Sep 23 2011
Meetings, Meetings, Meetings and That is a Good Thing… Still Bursting at the Seams…
One of the more interesting parts of my job in the international students ministry is the meetings that I have the privilege of being a part of. The last two weeks I took part in several very important meetings. Among the things we met about were:
- Charting the course of a new ministry initiative for ISI in developing a new discipleship and outreach ministry strategy
- Meeting to help look at sites for our ISI national conference in June of 2012 in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
- taking students furniture
- Sharing at a national conference of South Asian (Indians, Pakistanis, etc.) Christians about the possibilities for them doing ministry with international students
- Picnic meeting with our family and our friendship partner students and their friends and families from China
- Meeting with students to share the Bridge illustration.
Meeting to share at a seminary class about helping with ministry with international students- Meeting with our friends from Central Asia to discover what the Bible says
- Meeting with a staff friend in New York over the phone to encourage each other in ministry
- Meeting with a church friend about the possibility of working together on a special project
- Meeting with some seminary students who have decided to focus on serving Indians at UTA and doing some pioneer work there
- Meeting to prayer walk with a couple of people
- Meeting with a man who wants to volunteer and share about our ministry for a mobilization effort called Perspectives
- Meeting to talk and plan for Friday nights with several individuals
- Meeting with another couple to talk about how to help with international students
- Meeting with a national speaker, who wrote the book Death of a Guru on Hindu ministry
Okay, I think you get the message. Honestly, each of these things were energizing and invigorating… It reminds me that God is at work right now. Continue to pray that the Lord of the harvest will raise up more people for the harvest. Also pray that he will take these that He has risen up already that He will empower them to share with the 18,000he 18,000
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
Izbrano poglavje ne obstaja! Štetje svetopisemskih vrstic se za?ne z 1! Vrstica 0 ne obstaja!
WP-Bible plugin international students in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area the love and message of Christ.
The original purpose of the Friday group going to two different locations was to alleviate pressure in the homes that we meet in. There were just too many people for our homes. We are praising the Lord because while the late group is growing and developing a regular following and a level of stability, the early group is still bursting at the seams with as many as 50 people still coming. God is working in different ways in each group and he is able to touch different types of people in different ways because of the different natures of the groups. Praise the Lord. Pray that the Lord of the Harvest will raise up more workers (and maybe more and bigger houses to host) Pray also that the students will still feel like while we meet at different locations, we are still “one group” following one Lord.
When we look back on the summer, the obvious HUGE thing was the trip. I was asked the other day about post processing the trip with my kids and we have done that in a way. Jonathan’s interest in Anime and doing art has been re-kindled by the trip. He used a lot of his birthday money to buy a digitizing tablet that allows him to sketch and draw on the computer and he spends much of the day perfecting his skill. I asked Tim the other day if he would like to eventually do an exchange program, even to Europe. He said no… while he is our most adaptable traveler, he is also our staunchest Texan and loves it at home. Charis seems more “secure” in terms of thinking of her Chinese family and stuff since she returned. She has also become a huge part of our ministry of late as she acts as a great host to a fairly large group of kids who have been coming to Friday night group.
One of the blessings this summer has been the team who did the UTA Friday night groups while we have been gone. The Friday night groups are healthier than ever and we are so blessed by this wonderful team. In fact it has been so healthy, the group has outgrown any single home and we are looking at expanding to two homes. God has been very very good and we praise Him for this.
Their Host families were also there. Many of the students this year will be bringing their own families over. This was a wonderful time of swimming, talking, connecting, showing God’s love… It was a huge blessing for all who were there and it had a real sense of family together. Also with this group we have the honor of being the host family to two of these students. One of the students has told us that he has been baptized and he has such a sweet spirit about him, always wanting to serve people and he also has a keen interest in studying the Bible. A different students who has been regularly coming to our Friday night and has been a regular part of our Bible study has been going to church with us the last couple of weeks. In fact last week he brought three friends with him. We also have some really good friendships with several of these students. It has been amazing how close we have become in such a short time.
Lisa changed jobs and will be working at DBU this fall teaching ESL in their Intensive English Program. She begins teaching there on Monday of this week. While she is sad to leave her previous post at El Centro college after so many years, this new challenge as brought a real jump to her step and a real sense of purpose in he eyes. Needless to say, there will be adjustments that we will have to make as anything new always does but working at a ministry oriented university where one of the President’s goals is to be a beacon to and reach out to unbelieving international students is truly refreshing for her.
They’ve got two of the sweetest girls who are around Charis’ age. These three girls, and the daughter of the Phillips, key volunteers, enjoy every Friday night playing together. This precious family stayed at our house when we were gone to Asia. They just got a taste of what it is like to live in an American home for a while. We also are meeting together doing family church on a weekday night together using the discovery Bible study format. It has been a real blessing seeing their eyes light up as they study God’s word and learn the joy of studying it. We are really blessed by their friendship.
We learned how to be more effective prayers in ministry. We also evaluated where God took us last year in light of the goals he gave us last year and we established new strategic goals that we felt we needed to set for this next year. Among the things we felt we needed to do was continue developing and improving the new model of ministry that we have been developing already, strengthening our leadership in prayer, developing creative ways for young people could serve as staff, and looking for special staff with unique gifts for unique large projects. For example we need someone who is good with the internet and facebook who could be a “internet minister” for students… to make initial contacts before they come, to keep up with students so that when we hear of their needs on social networks we can serve them with Christ’s love more effectively, and to help with the follow up with students from a distance. We also felt the need for an entrepreneurial business savvy and networked staff person who could be a point person in developing a new way of doing international student ministry where we help develop them and get started in the work place. (more to come on both of these things in the future)
Jonathan is working on his digital art skills with a new graphics pad that he got for his birthday. He is getting really good. Timothy is working on his cello and his game playing skills. Charis has been visiting with her neighbor friend Olivia a lot and enjoys doing many art projects.
Right after I got off the airplane from Texas, I go into a car and drove to the Los Angeles Convention Convention Center to join a conference for university international student advisors from around the country put on by 
After spending a delightful evening with my parents and observing them as they hosted a Church planter leadership training meeting at their house using video curriculum from the 
After that intense time, we moved on to Azusa, CA for the 
It seems this year that I have been in California almost as much as I have been in Texas. I don’t know what it is. The last couple of years I had only been there less than once a year but this year it’s been four times so far. I am so thankful that God has allowed me this opportunity to be involved with the ministries I have been a part of there but also time with my family was good. After the conference, I had the chance to catch up with my parents and even paint my sister’s new house. It was a real blessing.
One of the hardest part of being a part of the lives of international students and ministry partners is that they have to eventually go home or at least move on. We have had so many examples where we invest heavily in a student or ministry partner and right after that training, or shortly after graduation, they have to go home. In many ways, this is what we are all about and we have a great sense if accomplishment as these special students and ministry partners leave, but it is not easy. Sometimes, our heartache is such that we almost feel like we don’t want to go through that trauma again and we have to fight to “get back on the horse” and start a new relationship with a new student or ministry partner.
This semester was no exception. Joy a pre-med student from Korea, is a good example. From the beginning she was involved in the lives of international students as a leader and friend. She came with a passion for God and ministry and she leaves as a strong Christian leader who will make a difference in Korea when she goes home (the gratifying part) for Med school but also as a leader in her church, bringing our prayer and small group model back with her.
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