Concussion excitement

On Wednesday, hubby and I had just finished a long day of relational and marriage-related training and we were clustered with friends from our project group on the front porch of the Admin building. I was salivating in anticipation of the s'mores we were about to make, and excited to finally spend time with the group after sitting in meetings all day.

Just then, hubby pointed to the field below. "Hey, that guy isn't getting up." Someone had slipped on the grass, and was still lying there after nearly a minute.

When we ran out to see if the teenager was ok, it was clear that he wasn't. The group of kids had been playing a game of Capture the Flag for a grand total of about 30 seconds before the lack of traction on his shoes made him hit the ground--hard. He was alert and even cracking jokes at his sister who hovered nearby, but the back of his head and neck were in severe pain.

After asking him if I could, I prayed aloud for him in front of the crowd of kids. I wondered whether that was a normal thing in their families. Then Hubby stabilized his head and encouraged him to stay awake while I ran back and got help.

Soon, there were three emergency vehicles on the field, who I later learned were the first responders who live on the YMCA grounds. His grandma came walking up later, chuckling and shaking her head. Apparently, her grandson is accident prone, and this was a pretty normal occurrence for him.

We missed out on the s'mores, but as we walked away, we got something better. A group of college-aged students came up to ask about the ambulance, and the conversation developed into a 2-hour hangout! All four were international students who had come to work for the summer in the United States. Jean Lucas and Vanessa were from Brazil, Erika was from Columbia, and Guillermo hailed from Madrid, Spain. We talked about movies, about music, about our families, and about the cultural differences they have seen in the short time they've been here.

I was reminded afresh how much I love international students!  Not only do they bring a new dimension, a fresh perspective that I find fascinating, I often feel like my own experiences overseas make it easy to relate to them. And of course, like all young people, we share so much of the hopes we have for the future, the common experiences of family and insecurities, and the fun of being young.

Oh, and get this: ALL of them came to the LT service in the chapel the next night. Please pray for more opportunities to connect with them, and for their curiosity about a personal relationship with God to grow.