
“O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!”--Jeremiah 32:17
“As surely as I live, says the Lord, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.’”—Romans 14:11
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”—2 Corinthians 13:14
It is both humbling and exciting that International Students, Inc. reaches an average of 60,000 students each year. We are only able to do what we do because of the dedication of our sisters and brothers across the country—and around the world—who support our cause. I am thrilled that so many partner together in the vision to share the unconditional love of Christ with international students!
As you may know, our work at ISI continues year-round. Summers for us are not exactly downtime—this is a season of high activity and even higher impact! This summer has actually earned the designation of unprecedented high-impact! We hope to exceed our expectations for the M:28 Global Discipleship model.
What does this look like?
We hosted key M:28 meetings that will target strategic places across the globe. Nearly 100 key business leaders met in China to become “equipped to equip others.” Seminars were also held in Bangalore and Chennai, India, equipping between 50 and 100 key leaders. In both countries, we’ve already surpassed thousands impacted by M:28––in fact, the number is impossible to count. We continue pursuing our goal to have “One hundred new M:28 Bible Studies where students are discovering God and have the DNA to reproduce” worldwide!
In the beginning, that bold, audacious goal began at a North Texas staff Vision Retreat—as a bit of a joke. The thought of implementing 100 new M:28 Bible students seemed laughably ambitious. However, in light of all God had done in the past year, the “audacious goal” began to grow on the International Students, Inc. team! The Spirit seemed to be saying, “Why not? See what God will do.” So after some tweaking, the North Texas ISI Team coined it their “Big Hairy Audacious Goal” for the year.
What happened next is a true testament to God’s faithfulness! We saw record enrollments at all the major area campuses. A recent “Big Howdy” welcome party drew more than 1,000 students, almost double the usual attendance!
More significantly, the staff found God already working in students’ hearts. Many of these students are from some of the traditionally hardest countries to touch, including Hindus and Muslims. One student’s first words when taken shopping were, “I am a Hindu, but are there any Christian churches around here that I can visit?”
The answer: Yes! In just four months after the birth of the “Big Hairy Audacious Goal,” North Texas already has 37 out of the 100 new M:28 Bible studies. And there are still more to be counted.
It is an honor to share such a noble mission alongside my colleagues and co-laborers in Christ. Yes, it is a high-calling—to share such a contagious love with the world. I encourage you to visit my blog throughout the summer for updates on our bold, audacious goals to see that every knee bend and every tongue “confess and give praise to God.”
For More Information:
Learn more about the M:28 Global Discipleship Initiative.
Learn how to sponsor an international student.