Among the stories of international students impacting the world through Jesus Christ, I share that of Wing (name changed), a Ph.D. student from China who attended the FOCUS Club at the University of British Columbia.

Wing recalls, “I heard a voice inside saying ‘Why don’t you become a Christian?’ Until then, a different question was there: ‘Why should I become a Christian?’ I knew this was God speaking.”

Wing’s face beamed as she told us how she gave her life to Christ. Soon after, in the cold December waters of Vancouver’s English Bay, she was baptized.

When I met her in Beijing a few months later, Wing shared how God answered our prayers for the defense of her thesis on feminism. Before coming to Vancouver and joining the FOCUS Club, she had been frustrated by her inability to complete a crucial chapter of her dissertation. It was on the nature of men and women and how this contributes to a proper view of the potential and dignity of women. However, once Wing became a Christian and read Genesis 2 and 3, she was able to finalize the writing, using the creation story. Wing knew she was taking a huge risk in using the Bible as support, but God honored her faith and courage with a successful defense.

Wing’s dream had been to teach in a large university where she could inspire the next generation, particularly young women, to become all they hoped to be. In China, the competition for such jobs is fierce. Once again, we rejoiced together as God answered our prayers—Wing is teaching and reaching hundreds of students at a prestigious university. As a Christian, she is living out her dream and impacting the world—not for herself and not for her university or family, but for Jesus Christ!

Wing’s story is one of many about international students coming to the Lord in Canada before returning home, carrying the light of Christ to shine into the lives of many.

John Cuddeford

Campus Director

University of British Columbia, Vancouver