Brian Penny, ISM Staff in Alberta, Canada: Last night we visited a young Muslim family in their home and enjoyed a delicious homemade pizza. What makes these visits so special is that this family is from a country where no mission activity is allowed. The wife is studying in Edmonton while her husband is at home caring for their little son. Each Sunday the husband is a part of Brian's English conversation class. Last night, for the first time, they asked us what our religion was. We thanked God for the opening and for the chance to say we were Christians.

Another favorite story has to do with a conversation I had with a postgraduate student from China. He and his family arrived in Edmonton in September and we, along with others, helped them find furniture and later invited them to our September "WELCOME BBQ," the Thanksgiving Camp, Bible study groups, etc. When he said he would like to study with me, I asked him why he wanted to study with me, explaining that even though we had helped them find furniture and invited them to our events, they were under no obligation to us in any way. He sensed immediately my concern regarding his motivation for wanting to study and made the following statement: "When we lived in Japan, it was the Christians who helped us. When we came to Vancouver, it was the Christians who helped us. And, when we came to Edmonton, again it was the Christians who helped us. I want to find out what makes Christians do these kinds of things."

Vinny Gibson, IV Staff in Alberta, Canada: Every Wednesday we have Power Hour on campus. A Hindu student, named Noreen, has been attending since the beginning of the year. After the first couple of meetings that Noreen attended, I noticed that he was singing the choruses and praying along with the other students. I asked him if he was familiar with the Christian faith and he said, "I believe in many gods, but right now the Christian God has proved to be the most faithful. I have been praying to him about my family and he has given me the strength and wisdom to know how to talk with them about this Christian God."

Jeff, one of our IV students, began meeting with Noreen every Tuesday afternoon for prayer. Noreen continued to attend Power Hour and amazingly, began to bring several other classmates with him. He very openly and lovingly shared his new-found faith with other students and beamed every time the name of Jesus was mentioned.

In one of our Power Hour devotions we were studying a portrait of Rembrant's prodigal son returning home. The father was bending over his son with his arms outstretched to welcome him. Noreen was fascinated with the story as well as the portrait, and for several days after the meeting brought many of his friends to the Meditation Centre to look at the portrait and tell them the story of the prodigal son. It was so touching and inspiring to watch this person pull new and fascinating insights and discoveries from the painting but also to hear him relay the truths of the story to other friends.

Fred and Carol Wagner, ISM Staff in Portland, OR: Recently I met a Chinese who flew in from New Mexico State. He had just graduated and accepted a job in Portland. I learned that just four years ago he arrived from Beijing and some of the first people he met were Christians. He told these Christians that he'd like to learn about God. These Christians had a heart for internationals, and God used them to bring this PRC scholar into His family. Over the past four years, he in turn has helped 22 fellow Chinese come to faith in Jesus, and he even began a Chinese church.

Ellie Laehn, former ISM Staff in Raleigh, NC: At the Friday night International Bible Study (IBS) meeting, a Chinese guy named Tim walked up to me with an incredible glow on his face. He started telling me some of his story. "I began to attend a local Chinese church when I came to Raleigh and NC State University. Then a friend invited me to visit IBS. I came to a meeting and decided that this was the place that I should come to every week." Laughing a bit, Tim said, "When I first came I just wanted to improve my English. Then I started to be interested in the Bible Study, and now I have so much peace! You have so much peace when you know God!" Wow, was I excited!

Jon Kubu, IV Staff in Eugene, OR: This summer I joined eight students on the six-week Portland Urban Project. Much was memorable, from the water fights at church picnics to the tears of dealing honestly with racial injustice and reconciliation. But for me the moment that I will always remember will be Trevor, a white man from South Africa, singing a solo on Sunday morning in an African-American church. When he stood to sing Amazing Grace, I reflected on where Trevor had come from in the past year.

Less than a year ago, Trevor rejected his faith and turned to a life of partying, and looking only to relationships with women as a means of intimacy. He saw religion as a dead end, full of hypocrisy and judgment. When he arrived at the University of Oregon in the fall of '97, he was invited to join some folks in his dorm for a Bible study. This Bible study was not in a church but rather a student's room. It was unlike anything he had experienced in the church. Here were people that loved Jesus and loved him too. Through the course of the year, his eyes were opened to the good news. No longer was Christianity the stale religion of his parents. It was the grace of Jesus poured out in his life. To Trevor, grace is real, and it is amazing.

Stan Klassen, ISM Staff in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada: Our annual canoe camping in June proved to be just as successful as last year's. Fifteen international students from China, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Kuwait and 11 Canadians, including three highly dedicated, gifted IVCF students, had a most enjoyable time revelling in the great outdoors, getting to know each other like never before, and studying God's Word.