Mentoring is like second nature for me.  Beginning a year or two after I believed in Christ, God placed a key man in my life to mentor me.

The three years he mentored me, meeting almost weekly with him for only an hour a week, had the largest impact on my spiritual growth during my first five years as a believer.  In fact, I believe I would not be in this ministry if it were not for the time he poured into my life.  Thankfully since then, I have been blessed with additional mentors through different periods of my life.

One of the men I’m mentoring today is named Joe.  Joe is a full-time campus minister in East Asia who’s mentoring three students.  Recently, he shared what these guys are struggling with.

I didn’t know what to expect but I quickly learned that the struggles these students are facing are issues present in my own culture among some believers.

• Student #1 struggles with love and dating.  He’s a believer but dating a non-believer.  He believes “Mission Dating” is the way to go.
  
• Student #2 struggles with thinking all churches are the same and it doesn’t matter if he gets grounded in a fellowship or not.  He believes his life will be no different by being ground in a one fellowship verses “Church Hopping”. 
• Student #3 struggles with the “Tug of War” game.  He’s feeling pressure by one church to join them since they do a lot of nice things for him while feeling in his heart that he’s better off in his own home church.  He’s confused and doesn’t know what to do.  I’ve seen this many times among a certain church network in the USA which I’ll leave nameless. 

While mentoring is not bound by culture, neither is the struggles people face.  The same is true for non-believers.  There are common struggles you can find in all or almost all cultures.

For many worldwide, they desire true love but are lacking it.  They desire meaning but don’t think they can truly have it.  They desire peace but are wondering if it’s even possible.  These struggles are true here and in the West.  They are true in Russia and Pakistan.  They are true in ever culture you visit.

The solution is being redeemed by faith in Jesus Christ.  The primary method of getting this message to these students and the world is through God’s people.  We are called to go out.  We are called to share.  We are called to have “Beautiful Feet”.

Less than 5% of all college students in East Asia know Jesus Christ personally.  Many who believe do not have access to adequate discipleship that will enable them to follow Him wholly.

Pray for God to send workers into this harvest field.  Pray for God to send a spiritual awakening to these campuses, through Jesus Christ.  Pray that leaders in the national church will catch a greater vision for discipling students in their nation.  If these students are not discipled now, they face a high probability of drifting away after they graduate.  In my opinion, it’s vital to work toward grounding these students in their faith today or we may never get another chance later.