A Gatherer of Others
Coming to America from Japan in fall 2019, Nozomu found it difficult to connect with English speakers in large groups. “I had so many times where I did not want to go to events and meetings because I knew I was not going to be able to understand them.” Then he met Pat Durst, an […]
Separation from Her Son Led Her to Seek Hope
As the young wife of a visiting scholar from China, D. gave birth to their first son in the United States. Early in 2020, during the Chinese New Year, she and her husband arranged for their son to meet his family and experience Chinese culture back home. Little did they know COVID-19 would keep them […]
Baptized in a Love Like She’s Never Known
Jesus was an abstract concept for Mandy when she met Xia, a staff member at IFI. Lonely and anxious after her arrival from China in August of 2019, the economics major accepted Xia’s invitation to church and Friday night Bible discussion. “My initial Bible discussion gave me an interest in learning more about Jesus,” says […]
From Fruit Pie to True Friendship
Zifei, a Chinese logistics management student, was excited to learn to cook American food. After discovering IFI at a welcome party in Columbus, Ohio last year, she joined IFI for apple pie making in the fall. Slicing apples and rolling dough was a new experience, but what made the biggest impression on Zifei was the […]
Impressed by the Kindness of IFI Staff and Volunteers
Almost everything felt strange to Leo when he first came to the US from China in November 2019 to work toward earning a PhD in management. Thankfully, he connected quickly with David, his conversation partner through IFI. “David has helped me quite a lot to learn US culture.” Leo soon learned that David followed Jesus. […]
A Korean Student’s Thanksgiving Among Friends
Myungjin, a Korean PhD student studying aerospace engineering, felt especially homesick last fall during “Chuseok,” also known as the Korean Thanksgiving. He knew his family in Korea were gathering to celebrate this big holiday and making rice cakes called songpyeon. It seemed a coincidence that his IFI Bible discussion group friends were gathering the same […]
God Sought Me
Carmen’s interaction with IFI began when she arrived from China in 2011 to study Theoretical Mathematics and was hosted by IFI volunteers. She saw these strangers inconveniencing themselves to make her feel welcome. “I was amazed by what hospitality meant to them.” When she first started attending IFI Bible discussion groups, Carmen’s questions were sometimes […]
A Study in Probability Raised Questions about God
When Sheng came to the US to pursue his doctorate, he was an atheist seeking answers. As a mathematics major, he already questioned the probability that our well-ordered universe was formed by random chance. Even so, he was not ready to believe in the existence of God. Upon arriving in the US, Sheng was hosted […]
God’s Power at Work Reminds One Student to Rely on Him
Before coming to the US, Navya was asked by a friend to help start a monthly workshop in India with the vision of seeing young girls boldly share God’s love through their talents and service. Although Navya did see God at work in the girls’ lives, she began to feel defeated over time. Regular attendance […]
A Vision of Truth
Krishna traveled from Indonesia to the US in 1981 to study Science and Engineering. Despite much academic success, Krishna experienced relational and financial troubles after graduation that drove him to search for answers. Coming from a traditional Muslim family, Krishna prayed five times a day but became frustrated when he didn’t receive any guidance from […]