10 bags of groceries, offer to give them a ride home. (last year I met these 3 adorable Chinese girls, who had only been in America for 1 day, while they were waiting to begin their 1 hour bus ride commute back to their apt that was only 4 miles away! They were so grateful for the ride that they each took pictures with me when I dropped them off.)
- Bake some break & bake cookies and take them over to their house/apt to introduce yourself. This American tradition might feel outdated, but since everything is new to them, they will think its completely normal!
-Mostly, keep your eyes and heart open to the many people of this world that probably live and shop in your neighborhood, and would be more than eager to make an American friend.
I did make a new friendship over Craigslist.
Do I normally search for new friends on Craigslist?
Of course not!
I want to introduce you to my sweet friend, Umbreen.
The University of Illinois has over 8000 international students ranking it second for the most internationals at a university. That means 20% of the student population comes from China, India, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Isreal, etc!!!! This is one of my most favorite things about living in Champaign. We have an incredible amount of opportunities to learn about different cultures and meet people from countries we couldn't dream of visiting, all in our small Midwestern town.
So back to Umbreen and our Craigslist encounter:
In January, I was selling a suitcase and got an email from a student new to campus looking to replace hers that was damaged during travel. I responded with details of the luggage, asked where she was from, and if there was anything I could help her with as she got settled in. She was from Pakistan, had been in the US for a few days, and needed to know where to buy a mattress. I welcomed her to America, directed her to a furniture store, and then invited her to church with Alex and I that Sunday.
It is hard for us to believe, but many internationals have never seen or been inside a church before, so many are excited to come as a tourist experience. (Ironically, our church meets in a gymnasium so it wasn't as picture-worthy as she probably imagined).
Umbreen responded excitedly with our invitation, and we met that Sunday as we picked her up from her research lab on campus.
97% of Pakistanis are Muslim, including Umbreen. She had never met a Christian, so we had many wonderful conversations about our differing faiths. We also loved sitting on the quad, talking about jewelry, makeup, marriage, food, and Alex. (She just loved Alex. In fact, she specifically called him tonight to say goodbye before she flew back to Pakistan.)
Some of my favorite moments this semester were when Umbreen cooked me Pakistani food along with her friend from Mexico, and when she came to my Church Small Group for milkshake night and and fell in love with my friends' baby. (She will be a great mother!)
 |
| Umbreen's spicy food that was even too spicy for Evelia, her Mexican friend! |
 |
| Not her baby :) |
Today, I said goodbye to Umbreen. She flies back to Pakistan in the morning to finish her masters degree and to marry the man she has trusted her parents in choosing for her. It was a sad goodbye, but I told her over and over how grateful I am that God gave me the opportunity to become friends with her. My eyes and heart were opened up to a whole new country and people.
I don't normally "encourage" you to do anything when you read this blog, but today I want to highly encourage you to make friends with an international student or family. Many times they are here alone, trying to get around a city where they barely know the language, and wanting to experience real American things. They would 9 times out of 10 be delighted by a new friendship or even just a quick, welcoming conversation.
Don't know where to start? (& don't want to start with Craigslist. haha) Here are a few ideas:
-Simply say hello at the grocery store. If they are looking lost, ask if you can help, and then ask where they are from.
-When you see them waiting for the bus with their 10 bags of groceries, offer to give them a ride home. (last year I met these 3 adorable Chinese girls, who had only been in America for 1 day, while they were waiting to begin their 1 hour bus ride commute back to their apt that was only 4 miles away! They were so grateful for the ride that they each took pictures with me when I dropped them off.)
- Bake some break & bake cookies and take them over to their house/apt to introduce yourself. This American tradition might feel outdated, but since everything is new to them, they will think its completely normal!
-Mostly, keep your eyes and heart open to the many people of this world that probably live and shop in your neighborhood, and would be more than eager to make an American friend.
I loooooove this. Praise God for how he crossed your guys' paths and taught you through her friendship. Funny you posted this... I was at the beach last weekend and saw this family who looked like they were new to the area (possibly from Africa) and I wanted to go say hello to them so badly and "welcome" them to the states. I even told Adam "it makes me sad that it isn't culturally "normal" to walk up to someone new and befriend them"... I suppose I wasn't sure what to say... "Hi, you look like you're new here... I'm Alyssa... and just wanted to hear more about your lives" And the list of conversation starters goes on... wish I would've. The Spirit could've been leading me to and I didn't! But. Thank you for your encouragement to be bold and love like Christ! Love this.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post. I can't wait for Bridges next year!
ReplyDelete