
“The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike,” John 4:36 (NLT).
“I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you,’” Hosea 10:12 (NLT).
It’s so rewarding to hear the many stories of ministry volunteers and staff members whose compassion and faith have been reproduced in others. Scripture tells us that, “The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike,” John 4:36 (NLT). The story of one of our students, Vivian from Malaysia, highlights the joy both the planter and harvester experience when people are brought to eternal life.
First, some background:
Vivian grew up in a large Malaysian family. The strong cultural emphasis on a good education in order to achieve things like “wealth” and a “good life” drove her to earn a degree in management and human resources. While in the US pursuing her degree, she made some friends who invited her to church and Bible studies. She accepted Christ as her Savior after about a year of study and fellowship. After graduating, she moved to another state, where one of our staffers—the person who led her to Christ—had joined International Students, Inc. Our staff member shares more about Vivian and her story:
“Following graduation and her move across the country, Vivian moved into the International Students, Inc. house and began searching for a job. During this time, her faith grew in tremendous ways. The Friday night fellowship became an important part of her week and she built a strong foundation in her relationship with Christ through cross-cultural and unconditional friendships she made there. She participated in many activities and found herself challenged and encouraged spiritually. Vivianne said that the Christian fellowship she enjoyed during that time helped her shape her worldview and spiritual maturity for her return home to Malaysia. Her first few jobs back home kept her in Christian organizations, but she began to feel the Lord calling her into the secular field. She obtained a position preparing students for overseas studies and she felt she found her unique niche. Although she admits that working in a secular environment brings many challenges, she feels the Lord uses those challenges to teach her trust, humility and dependence. Since her interaction with students from all walks of faith, she has relied on her own experience as an international student to communicate love and care for each individual—whether or not they come to Christ. She thinks of herself as planting seeds, hoping that God will bring in the harvest—whether now or in the future—and she feels privileged to be part of the process!”
It’s so encouraging to know that, as a ministry, we are continually planting seeds in the hearts and minds of international students from every corner of the earth. With the proliferation of social media, we are able to reach even more students! Recent data shows that seeds are being planting at rapid speed via our smartphone apps! Our iStudents App and M28 App have generated the following results:
iStudentsApp
- 6,533 downloads
- 16,482 launches
- 52,160 impressions (page views)
M28 App
- 1,188 downloads
- 11,902 launches
- 45,399 impressions
This is incredible! Let us pray for God’s Word to continue spreading quickly through not only our apps, but through ministry initiatives including M28 and Churches Reaching Nations! No matter what your role is in leading students to the Lord, I pray you do it wholeheartedly, trusting God to use it all for His glory and purpose!
For More Information
Learn more about our Churches Reaching Nations initiative.
Get the iStudents app here.
Learn More about the M28 App.