International Travelers Venting About The Church…

Hostel Influence

While I was in Los Angeles, I wanted to stay in a hostel in the hollywood area, not only because it was pretty affordable at $20/night, but because I wanted to meet people from other countries. And, I was not disappointed, as I met an Australian, Swede, Brit, and African.

We chatted for a while about different things, but the conversation allowed me to share why I was staying in the hostel that weekend. I told them I was going to a Christian Conference, which led one of them to ask what it was about. Their curiosity amazed me. I then posed a question about their spiritual background, which opened the door to their beliefs…

Religiousness in the Church

One of the British guys I talked to was not interested in church. His dad, he said, was “born again” and tried to get him to go to church with him. We talked in depth about this, and I could clearly see his negatively toward the religiosity of the church. This allowed me to share my personal discontent toward religion, and also how Jesus calls us to follow Him not a religious system. After sharing all his frustration toward rules and the hypocrisy he saw in church, I left him with a question to ponder,

“What would keep you from following Jesus and him alone, not a church or a religious system?”

He was stumped. I don’t believe he had ever been asked that before, but now he was left to examine his views of Jesus and not make any more excuses about how other people have kepted him from meeting the Living God.

A Swede, Sex, and God

The next night, I had a long 4 hour conversation with a Swede over sex and God. This person thought I was absolutely crazy for staying a virgin, while they had sex with multiple people by the age of 18. I explained that I was waiting for marriage and even though it wasn’t easy because we are bombarded by sex all over the place, I wanted to honor both my future wife and my God. Their view of God was one of absence. It was not possible for them to believe in God. Their lives were about partying and sex period. They were now looking to experiment with same sex attraction just because. The one thing I will take from this conversation for a long time is their view of sex below:

“I have kissed very few people, but I’ve had sex with more.”

What does this statement speak to you? It speaks to me of a lack of intimacy in sex to me, that they view kissing as more intimate than they would allow their partner to have with them. This broke my heart, and it should everyone who reads this.

Hostel Takeover: Creating a new Hostel Environment

As I was reflecting on my time at the Hollywood hostel, I began to see the possibilities that could exist if a Christian were to start a hostel in the area. Think about the opportunities! Many International travelers looking for shelter and community are at your fingertips. What an opportunity to be a light, to demonstrate true community, to share God’s love with them, to offer bible studies to those that might be interested. I don’t know yet how you control their desire for sex and drinking, but I pray God would stir peoples hearts as they read this.

I would love to see Christians around the country starting Hostels so that this can become a reality. Think of the Influence. These International visitors can get a true picture of a Loving, Living God and take it back to their Countries.

If anyone reads this and wants to find out more or would like to partner with me in this, I trust God will bring someone along with a similar desire and a location to start a hostel.

There used to be a hostel in Orange County, but it’s still a great place with the popularity of the OC. And, even though L.A. already has at least 8 hostels already, It could definitely benefit from one more, especially one that is focused on loving these International travelers and displaying the Greatness of Jesus.

What kind of experience do you have with International Travelers? How has this influenced you to love them more?

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