Isolation Ignites Curiosity about God
After arriving in the US from Colombia, Maribel experienced several years of typical struggles as a newcomer. “The simple fact that everything was so new and different made the experience scary,” she shares. “I felt alone and missed my family.” Maribel’s father told her to read Psalm 91. “Every time I read it, I felt […]
How Jesus Became More Than Just a “Good Guy”
Growing up in India, Mohit’s parents never talked about religion but emphasized doing good deeds and avoiding immoral acts. Mohit saw Jesus as just a “good guy” similar to Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Theresa. Coming to the US in 2017 for his masters in Computer Science and Engineering, Mohit had two goals: to receive a […]
Years of Volunteering has not Cooled His Commitment
Eric has been involved in serving international students with his wife, Kristin, for over 25 years and has yet to exhaust his capacity to marvel at how God is working in it! He highlights how God uses it to bring about growth not only in the lives of the students he and Kristin work with […]
7 Steps for Navigating Different Points of View
We’ve all dealt with people who have a different perspective on how the world works than we do. Perhaps they are from another culture or ethnicity than our own, resulting in their own unique experiences, viewpoints, and assumptions. Having a different perspective does not mean we are unable to enjoy spending time together or even […]
A Mysterious Peace Healed Her Depression
Wendy* arrived in the U.S. in the summer of 2017 to pursue a degree in accounting at The Ohio State University. Raised in China, she found her new life in America quite disorienting. On top of being immersed in a completely different language and culture, Wendy felt surprised at how difficult it was to navigate […]
Sharing Your Story with International Students
Some of us might feel that sharing about Jesus is hard or intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! If Jesus is a part of your story (or more accurately, the Author of it) sharing about him comes naturally because you’re just sharing about your life. Facts and information are all well and good, but […]
A Year in the Life of IFI Champaign-Urbana
Bill Erickson, director of IFI at the University of Illinois, and his wife Donna both attended the U of I as students. After graduation, they decided to make their college town their hometown based on a sense that God had some special purpose for them at U of I, one of the leading internationally-attended universities […]
Innovative Hospitality During a Unique Time
Reflecting on the year 2020, it is safe to say that everyone experienced significant and unexpected change to their lives. Nowadays, wearing a mask is the norm. Large group gatherings are out of the question. Zoom is now a primary medium for communication. Yet even in the midst of all these changes, IFI is still […]
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 […]