When asked what has been the best part of Urbana 06, James quickly put an arm around his friend and replied, “Meeting my friend from Malaysia again.”

James, a Malaysian student now studying in Canada, had not seen his friend since high school. She had since moved to the United States as an international student. A lot had changed for her during her time in the States. She met God and recently became a Christian.

“I had no idea that she had become a Christian,” James explained. “Then I heard her testimony in the international student session.” James is praising God for the opportunity to reconnect with his friend and, now, sister in Christ! But, the story doesn’t end there.

“She has challenged me,” James stated. “I now recognize the importance of international student ministry. I feel like God is calling me to return to my campus and devote myself to reaching international students like my friend.”

James is following through on his commitment. He returned to campus on fire for the gospel. Because he saw the transformation in his high school friend’s life, he is now actively involved in international student ministry on his campus.

This article is part of the Fall 2007 issue of Internationals on Campus magazine. View a PDF (450 kB) of this page in the magazine.