DBU student keeps divine appointments in East Asia

DALLAS—Hannah Groth, a junior at Dallas Baptist University, viewed her summer studies at a university in East Asia as more than an educational opportunity. She also saw the trip as an opportunity to keep “divine appointments” God made for her.

“The past few years, the Lord has given me an interest for the Asian cultures, people, and languages. This summer provided me with an amazing opportunity to go study and serve,” she said.

The relatively light daily schedule Groth and her teammates kept provided a variety of occasions to encounter people and share their faith. Before morning classes, their daily routine began with a prayer-walk around the campus, followed by an assembly where students encouraged each other with stories about the blessings they experienced.

New language, new culture

Learning a foreign language and becoming familiar with the ways and rules of a different society were difficult, Groth acknowledged, but the hope of bridging cultural barriers in order to share the love of Christ provided motivation.

Classes ended at noon, but Groth viewed the remainder of each day as a series of opportunities to be used by God. Lunch provided the perfect opportunity to develop relationships with native students over meals of their favorite food and make plans for the rest of the day.

Between engaging locals while out on frequent runs or sightseeing ventures, dining and shopping with new friends, and engaging in the myriad of sports and games she played with them, Groth had many opportunities to minister to people in a different culture.

Since she is an American, many people approached her to practice their English. She obliged their requests, offering to read to them from her English-language Bible.

Sharing the truth

“Many of the team members started going to this English group in the morning, and every single time one of us goes, we are able to share the truth with 20 to 45 or so people,” she recalled.

At least two of the friends she made in East Asia came to faith in Christ, and Groth was able to worship with them. Hearing new Christians freely “speaking out loud in the language of their hearts to the Father” blessed her tremendously, she said.

On another occasion, she was able to use her linguistic skills and network of friends to help a suffering family receive needed medical attention—and offer them words of hope.

Reflecting on her two months in East Asia, Groth marveled at the way she saw God move.

“He made himself known, freed hearts from bondage, and showed his glory revealed in us,” she said. “But my favorite part of the summer, where I think that God worked the most, is the change within my own heart. I am finally learning how to live life the way that he desires us to live it.”