There are large parts of the Bible that I simply can't relate to because of the life I've lived.

For instance, one of the biggest themes of the Old Testament is the idea of a Stranger in a Foreign Land. The Israelite people were enslaved for generations and had to live under the customs and practices of their Egyptian oppressors. Later, when the people had been freed and they made it to the Promised Land, God commands the people to treat newcomers and immigrants well because they too were once strangers in a foreign land (Deuteronomy 10:18-20). This theme continues throughout the Old Testament and was foundational for Jesus' ministry as well, most famously in Matthew 25:31-46.

This is something that I can't ever fully understand. I grew up in Houston, went to school in College Station, and now pastor in Beaumont. I haven't been a stranger in a foreign land much at all. I don't truly know how difficult it is to live in a place where I don't understand the culture or the language. What it means to move halfway across the world to seek a better life, leaving behind family and friends.

Luckily, I can begin to understand a bit better through the students here at Lamar. We have students from here in Beaumont, from Houston and Austin. And then we also have students from Bangladesh and Korea, India and Nigeria, Nepal and Ghana. I've made it a priority to not only serve students but to get to know them, to make them feel like Wesley can be a home for them. I believe the Wesley can be a home and a community for all students, no matter where you're from, no matter what you believe.

Because of this dedication to serving students, we have strengthened our relationship with the university and with various student groups. Just this past week, the Wesley played host to 150+ Bangladeshi and Indian students celebrating International Mother Language Day, where the President and one of the Deans of Lamar spoke.

Lamar Wesley partnered with the University and the Bangladesh Student Association to host Mother Language Day, an event centered around celebrating the diversity of language around the world.

Students from Bangladesh have invited me to dinner with their family, students from India have had me talk to their families on video calls, Muslim and Hindu students have asked me to pray with them. I believe that we're answering the call from both the Old Testament and the New to welcome the stranger through this relationship building. We're giving students a new home while they're a 20 hour flight away from their real one.

And, maybe just as important, is that these students are teaching me. They are showing me what Jesus means when he tells us to welcome the stranger, what it means when Deuteronomy says to remember when you were a stranger in a foreign land.

Together, we as Christians, Muslims, Americans, Koreans, Hindus, Indians, and everyone else make up the body of Christ! Isn't it beautiful?

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Kyle Tremblay

Students pose in front of the Mosaic Cross that now adorns our front window

Just a little bit of the donations we received from St. Mark's Episcopal and the Office of International Students for the Cardinal Closet! We're hoping to open after Spring Break!

Pastor Kyle and Julian help out with FUMC Beaumont's annual Oyster Supper