friendships – Jerry Lout ⚬ Writer ⚬ Speaker ⚬ Mobilizer

Lifting the serving bowl and its beefy/spicy contents up for all to admire, the host rendered the verdict, “And, the winner IS. . .”

Through every season we were learning that each day can open a new place in our hearts, a place where we can welcome new friends and celebrate more fully our shared humanity*

Whether the Autumn Chili cookoff (like this one marked by bursts of – “Wow, who brought this ?!”) – or the Summer road trip to old town Har-ber Village at Grand Lake or the Hayride/ songfest/bonfire and s’mores treat at Sonrise Ranch outside Owasso, every outing seemed to pulse with adventure.

The student ministry subscribed to value-centered priorities. Like fostering friendships. Then, where possible, nurturing them.

Our volunteer teams hosted students from far-away lands whose domestic mealtime had never ever featured chili; young adults whose tastebuds would never think of savoring an odd mini-sandwich stacked with marshmello, Hershey chocolate and graham cracker.

As for Har-ber Village, few Americans had themselves ever encountered – except through library books or a Google Search – the spellbinding world of a reconstructed 19^th century village.

Nor did road trips end with a screeching halt at the state line. Missouri, Texas, Arkansas – even Colorado and California – unveiled before us their varied treasures, from the quaint to the spectacular.

As for the chili cookoff that evening at Beau and Mary Ann’s home, our student guests were deputized taste-test-judges. The Blue Ribbon chili pick of the night fell to an iconic burger enterprise from around the corner, Wendy’s!

Extending circles of friendships for newly arrived foreign students proves priceless, over time. Stewarded well, the practice can translate into treasured relationships. It’s been noted that a Houston professor researching the matter arrived at a remarkable finding.

When a local resident extends kindness to an international student in a meaningful way within the first 72 hours of the newcomer’s arrival, a lifelong friendship can well have been launched.

My wife and I resonate with stats like these, having drunk deep from the wells of hospitality at the hands of local residents upon our maiden arrival to Africa.

In mere moments of our friends Carl and Annette swinging open their door in welcome to my friend Constant, the space in their cozy residence was ringing with hospitable cheer. Is it any wonder, given the needs and the makeup of we human creatures, how soon authentic friendships among us can bud, then flourish?

Lingering a moment at the apartment door, I took in the surroundings and wondered how many stories lay past the many other student housing doors. My good-humored, keen-minded, bespectacled friend from the Far East greeted me in what had by now become a predictable norm. A cheery grin seemed to mark his countenance at every turn.

Waiting outside his door, I had already begun scanning my brain for a specific kind of word or phrase for this fun-loving Chemistry major.

In the experiment of figuring out ways to help students get a better handle on the English language, I had recognized a robust interest among some scholars over our common American slangs or idioms. My student friend was, I discovered, not merely interested in the world of slang. Constant grew such an appetite for new expressions he inaugurated a kind of game. We were not to part company following any of our sessions without my having left behind a fresh new idiom to take its place inside his ever-expanding slang storehouse.

This Tuesday afternoon, having wrapped up our regular conversational time in the New Testament, Constant hit me with the reminder, “So Jerry, what slang do you have for me today?”

“How about this, Constant. . .”

I coached him then on a common back-and-forth dialogue featuring reptiles as the theme. From that day onward, no conversational session was complete without a shared parting refrain,

“See you later, Alligator. . .”

“After while, Crocodile!”

Tag: friendships

A Shared Humanity

Reptile Routine