This week is the time for university students to pack their bags and get ready for the fall term. On Sunday, August 12 we will pray over all of the students who are able to be with us. Many will quickly be on the road to school. Others will be traveling to Pensacola to begin the semester at the University of West Florida. Ministry opportunities abound for us as we reach out to these students.    

I remember the first time I moved out and headed for a dorm. That first night was not fun at all. I was an incoming junior and had been assigned a roommate I had never met. He came in drunk the first night. Yes, it was a Baptist school! In a couple of days we knew we were not a good match and started looking for a way to work a trade. That soon came and a minister of music named David Helms moved in with me. For two and a half years we had a great relationship.    

The first night for me in Crawford Johnson Hall was one with tears. I was lonely and needed a friend. Ron Wilson walked in and introduced himself. He lived just down the hall. He became a good friend and fellow traveler in the Religion Department classes.   

Here is a novel idea. Adopt a student this term. Make a friend of this individual. Send mail if they are away in another city. If they are in Pensacola, away from their family, have them over for a meal on a regular basis. You can also slip them $20 from time to time. These ideas work with students at NAS as well. Students need friends who pray for them. I’m grateful to have had good friends who, along with my great parents, made an impact in my life as a college student.

Ted Traylor

BA Samford University 1977 

Posted on Tuesday, August 7th, 2007 at 9:06 am.
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