Taste of the Nations displays Southwestern’s global engagement, love for international community

For a second year, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary celebrated its international community with a Christmas edition of Taste of the Nations on Nov. 18, giving international students and campus organizations an opportunity to share food and customs from their countries.

Noting the significant number of international students, Stephanie Litton, director of International Student Services, said, “This is just a time for them to show off their cultures and to take pride in who they are, and for them to say, ‘Here’s where I am from around the world.’ And it allows our American students in the seminary to love on them in return and say, ‘We see you, you’re important,’ and just kind of return that support.”

Students from places such as Russia, China, Indonesia, Algeria, Spain, Madagascar, Korea, Paraguay, Costa Rica, and Mexico shared holiday food and customs from their country with the Southwestern community. Southwestern organizations represented included the African Student Fellowship, Koinonia Hispanic Student Fellowship, Korean Student Fellowship, and the Chinese Fellowship.

“We are very thankful for each one of you, for your families, your churches that are represented here, everybody that has come to participate in this Taste of the Nations,” Michael Copeland, dean of students and assistant professor of missions who served as a missionary overseas for about 15 years, said to the international community while opening the event. “… You guys and your families, your communities, are one of the hugest blessings for me, coming from overseas to land here in Fort Worth. It makes me feel at home.”

“This is something where Southwestern is engaging globally,” Hugo Encorrada said of the event, referencing one of the seminary’s core values: globally engaged. “You can see it here.”

Encorrada, the president of the Koinonia Hispanic Student Fellowship and a PhD student in church music and worship from Mexico City, said having all the nations, tastes, and customs in one place was a wonderful experience.

Encorrada said for the Hispanic community, it was an opportunity to bring food that is a “part of our identity to share with other people, people that we love. It’s a great time of fellowship where I believe we have Christ in common.”

Tiana Ranaivoarisoa, an alumna from Madagascar, said she was grateful to participate in the event one last time as her family prepares to move back to Madagascar in six months to serve at a seminary she and her husband started.

“It just represents the church,” Ranaivoarisoa said of the event. “It’s all the countries, every tongue, every tribe, gathered together. And that’s a picture of heaven, so I love that. The creativity of men and women—food and baking and clothes—all of that is just a taste of heaven.”

Massissilia Mehrazi, whose husband is a student, was the only person at the event representing Algeria, a large African country that she said itself has 58 states with each having its own customs. But even without a community from her own home country, Mehrazi said it was still a blessing seeing all the other countries united at Southwestern.

“I love seeing the different countries and different cultures,” Mehrazi said. “I love being around different cultures.”

Stephen Reeves, assistant director of International Student Services, read the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke and games were provided for the adults and children, including a “snowball” fight and a trivia game about different holiday traditions found around the world.

Litton said the event provided a chance for American students and families to show love to the international community.

“Most of them don’t get to go home regularly, and they don’t get to see their family at the holidays,” Litton said. “… It’s just a chance for them to say, ‘This kind of feels like Christmas in my country, or with my family,’ and you’re with internationals from around the world who are feeling the same thing. It’s just a way for everybody to get to love on one another.”