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 […]
A Conversation that Led to Many Introductions
One of the most rewarding ways volunteers can get involved in IFI is by requesting an international student to befriend and meet with on a regular basis to practice English. Sometimes these relationships will lead to unexpected and exciting opportunities for volunteers to share God’s love. When Nathan Persons in Columbus, Ohio signed up to […]
Families Grow Close Through Fall Fun
What started as a conversation partner match has grown into a deep and precious friendship for a visiting Turkish family. Bora and his wife, Mine, were excited to travel to the U.S. They knew living in a new country would be hard in the beginning, but they looked forward to the challenge. They arrived from […]
Student Tastes American Culture at a Local Hog Roast
Small-town hospitality made a big impression on Nicole, coming from one of China’s largest cities. Nicole transferred from a university in one of the largest cities in the world (Beijing, China – over 21 million) to continue her bachelor’s degree in a rural Ohio town, with just less than 90,000 residents. Soon after she arrived […]
A German Soccer Player Responds to Kindness
Matthias (left) pictured with his brother Paul above. Conversation partnerships lead to enjoyable friendship and open spiritual dialog. Matthias found America welcoming and spiritually enlightening, thanks in large part to his experience with IFI. Matthias says he always wanted to live in America. When he was offered a soccer scholarship to a Midwestern U.S. University, […]
From Conversation Partner to Long-distance Mentorship
A South Korean student learns English, follows Jesus, then forms a long-term mentorship relationship via Skype. When Keith met Eun at an IFI Bible discussion, they found areas of common ground: both were married and had children about the same age. But being able to talk about these areas was an entirely different matter, given […]
Iranian Couple and IFI Volunteers Form Close Bond
What started as a conversation partnership turned into an invaluable relationship between an Iranian couple and IFI volunteers. When Ashkan (name and photo changed for security reasons) and his wife arrived in America, he found the country to be “beautiful and welcoming,” but also a bit terrifying. “I arrived in Chicago, asked an airport officer […]
Helping Internationals Get a Grip on American Slang & Idioms
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More to Life Than Education and Money
A Chinese researcher saw the emptiness of career and money, but didn’t know where to turn for answers. A connection with IFI led him on a remarkable spiritual journey. “I know there’s more to life than education and money. I want to know truth,” he would say
5 Ways to Help Your International Friend with English
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