ROLLA – Students from across the globe paraded through Rolla, Sept. 28, during Missouri S&T’s annual “Celebration of Nations” event here. Many of the students wore traditional dress and waved the flags from their homelands. They set up booths, serving food from around the world.
Missouri S&T Baptist Student Union Director Bruce Wade ordered Chicken Masala, a traditional Indian dish – discovering a tad too late how spicy it was. Fortunately, Phelps County Baptist Association Director of Missions Ken McCune helped him finish the meal. The BSU partnered with the Phelps County Baptist Association to set up a booth at the “Celebration of Nations,” and – even more than the food – Wade and McCune enjoyed the connections that were made during the event.
“It’s a really good partnership between the association and the BSU because it connects us not only with the international community, but also with the community as a whole,” McCune said.
According to Wade, the “Celebration of Nations” also gives Baptist college students a chance to meet people from around the globe.
“The world is truly at our door,” Wade said, noting that nearly 1,200 international students study at Missouri S&T. This event, he added, “is an opportunity to make an impact around the world as we reach out to these students.”
McCune and Wade also said this partnership was also a good opportunity to support International Connection Point, a Missouri Baptist international student ministry led by Jagat and Nani Lamsal. Born into a Hindu family in Nepal, Jagat now has a passionate love for Jesus Christ and wants to share Christ’s love with international students at Missouri S&T.
Through group events such as picnics, roller skating, and hay rides, Jagat and Nani reach out to students and visiting scholars who are far from home. They meet their needs by helping them find furniture, teaching them how to drive, and sitting with sick children. Some of the students join a Bible study. Many come to faith in Christ.