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Seeds & Signs
*Paul, an Argentinian Ph.D. student, worked hard to make his way to the States.
He battled through international entrance exams, strained finances, and an inhibited social life just to get the chance to study in a place far away. Thankfully, he doesn’t have any regrets.“I am in love with this beautiful country. Here I found the stability and quality of life that my country cannot give me,” Paul says. “People have been extremely nice to me, and there is a wonderful sense of joy and peace that I had never experienced.”
Many of those people that helped Paul adjust were IFI Staff and volunteers. By providing airport pickup, helping him secure furniture, and connecting Paul to other Hispanic and Latino students – IFI showed Paul the love of Christ that lives in His followers. But he didn’t always see it that way.
“I had a very strong atheism,” he recalls. “I hated religious people. I attacked religious people. I mocked religious people. I did terrible things.”
Even with his disdain for religion, Paul still had a curiosity for philosophical thought, including the Christian Bible.
While attending his first IFI Welcome Picnic, Paul expressed interest in joining an IFI Bible Discussion Group. He connected with Rich Mendola’s group, and became a consistent attendee. But the relationship wasn’t limited to weekly group meetings.
“I remember when I got sick of COVID…Rich knew. He prepared chicken soup and drove from his home (which is very far away) to personally give it to me. My two beloved friends Xia and Moise gave me a gift that same night: snacks and a very beautiful picture, made by them, [and] signed by them. I was still an atheist, but that night, I could not stop thinking: ‘If God truly exists, He is manifesting His enormous love through these amazing friends.’”Moments like these opened Paul’s willingness to explore the Bible and the person of Jesus more closely. In addition to the Bible Discussion Group, Paul visited the Vision conference, a gathering of international seekers and believers meant to cultivate their pursuit of Christ. The conference, the group meetings, the support, and the friendship were all seeds that were being planted in Paul’s heart. But just like with any seed, there were growing pains.
“I was facing a terrible existential crisis regarding my identity and my capability to continue with my Ph. D., asking myself whether having moved to the US had been a correct decision or whether I had ruined my life. I was seeking to know Jesus, but neither the Bible study sessions, nor the Vision Conference helped. So I was still an atheist. I was open to receiving God, but I wasn’t able to find Him.”
It wasn’t until he had hit his lowest point that Paul decided to pray, and seek a sign.
“I was in Arizona because I had to go to a math conference. I was in Arizona alone, and I had to be there for a complete week. I was suffering in my heart and my soul. I started to panic: everything was wrong in my life. I remembered some of the philosophers I had been reading. [They] said precisely: ‘if you’re an atheist or an agnostic and you’re seeking for God, sit down and pray to Jesus. If you’re sincere enough He will appear.’ I started praying for the first time in my life. I told Jesus that I could not do this anymore alone. I needed His help. I was willing to renounce everything I needed to renounce in order to follow His word. I wanted to renounce doing things on my way and start doing things in his way. But to do such a step, I needed to believe. So I said, ‘Jesus, if you truly exist, please give me a sign so that I know You’re there.’”
Jesus was there. He provided multiple signs that blew Paul’s skeptical mind. That’s when Paul got the picture.“At that moment, I said alright Jesus, I’m yours!” Paul shares with happy resignation. “The way in which I understand all this is: my skepticism was very strong, but God is stronger. Since the first moment in which I opened my door to Him, he decided to play my own game with my own rules. He defeated me. After He defeated me, He extended His hands to me and invited me to walk with Him. How could I say no?”
In return for his “yes”, Jesus gave Paul a new sense of purpose in life. Today, he continues to study the Bible, attend IFI gatherings, and share his experience with others. He’s even entered a local church and is beginning to understand how he can help others grow their faith. God has given an increase in Paul’s life.
“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” (1 Corinthians 3:6)
It all just shows what God can do with a few seeds, and a few signs.
*Name of student has been changed for the sake of privacy
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Raising the Flag
It’s your first day on campus.
Everything is so big, new and mysterious. You’re in a new country. You’re awestruck at how different everything and everyone is from you and where you grew up. All day, it seems like you’re constantly reminded: ”I’m not home anymore.”
Then, surprisingly, as your day comes to a close, you see the American flag. It’s not raised nor waving in the wind like you remember; it’s not even very big. It doesn’t stand out to anyone but you…because it’s yours.
The flag is one of the most universal objects of symbolism throughout the world. Flags typically are used to represent communities, nationalities and/or ethnicities. The vast majority of people groups in the world have a flag that represents their shared values, beliefs and identity as a nation or tribe. Even the different elements of a flag (color, images, shapes etc.) speak to specific moments and ideas that communities cherish and draw inspiration from. The key, though, is that this collection of symbols unites the individuals in the community. It not only carries meaning, but helps those who understand its meaning to feel connected to each other. This mutual understanding and connection creates a space of safety and sense of home in each member of the group.
But what happens when an individual is physically separated from the group?
For most, if not all, international students, being separated from the familiarity and safety of their home countries has multiple negative effects. Despite being surrounded by people, they can feel very lonely. They have to face the anxiety of trying to learn the nuances of a new environment. Some even lose hope that they’ll ever be able to adjust.
So how can we help? Well, we can start by sharing a little piece of home.
Every year, IFI Columbus hosts a Welcome Party for international students on the Ohio State University campus. Hundreds of students join us for dancing, food, and games. But the main attraction by far is the photo booth, where students can find and take a picture with their home country’s flag. The excitement on each face is remarkable, reflecting an appreciation to see their homes recognized, represented, and celebrated!
But the value of making these flags available doesn’t end at the party.
“…When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.” – Isaiah 59:19
A former OSU student who had attended multiple IFI events often saw the Ukraine flag on display. When the conflict in Ukraine began, she planned to participate in a protest demonstration in the US. She reached out to our staff to request to borrow the flag for the protest. We gladly shared the flag, recognizing the significance of the request. Flags are used in wars to represent each of the nations in conflict; raising the flag on the battlefield symbolizes preparation to fight. Raising the Ukrainian flag at the protest helped Ukrainians in the US both identify with their countrymen in battle, and support them. So the significance of sharing the flags of so many nations goes beyond decoration, or entertainment. Seeing their communities’ values and identity represented makes students feel at home in the US, and helps them stay connected to the other members of their community, even when they’re miles apart.
And IFI is happy to do its part to make that happen for every international friend we meet.
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Journal of a Campus Minister: Jesus & Culture
“You’re more Indian than I am.”
A misconception of many Indians who are not from Christian backgrounds is that to be Christian, one must be westernized and give up their Indian cultural roots. When I accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord, I had the same misunderstanding.
I thought to follow Jesus, you go to a church wearing a white dress and a white hat: that’s following Jesus. But that was very different from what I saw in the Bible. I had this misunderstanding that I could not follow my culture and felt afraid to follow it. And yet I really missed my culture. I told Jesus that I was sad but that I would follow Him no matter what, even if it means I’d have to give up my culture. I was willing to do that because I knew how much He had sacrificed for me, and how much He loved me. But there was a sadness that I could no longer be tied to my Indian roots. Going to church felt foreign but I wanted to grow with Jesus, so I went.
I talked to some fellow believers and went to the Yeshu Satsang, and I realized that the Bible doesn’t tell me to change my culture but within my culture to glorify Jesus. Yeshu Satsang was like going into a temple (the smell, sounds etc.) but there were no idols of other deities. We were worshiping Jesus, but culturally, it was totally Indian. It felt like something that I experienced growing up. It felt like I was going back home. They then showed me 1 Corinthians 8. When you’re doing cultural things, are you doing it to honor God? Does it go against your conscience? And does it impede someone else from following Jesus? I realized there’s so much more freedom than I thought we had.
I’ve seen how the misconception that Christianity is a western religion can create barriers and cause fear about the possibility of accepting Jesus as Savior or of following Him.
The fears are wide ranging: do I have to worship and dress like Westerners? Will I alienate my family and community? Can I have an Indian wedding or celebrate Indian holidays? To break this initial barrier I try to model what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:20-22: “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might win some.” The result has been an Indian believer of Jesus, who maintains and is proud of their Indian culture, but loves Jesus.
People have become curious.
August, 2018:
*Ray was surprised. He had been coming to Christian fellowships for a while, but in front of him was a volunteer who knew Indian history and culture and was a proud Indian. In his eyes, I was more Indian than other Indians, yet I was just as passionate about Jesus. For the first time, it hit him: it’s possible to be both! This intrigued him. He said, “I want to be like that.” Since then, he started spending time with the India Friendship Team, learning about Jesus, and later on accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
November 2020:
*Hannah, introduced to various Christians and churches, heard about the IFI Diwali event. She came and, over the next year, created a friendship with us. Hannah said “I love what Jesus did on the cross. And I would love to accept that. But I don’t want to lose my culture.”
I asked her “Have I given up my culture?”
She said “Oh, yeah! You didn’t.”
We then talked a little bit about how every culture has things that go against the Bible or honor the Bible. It doesn’t matter if you’re American or Indian, or Chinese. So I accept the things in my culture that honor Jesus and I believe and follow Jesus as my only God, way to salvation and my teacher.
Within a week, she said “I want to accept Jesus as my Savior”.
Within a year, she said, “I want to follow Jesus and I want to live this life of being a Hindu, culturally, but following Jesus as my only Lord and Savior because he’s awesome, and he’s provided so much for me and I’m so grateful for him.” After six months, she wanted to start her own Yeshu satsang online to invite friends and family from India.
March 2022:
I saw *Holly at the 2021 Indian Independence Day celebration. I felt drawn to pray for her. I didn’t see her after that until Christmas. She came over to a volunteer’s home where we were celebrating Christmas. We all had a really great time. When I met her, it definitely felt like she was someone who’s very grounded in her Punjabi culture.
I saw her again for the Holi event. For Holi, I did a classical dance from my region of India showing how we celebrate Holi culturally. Then I gave a little talk about the cultural significance of Holi throughout India, and how, as somebody who follows Jesus, I celebrate the concept of good overcoming evil.
She brought up how she was amazed at all the different Indian regional dance styles I knew and how much I knew about Indian culture. I talked to her about the different dance forms that I’ve learned, and I still do in honor of Lord Jesus.
She said, “This is amazing. You are more Indian than I am. It’s just you know so much about your culture and our culture that I don’t even know.”
It was an honor to hear that from her.
I’m really grateful that God (through various people, experiences and His Word) broke those barriers. He showed me the freedom I can have and that He wants me to abundantly enjoy in ways I hadn’t considered before. And He wants me to share Him and that abundant life with others.
*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of the students involved
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Facing Challenges
*Jane, a Chinese graduate of the Ohio State University, was often away from home as she grew up.
“When I went to middle school, I was in a boarding school: you can go back home every week. In my high school, I went to Shanghai and I went back home every month. I think that my parents threw me into a more independent situation compared to other kids.”These experiences helped Jane develop her relationship building skills and a sense of independence. And when she came to the US, these skills served her well; but there were other challenges she needed to overcome.
Jane needed a place to live while she waited to move into her dorm. She reached out to another Chinese student attending OSU. She referred Jane to IFI.
“She said ‘you’re going to another country and living in a stranger’s home for free.’ Is it safe?” Jane wondered.
Both Jane and her parents had their concerns. But after researching IFI and asking more students about what they had heard or experienced, Jane and two other Chinese students decided to sign up for an IFI host family.
“It’s just very lucky that we connected with the Foell family. I didn’t speak very perfect English, but they could still understand me pretty well. They treated us so well. I feel maybe if I was hosted by someone else I might not have gotten the same experience. I feel like they’re my home in Columbus. They’re a huge part of my life.”
Her time with the Foells helped make Jane’s transition to living in the U.S. more smooth and enriching. Her desire to build relationships also pushed her to take advantage of the opportunities and activities that IFI and OSU offered. She was especially impacted during IFI Bible studies.
“I feel like a lot of the stories, they’re very inspiring. So I think that every time I’m in Bible study, I can learn something and reflect on what I was doing in the past.”
For her first two years, Jane felt very comfortable with her life in the U.S. But as her senior year approached, she began to feel overwhelmed.
She was struggling to meet all the requirements for graduation, and she felt increasing pressure from her personal relationships to excel and achieve academically.
“I was a mess. I was literally feeling so sad every day and calling my parents, crying to them every day.”
During this time, her involvement with IFI had decreased: she was not attending IFI activities, or talking to the Foell family, all due to a singular focus of getting the best grade possible.
“But then I felt like, one day, ‘maybe I should go to Bible study,’ and that Bible study really helped me a lot. I was talking to some people from that Bible discussion, and we talked about my future, not just like my life, but also my job. It helped me so much and after that, I became much better. It’s interesting that when you’re in the challenges, you feel like life is so hard, but once you overcome it, they’re just like marks on the sand; they will be washed away by the waves very quickly.”
Jane graduated from OSU two years ago, beginning her career as an accountant. But she will never forget how IFI and her host family helped her, and how it can help others.
“There are definitely a lot of international students who might face similar challenges but can’t find a way. They don’t have opportunities to interact with IFI or meet very nice people. So they might miss home or might be just focused on academics. I would definitely recommend them to go to the activities by IFI because it’s just a very welcoming environment. You can interact with all other international students…you see the world in a different way.”*Name changed for the privacy of the student.
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This Gospel
Volunteer loves sharing Jesus with internationals
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes…” (Romans 1:16)
There’s a dream that we’ve all had before: the fence surrounding the yard, the kids playing with the dog, and the sense that everything is just right in our corners of the world. As it turns out, even with those aesthetics, the reality doesn’t always meet expectations.
“I grew up right around here in Pickerington, Ohio. I moved here when I was like eight or nine. [I] didn’t grow up in a Christian home or a church environment or much of that. Being in the suburbs, I had a lot of things provided, but spent a lot of time not exactly knowing what the future would hold, and what other people thought of me.”
Chris Lady, a key volunteer with IFI, struggled with low self-esteem and self worth throughout his adolescence. He grew up in a broken home, with parents that weren’t typically present. But God had a plan.“One of my friends invited me to something called Young Life: a ministry to high school students. It’s a lot of fun, games, and adventure – all in the effort to accurately show high schoolers the love of God through the person of Jesus. There was a college student who spent a lot of his time in Pickerington with people like me, and loved me so much to share the Gospel with me, and walk with me through the doubts and just not knowing what I didn’t know.”
Chris didn’t stop there. Spending extensive time in Bible studies and reviewing Christian literature, Chris kept asking questions and searching for answers. Eventually, he came to a conclusion: “If this is true, this is the greatest news of all time. And if it’s not true, it’s the greatest lie ever told. So it’s nothing really in between.”
But he wanted to know for sure. He wanted to have confidence that there is a heavenly Father that cares for him and gives him far more than he could ever deserve. So he asked for Jesus; and then he saw Him work. Jesus removed a heart full of self pity and sadness, and gave Chris the capacity to care for others.
“Once I experienced the love of God, much of my life then became about sharing this love with others.”
God provided Chris more opportunities to share this love, even in his professional life. After graduating with a degree in Mathematics, Chris moved to Atlanta to work for a corporation as an IT tech. He loved the work, but he noticed something special about the workplace.
“Every single person around me is an international. I didn’t know these people even existed. I got lunch with people and heard about the politics of India, Pakistan and all these different places. The really cool added bonus is that it seemed to just open up relationships and conversations with people that I would normally never cross paths with.”
Moving back to Ohio, Chris began leading a small team for a different company, developing his relationship building skills. Chris also continued to volunteer with Young Life, hoping to help more people develop a relationship with Christ. Then God put two and two together, expanding Chris’ view of His dream.
“The more I started reading in the Bible, the whole thing, it just started to jump out at me: God cares about the whole world. God has always been about the nations. I didn’t need someone to tell me that. He’s telling me this; I can’t escape it.”
After showing Chris the nations, God led him to International Friendships.
“I get to this potluck and it’s the United Nations all under one roof. So that’s kind of where I got exposed and got to meet some really cool people. I started praying and asking God: ‘alright, is this the field that you want me to serve you in? Lord, what do you want?’ And He just began making that more and more clear that this is the space that He wanted me in.”
So Chris jumped in. He began volunteering with IFI, helping at events, hosting students and participating in Bible discussion groups. Chris then began to recognize a calling to develop relationships with Hindu students and walk with them through an exploration of who Jesus is. All the while, Chris found that his own faith, trust, and love for God was growing with each day.
“I will become loud and ineffective very quickly without a real personal relationship with Jesus. So I think that’s one of the tangential fruits: it’s caused me to need to cling closely to Jesus because this ministry will regularly put me in places where my words, my expertise just don’t mean that much. We are always learning how to just walk by faith. We just say yes, and God often works it out.”
With a yes, Chris’ life changed forever, with a new heart pulling him closer to Jesus. That’s the power of the Gospel. Chris has a new dream too: to offer the opportunity for as many internationals as he can to reply to Jesus with their own yes. He’s just happy he gets to see it come true with IFI.
“I think when we know that Jesus is that good and His purpose and commission is that worthy of our lives, then it’s just a question of how, not if. If it is through IFI, congrats, because this is the best kept secret in the whole city.”
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Glory in Family
A prayer warrior finds family with internationals and IFI.
“I feel like IFI is family,” says Connie Pridemoore, a recently retired nurse, smiling warmly.
Connie serves IFI in multiple capacities as a volunteer, including as an English Conversation Partner and a member of the IFI Prayer team. But this feeling of family that she has developed with both IFI and the students she serves makes the work worthwhile.
“It is a ministry, but it’s just being friends. It’s about actually being a part of the students’ lives, so they can have someone to call.”
Perhaps this love of the family oriented aspects of IFI’s ministry can be traced back to ways God has moved in Connie’s life, and her family’s.
Growing up in South Charleston, WV, where you could walk everywhere and you knew your neighbor, Connie would enjoy plenty of time with her family. From fishing and bowling, to vacation Bible school, she did everything with her sister, and most things with her parents. Upon graduating high school, though, it was time to move into the next step of her life. Connie’s dream was to become a nurse, but God put the call to missions on her heart.
“God put Korea on my heart, as well as Vietnam and the war. I even cut out pictures of our service men from the newspapers to pray over. I prayed to God that if He wanted me to be a nurse, let me get accepted to my first choice. If He wanted me to be a missionary, send me to Asbury [a missions-oriented Christian college].”
God answered her when she was accepted to Asbury, where she graduated with a degree in Christian Education. During her time at Asbury, she experienced many life-changing moments. She put her faith fully in Christ during a revival among the students that lasted months. She was baptized during a missions trip to Colombia, where she was also hosted as an international for the first time. And as she was building relationships, God was changing her perception of what love, friendship, and family was all about.
“God got a hold of me. He showed me that to have a friend, you have to be a friend. That means you have to actually accept love from others.”
Connie’s desire to be a nurse didn’t leave her, though. So she graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing, starting her career as an ER nurse and then moving to the Infant Intensive Care Unit. This transition was just another example of God’s careful planning. She and her husband had a son, TJ, who was born with health complications. Her position allowed her to care for him directly. While she was anxious, Connie remembers finding peace after seeing a rainbow.
TJ grew up to be a healthy encourager, a talented musician, and a volunteer firefighter. Tragically, at 18, TJ died in a car accident. Connie was nearly broken as she processed the loss. But during the fireman’s funeral, which welcomed hundreds of people from around town, two of her co-workers mentioned that they had seen a rainbow that day.“In the Bible, the rainbow is a symbol of God’s promise and a reflection of His glory [Ezekiel 1:28]. I realized that was God saying to me, ‘I’m here Connie.’ He said he would never leave us. But we don’t realize that, He doesn’t!”
With this peace, Connie was able to see the ways God had blessed so many people through her son’s life, not the least of which was that about 50 people received Christ at the funeral. “The Gospel was preached, and Jesus was raised up that day.”
Soon after, Connie moved to Columbus to work. Then she heard about IFI and thought, “how exciting! It’s missions. God called me to missions, but I wasn’t leaving the country.” Through the combination of IFI’s English Conversation Club, the IFI Prayer team, and the missions initiatives at her church, Connie has grown in appreciation for internationals and has developed relationships that enrich her heart everyday.
“I love being able to pray, to see and hear what God is doing. I love watching my international friends grow, especially as they come closer to Christ. I feel like I have lots of children now. He brought me sons and daughters from around the world.”
With her family growing, and the peace of God still clear in each day’s sky, Connie is grateful and excited for more opportunities to fulfill her call to missions with IFI!
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Connecting the Disciplers
IFI associate staff are inspired to disciple the nations.
“The Great Commission is for all believers,” asserts Bob Mack, a retired IT Director and Project Manager who has been involved with IFI for over 10 years.
His wife, Karen, a part time Pharmacist, has worked with him every step of the way. “I love that we get to do it as a team,” she beams.
The dynamic duo, volunteering in various capacities throughout the years, joined IFI as Associate Staff in 2020 after Bob retired from IT. They are now the Columbus Team’s Returnee Ministry Coordinators. But how did an administratively astute Project Manager and entrepreneurial Pharmacist get into international ministry?
“We were trained to be disciple makers.”
Bob and Karen met Jesus, and each other, during their time with The Navigators’ ministry Bible studies at OSU. Still, their paths to knowing Christ and being discipled were unique.
Bob, despite initial activity in the gatherings, didn’t really take the message home with him. “It was kind of like a fire insurance decision. It didn’t really have any effect on my life.” As time passed, Bob continually made poor life decisions, drifting away from what he knew was true. He eventually started sporadically attending the Bible study again, but things weren’t really improving. Then he agreed to attend a spiritual retreat held by The Navigators. Being surrounded by a strong corporate witness of believers made a real impression on him. “There was something different about these students. It was a totally different atmosphere.”
“The need that I had could only be answered through submitting to Christ. If anything was going change, I had to submit to God.” Bob realized that God had been pursuing him, but he was being prideful and resistant. So, ready to let go, he sat under a tree and prayed for salvation. Then he got up and watched God make some quick and remarkable changes in his life, including meeting his future wife at the retreat. “It was a big day for me.”
It was a big day for Karen too. Her attendance at the retreat was a result of finding her desires fulfilled in Jesus as well.
“I was raised to view God as if He was always way up there, and if you did something wrong, He’d get you.” So when her brother became a believer, she and her family had a hard time accepting the intimacy available in Jesus. Unfortunately, during her senior year in high school, Karen was thrown out of the windshield in a car accident. During recovery, she began to wonder: “If I had died, what would happen to me? Did I do enough good works?” She then started thinking about the things her brother had told her and decided to seek out a Bible study in college to find out for herself. During that summer, she would read the Bible every day. “I was amazed at how it always applied to my life.”
In college, Karen got into a Bible study on the Gospel of John, where she met Kim, a gracious and loving friend with a joy that Karen deeply wanted for herself. Karen quickly realized that though she had all the answers, those answers lacked the depth of experience that the believers in the group had. Her grades were declining at this time as well, helping her see that she based her identity on her accomplishments.
“I started really seeking out the truth and my purpose. While spending time with Kim, I came to the understanding that God loved me unconditionally. I realized Jesus was the answer I was looking for.”
After coming first to Christ, then together, both Bob and Karen were discipled intentionally and consistently by believers with the Navigators. After they graduated and started going to their local church, they began to realize how unique that experience was. “We realized how blessed we were to have people pouring into us.” They began intentionally engaging and initiating discipleship efforts through their church and in their neighborhood.
Then the opportunity to engage in the Great Commission by reaching out to internationals with IFI presented itself: “They need to know Jesus, just like we do.”
They began with airport pickup and English conversation partnerships, eventually hosting students and scholars. Overcoming the initial uncertainty in relating to people from different cultures and the perceived pressure to entertain, they were able to build rich relationships with their new friends. One Chinese student developed a consistent, mutual bond with their family. “She became our daughter. We learned so much from her about her culture and just fell in love with her.” This relationship eventually opened discussion about the Bible, and the student began a journey that culminated in salvation.
It was from this student, and the many others that they built relationships with, that Bob and Karen began to understand the challenges that returnees (internationals who become believers and return to their home countries) experience. From societal and familial pressure to the struggle of engaging with the Bible and God in a language other than English, it became clear that returnees need just as much support as new believers being discipled in the states.
As the Campus Ministry team for IFI Columbus began to put more emphasis on supporting and preparing returnee believers, the Returnee Ministry Coordinator role needed both a “starter-upper” to establish the role and a practical manager to sustain it. What better pair than the Macks to answer the call.
“For IFI, hospitality is the front door, but it doesn’t stop there. We need to begin with the end in mind and work through how we can help students become multi-generation disciple-makers.”
So as the dynamic duo continues to progress in their role, they remain thankful to God for IFI and the opportunities available in the organization to step into. They would encourage you to do the same.
“At IFI, everyone has the same passion for internationals. Depending on your gifting, see where the needs are, and start from there. IFI will support and cultivate those gifts.”
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Achieving Rest
Volunteer takes part in the Great Commission after finding all her needs in the Jesus.
“Mom colored me to be an achiever.”
Sue Kroeger, the Associate Communications Specialist for the IFI National team, often reflects on her life before Christ.
“I grew up without muc
h knowledge about God. My mom did not speak of God and disliked church. I would sometimes go to church with my dad or with a friend.” So with limited encounters with Jesus, Sue continued to live her life focused on achieving her goals and the responsibilities of taking care of others. As a teenager, she kept busy by babysitting and engaging in as many extracurricular activities as possible. Graduating with a Bachelor’s in Environmental Science, she soon pursued a degree and career in law, initially serving as an Assistant Attorney General. This field was competitive and intense. “Having three children, it was very stressful trying to achieve success.” Eventually, she transitioned to working as an inhouse counsel with the Ohio EPA. “It was more rewarding. I really enjoy it.”
Still, the responsibilities of ensuring care of her parents during their mental illness episodes, as well as cultivating her work and home life, began to weigh on her.
“My efforts to control my life and my family’s lives were frustrating. I was nagging and having fits of anger at my husband and children. I pushed them to work hard and valued success. My son especially struggled and quietly rebelled by detaching from us. Keith was important to me as their father but less valued as a husband.”
Trying to be in control and achieve success can be overwhelming. Thankfully, that’s when a neighbor comes in handy.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. – Matthew 11:28
Sue’s Christian neighbors reached out to her family and began to develop close and meaningful relationships with them. Through social gatherings and community service initiatives, Sue and her family began to be exposed and enlightened to what living a life founded in Christ was all about.
“The neighbor shared teachings from his church with my husband, who encouraged me to go with him to church in person. After several months, I saw my Keith and our daughters changing. Then our son. It was a pastor’s teaching from Matthew 5 that encouraged me to act. Jesus taught that God’s standard is perfection. Even hate of someone violates this standard. But Jesus loves us so much he paid for all sins with his death.”
Sue came to realize her approach to life wasn’t working so well and she had nothing to lose by praying to Jesus. So she decided to ask Him to forgive her; soon she felt overwhelming peace and release from her anger. She even got a new vision for her life:
“Psalm 46:10 says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’ That tells me, ‘Chill Sue. Stop trying to strive.”
While she and her family continued their growth as believers, Sue and her husband began regular volunteers with IFI after learning about it from a friend at church. They soon began assisting Mike Burt at his Bible Study on Friday evenings, later developing programs for children who attended the Bible Study group with their parents. As much as she wanted to help, Sue’s full time job and other responsibilities would leave her feeling tired most Fridays. Over time, God grew Sue’s faith for enough stamina.
“I knew this was so rewarding and I wanted to do it. So ‘God, would you give me energy?’ And by gosh He did! I would pray out loud in the car every Friday night to fight Satan’s lies, and keep me from thinking that I can’t do it or it’s not worthwhile.”
Befriending international students and serving with IFI became so beloved that Sue made plans to retire to volunteer more. She considered her work with the Ohio EPA important but felt drawn to find time to support IFI’s mission. When IFI Communications Director, Ryan Finke invited her to join his team, she felt God was highlighting her next step. So after 31 years of government service, she began her associate staff role with the National Communications team.
“It was hard to leave, but I felt like I was retiring to IFI, instead of away from my career. I have a role in God’s larger mission to reach others in His name.”
Her role as Associate Communication Specialist is an evolving one, allowing the opportunity for her to engage with diverse assignments and experiences. “I’m super grateful for the IFI staff embracing me, nurturing me to a place I can contribute. I’ve learned a lot.”
The support from IFI, the insights that God continues to show her as she volunteers, and the transformation that Jesus has made in her own life have all affirmed her new found sense of dependence.
“If you do IFI work for long enough, you find out that you can’t do it on your own. The international people that we reach out to, understandably, think differently than we do. So we have to depend on God for love and the ability to understand how to love them and serve them.”
