
"You don’t have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible," Matthew 17:20 (NLT).
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As we approach the end of the year, I want to remind you of the multitude of blessings our Heavenly Father has so graciously bestowed upon our ministry here at International Students, Inc. In the last full Academic Year, (July 1, 2014 - June 30, 2015):
- 69,587 international students were introduced to ISI
- 25,826 relationships were cultivated with international students
- 9,228 international students were estimated to have accepted Christ through ISI contact (includes scientific survey results).
- 4,897 students were discipled
- 796 international students started newly sharing their faith either in the U.S. or overseas
What an incredible journey we find ourselves on here at International Students, Inc.! This year, we were able to reach one student per hour for Christ. How exciting to know that the same is very possible for 2016. In fact, with our increasing expansion, it's possible to exceed this incredible feat for Christ!
I would like to share with you a personal salvation story to highlight the way the Lord is reaching international students through our ministry. It reminds me of how our faithfulness in prayer can move mountains.
One of our ISI friends shared with us the story of Kyle, an international student from China. When Kyle first began attending events for international students, he said he "went for the free food." Things changed though, after Kyle attended the graduation ceremony of a mutual friend of our ISI contact. Kyle and the ISI volunteer met at the ceremony, and the rest, as they say, is history. Our ISI contact writes:
"We invited Kyle and our friend to join us for the Christmas Eve service at our church, followed by dessert at our house afterwards. It was a wonderful evening! As our friends were leaving, Kyle asked me to pray for his job interview, which was to take place two days after Christmas. I prayed for Kyle and asked for God's blessings and favor. Well, he got the job! When Kyle and I met for dinner the next week, he told me that I had a special connection with God because He had answered my prayers and provided the job for him. I told Kyle that I wasn't anything special, and that we can all have a personal connection with God through Jesus Christ. He was very interested, so we agreed to meet the next day so I could give him a Bible and tell him more about Jesus. The next day, January 4th, I shared the Gospel with Kyle as we sat in my car, and he opened his heart and trusted Jesus as his Savior and Lord. Praise, thanks and Glory to God! He used that answered prayer to touch Kyle's heart, give me favor in his eyes and open the door to share the Gospel with him."
As we prepare to head into the New Year, I encourage you to take a moment to thank God for all the blessings He has given us and to you! I encourage you to pray for Him to move great, unfathomable mountains this upcoming year. Let us pray and have faith that the Great Commission can continue to spread like wildfire across the globe!
As Jesus says: "If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible," Matthew 17:20 (NLT).
For More Information
Learn more about becoming an ISI Ministry Partner.
Read more testimonies from students affected by ISI staff and volunteers.
See a list of world leaders who were once international students.