Nov 26 2009
Thanksgiving Coffeehouse for Internationals and the “Special Turkey”
Every year, Our small group at Fielder Road Baptist church works with ISI and the BSM at UTA to host an international student thanksgiving dinner the Saturday before Thanksgiving. This year was no exception. Nearly 100 students feasted on turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, potatoes, etc. It was a cornucopia of things to eat. they also were treated to the sounds of Greg Speed who we found had quite a broad repertoire of music for students to listen to while eating and chatting. This year we really worked hard on making the time conducive to relationship building and so it had more of a home/coffee house feel to it. It was a lot of fun.
On a sad note, one of our dear friends from our small group, Earl, passed away a couple of days before the dinner. It was very sudden and unexpected. We had gotten to know him well when he was in our care group and when we gave him rides to and from church. It was a very sad thing. Interestingly, his mother mentioned that one of the things that was so special to him was his church small group and that he was REALLY looking forward to this dinner. He even had a turkey waiting to be cooked for this event in the refrigerator when he passed away. This story really made us realize that we are not only serving the students we serve but also we serve those who serve the students. Thank you Lord for this somber, special reminder.
Today was a special day for Jonathan, C-6 and myself. We were able to do something a little different and I think we all came away with a smile. Andrea, a member of our church small group, has been a part of the ministry of Mission Arlington for many years, since she was 19. In fact, while she currently runs the mission’s clinic, she has also personally ministered at a particular apartment church the whole time. She has become a regular part of the community of that apartment. Now her and her family and another member of our small group, Leslie, continue to go to the apartment every week to touch the lives of the kids and their families.
My job was to go around taking pictures of everyone especially the families. Many of the families have very few pictures of them and so taking their picture is a very special thing. One little boy was having so much fun, he kept asking me to take his picture over and over again in funny poses. This will further the long term ministry of the apartment church as Andrea will be bringing these pictures for the families to take as a special gift. It made me very proud to see my kids getting into it and “making sacrifices” to do it. Jonathan was playing football with little Joshua (Understand Jonathan hates football… this was a image sacrifice in a big way) C-6 played with the kids though she cried a bit too because they didn’t want to play with her doing the stuff she wanted to do… Of course that is normal and you should have seen her before we went, we wanted so bad to go.
The people from the church were incredible. A couple of teenage girls were doing the manicures and pedicures… It kind of reminded me of Jesus washing the disciple’s feet. Some of the teenage boys were playing all kinds of stuff with the kids. Seeing some of the guys painting bag “pumpkins” and some of the gals face painting and shaving ice. It was really really special. Anyway, it seemed that everyone came away with a big smile.
many of you and others to pray that God would spare us weather that will take away from the camping experience that we had planned for the weekend together with Grace Fellowship Church of Stephenville. It was amazing God did that and more.
hamburgers out in the open under the trees (all our meals were there). The local Cowboy Church brought its horse drill team and they gave us a show worthy of the Fort Worth Stockyards of horsemanship and pageantry. AFter that, some local cowboys showed us their skill in roping rounding up some calves. This was all done in the “stadium” on George DeVries ranch. Every year George, a Grace Fellowship Church member, provides this special experience on his large and pastoral dairy ranch.
fter the expert display of the cowboy arts, the students got their turn to play cowboy. They rode horses, shot skeet with a shotgun and fished int he fully stocked pond on George’s land. While it rained a bit during this time, the heavy stuff stayed away and the students had a great time. I traveled with the UTA crew and hung out with some Chinese and Colombian friends. For most of them, this was their first camping experience and definitely to shoot, ride and fish this was a first and yet even with the rain, there were smiles all around!
Some seminary that I met when I shared at DTS and SWBTS came along and made themselves available to help in many ways including cooking, setting up and just hanging with the students. They were great. They really intereacted with the students. Two of them spoke Spanish and one of the UTA students from Colombia was so new to the US he jsut beamed when he realized there were some people there 
that spoke his language and cared about him.
stayed away!
After lunch in the small town city park, we toured George’s dairy operation. We saw, among other things, a 15 minutes old calf and cows being milked. I think the students were struck by how much like a factory this was and how much farming today is a business.
love of Christ lived out in the townspeople, the seminary students, etc. It was truly a blessing. In addition… God showed himself in the weather. Early in the morning on Sunday, I checked out the radar plot of the storms to see what to expect, and it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. There were lines of large storms to the north of us and lines of storms to the south of us but through the middle, where we were, there seemed to be a corridor of calm. The plot kind of reminded me of the crossing of the Red Sea. I was touched deeply. God was listening to all your all’s prayers!
At the same time, outside of the Big Howdy and some of the special work Vinay is doing at UTD, we were having limited impact with this community. We felt that God wanted us to build bridges with this special and important community – to show them how much He loves them.
Aradhna is a Hindi word which translates to “Worship”. This band was formed by children of Americans, followers of Jesus who grew up in Nepal and India whose heart languages were those of these special lands. Under the watchful eyes of India’s best, they mastered the sitar, tabla, tambura, key instruments of Indian culture in addition to more western instruments like bass, violin and guitar. They became students of “bhajan” the worship music of India and they formed Aradhna. They play concerts for groups of followers of Jesus (but also they have played in Hindu temples as a testimony) both in India and around the world.
So less than a year ago, our team in cooperation with several other groups like BSM, churches, etc. felt challenged to bring this group to the North Texas area for a series of concerts as a gift to out South Asian friends. Assignments were passed out, (Ron was chosen as point with the rest of us coordinating the rest of the work on the different campuses and doing the things needed to make all this happen) prayer teams were mobilized, research was done and we set off doing something we had never done before. We chose Northake College, UTA & UTD, the campuses with the largest populations of S. Asians.
This last weekend was a culmination of all that work and what a special weekend it was. (
It was really touching to see. In one Indian Hindu student who has been meeting regularly with some followers of Jesus lately to learn more, you could really see the joy in meeting the band and hearing what they had to say. It was almost like students were being exposed for the first time to the idea that it was okay to be an Indian and still be a follower of Jesus.
One interesting side story was the response of the Nepalese speaking students. They were so touched that they were not bunched in as Indians but had songs in their own language as part of the program. Chris, the lead sitar player, grew up in Nepal and is fluent in Nepali and spoke directly to many of them. Many of the students were Nepali and Anugraha, a student friend and Nepali Christ follower was able to strengthen relationships that could help him as he seeks to start a Nepali church. 
One special story is of two separate groups of Burmese refugees who lived in Nepal for nine years but recently immigrated into the DFW area. We saw several of them at all three concerts as they truly connected with the music and specifically with Chris. Interestingly, Chris’ 2nd grade teacher from Nepal now lives near Dallas and was at the UTA concert and she told me that Chris’ mother has a ministry to these same types of refugees.
A special byproduct of these concerts was that it put before the Christian community the great opportunity to share the love of Jesus with S. Asians and to be able to do it together was a special undertaking. Many followers of Jesus who love S. India were there and most of them did not realize how many others also had the same heart. To see them interact with each other and with students was a thing to behold. Much like when God encouraged Elijah in his isolation that he was not alone in his faithfulness in Israel, so it seemed the spirits of all were lifted. Trust was being built, in each other but also in God. I really believe something very special will come out of the relationships made. This was no small or insignificant divine purpose for these concerts.
I am waiting on hearing the exact number of attenders though the qualitative results were enough to make us smile and for God to be glorified. I believe there were at least 450 total attenders at the three concerts. (approx. 150- UTD, 180- UTA, 120 – Northlake) Students from as far away as Tyler and Wichita Fall came to see the concerts. The other special thing was how God provided the funds for this. This was an area of tremendous risk and faith building for us and God provided!
Each concert touched had a unique feel. Northlake was outdoors and was the first major events by more than one faith organization there in a while and so really was a kick off of working together. UTA was a continuation of the work already done through the Big Howdy, etc. And UTD, UTD was special because the students did most of the work and you could see God working in developing them as leaders. In addition the band played at three services at 121 community church, exposing the whole church to S. Asian culture. In addition they went over to SMU on Monday to play another concert under Chi Alpha.
Here is a great student testimony from one of our key staff team members, Ron Bunyard showing how the initiative of our friends who volunteer with students are one of the keys to what we do. It is especially relevant because the Big Howdy is coming up soon again. Please volunteer to help welcome student if you can at 
Thanksgiving at one of our volunteer’s home and learned more of the story of Christ. On New Year’s Eve, led by some of her Chinese friends, R committed her life to Christ. She then led her boyfriend in Canada to faith in Christ by spending all night long chatting with him about what had happened in her life. The story does not stop there. This past spring, R has led her two roommates to Christ and they are actively engaged in Bible study and growing. They have also engaged two more of their friends in Bible study with one of our volunteers and the five of them will resume this study when they return from China this month.”
(
We were worried that there would not be enough students, not enough people from church, not enough food and to top it off, there was a Tornado watch announced for the evening at 6 PM. (A watch as opposed to a warning is generally no big deal… but rain was a definite possibility). As always, it all worked out as there was plenty of food, just the right amount of people and beautiful weather for the evening.
One of the sad things though is we found out that Miguel & Charles, two key leaders and cornerstones of our ministry were leaving the area. Miguel, a recent MA graduate of UTA, has been looking for work as an architect and is likely moving to San Antonio soon. Charles, a recent TESOL masters graduate, will be going to Korea to teach english at a CRAM type school. We will sorely miss these guys. They have been 
just feel we connect with them at so many levels. I thank God for them.
One of the Special parts of our ministry is our annual spring staff retreat. Every spring we go to some beautiful or fun place together as a Dallas/Fort Worth/Texas staff team and just enjoy spending time together. This year was no exception. We went to Glen Rose Texas, staying at the beautiful 
The primary purpose of this particular gathering is to build camaraderie within our team. We do so many things together where we were working hard under pressure. We also hardly ever have opportunities to see each other as couples (for us married ones). This gives us the chance to see each other in a different light and enjoy just spending time together as couples/singles together in a light fun atmosphere. It also gives us a chance to share from our heart and really pray for each other. No doubt when things get hairy and busy and we need to be able to trust each other and our motives – to cover each others’ backs – the strengthening of relationships we did here will surely pay off.
One common question that Lisa and I hear from students is, “What is your job?” and “How are you able to do what you do?” We even get these questions from some of our friends from church and even some of you. Well, this post is a bit of an expose… Or maybe better, a FAQ or Frequently Asked Questions post. So here it goes
Since we are so closely tied to the local university, many people ask if we are employed by the university. We are not. We do not work directly for any specific university. We work for a Christian organization called International Students Inc. (ISI – 
While for 8 years we did this as volunteers and another six years Roy worked part time as an engineering consultant to supplement his income with ISI, over the last four years, Roy works full-time for ISI. ISI is not like a church in that it receives general offereing and then we receive a salary from that general offereing. Our financial resources come from several sources.
Second, quite a few friends, family, and just “People Who Care About Students” (PWCAS) support us with monthly financial gifts. Some give as little as $5 a month and others as much as $500 a month. All make a huge difference and their gifts comprise the majority of our funding. Of course there is the tax benefit for them, but most give because they care about us or our ministry. Some 
Third, a group of friends, family and PWCAS’ give maybe special one or few time gifts or perhaps gifts that regularbut only once or twice a year to help us in our ministry
It was not until the last week that had a verified music leader and then our international student guitar player got sick the night before we had to leave (the music leader, the son of one of our ISI partners did a great job and showed a real heart for the students)
We still didn’t have a line dance instructor for the line dance activity by early in the week. (We were able to find someone who so loved line dancing from the Tyler area that she just kept dancing and dancing clear until dinner during the free time… the students loved her)
start. When he tried to jump it with his wife’s car, her car wouldn’t start. (After 40 minutes of looking he finally found someone in the neighborhood to jump his car so he could go to Sears to get a new battery for both cars and he made it with time to spare)
So how did it turn out? I felt totally out of control… which with God is not a bad thing. He showed His control every step of the way. It was amazing. In addition to the above.
The discussion and camaraderie around the small groups were exemplary, likely the best quality we’ve ever had. It was such a diverse group of leaders too. Developing this part of the retreat was the focus of our planning team and I believe we hit it right on with international students leading other students and volunteers. (the majority of students were not believers so it was awesome to see the spiritual discussion going on so strongly.) (see the 
Everything was done safely…
to apply Joseph’s life in mine
“awesome trip!!!!!” - Student
about the space program and then the Pastor of the church gave a very well done presentation of the story of the Bible leading to talking about Jesus and who He is. It was genuine, gentle and yet all truth. The students were presented with the opportunity to receive a video about Jesus and we were touched by how many of the students took them. It was very encouraging. You could also see how the host families were already bonding with the students as they sat together and the “parents” really made sure the students know what was going on. This translated to some wonderful contact time between he students and their host families and they all went home after the presentation. I wish we all could have heard some of the conversations. The next day, when we all met together again, it was clear really bonding was happening.
The next day, after visiting the host families’ the students visited the churches of their host families and were exposed to “regular church” and we all went to the beautiful bay boardwalk city of Kemah to enjoy more time together and for lunch. As I walked with friends, it was fun watching the students and American hosts almost operating like one family. Finally, we met, took a picture and boarded our buses and cars to go home. One of the cool things that happened at Kemah… I was waiting with the host families coordinator and some of our team to be seated for lunch. The coordinator got a call from her daughter as we were talking. She took it and we found out one of the Korean students who was a regular part of fellowships had prayed to accept Christ with her host families. WOW! It really reminded us about what this is all about!
Another interesting story… The trip started in an interesting way. Before we even left, we weren’t sure we would have enough housing or rides for all the students. As late as Tuesday, I have seen God work in miraculous ways in this regard in the past but it is always nerve racking until the very last minute. This was no exception. The Tuesday before the trip itself, we had only enough beds for 80 people with 120 people signed up. We were prepared to have our staff and volunteers sleep on floors of people’s homes and in church gyms but we were still short on housing for the students. I even reserved a motel room for a few of our staff. By the time we arrived, we had enough room for all the students AND volunteers with some space to spare. I even HAD TO cancel the motel room…:-) It was amazing. The transportation issues were just as amazingly taken care of. As many of our partnering ministries, including BSM, Salvation Army, Church ministries, Campuses without even a student, student volunteers etc. came together and provided the needed transportation to bring these 100+ students down. It was truly amazing to see the Body of Christ working together to be the Body of Christ.
Powered by FireStats