I recently learned there’s a special day dedicated to students studying outside their countries and it’s coming soon. It’s International Students’ Day that’s celebrated on November 17th.
Here’s a short description via Wikipedia.
“International Students' Day is an international observance of the student community, held annually on 17 November. Originally commemorating the Czech universities which were stormed by Nazis in 1939 and the students who were subsequently killed and sent to concentration camps, it is now marked by a number of universities, sometimes on a day other than 17 November, as a nonpolitical celebration of the multiculturalism of their international students.”
A tragic event to be sure, but why is it tied to students pursuing education in countries other than their own?
The rest of this account profiled a group of students from the uprising that were able to escape to England. There, they were able to tell the world their story, continue their education, and after the war, return to their country with a passion for freedom that would outlast the coming occupation of the Soviet Union.
In much the same way, today’s international students, some of whom live under repressive governments or social systems, are allowed to come and study in western countries such as the United States because of the advantages of U.S. college degrees and gaining proficiency in English.
As there are many countries sending students to U.S. universities there’s just as wide a gamut of experiences for the students. Unfortunately, many are never invited to American homes and spend most of their time with students from their country. However, others are befriended by Americans and return with lasting memories and deep friendships gained from their time here.
One such student that we had the joy of seeing become a Christ follower is from mainland China. This student, who we’ll call Mel—not his real name, is the son of a mid- to high-level government official.
Mel was special from the start in that he didn’t play by the rules of politeness and quiet demeanor that govern most Asian students. At the time we first met, he had a boisterous swager and huge appetite that was always looking to be fed as soon as he arrived at our Friday evening dinner meetings.
Early in his time with us, he came in, cruised right by the snacks out on the tables and trained his sights on the good smells coming from the dinner about to be served.
With pleas of not having a scrap of food all day he hurriedly approached the food table only to find out he’d have to wait until we started the meal portion of the meeting. Poor Mel was depressed as he grabbed handfuls of snacks to get a foothold against the hunger monster.
Mel became a Friday night regular and started to share his story explaining why he had come to Auburn, Washington, to study and what he intended to do with his Associates degree and then four-year degree from a prestigious U.S. university.
Over the next year, Mel also started to share more of his personal story and what he wanted out of life. He expressed a respect for his father but it was clear that he doubted his father’s love outside of his performance and academic success. Mel was becoming open to the possibility that there was an all-powerful ruler of the universe that created him and loved him to the point of coming in human form to show his love for Mel. The gospel of this Father’s love came with a lot of indigestion, but by the miracle of God’s calling and confirming His love in Spirit and truth, Mel answered the call of his true Father and gave his life to Christ.
Mel did go on to study at a prestigious East Coast university, but still chose to spend holidays by coming back to visit and spend time with his adopted family here.
So aside from the miracle of new life in Jesus, which would be a fitting end to this story, why is Mel’s story and those of millions of other international students important?
It is because they came expecting to earn the advantage of a U.S. university degree, but through the love of Jesus, working by the power of the Holy Spirit through loving American friends, they found their true eternal value to our Creator God and became part of a forever family that will always have plenty of love and good food out on the table and ready to share.
Why do we care?
Because radical love for Sojourners isn’t optional
First a bit of background. One of the joys I discovered in starting to read the Bible more comprehensively as an adult was discovering the narrative of God’s redeeming love for all people who respond to His call upon their lives. Stories such as God’s love for the people of Nineveh that were reached by a prideful prophet, Jonah, who God used for one last chance for repentance. And Naaman, a commander of the army of Syria who suffered from leprosy until he learned through a servant girl of a prophet in her home country of Israel that would be able to heal him.
My view changed from that of a vengeful God bent on utterly destroying everything and everyone not belonging to His chosen people to a loving Father who still judged but also showed lovingkindness and compassionate regard for those sojourning, or residing, with His chosen people.
Such examples are found in:
Deuteronomy 10:18 — He (God) executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.
Deuteronomy 24:17 — You shall not pervert the justice due to the sojourner or to the fatherless…
Deuteronomy 16:14 — You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns.
Deuteronomy 10:19 — Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 10:19 along with Hebrews 11:13-14 are the clinchers. We love in the name of Jesus because He first loved us, and we’re firmly rooted in our identity as fellow sojourners (strangers and temporary residents) on the earth. We all seek and look forward to the better homeland.
And to top it off—Solomon’s temple dedication prayer, which contains the passage:
1 Kings 8:41-43 “As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name—for they will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name."
This is an all-inclusive love that points to the time when God would mandate that His kingdom would be completed when people from every tribe and language and people and nation were included.
Practical applications
If you’ve made it this far, you may be open to a few suggestions about the attitude you can have and what you can do to better align with God’s heart for sojourners He’s placed in our community.
- Pray for those who are studying in the U.S. this year. At present there are significant challenges to securing student visas. Also, tuition, school fees, and cost of living are causing many potential students to change their hopes and plans of studying in the U.S.
- Pray for Josh, Sarah B. and their Cru staff as they disciple groups of students for this school year. Pray that students would commit to growth, and pray for several students who have trusted Christ for the first time (see the monthly missions update for more detail).
- Be obediently inquisitive. If you have questions about our past outreach efforts to international students, please let me take you out for coffee and talk—no strings, but possibly some surprises of what you can do by just being a friend communicating your care and love of the Lord.
Rick Krekel (rkrekel@gmail.com) is a long-time member of LifeWay Church. He serves locally as the leader for LifeWay’s international student as well as ESL efforts. Currently he coordinates one-to-one English as a Second Language and cultural companion opportunities serving recent immigrants and refugees. He has served on short-term missions overseas and in Mexico.