December Life

Returning home after weeks of traveling required a season of re-adjusting and catching up on many different fronts. Household chores, winter snow, bill paying, fighting the computer, and writing/printing/mailing newsletter updates don't make for exciting stories but are the "as you go" stuff of life.

In the midst of this God blessed us by including us in some holiday activities with international students. Richard joined the Indian Christmas Celebration held in West Hartford at the Univerisity of Hartford. This outreach to Indian and other international students by a group of Indian families allowed Richard to share words of life and encouragement in unexpected and fun ways. Carol drove to Willimantic to join a key volunteer's family in Christmas caroling in their neighborhood. Some internationals joined us for the cultural experience and got to learn our carols that tell all about Jesus. It was exciting to see neighbors receive with joy and students put good seed in their hearts. All around us God was networking and connecting people!

Faces and Places

Northeast, Maryland

Pastors in Dundalk, MD and Mechanicsburg, PA

Ambler, PA and Northville, NY

Traveling to share and encourage the Vision

In C.S.Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" after the children arrived in Narnia they saw the snow melting, Father Christmas appear in the wood, and early spring flowers appear because Aslan was on the move. Like the children, as we go we are seeing signs everywhere that God is on the move.

Someone who really caught the vision we have at ISI funded a mailing to get this word out to the churches. In our north-east region we have already had about 50 churches respond where there is no staff. Our Regional Field Director asked us to visit these churches. So we have begun traveling from here in CT to Wash D.C., VA, MD, PA, NY, NJ, DE and other New England states. It is a blessing to meet brothers and sisters in Christ, see God drawing churches together to reach communities, encourage the weary. We get to share, pray, and plan together.

Pray for me that whenever I open my mouth the words will be given to me to be bold in making known the secret of the Good News. Eph 6:19 (The Jewish Bible)

Include prayer for us, too, that God may open a door for us to proclaim the message about the secret of the Messiah ... and that I may speak as I should, in a way that makes the message clear. Col 4: 3,4 (The Jewish Bible)

ISI exists to share Christ's love with international students and to equip them for effective service in cooperation with the local church and others.

"Look at all the Lord has done through you already__Look at my life!

Saturday was a beautiful day for the visit to Buell's Apple Orchard with UConn's ICF. The predicted rain never materialized but many international students did! We piled into cars and enjoyed good fellowship during our scenic half hour drive to Eastford. Then we dispersed to enjoy cider and donuts; hayrides and applepicking; watching candyapple making and listening to great music. It was fun to rub elbows with international students again.

Our travels these days bring us into many new churches. It is exciting to find fellowship in so many places in the northeast with like minds and hearts. These family members are catching the vision to reach out to international students and impact the world for the kingdom.

We are leaving again soon to meet with churches in New Jersey; Delaware; Philadelphia and Harrisburg, PA; and Baltimore, MD. to encourage and make disciples. We will be blessed to visit with former students as well, and get caught up on lives. These friends serve as reminders to us that this ministry is valuable and effective in saving lives and reaching the world. As one former student recently reminded me "Look at all that has been done through you already__Look at my life!"

Please keep us in your prayers as we seek to follow God to the connections He has for us.

Welcoming New Students

Picture perfect day for welcoming the world to Connecticut!

The Welcome Picnic

"I am the luckiest of men" Chen smiled.

"No, you are truly blessed by Jesus Christ who loves you" Sarah replied.

Chen had just arrived in the USA two days ago. While he was walking on campus Saturday morning Sarah spied him and invited him to join the gathering of international students heading out for a picnic. Chen said yes and thoroughly enjoyed being enfolded into an international family for a day of fun.

We praise God for a beautiful day for ICF's Seventh Annual Welcome Picnic in Eastford. There were more that 75 of us enjoying fellowship courtesy of the Barlow family and Eastford Baptist Church

Joan was excited as she shared that she and her husband were still in touch with the 2 Iranian men they met at last years picnic. This year she connected with a Chinese woman hungry to read the Bible in her own language and understand it. They both left smiling.

A visitor from France was so blessed by "the beauty and peace of God in this place."

The new students who picnicked with us are facing many adjustments to life here. Please pray that they will come to ICF and find Jesus!

'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus!

We began our travels knowing we had people to see but no definate agenda. We have been blessed to visit several churches in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area meeting so many new (to us) family members. As we shared in one meeting the pastor said "this is perfect timing for us as we are looking for ways for plugging our members in as they discover their gifts." They are just down the street from a college with many international students. In another church, a late arrival to our meeting provided key information to link us to students at another university. It has been encouraging to see the connections God has prepared in advance for us to walk in.