Bible study leader finds hope in an unexpected surprise.

David Albright - affectionately known as “the man who keeps going” - was worried.

A new fall semester was approaching, which meant it was almost time for one of his favorite opportunities as an Ohio State campus minister with International Friendships Inc.: hosting a Bible discussion group. But would there be anyone to discuss with? Limited public interactions  had limited students’ attendance to the groups during previous semesters. The online discussions weren’t much better. So David, understandably, was very worried that this semester would be much of the same.

“I was beginning to lose hope.” says David, shrugging his shoulders. “So I went to God and asked Him, ‘what do you have in store?’”

The reply:

"You have no idea.”

David got a taste of what God meant when he arrived at the Columbus Airport to pick up a student from India arriving from Mumbai. He expected the typical agenda: find the student, greet the student, drive the student where he needed to go. This time, this was a key step missing: he couldn't find the student!

“I stood at the baggage claim with my sign waiting for the student to see it. After a while, there is no more luggage, and the conveyor belt just stops!”

So David, instead of shrugging and going home, walked to the terminal’s  information desk and asked the attendant to page for the student, hoping he had just missed him. The student still did not come; he must have missed the flight.

Now it was time to go home, right? Maybe not.

As David was leaving the terminal, to go home, he noticed two Chinese students leaving as well. He greeted them and asked if they were studying at the Ohio State University. They said yes. He shared IFI’s heart for international students and invited them to the annual student Welcome Party, as well as his bible discussion group. They graciously accepted and went to catch their bus.

Now it was time to go home, right? Definitely not.

David soon encountered another student from Thailand, carrying two big luggage pieces, with a backpack almost as big. “The man who keeps going” couldn’t resist greeting this young man who seemed like he needed some help. He greeted the student, asked where he was studying (OSU), and shared IFI’s heart for internationals. The student related the busy day he had planned, including a trip to the bank, his apartment’s office and a phone store. He planned to take a taxi everywhere, leaving his luggage in the taxi while he ran his errands.

David’s jaw dropped. He explained that this plan would cost the student hundreds of dollars. So David offered an alternative: he could drive the student to run his errands and drop him off at his apartment.

The student accepted the offer and they got started. So what could have been a wasted trip to the airport, turned into a very long day of little adventures, the most notable being a lunch where the student had the first turkey sandwich of his life, and loved every bite. David and his new friend also had multiple conversations about American and Thai culture, realizing one distinct similarity: “everyone is in a hurry, going nowhere.” 

After the student accomplished everything he needed for the day, he and David exchanged contact information. David invited this student to the IFI Welcome Party, as well as to his Bible discussion group. With a smile, the student replied, “I’m looking forward to coming!”

David smiled back, and kept his smile as he got back into his car to go home. Then it clicked. He had invited this Thai student and the two Chinese students to his discussion group. His wife had also been serving a Muslim student who expressed interest in studying the Bible. As it turns out, God had been slowly building his group all along; he just had to keep going. David remembered God’s reply to his prayer: “You have no idea.” So without a clue, David is ready to see what else God has planned, believing the words of his namesake:

Those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:10)