It is great to now be on staff for ISI but what does Campus Staff really do? Primarily, to partner with the university and local churches to meet the pressing needs of international students while they are here in the US. What are their pressing needs? To be welcomed when they arrive here and help them to get settled. Some need help before they arrive in choosing a school. No matter how much they prepared, there is quite a culture shock when they arrive and they need help with the basic skills of surviving in the US. Many need help with their visa's while they are here- keeping them current or extending them, if necessary. Many will also need help applying and preparing for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) as required by the university they are attending. They all need help with their academics, especially in how to succeed in our educational system. Others are here not just for their academic education but their professional development so that they can return as leaders in their discipline in a global economy. This means they need coaching as professionals and leaders in their career from a US perspective. Finally, they need help in returning home. Just as there was a big culture shock coming here, they face another culture shock going home. They have changed considerably, their friends and family have changed, and perhaps there have been political, business and/or environmental changes that have drastically changed their familiar home. They need to be prepared to address those significant re-entry changes as well, Those are not all of their needs but you can see those are enough to keep all the Campus Staff very busy. Of course, embedded in these needs is their most pressing need of all- to hear about a lovesick Father who anxiously and constantly awaits and watches for His wayward son or daughter to return home to Him so He can wipe away their shame and celebrate their new life.
One lesson I learned repeatedly as an engineer was- it is hard to make things and it is hard to fix things. Clearly the bible teaches this in its account of creation and the curse God puts on the earth in response to man choosing his way instead of God's way. The curse for the man was to be the earth would now be hostile toward him. Whereas, when man was abiding by God's plan, the garden would bring forth plants, fruits and vegetables with no effort needed to fight and prevent weeds or diseases. However, afterwards it was now a struggle to keep the garden healthy and productive. Part of this curse is known as the second law of thermodynamics which simply states that when things are left to their own on planet earth they will move in the direction of disorder, or an increase in entropy. So, that explains the lesson I learned as an engineer.
Yesterday, the brake lever broke on my Eco scooter and I have no idea why. I squeezed it and rather than the break activating, it snapped at the handle.This seems to be 2 problems. Why the brake did not compress as normal and then the consequence, the handle breaking off. Also, my Jeep had been leaking gas lately and I looked at the engine and saw that my fuel hose was tearing at the ends. So, I pulled it off and cut the frayed end off and re-attached it. Well, rather than fixing it, the hose sprung a new leak further down. Great. Now, i need to buy a new hose and start the repair process all over. Something else will probably break as I install the new hose. As I said in the beginning though, this is really what life is. A series of problems, days after day, whether we want to admit it, or not. Problems in the house, in the car, in the job, in our health, in relationships... it all seems to be a tangled ball of string to me, at times. I don't even know which end to start unraveling. In these times, which is more often than not, it is sure good to know God specializes in making and fixing things. It is NOT hard for Him. He wants things back to normal, as He originally created. Just look at the first chapters of Genesis and then the last chapters of Revelation. Everything is restored back to the way God intended it. No more pain, death, crying, problems... or entropy. God can begin that process in you right now. What means even more to me is not only that He can, but that in His great love He wants to On August 21, 2014 I officially came on as Campus Staff at ISI. Having worked with young adults for 30 years at Intel and in my non-profit, this was the next step in pursuing my passion to make a significant difference in students lives.
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AuthorErv Thomas is married with two children and is a Mechanical Engineer. Archives
March 2023
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