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Author: Ben Eisenmann

  • Newsletter – Aug. 2021: Outreach and Prayer

    Outreach and Prayer

    IFI is preparing for an environment that is constantly changing.  As we prepare for our fall activities, we’ve tried to keep a dual focus in mind. 

    It seems that the COVID season is coming to an end, and OSU has decided to have in-person classes.  We have been preparing to have our typical Welcome Picnic a week before school starts and the International Student Welcome Party the evening of the first day of classes.   Despite the fact that COVID outbreaks pop up around the world and travel restrictions are changing constantly.  God sits enthroned in the highest heavens.  He is not worried.

    We are asking God to show us how to effectively reach returning International students and connect with new students.  We are looking for ways to engage the International students that minimize risks. Please prayerfully consider… which events you feel comfortable participating in as a family or individual. We will be working with our Columbus team to outline some precautions.  Our love for God compels us to take action, since the plague of sin has a 100 percent mortality rate. Some of us will sense God urging us to participate in activities out of a desire to impact the hearts of International students and invite them to know the God who loves them. 

    We don’t know how many international students will be at OSU and other area campuses this fall.  Yet we do know that the mandate we have from God is still necessary:  

    To extend life-changing hospitality and friendship to international students out of reverence for Jesus.

    As King Jehoshaphat faced a vast army beyond his ability to respond, he called the people to pray.  “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you,”  (2 Chronicles 20:12b).   

    Would you join us in praying during August, which is a critical time for outreach to new and returning international students?  IFI has created a daily prayer guide for you to use. 

    Please sign up here to receive a PDF download of the “IFI August 2021: 31-Day Prayer Guide.” 

    Would you like to provide financial support to help us respond quickly to the emerging opportunities/challenges that we have not budgeted for?  Use this link: https://www.ifipartners.org/give/columbus-ministry-fund

  • Staff Highlight: Phil Foell

    We are blessed with an amazing staff team at IFI in Columbus! Each month we shine the spotlight on one of the IFI team members, so you can meet them up close and personal.

    There are so many staff who work tirelessly to reach out to internationals and support the efforts of staff and volunteers.  Phil Foell, IFI City Director in Columbus, is a servant leader who provides direction to and cares for the staff team. Phil has served in this position since 2018, but has been with IFI in various roles since 2010… 

    In addition to leading a Bible discussion group and befriending internationals, he wears many hats, such as, overseeing a team of more than 30 people, establishing connections with campus and ministry leaders and churches, and raising funds. 

    Before joining the IFI team, Phil earned his undergraduate degree in Management and Computer Science from Case Western Reserve and worked for Xerox for 15 years. He then transitioned into ministry where he served as a pastor at a local church for five years until officially joining IFI. 

    Phil started as a Campus Minister and slowly took on more responsibilities, such as the ISEED coordinator and event coordinator, until full time positions were established for those roles. He has brought a spirit of organization, structure, and process to the IFI team. Phil values IFI’s strategic approach to mission and reaching the nations as they come into our nation.

    Phil frequently says, “Jesus’ last command should be our first concern.” 

    He has seen God move through the lives of students and felt God’s presence while serving international students. He remembers a time when a student asked him, “What should we say when we pray to God?” In taking a moment to pray for help in answering the question, the Lord reminded Phil that Jesus’ disciples asked the very same question. Phil was able to tell this student about the Lord’s prayer, the disciples and Jesus. 

    Phil would love to one day visit the underground church in the Muslim world and an effective India church that ministers to Hindus. 

    He asks for prayer that he would be able to effectively keep up with the size of IFI ministry as it continues to grow. He also asks that the Columbus team be focused on balanced ministry and aligned in their approach to mission.

    More help is needed–have you considered filling a staff position as a volunteer or paid worker?  See https://www.ifipartners.org/careers or contact Phil at phil@ifiusa.org for more information on job opportunities.

     

  • Pray, Serve, Give! (August 2021)

    PRAY

    • Join a Prayer Walk on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays at 11-1pm. (see OSU Campus Ministry Update for more info)  
    • Sign up to pray daily in August! Receive the 30 days of Prayer Guide.
    • Pray for students to get their visas and for safe travels to Columbus.
    • Pray for good connections with the students met through hosting the August welcome events.
    • Pray for leaders for the International Wives Group and Mom’s groups
    • Pray for wisdom for IFI staff as they plan welcome events
    • Continue to pray for jobs for internationals who applied to IFI’s Iseed (internship and discipleship program) for this school year. 
    • Pray for more Bible Study group leaders and helpers.

    SERVE

    GIVE

     

     

     

     

    Summer activity ideas to do with your international friend in Columbus

    Check out the Every International presentation – Ministry in the Summer

    https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1MnSP9g1OtegarFT4Y8WomugoVUzUTSOZ1KwRFvmgxls/edit?usp=sharing

  • Newsletter – July 2021: Manna From Heaven

    Manna from Heaven

    When God provided bread from heaven for the Israelites wandering in the desert, they looked at it and said ‘what is it’?  

    Exodus 16

    14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.

    Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat.”

    Manna sounds like the Hebrew for What is it? 

    I was recently on the Anna Maria Island beach off the coast of Florida, just south of Tampa.  As my wife and I walked along the beach, we saw something in the water. (Look at the photo below carefully, at first glance you may not notice there is a large black object floating in the water.) “What is it?” Since we had just been reading the passage in Exodus, it immediately reminded me of the experience the Israelites had with manna. It is funny that eventually we saw it come up to the surface for air and realized it was a manatee (pretty close to manna?). 

    My wife and I walked along the beach for half an hour and the manatee swam at the same slow pace as we walked.  As it came near, everyone on the beach stopped what they were doing and started to point.  Half of the people called their kids to get out of the water and get away from it, because they were afraid and didn’t know what it was. The other half of the people grabbed all their kids and started to wade out to it, because they wanted to see this thing even though they didn’t know what it was.  I was among those that waded out to draw closer to this amazing creature that God had created.  (This is a photo of what I saw taken a few years earlier at an aquarium where neither the animal nor the photographer were injured in the capturing of this image.

    When God provided the bread of heaven for the Israelites, they said ‘What is it?’  When people saw the black object swimming by the beach, they said ‘What is it?  When people see the hand of God or the grace of God or hospitality to strangers, they often say ‘What is it?’

    Last month we asked you to pray to God for the situation at the OSU campus.  We had reserved the ballroom in the student union for an event the first day of classes on August 24, but the OSU covid guidelines restricted us to have a max of 10 students in the room which holds over 1,000.  We asked you to pray, and you prayed.

    At the end of last week, we got a note from OSU saying that all covid restrictions were removed for events this fall. What is it? It looks like the grace of God and the provision of God.  

    But there are still uncertainties and unanswered questions.  Therefore, we ask that you continue to pray for clarity and wisdom as we plan this and other fall events at OSU and other area campuses. We are still asking God to provide:

    • VISAs and travel arrangements for many students,  
    • vaccines to be available to more people around the world,
    • connections to new and returning students  

    Please join us, as we prepare to serve students this fall. We don’t know what it will look like, but we expect there to be a rush of students looking to engage with local volunteers like you.

    —Phil (IFI Columbus Area Director)

  • Staff Highlight: Julie Wu

    We are blessed with an amazing staff team at IFI in Columbus! Each month we shine the spotlight on one of the IFI team members, so you can meet them up close and personal.

    There are so many staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes to help IFI staff and volunteers be prepared to serve. One of them is Julie Wu, IFI Volunteer Coordinator, since January 2020. Her primary role is to match volunteers with students to help meet their needs. Before joining the IFI team, Julie worked as an administrator at the Columbus Chinese Christian Church for over 25 years. IFI had partnered with her church for many years, and she and her husband volunteered during the summer months. Julie was very pleased to join the IFI staff team and be able to spend more time serving international students.  

    Julie was drawn to IFI’s mission, because she was a former international student at Ohio State. IFI’s goal of reaching the nations and equipping students to spread their faith was a vision she wanted to be a part of. Her joyful spirit grew as she got to know her co-workers and learned how selfless and passionate they are. 

    “When I came to IFI, I saw people serving the Lord so simply and so wholeheartedly. It’s a privilege to serve the Lord sacrificially and be willing to live a simple life,” says Julie.  

    Her favorite memories have been the times she’s seen volunteers care and sacrifice for the benefit of students. One story that sticks out is when a volunteer helped four students to transport one month’s worth of groceries in the back of a volunteer’s pickup truck. 

    She asks for prayer that she would be of more use for IFI’s ministry. She also asks for prayer over the impact of ministry this school year; that God would open doors for the team and volunteers to serve new students.

    More help is needed–have you considered filling a staff position as a volunteer or paid worker?  See https://www.ifipartners.org/careers or contact Phil at phil@ifiusa.org for more information on job opportunities.

     

  • Pray, Serve, Give! (July 2021)

    PRAY

    • Join IFI for a Prayer Walk around OSU on Thursday, July 15th from 11am-1pm. Contact Leila at: l.gardner@ifipartners.org for more info.
    • Pray for students to get their visas and airline flights to study in the US this August
    • Pray for safety and for good conversations as IFI staff and international students participate in outdoor activities and take short trips together this summer. 
    • Pray for more vaccines to be distributed in the US and other countries
    • Pray for leaders for the International Wives Group and Mom’s groups
    • Pray for wisdom for IFI staff as they plan welcome events

    SERVE

    GIVE

     

     

    Summer activity ideas to do with your international friend in Columbus

    Check out the Every International presentation – Ministry in the Summer

    https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1MnSP9g1OtegarFT4Y8WomugoVUzUTSOZ1KwRFvmgxls/edit?usp=sharing

  • IFI Training Prepares Intern to Share the Gospel in China (June 2021)

    We have received exciting updates from a returned international student, Tina, who completed IFI’s discipleship program: International Students as Equipped and Empowered Disciples (iSEED).  

    She returned to a region in China where several ethnic minorities live.  Since her return she has been teaching English to high school and college students.  Thanks to the training Tina received from IFI she is better prepared for the many opportunities she has to share her faith with students.  For example, a student asked her if the class could read CS Lewis’ book “The Chronicles of Narnia”, because of an interest in learning about religions.  Also, she had a chance to tell a student who was struggling with anger and depression that her problem couldn’t be solved by man’s power, but that she could only be free from anger and depression with the help of Jesus.

    While Tina was still in Columbus, she started a weekly Bible discussion with her own family members and some of them came to Christ.  Since being back, God is confirming the vision He gave her to start churches among families, and in three years she has been able to start a few small family churches.

    The statistical diagrams and charts show that since the inception of IFI internships in 1996 over 60 students from 9 different countries have participated. We are blessed to hear regularly from former iSEEDers about the ministry impact they are having. However, your help is needed so that other internationals like Tina can receive this important discipleship training. 

    One of the biggest barriers to international students joining our discipleship training program is being able to remain in good standing with the INS by finding part time jobs in their major field of study.  For example, Tina graduated with an applied linguistics degree and tried for 2 months to find a job, but was not able to do so.  Thankfully IFI was able to hire her to help with some translation work so she could stay in the US legally.  However, IFI can’t hire all students and some have been unable to participate in the iSEED program because they have not found a job.

    Do you know of employers who might want to hire this coming years’ iSEED program candidates?  The current needs are for jobs in Communications, Computer Science, Nursing, and International Politics/Studies.  If you may be able to help a student find a job, please contact Mike K., IFI Internship Coordinator at: m.krajnak@ifipartners.org .  Would you please join us in praying for all of these students to be able to find a job and participate in the program?

     

  • Open Home

    “Be do-ers of the Word, and not hearers only.”  James 1:22

    Erin Hays had been praying for their family to have an opportunity to meet internationals. So when she and Andrew first heard about IFI at church they knew they were supposed to get involved.

    Any of us would likely have many questions when deciding about whether to host international students during the pandemic. Andrew and Erin wondered if it was safe for them or the student to host. Andrew says, “We took our time and thought and prayed about it and decided God wanted us to do it, even in the middle of a pandemic!” 

    They hosted 3 International students for short-term stays, the first, a young lady from China, stayed with them for nearly 3 weeks during the early stages of the Coronavirus pandemic, in between apartment leases.  The second student, also Chinese, was there after arriving from New York City, and stayed until her lodging was ready about 4 days later.  Their last student was a man from India, who stayed with them for 1 week this winter as he awaited a campus apartment.  All three of these experiences were amazing opportunities for them to love their neighbors and learn many exciting things about other cultures.

    “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers”  Hebrews 13:12

    As a couple, they have had several opportunities to share the gospel with those students. Since students were living with them in their home they not only got to hear the gospel, but they got to SEE the gospel as their family lived out their Christian walk.  The students witnessed morning Bible time, vacation Bible school, church service, bedtime prayers, Christian parenting, conflict resolution, laughter and love. They also saw normal family life stress, messiness, and the sin that comes with all people. 

    Since they have four young children, (ages 6,7,8,10), life at their house is never dull. They found the best way for their family to handle it was to just fold the students into the mix of their crazy, chaotic, lovely family life. Their children loved having these students become part of their family. 

    Some of the special moments they shared with students include:

    •       Their daughter teaching a student how to braid hair
    •       A student helping to run a photo booth and with crafts at a backyard vacation Bible school
    •       Their oldest son helping a student with their English homework
    •       Their children playing football, card games and puzzles with students
    •       Including students in their family Bible time
    • Conversations about Jesus with all 3 students

    In case you missed it, the Hayes family was featured in the IFI online Banquet in April.  Click here to see the video.  

    If you are feeling God calling you to host a student(s) for a few night this summer, please contact, IFI Volunteer Coordinator, Julie Wu at: j.wu@ifipartners.org  

    Are you ready to befriend new students?

    The training department has been offering webinars for volunteers on ethnic-focused outreach. These trainings are one way IFI seeks to invest in you and your ministry to internationals. Please see the topics we have covered below.  Please click on the links below and watch the webinar(s) that are helpful to you in your ministry.  Is there a topic that you would like to learn more about? Please email Leila, IFI Volunteer Manager, at: l.gardner@ifipartners.org to let her know.  

    IFI Volunteer Training: Caring for Internationals During a Pandemic

    Befriending African Students: IFI Volunteer Training

    Helping Chinese Returnees: IFI Training

    Befriending Indians and Hindus: IFI Training

    IFI webinar: Befriending students from a Muslim background

  • Newsletter – June 2021: Prayer is Essential

    Prayer is Essential!

    “…we do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you”   2nd Chronicles 20:12

    The CDC, Ohio’s governor, and the OSU President continue to update and change the covid restrictions.  We are hopeful that we will be able to meet with International students in person more and more as we see more volunteers vaccinated and as more students get vaccinated.  At this point, we have reserved the Ohio Union for August 24, the first day of classes, to host the International Student Welcome Party.  However, at this point, the OSU student guidelines only allow up to 10 students to attend.  We continue to plan and prepare, but we do not know for sure yet whether we will be able to have ‘normal’ outreach events to help us connect with new students…

    Meanwhile, international news is also conflicting.  We have heard reports from multiple sources that the embassy in China is now issuing 2,000 VISAs a day, up from 0 a day for the last year.  While other countries like Chile and India are experiencing huge surges in covid related illnesses and deaths while medical supplies grow more and more scarce.  Yet, we are hopeful that God will open the doors for international students to travel to Columbus.  Please join with us in prayer as we wait expectantly for safe opportunities to connect and show hospitality to the new students.  

    In hopeful expectation, we are renewing a program for churches to help us serve students.  We have heard many churches had to delay their STM (Short Term Mission) Trips for last year, and cancel their plans again this year because of travel restrictions.  Therefore, we are creating an opportunity for a Reverse STM (Short Term Mission) Trip.  What is a Reverse STM?  It is when we stay at home and the world comes to us.  

    Similar – We take 10-14 days vacation and devote the time to God for reaching the world and fulfilling the great commission.  We get the opportunity to co-labor with God in sharing the good news with people from hard to reach and unreached places of the world (80% of the International students in Central Ohio are from those places).

    Different – We stay at home, instead of traveling across the world.  It costs a lot less than traditional STM trips.

    Dates: August 12th-22nd or August 19th-29th

    We are currently planning for 4 groups of 4-10 people to help us this fall in serving international students. There will be openings for 2 groups in each of the 2 time frames in August. Please check with your church’s missions pastor to see if there might be interest in learning more. For more information, please contact Jerry Shellhaas at IFI at j.shellhaas@ifiusa.org

    —Phil (IFI Columbus Area Director)

  • Staff Highlight: Tish Krajnak

    There are so many staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes to help ministry happen.  One of them is Tish Krajnak.   She has been serving as the Mobilization Administrative Assistant for the IFI Columbus team since 2017.  She describes her role as “a jack of all trades”, helping wherever she’s needed most.  Before joining the IFI team, Tish worked in similar positions at other organizations where she could use her gifts of organization, research and initiative.

    Tish and her husband, Mike, first learned about international student ministry when they went through the adoption process of their daughter.  Shortly after, Tish began helping with her church’s international ministry.  In 2011, she began volunteering with IFI as a Conversation Partner and assisting the International Mother’s group.  Eventually, there was a need in the office where she volunteered for three years before officially joining the Columbus Staff team. 

    “I started helping out because there was a need,” says Tish. “Just put me where you need me.”

    Tish is a helper and servant for IFI and those around her.  While she doesn’t usually have the spotlight, she enjoys utilizing the gifts God has given her to help others do their job more effectively and will take any opportunity to relieve others of their burdens. 

    Her greatest rewards of working for IFI have been learning from the different experiences of staff and students around her, and witnessing a student come to Christ.  She has seen God work in the hearts of students and move through the connections of families.  Tish looks forward to visiting China one day, where she can show her daughter her country of origin and visit past students that have left a mark on her life! 

     Tish asks for prayer over her work with volunteers and the continual improvement of effectiveness and efficiency within IFI’s ministry.

     

    More help is needed–have you considered filling a staff position as a volunteer or paid worker?  See https://www.ifipartners.org/careers or contact Phil at phil@ifiusa.org for more information on job opportunities.