Making the most of opportunities with international students

Making the most of opportunities with international students

I would like to open a window on what reaching out to international students looks on a practical level.  I hope that the process of sharing this will be of use in our discussion on ISM.  I am a teacher of English to speakers of other languages at a prestigious university in my home country and teach students from a wide variety of countries in a range of short and long term programs.  As I work in a professional capacity in a secular institution, my opportunities are necessarily confined to appropriate boundaries.  So, how does an international student find Christ in such a situation?

 

Firstly, through their homestay families or in other accommodation settings. Just tonight I had dinner in a restaurant managed by a Chinese student I taught over ten years ago.  He subsequently came to my house as a homestay student and gave his heart to the Lord. He began attending a Chinese church and ultimately became a youth leader.  Such stories are common as families “do life” together with their international student guests and live out the gospel in their homes.

 

Secondly, they might find Christ through extracurricular activities initiated by teachers or other staff. Although I would never use my teaching time for proselytizing, outside of the classroom I do invite students to attend my church as a cultural activity.  Often it is the students themselves who request to come when they hear that others have been.  This is a wonderful opportunity for them to meet new Australian friends, practice their English and learn more about the faith. There is never any overt pressure put on the visitors, only a genuine experience of contemporary Australian Christianity.  One Muslim who attended was surprised to see that people were not taking photos.  I asked why, confused by his comment.  He answered, “ because this is a very happy celebration like a wedding.”  Students are regularly moved by their visit to church, searching later for the songs on Youtube. Repeat visits are common.

 

Thirdly, once students have finished the English preparation program in our institute, they may enter a university degree program.  They will often encounter Christian classmates, or form friendships with students from Christian student clubs on campus (like OCF, Student Life, CCM, CCA or Evangelical Students) who they meet through direct outreach efforts or perhaps at an English conversation program.  One young Christian female student on my campus began a conversation with a Chinese student who readily accepted an invitation to a social gathering, then to another, and before too long she had heard the gospel and committed her life to Christ as Lord and Saviour.  It turned out that she was the wife of a visiting professor. For the many years since then, she has been attending a Mandarin speaking church in Hong Kong.

 

The fourth way in which students have recently come under the influence of the gospel in settings like ours is through technology.  Although with us for as short as three weeks, they may encounter church at least once through the invitation of a teacher, homestay family or friend. Besides finding Hillsong on Youtube or Jango,  which they do, there is much there to satisfy and extend their interest.  Beyond their initial encounter, technology has also made it easier to keep contact with students once they return.  Some of these have wanted to continue conversations about Christianity.  Through email and Facebook and other such tools, some enjoy daily discussions and discipleship can continue for those who had accepted Christ.  I found that posting songs and Bible resources has been helpful for those who are interested. Those who are not interested can simply pass it by.

 

But what of those who seem to be uninterested, who don’t attend church or engage in spiritual conversations?  To be honest there are many of these.  As a professional teacher, my job is to teach them.  As a Christian believer, my aim is to glorify God in all I do.  Thus, in my teaching, I gladly go a second mile or third or fourth. Beyond teaching, I’m happy to involve students in my life particularly where there are common interests.  One of my students was a keen runner, as am I.  So, I invited him to join me in a city-wide marathon with 30,000 other people.  This contact gave an opportunity to discuss what his classmates have been saying about their visits to church and I discovered an interest I wouldn’t have known about if I’d only cared about who had come to church.

 

So what are the challenges for being an effective gospel witness as an English teacher in a country like Australia where we have relative freedom in sharing the gospel within the limits prescribed by professionalism. Perhaps the biggest problem is time and the demands of teaching. Teaching well takes much preparation and demands high teaching loads.  Going a second mile takes time outside of office hours but, through prayer and conscious effort, golden opportunities do become available.  Another barrier is the students’ own busy schedules.  Despite strong interest in the gospel, study is rightly their first priority.  However, this also provides an opportunity to serve, through extra tutorial help.  On Sunday, whilst at at lunch with Christian friends one student, a seeker, texted me to ask for economics help?  My worst subject! Bt, I wanted to show I cared.  I asked my Christian lunch friends and one brave soul offered some immediate help over the phone.  His little bit of insight, she later texted, caused a “light to turn on” in her mind.  By caring for the whole person beyond the spiritual issues and beyond the actual programmed classroom time, we have the chance to see busy students cared for and precious gospel seeds prepared and nurtured toward harvest.

 

So the ways we often see students find Christ included through homestay and sharemates, during extracurricular activities including church cultural visits, through Christian groups and Christian friends on campus, and through ongoing contacts once they return, made easier by the increase of technological means. Even those uninterested in church and spiritual conversation are worthy of our ongoing care. The various challenges like busyness and study priorities can be seen as opportunities and the key seems to be to be available when they need you. Speaking of which, I’d better go. I’m meeting some students for a good Aussie barbecue. Join us if you like!