Here’s what Tori, a Senior at Simmons College that Malisa works with, said about her summer:
I have been so looking forward to getting to share with you
about my experiences in the Middle East this summer! Our
six weeks abroad were filled with God’s blessings – from
an incredible team to seeing God working in the lives of
our Middle Eastern friends. I have a million stories I could
share – stories of the students on our team taking amazing
steps of faith, stories of reconnecting with sweet Middle
Eastern friends from last summer, stories of the growing
refugee ministry, and the list goes on. I’d love to tell you
about everything, but there’s one story in particular that I’d
like to share with you in this letter.
Being student staff, I had the chance to mentor a student
one-on-one. I was blessed to mentor Dennissa – an
enthusiastic, lively and passionate soon-to-be-sophomore
from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Since her
school is just down the road from Simmons and doesn’t yet
have a Cru ministry, she attended my small group all last
year. It didn’t take long for me to discover her deep love for
others and her willingness to trust the Lord. Needless to
say, I was thrilled when she decided to take a step of faith
and join us in the Middle East this summer, and even more
excited when I found out I was going to be mentoring her
over the course of our trip!
Upon moving into our dorm on our first day abroad, we
found out that we would be sharing rooms with Middle
Eastern students. Dennissa connected almost immediately
with her roommate, Aisha. They stayed up till all hours of
the night talking and laughing, and their conversations
grew steadily deeper. Soon Dennissa had shared the
Gospel with Aisha on multiple occasions and even given
her a Bible to keep. Aisha was so taken by this gift – she
knew how much importance it held in Dennissa’s life, and
was amazed that she could have a copy for her very own.Dennissa had soon introduced Aisha to nearly everyone
on our team, and she had become good friends with
several other students from our group. Amazingly, after
knowing us for only two short weeks, Aisha generously
invited a few of us to spend the weekend at her sister’s
home! Next thing I knew I was on a ten hour bus ride with
Dennissa, Aisha, and another girl from the small group I
was leading, Caitlyn. Soon after we got off the bus, we met
Aisha’s sister, Lela. Lela is a medical student who is the
same age as me, with a sweet spirit and a great talent for
playing hostess. 🙂As we relaxed by the pool over the course of the weekend,
she shared with me about her struggle with depression. In
her culture, mental illness has somewhat of a stigma
attached to it, so her sharing that with me was a big deal.
Knowing that I study psychology, she asked me, “Surely
you understand because of your major?” In answering her
question, I told her that yes, I did understand because of
my major, but that I could also understand from personal
experience, having dealt with depression myself. Having
this in common allowed me to share my testimony with
her, and through that, the Gospel.
Both she and her sister have such soft hearts toward
Christ, and I’m excited to see how God continues to move
in their lives. What a unique ministry opportunity and sweet
blessing it was to spend an entire weekend with these
friends of ours, and to be invited into their home! What was
just as powerful was seeing Dennissa’s huge heart for
them and her desire for them to know Jesus as their
Savior. Her love for them was obvious, from the way she
interacted with them, giggling like crazy as well as boldly
delving into spiritual matters, to the way she prayed for
them, fervently and usually accompanied by tears. It was a
privilege to see Dennissa take steps of faith and grow over
the course of our trip, and I can’t wait to see how God
continues to use her back in Boston this fall as she begins
launching a Cru ministry on her own campus and trusts
God to reach her classmates with the Gospel.Being a part of this project challenged me and grew me
personally as well as in my ministry skills, and gave me a
taste of what it could look like to be on staff with a ministry
like Cru. Although I knew that I enjoyed getting to be
involved in other women’s spiritual journeys before this
trip, mentoring Dennissa and ministering to Middle
Easterners alongside the other students on our team made
me realize how passionate I am about it! It was so exciting
to be in a position where I got to see God working in
others’ lives up close and personal. This experience has
impacted my perception of what God might be calling me
to after college and has challenged me to open my heart
up to any and all of the possible next steps He might ask
me to take. Please pray for me as I continue to discern His
will for my life after I graduate and trust Him to provide
regardless of where He takes me. Thank you again for
allowing me to have such a valuable experience and for
being a part of the work that God is doing all over the
world – in the lives of American students as well as Middle
Eastern students. I would not have had the chance to be
involved in this ministry without your thoughtful prayers
and generous financial gifts! I so appreciate your support.-Tori