Around 2008, IFI leaders began talking about and asking God to multiply IFI. God is answering those prayers abundantly! As international student ministries realized they could be a part of God’s love being experienced over the whole world, more people are catching the vision and joining IFI’s work as volunteers or staff.
Ohio beyond OSU. When God called a family home from serving in another country, He sent them to teach ESL to international (mostly Middle Eastern) students at Ohio Dominican University (ODU) in east Columbus. After one of them joined the IFI staff, God formed an enthusiastic team of volunteers to help IFI’s work there and serve in some of ODU’s special programs for internationals. Some volunteers even host internationals who cannot go home when the dorms close in summer!
For a long time, IFI had prayed for someone to start serving international students in Dayton, the home of the University of Dayton and Wright State University (WSU), which both have a fairly large international student enrollment. IFI got a toehold in Dayton when long-time staff “Mo” moved to Dayton in 2011 and joined others in praying that IFI could start working there. The doors for IFI at WSU opened when Gloria Kelios, a Christian ESL instructor from Malaysia attended an IFI-sponsored INK (Internationals in God’s Kingdom) Conference. When Gloria mentioned that she was sharing about Jesus with her ESL students, IFI leaders approached her about taking IFI to WSU. Within a year, Gloria came on staff with IFI and established IFI Dayton. Since then, her husband (Jerome Jacob), Mo, and Larissa Swartz–a WSU grad– have joined Gloria as IFI Dayton staff. (Read more about IFI Dayton)
In 2014, God called graduate students Mao Huang (from China) and her husband Andika Gunadi (from Indonesia) to reach out to fellow internationals at the Wooster campus of The Ohio State University School of Agriculture. As an undergrad, Mao began following Jesus through IFI Columbus and wanted to give the same opportunity to students in Wooster. Andika shared her vision whole-heartedly.
J.P., a worker from another ministry in Cleveland, joined IFI Cleveland in 2014 and enriched IFI with his knowledge and experience in befriending and hosting students from the Middle East. He, Art Wells, and Eric Benson have worked together to recruit and train more volunteers to carry the work at Cleveland State University and Case Western Reserve University.
Arkansas. Lindsay Van Sicklen joined IFI in 2012 as a networker/facilitator for volunteers and churches doing ISM at Ouachita Baptist Universityand Henderson State University in Arkadelphia AR.
Illinois. Over 30 years ago, God led college students Bill Erikson and Donna Erikson to share God’s love with international students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) through hospitality, trips, and Bible studies in their home and with their church. In 2014, God led them to IFI. Bill is raising support so he can start reaching internationals full time at UIUC, where more than 10,000 internationals study and 1 in 4 students are internationals.
Two years later, God called retired pastors and missionaries Jim and Paula Hanes to serve with IFI at Illinois Central College (ICC) in East Peoria.
Michigan. In East Lansing MI, Rod and Kim Friesen dreamed of reaching internationals through long-term hosting and bought a large, old house on the edge of the Michigan State University campus. The Friesens joined the IFI staff even before they moved into their multi-bedroom campus home!
Oregon. Heather Murray, a formerly serving others in Turkey, joined IFI in 2014 to work at Portland (OR) State University with FOCUS, and Pamoja House, a multi-ministry cooperative in Portland that serves refugees and immigrants.
Texas. In 2016, God moved IFI Columbus staff George and (former intern) Heena Chow to Houston TX when George was hired to teach design at the University of Houston (UH). The Chows have joined the ISM at UH, bought a house in an international neighborhood, and attend an international church.
Almost at the same time, God called Drs. David and Carol Kunselman to establish IFI at Texas Tech University in Lubbock TX. David, who has served as a pastor in Australia, worked with Wycliffe Bible Translators, and has a doctorate in mentoring, hopes to do one-year intensive discipleship with Christian internationals before they return to their homeland.