God is at Work

In most colleges and universities across Canada, May marks the end of exams and the beginning of summer, making it a perfect time to look back over the school year and celebrate what God has done in the lives of the international students we serve. 

And make no mistake: God is at work. When we meet students where they’re at, relationships form. And when relationships form, we have the privilege of speaking God’s love into the lives of students and helping them navigate important questions about life and faith.

As Emi from Uganda put it: “I have no one else here who talks to me about these things and asks the important questions that you do.”

Thank you for helping us ask these important questions. Thank you for praying, thank you for giving to the work of ISMC, thank you for impacting international students in your own circles of influence and on campuses throughout the country. Thank you for empowering international students to impact their world through Jesus Christ!

May these glimpses of ISMC encourage and inspire you as you see the many ways God has been at work during the 2025/26 school year.

In exactly a month, ISMC staff from Victoria to Halifax will be gathering in Kelowna, BC for a chance to connect, share ideas, learn together and pray together. Will you pray for us as we do?

So often, ISMC staff are spread out over multiple campuses, reaching out to the international students in their own cities. While technology makes it possible to gather online, there’s still nothing like meeting face-to-face. That’s why every two years, we prioritize coming together as a team to build those very personal connections.

It’s also a chance to invest in the development of ISMC staff. We’ll have a former international student (now a board member with years of mission experience) share with us about evangelism in a cultural context. A local speaker sharing about building healthy relationships, both among staff members and between staff and students. Some partner organizations sharing about opportunities for connection, collaboration and outreach. Great things that will help us serve students better in our local contexts.

And of course, it’s a time to pray. For each other, for the students we love and serve, for God to send more workers into the harvest field, and for the seeds that we are planting to bear fruit.

So, as we finalize all the details, as our speakers are refining their content, and as our staff are making their travel arrangements, please pray. And please especially pray from May 20-24th, that our time together will draw us closer to God and each other, and equip us to serve students well.

Would you help us subsidize the costs to allow as many staff members as possible to attend? You can make a donation to the National Ministry Fund or donate directly to your local City Ministry or the ministry costs of your local staff at ismc.ca/donate 

Thank you for your heart for international students, and those who serve them.

When’s the last time you had a conversation about crucifixion and resurrection?

As we approach Easter, we’re excited to have opportunities to share about the crux of the Christian message.

Erica from the ISMC City Team in London, ON, tells this story from last Easter:

In the coming weeks, we’ll see many of these opportunities.

In Kamloops, BC, students attending Focus Club have been having deep discussions based on the book of Luke. Next week, they’ll be discussing the crucifixion and resurrection.

In Hamilton, ON, ISMC staff and volunteers will be inviting students they’ve been building relationships with to join them at Easter-themed concerts, Good Friday and Easter services.

Saskatoon, SK, is just one of the cities where Christians will be inviting international students to join them for an Easter Dinner, opening up opportunities to share about the true meaning of Easter.

Please pray with us that students will be amazed and want to know more about this Jesus who died and rose again in order to rescue them. And that they will truly come to know the story of Easter.

(There are several cities still looking for individuals and families to open their homes to International Students for Easter Dinner. Interested? You can find more details at friendsfordinner.ca)

 

There’s been so much upheaval and unrest in our world recently, and when you have international student friends, so often, every international news story brings to mind a name and a face. When I read about the uprisings in Iran, I see our Iranian students, anxious for the safety of their loved ones, especially while communications are disrupted and they’re far from home. When I read about currency devaluation in various countries in Africa, I see a Nigerian student struggling to pay his tuition fees while the Naira crashes. When I read about changes in immigration policy in our own country, I see friends who are recent graduates trying to navigate a system where they’re no longer confident that they can find the job they need to fulfil their dream of staying in Canada. My heart hurts for international students affected by local and global events. So what can we do? We can bring community together around these students. Sometimes that means being a compassionate listener and a source of comfort and hope. Sometimes that means helping students access practical assistance. Sometimes that means being a mentor or a friend. And we can pray. We’re reminded again and again how much international students—even those who are not believers—find comfort in the prayers of God’s people. Will you pray with us? Each week, ISMC sends out a text message reminding us to lift the needs of international students to our Heavenly Father. With specific requests, and the context to let you know how world events—and daily life—are affecting our international student friends, the Uplift Prayer Guide equips us to pray well. You’ll find the sign up link at ismc.ca/pray. Thank you for walking alongside international students in prayer—you’re walking with them from desperation to celebration. We look forward to sharing stories of celebration with you throughout the coming year. In Him, Cam Janzen President & CEO

 

Dear ISMC Staff, Volunteers, Students and Supporters,

It has been a long hard year living with Covid-19 and being separated physically from you and my extended family outside of Canada. For my family in Vancouver, the stress of this pandemic has been exacerbated with the exponential rise of anti-Asian violence in communities around Canada and the US. It is extremely upsetting that most of these attacks—name calling, spitting, punching, head slamming—have targeted children, women and the elderly of Asian descent.

In the midst of all these attacks, eight peoples’ lives were taken, including six Asian women, in a shooting in Atlanta. This crime was perpetrated by a young man who blamed these women as the source of his temptation for his sexual addiction. Hearing that his crimes were in no way racially motivated made my fellow Asian-American, Asian-Canadian, and other Asian brothers and sisters feel that our experiences and our pain are not heard and do not matter, as if we are invisible.

However, to God, all of us matter. In Scripture, we are told that every one of us is made in the image and likeness of our God (Genesis 1:26-27). In the gospels, we are shown over and over again that Jesus sees the men and women who are in pain and suffering. When Hagar ran away, the angel of the Lord met her and she said of him, “You are the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13).

To my fellow Asian-Canadian and Asian brothers and sisters living across the country, God sees us and He hears us. We are not invisible. To my fellow Canadians of all other backgrounds, and internationals living across the country who have been affected by any form of racism, God sees you and hears you too. You are not invisible, either.

At this time, I invite you to come together and surround our Asian-Canadian and Asian brothers and sisters in our communities by:

1. Listening to our stories and withholding judgement
2. Being a part of the solution by denouncing anti-Asian racism in your areas of influence
3. Reaching out and asking if there is a way you can serve and support them so that they can feel safe getting groceries or going for walks.

As we remember and celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection, let’s remember that Jesus chose to take on a particular flesh and embodied interdependence across ethnic and social lines as He walked the earth. May the redemptive power of the gospel be displayed as we come together as one body to pursue justice and reconciliation, so that everyone may know Jesus by our love for one another (John 13:35)*.

Yours humbly,
Jillian Chong
VP, National Field
(With the support of the National Leadership Community of ISMC)

*A summary of the Statement on Anti-Asian Racism in the Time of Covid-19 by the Asian American Christian Collaborative.

The financial audit of our July, 2019, through June, 2020, fiscal year is complete. Although our income is down a little from last year, likely due to the COVID-19 economic downturn, we are grateful to report a small surplus. This is mainly because COVID-19 reduced our costs by preventing our staff from holding large group functions such as hospitality events and face-to-face Bible studies during the second half of the year. Those restrictions also limited travel by national leaders to support staff across the country. Many meetings with students and internal staff are done with Zoom.

We are grateful for the surplus this year. This is important for our National Ministries Fund, which in recent years had very little cushion to carry us through the summer when donations typically decrease.

Our funding comes primarily from donations of faithful supporters like you.

We aim to keep our fundraising and management costs at reasonable levels so the majority of your donations goes into ministry programs.

Thank you for your financial support of our mission to “empower international students to impact the world through Jesus Christ!”

To receive a full copy of our audited financial statement, please email keith.boody@ismc.ca and the auditor’s report will be emailed to you.

As my first mission trip and first trip to Africa, it has been an eye-opening experience (culturally and spiritually! During the 10 days in Accra, Ghana, we:

• visited several support partners (many faithful brothers and sisters in Ghana are supporting our ministry in Canada! Amazing, isn’it?);
• shared our experience with the ISM leaders at the Legon Interdenominational Church, a church based on the University of Ghana, and equipped them in building an international students ministry locally (I had the opportunity to present the friendship and hospitality program Friends for Dinner);
• attended a service at the Legon Interdenominational Church (Ghanaian style worship was powerful!);
• met many international students and had a gathering with returnees who studied in Canada in the 70’s, 80’s & 90’s (and they are now impacting the world for Jesus Christ!);
• watched the rehearsal of a play directed by a brother who used performance arts to address social issues with a Christ-centered message (I learned a lot about the culture in Ghana, and am specially impressed by their creativity in mission works);
• visited the Wesley Methodist Church and learned about the inspiring life journey of the missionaries who sacrifice their own lives in order to sow the seed of the Gospel in West Africa. Today, the church becomes a vibrant local church (praying that the seeds they sacrificially sowed will continue to multiply and bear fruits).
• had several powerful prayer times;
• studied the book Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership (as part of the quarterly National team retreat);
• visited the University of Ghana and met with the Dean to discuss opportunities to work together to connect international students to Christian communities.
• gave a presentation about ISMC at ITCONSORTIUM, a Christian IT company who is supporting our mission (very encouraging to see Kingdom-minded business people);
• and finally, we celebrated the 40th birthday of our dear President Yaw (a mentor and brother who greatly impacted me)!

I am very thankful to be part of this fruitful and insightful trip. Please join me to pray for God’s continuous guidance and open doors for ISM in Ghana and in Canada!