Background:

Cheney graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 2018. Shortly after graduating from UNI Cheney, his wife, and his 1 son moved internationally to SE Asia to work with university students by reaching them with the Gospel. They worked to plant a church and international college ministry within SE Asia through their connections and Gospel-centered relationships with these university students. Shortly into his commitment to serving overseas he and his family were forced out of the country due to COVID-19 restrictions and were unable to return. Currently, Cheney lives in Gainesville, FL with his wife and now 2 children. He is excited to see how God will continue to reach international students from many different nations on the University of Florida campus, for His glory.

Current Role:

The University of Florida has over 7,000 international students from 140 different countries! Cheney will work with those students seeking to welcome, serve, and reach them with the love of Christ:

• Welcoming: As students arrive in the U.S., they work to organize airport pick-ups, home-stay programs, and move-in help to help students get settled.
• Serving: Desire to be servants to international students by giving them rides, checking in on them constantly, and meeting their needs.
• Reaching: Many international students come from countries where they have never had the opportunity to know the love of Jesus. Cheney will seek to lead an international friendship group, with the goal of having fun and developing deeper relationships with the students that will allow them to have conversations that impact them in deeper ways.
• Mobilizing: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Luke 10:2). We also want to seek to equip, train, and mobilize other American believers to join them in welcoming, serving, and reaching international students!

Ways to Partner:

Pray:

– Pray for Cheney and his family as he works on raising support and transitioning to his new role with IFI.

– Pray for the international students at UF, that they would be open to building relationships.

– Pray for boldness, wisdom, and love in interacting with students.

– Pray God would continue to bring people of all nations to serve all nations in Gainesville.

Give: Cheney currently works full-time serving international students at the UF and is responsible for raising his full salary. Would you prayerfully consider asking God about financially partnering and investing in the work he is doing at the University of Florida?