Sayid

I've said it before, but it's still fun to mention that there is over 18 countries represented in one of my courses at University.

Kate and I have both met so many graduate and PhD students with such fascinating backgrounds. I continue to reflect on the Lord's blessing and Pastor Keith (from Calvary Church) for encouraging us to be students over here, it's frowned upon by the Assemblies (in many ways, for good reason; i.e. cost and time). However, it's been vital for making instant connections. Plus, to our surprise, most Scots we encounter have such "respect" for international students choosing Scotland to study.

There is a student in one of my courses who is getting his PhD in educational philosophy. He's in his late 30s, Pakistani and a university professor at the capital city called Islamabad (Pakistan is 97% muslim and one of the most democratic countries in the middle east), and a devout Muslim. His calm, soft-spoken demeaner is disarming and we've sat next to one another on a number of occasions. We've decided to get together to talk about Pakistani politics, and you guessed it, our faiths we both feel so strongly about.

I've sensed no attitude against me cause I'm the standard white-western-christian. Quite the contrary, he's shown great interest in why I'm hear to start a church and what it means to be a Christian.

Meeting Muslims like Sayid is a constant reminder that we need to check our stereotypes against people who practice Islam. It's easy to compare Christianity's best, against Islam's worst. The reality is, less than .1% of the over 2 billion Muslims are extemists in what we see in the news everyday.

Be praying for Sayid and his studies, and for a fruitful connection.