Rejoicing in the Lord’s blessings and preparing for what’s ahead.
“Exult in His holy name; rejoice, you who worship the Lord,”
1 Chronicles 16:10 (NLT).
“But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy,” Psalm 5:11 (NLT).
If you have been following our blogs, you know that the Lord has greatly blessed our ministry this past year. His faithfulness has proliferated our ministry in ways that underscore His love and compassion for those who live in places hostile to the Gospel. Join us as we rejoice in all He has done for international students this year through our ministry.
First, after more than a quarter-century, International Students, Inc. is now headquartered in its very own building! I’m writing you these words just a few months after moving into our new ministry home, located in Colorado Springs. We’ve prayed, saved and worked toward this Ministry Center for decades!
Our new ministry headquarters, against the backdrop of Pikes Peak, will help deepen and broaden International Students, Inc.'s global reach.
We are so grateful to everyone who gave, prayed and even worked to help make this transition. We are rejoicing at everything this new home will allow us to do. Driving by our new home the other day, I sensed that our location places International Students, Inc. in a hub of global influence.
Second, our recently-compiled statistics from the last school year confirmed that for the fourth consecutive year, International Students, Inc. helped lead one student to saving faith in Jesus every hour of every day! And this June alone, our website recorded over 100 responses a day, with 10 percent accepting Christ. That’s 400 decisions for eternal life-changing impact!
Newsflash: We just received the October results for our evangelism website, and over 3,000 decisions for Christ were made online in one month--that’s triple our largest result ever! This is what it’s all about—it’s why we do all of this: to change not only student lives, but eternal destinies by sharing Christ’s love and message.
Lastly, I want to rejoice over our ministry's annual International Conference. Held in Singapore this summer, the event was filled with a sense of purpose and divine direction. This gave us a deep and strategic look at the state of the Church in Asia from one of our many returnees in strategic positions of influence. After the conference, ministry staff and volunteers made 1,200-plus personal visits with student returnees, their families and friends all over the world. This further encouraged our mission to reach every international student for Christ! It was incredible for these staff members and volunteers to witness first-hand the Lord's amazing handiwork in the lives of these student returnees and their families!
However, those returnee visits, and the reports they produced, reveal a harsh reality––when many international students return home from the United States, a large percentage of them are traveling to one of three regions in the 10/40 window. These regions are home to 40 percent of our newly-converted international students. Every day, these regions grow more hostile to believers.
From an anti-Christian president and prime minister who will soon pass a nationwide “anti-conversion” law to reports of plans in China to launch a new crackdown on “house churches” with harsh laws against unregulated worship and worshippers, the news is alarming.
This darkening world situation makes our ministry all the more purposeful and has challenged us to make one of the most decisive and dramatic shifts in ISI’s history. We’re moving our whole ministry to focus on “next-level leadership development.” This will allow us to keep an even closer eye on world events through research strategies, along with the implementation of a number of spirit-led projects, and we’re doubling down on intercessory prayer.
The Lord has certainly been at work through the ministry of ISI and we’re excited for how He will guide us in the New Year! Blessings to you and your loved ones during this holiday season and all year through!
“But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread Your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy,” Psalm 5:11 (NLT).
For More Information
Want to learn more about participating in a greater world missions impact right from your own community? You or someone in your church can help launch a powerful, local outreach to internationals through our Churches Reaching Nations initiative.
“Exult in His holy name; rejoice, you who worship the Lord,”
1 Chronicles 16:10 (NLT).
“But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy,” Psalm 5:11 (NLT).
If you have been following our blogs, you know that the Lord has greatly blessed our ministry this past year. His faithfulness has proliferated our ministry in ways that underscore His love and compassion for those who live in places hostile to the Gospel. Join us as we rejoice in all He has done for international students this year through our ministry.
First, after more than a quarter-century, International Students, Inc. is now headquartered in its very own building! I’m writing you these words just a few months after moving into our new ministry home, located in Colorado Springs. We’ve prayed, saved and worked toward this Ministry Center for decades!
Our new ministry headquarters, against the backdrop of Pikes Peak, will help deepen and broaden International Students, Inc.'s global reach.
We are so grateful to everyone who gave, prayed and even worked to help make this transition. We are rejoicing at everything this new home will allow us to do. Driving by our new home the other day, I sensed that our location places International Students, Inc. in a hub of global influence.
Second, our recently-compiled statistics from the last school year confirmed that for the fourth consecutive year, International Students, Inc. helped lead one student to saving faith in Jesus every hour of every day! And this June alone, our website recorded over 100 responses a day, with 10 percent accepting Christ. That’s 400 decisions for eternal life-changing impact!
Newsflash: We just received the October results for our evangelism website, and over 3,000 decisions for Christ were made online in one month--that’s triple our largest result ever! This is what it’s all about—it’s why we do all of this: to change not only student lives, but eternal destinies by sharing Christ’s love and message.
Lastly, I want to rejoice over our ministry's annual International Conference. Held in Singapore this summer, the event was filled with a sense of purpose and divine direction. This gave us a deep and strategic look at the state of the Church in Asia from one of our many returnees in strategic positions of influence. After the conference, ministry staff and volunteers made 1,200-plus personal visits with student returnees, their families and friends all over the world. This further encouraged our mission to reach every international student for Christ! It was incredible for these staff members and volunteers to witness first-hand the Lord's amazing handiwork in the lives of these student returnees and their families!
However, those returnee visits, and the reports they produced, reveal a harsh reality––when many international students return home from the United States, a large percentage of them are traveling to one of three regions in the 10/40 window. These regions are home to 40 percent of our newly-converted international students. Every day, these regions grow more hostile to believers.
From an anti-Christian president and prime minister who will soon pass a nationwide “anti-conversion” law to reports of plans in China to launch a new crackdown on “house churches” with harsh laws against unregulated worship and worshippers, the news is alarming.
This darkening world situation makes our ministry all the more purposeful and has challenged us to make one of the most decisive and dramatic shifts in ISI’s history. We’re moving our whole ministry to focus on “next-level leadership development.” This will allow us to keep an even closer eye on world events through research strategies, along with the implementation of a number of spirit-led projects, and we’re doubling down on intercessory prayer.
The Lord has certainly been at work through the ministry of ISI and we’re excited for how He will guide us in the New Year! Blessings to you and your loved ones during this holiday season and all year through!
“But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread Your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy,” Psalm 5:11 (NLT).
For More Information
Want to learn more about participating in a greater world missions impact right from your own community? You or someone in your church can help launch a powerful, local outreach to internationals through our Churches Reaching Nations initiative.
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