Fishing for Bluegills and People
Since the COVID-19 pandemic has struck, we are always looking for fun outdoor activities which we can do with internationals in a social-distancing way. These activities not only minister to the felt needs of our international friends, such as their desire to experience genuine American culture, but they also provide attractive social opportunities for us to invite new internationals and visiting scholars to get to know us. This fishing experience at a local Madison area lake was only this boy's second fishing experience ever. The first time he had gotten 'skunked'! So, needless to say, catching one bluegill and sunfish after another was about as exciting as a deep sea charter fishing trip to some grown adults!
Jesus calls us to come, follow Him, and He will make us fishers of people (Matt. 4:19). As a dad, I was also super thankful to see my daughter - who came along to help during this activity - act so unselfishly, as she let other kids (and adults) use her very own fishing pole (often not very gently), and helped them put on worms and take fish off hooks. After over an hour of scaling and fileting during which her and I both lost about a pint of blood each to mosquitoes, we were able to treat some of the fishermen/women and children to a bluegill fish fry!