Two Conclusions and Some Questions

I'd like to start off by saying that I taught an entire class today with a piece of rice leftover from lunch stuck to the front of my shirt; there's no point in this story other than the fact that I find it really funny.

Another thing I'd like to say is that my suspicions have been confirmed: I really do live in a group home. I've had this chanting neighbor for a while now, and anybody I ever see in the halls is a little...not normal...and there's a building across the parking lot that actually says 'group home' on it, so I put three and three together and came up with the conclusion that a group home had moved in around me; it's a conclusion I've been trying to tell myself for the past couple months is incorrect and that I should stop labeling people in my head, even if they do seem skittish when I see them or if they chant and laugh at two in the morning. But then one day a few weeks ago Arnie was dropping me off at home just as the group home van (as was written on the side) was pulling out and he said, "looks like the group home's going on another excursion", to which I pointed and said, "hey! There's my neighbor!" who was in the van. So that's it; I now live in a group home...and I'm only 20.

I went to Mr Donuts today, got some endless refill coffee and sat down to read some C.S. Lewis. I didn't particularily like the coffee (not enough sugar) but I somehow felt that those refills were like my ticket to staying seated at the table for 4 my things were sprawled out all over; I ended up having two and a half cups. Conclusion: there's nothing like sitting down with a cup of something hot in a place somewhere warm with a book written by C.S. Lewis. I think I have a lot to learn from that man.

I've been doing chapels for the last couple weeks in three of my classes about the rich young man who came to Jesus and asked what he needed to do to get eternal life. Considering I'm attempting to do it in another language I really should put more preparation into it, but this is how it goes: when I pull out the book with the story in it I say, "Jesus, can you please help me with this?" And then I dive in with Japanese that's not mine, praying the entire time. More than once I've felt like someone just trying to sell eternal life or someone that's part of a cult telling others they can live forever if they just do such and such. What's the deal about eternal life anyways, and why am I trying to convince people who say they don't need it that they actually do?
So I try for other approaches. I ask them questions and don't necessarily wait for the answers; I just want to make them think. I ask what they think is after death, and after a long pause where they think about this question they've never thought the answer to I confront them with two options: eternal life and eternal death. I ask them what they think heaven is like, which leads to questions like 'what kind of god is God?' which leads to conclusions like 'eternal death is existance without God, and existance without God is an existance without love'. Then I ask them which they would prefer. I ask them what they think someone needs to do to get into heaven. They respond with things from the story like following the commandments or selling everything you have and giving it to the poor. Then I lead them back to the story and point out that that's not even enough. This week we ended off with the disciples' question of 'who then can be saved?' They don't know, but I'm hoping that they will be thinking of that question until their next class where they will see the answer as 'everyone, even you, not because of anything you can do but because of what Jesus did'.
So please pray for my students in those three classes that have a chance to hear from God themselves, and that they will listen to the voice prodding to them in their head.
The only thing that I can do is ask questions and trust that God will give them the answers as they draw conclusions in their own hearts.