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“‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in...’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you a stranger and invite you in?’ ... The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” — Matthew 25:35-40

Over 900,000 international students will attend U.S. universities this year. They are strangers in a foreign land, experiencing separation from friends and family and the challenge of navigating a different culture and language. Fortunately, International Students Incorporated (ISI) is there to help them get settled at over 900 university campuses across the U.S.

MCC teams up with the local ISI chapter in serving the University of New Mexico. It is part of our strategy for accomplishing cross-cultural missions right here in our own community. Working with ISI we are able to expose international students to the gospel as well as disciple those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord. Many of these students return home to influential careers, as well as the opportunity to have influence for the gospel.

Welcoming the stranger takes many forms. At UNM alone, ISI has served hundreds of international students through:

• Airport pick-ups for 95 students
• Temporary homestays for 85 students
• Furniture for 480 students
• Friendship partners for 85 students
• Hiking and sightseeing trips for 77 students
• Serving 1,750 lunches at the Welcome Center
• Three home groups meeting weekly
• Forty students attending Bible studies
• Fifteen students being discipled

More important than the statistics is the lasting impact that the welcoming of international students is having. One student started going to church with her host family and after several months made a profession of faith and was baptized. She was discipled for several months before she returned home to Germany. She is now leading a Bible study with six high school age girls, teaching them the truths she learned during her time in the U.S. Another student was introduced to Jesus through his friend who was an ISI volunteer at the English Corner. The student and friend met together regularly and often went grocery shopping. After a short while, the student announced he wanted to follow Jesus. He is now being discipled before he returns home in December. Beyond these two, three other students made a decision to follow Jesus this year through the efforts of ISI.

With ISI we have a unique opportunity to do cross-cultural ministry right in Albuquerque. If you are looking for a new opportunity to serve, there are a lot of different ways to get involved with ISI. If you are interested in helping or want more information contact Vince Tidwell at (505) 413-2647.

A cool breeze off the Pacific Ocean brought balance to another warm, sunny day in San Diego. Zoe Mukendi and her friend Mackinsey Darrough scanned the coastline. They weren’t looking for a place to sit; they were looking for someone to talk to about their faith. 

It was the last week of Cru’s 2023 San Diego Summer Mission, Zoe and Mackinsey’s last chance to have a spiritual conversation in a San Diego neighborhood called Old Town that had become familiar over the last nine weeks. 

Mackinsey spotted a man sitting by himself. They approached and asked if he’d be willing to share his spiritual beliefs and hear about theirs. The man, named Chad, agreed. 

Zoe, Mackinsey and Chad talked for about an hour. 

They walked Chad through the Knowing God Personally booklet, which shares the gospel. At the end of the booklet is a prayer, offered to anyone who wants to begin a relationship with Jesus. When Zoe and Mackinsey got to this page, Chad looked up at the sky.

“You guys are the fourth group of people to talk to me this week,” Chad said. “So, I feel like something’s pursuing me here.”

Zoe and Mackinsey joined Chad in prayer that day to begin his relationship with Jesus.

“I saw outreach and evangelism as going to talk to people to convert them,” Zoe said of her outlook before the summer mission. “Now I practice [the tools we learned] today in conversations. You show God through you — your actions, your words and your mindset.”

Students learned how to talk about Jesus in a variety of settings during the San Diego Summer Mission. Some days these conversations happened on local campuses, other days while they were on the clock at their part-time jobs. 

No matter the setting, by the end of summer, students counted more than 500 spiritual conversations in San Diego.

Of the 42 stateside summer missions offered by Cru, San Diego Summer Mission is among the oldest and most established, dating back to the 1970s. Each year, students develop a strong foundation of faith by engaging in regular evangelism, discipleship and personal reflection.

Weeks after returning to Southern Methodist University, where she studies civil engineering, Zoe said she’s more confident in asking people what they believe and looks for ways to bring what she learned last summer into her daily rhythms on campus.

“People are a lot more open than we think,” Zoe said. “I feel like I put people’s ‘nos’ in their mouths before they even have the chance to be asked a question. People who look like they’re the most busy or like they don’t even want to talk [might] happen to be the most open people.”

A Legacy of Changed Lives in San Diego. Sarah Wontorcik. March 2024.

https://storylines.cru.org/lang/en/stories/2024/03/legacy-of-changed-lives-san-diego.html

The summer heat in South Asia is relentless. Temperatures soar, dusty streets grow quiet, and for many children living in the slums, summer can feel long, difficult, and isolating. But this summer, hundreds of children from our Genesis of Hope centers will step into something very different.

They will walk into a place filled with laughter, music, friendship, and hope.

For many of these children, life is marked by poverty and hardship. Yet during Vacation Bible School, they will have the opportunity to leave behind the challenges of their daily surroundings and enter a safe environment where they are known, valued, and loved. They will make crafts, sing songs, play games, share meals, and build friendships that create lasting memories.

Most importantly, they will hear about Jesus.

In a nation where many children grow up with little or no exposure to the Gospel, VBS becomes much more than a summer activity. It is an opportunity for children to encounter the love of Christ, learn biblical truths, and discover that they are created with purpose and dignity by a God who knows them by name.

Behind the scenes, volunteers and teachers are working tirelessly to prepare every lesson, activity, meal, and gathering space. They are praying that each child who attends will not only have a joyful week but will also experience the transforming love of God.

As you look at the photo, notice the smiles, the excitement, and the anticipation. These are not just children preparing for camp. These are young lives being given the opportunity to hear the Good News, perhaps for the very first time.

"Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." — Matthew 19:14

I have found myself at a loss for words when asked about how our Bolivia trip went, because there’s simply too much to say. The 8 days that we spent in Sucre and Santa Cruz were packed full of meaningful moments that I will never be able to describe fully. The only way I can give you a taste of the sweetness is to tell you about the people I met who impacted my heart in the biggest ways. One day you’ll meet these people in person, if not here then in heaven when we’ve finished our races together.

Our translators:

Cintia, Camilla (Cami), and Mauricio (Meow Meow). These three people became our dearest friends. They worked tirelessly to keep us fed and hydrated, to help us communicate with everyone around us, to make us feel at home, welcome and loved, to get to know us, to hear our stories and share their own, to pray with us and help us understand the culture we were in. They were with us through everything and served us so much more than we deserved (even on days when Cami felt sick and Mauri was bummed about the outcome of the Bolivia play-in game to the World Cup).

The FH Staff:

The FH Sucre office included over 30 people. Worshipping together (in both English and Spanish) during morning devotions was something that we all agreed gave us a little glimpse of heaven. These people were so warm and welcoming, worked so hard to communicate with us (even with our limited language), and put so much effort into helping us integrate into various churches, homes, savings groups, schools, and children’s clubs.

My biggest take away (at this moment) from the trip came from experiencing the Christ-centered love that the FH staff shows their community an a daily basis. These staff members are intelligent and capable and could move to more prosperous areas to find better jobs, make more money, or live in more security. Instead, they stay where they are planted because they love the people of Sucre. The beautiful thing about this is that these people are uniquely qualified to bring change in the Sucre community because they are part of it. I pray that the Lord will continue to bring opportunities for each of us to be part of His work in our own community.

The parents of Villa Margarita:

Most of the adults we interacted with during our home visits were women, due to the fact that many of their husbands were traveling hours away from the city to find work. Nothing about the lives of these women is easy. The women we met were strong, dedicated to their work, intentional in their relationships with each other, determined to give their children the best lives possible. They exemplified perseverance and fortitude and I pray that the Lord brings them rest and continues to bless the work of their hands.

The children of Villa Margarita:

By God’s grace, many of the children we met in Bolivia had hope for the future. You could see it in their eyes, you could feel it in their hugs, you could hear it in their excitement as they talked with us about their lives. Some of the older kids and teens were clearly feeling the weight of adulthood approaching and that was hard to see. These peers are the ones who weigh heaviest on my heart. They are being met with countless attacks from the enemy and from a broken world. I pray that our partnership (as individuals and as a church) with these young people and their families will be a tangible taste of hope for them. I pray that they will experientially know the love that Jesus has for them and that His love will continue to transform them and their communities. 

If you would like to be a part of the next trip to Bolivia, to experience first-hand what the Lord is doing in the Sucre community, reach out to anyone on the Missions team.

In preparation for traveling to Bolivia, I have been blessed with many opportunities to hear stories from friends and family who have traveled for cross-cultural missions. One conversation with my cousin, Ryan, this week was especially impactful for me. He shared stories of his time in Mexico and Costa Rica and the ways that the Lord has come through for him and his family in their travels.

One thing he reminded me of was the fact that missions work isn’t only traveling outside the country. Many people are called to leave their native country so that they can share the gospel with other cultures. Praise God for the people who do work like this full-time or for certain seasons of their life. The pressures and demands of living in and with suffering communities are huge and heavy and I am thankful for the people who stick it out and trust God with their big problems. The stories they tell bolster my faith in our God who is bigger than any catastrophe or pain or need.

Traveling (or moving) overseas is not the only way to be a part of missions work in our world, though, as Ryan reminded me. The people whose calling it is to travel can only fulfill their calling with support from others. Ryan’s family has been looking for ways to invest in relationship with the missionaries in their community when they come home to the U.S. Hosting bonfires and making space for missionaries to talk and share their stories. Emailing with friends overseas to keep a pulse on what is needed and how the church can be praying. Making time to pray and seek the Lord.  

I have been able to see, in my own small way, the impact that support like this makes for people traveling. I am beyond blessed to be able to go to Bolivia with the MCC team this year. I am so excited to see the Lord’s work in a new culture and to make new friends who are worshipping Jesus on the other side of the equator.

In full transparency, I am also incredibly scared as the travel date approaches. The thought of all the unknowns is daunting to me. I feel unqualified to be a missionary, even in this tiny way. I still have so many questions of my own, so many things still to learn! This anxiety has given me a new gratitude for my church, family, and friends. Y’all have prayed with me and for me, shared your stories with me, listened to my excitement and my nerves, planned with me, and encouraged me to trust the Lord with all of my fear and all of my questions.

I have the gift of stepping into Bolivia physically, but in some special way I feel like all of you are coming with me. This is the gift of ministry oftentimes. Lord willing, as Jesus pours His love out into our lives, we are then able to pour into each other (broken vessels though we are) and somehow, wonder of wonders, there’s always enough to go around. Our God never runs out of love, joy, peace, goodness, faithfulness, mercy, or strength. I trust that He will continue to be faithful in the coming days as He has proven to be so far.

Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus to me and the whole Bolivia team. May the Lord bless and keep each of you and may He continue to open doors for each of us to share His good news near and far.