The conversation started with a scavenger hunt on the first day of Big Break Los Angeles – the challenge was to ask a stranger about something.
Bay, a student at Montana State University, drawn by the heavy drum beat and colorful Aztec regalia, stopped to watch a group of dancers in an open city square downtown.
Turning to a young man standing nearby, Bay introduced himself and plunged into a conversation, asking about the dance.
The man – “Isaac” – wasn’t sure what was going on either, but asked in return where Bay and his friends were from.
“We’re kind of on this mission trip,” Bay explained. “Like, hanging out on campuses and talking to people about Jesus.”
“Oh,” Isaac exclaimed. “I know Jesus!”
Big Break LA – held in Southern California, consisting of three, week-long cycles – is a chance for students to invest the week of their spring break to be discipled and trained to share their faith, through teaching and real-life experience.
As they talked, one of the other MSU students with Bay mentioned how, as a Christian, she could bring the hard things in life to God.
Isaac nodded. Then he told Bay about how he’d just broken up with a woman he’d dated for five years. As Isaac spoke, his eyes began to fill with tears. Since the breakup, he said, he’d tried to focus on bettering himself – praying and going to church, so he’d be closer to God.
“What about reading the Bible?” Bay asked.
“I’ve read about Jesus my whole life,” Isaac said. “But God – he’s Jesus’ father – that’s who we are all trying to get to know. But we don’t even know what Jesus looked like. The pictures are all made up.”
“Oh,” Bay exclaimed, having just read Isaiah 53 that morning. “We do kinda know Jesus wasn’t an attractive dude.”
He opened his backpack to retrieve his Spanish/English Bible – he was trying to learn Spanish, and so carried the dual-language copy by habit. Seeing the Bible, Isaac’s face lit up – his family was from Mexico, he said. But he’d never learned to speak Spanish himself, and was currently studying the language.
Leaning over Bay’s shoulder, Isaac read along with him in Spanish, “…no tiene aspecto hermoso ni majestad para que le miremos…”
“He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.”
“I have this bilingual Bible,” Bay said. “You can have it if you want it.”
Isaac took the book from him, his eyes shining.
“I’ll borrow it,” he said, adding that he wanted to return it to Bay eventually.
“Well, as far as I’m concerned, it’s yours.”
“No, it’s ours,” Isaac concluded.
He had to leave, but he exchanged phone numbers with Bay, and said he wants to stay in touch.
