I love to play music – I started playing the guitar before I was 10. Even today, I enjoy sharing this passion, pulling out the guitar at home or playing with friends at my local church.

I’ve learned, over the years, that one of the best ways to connect with international students is to simply invite them along to something you’re already doing. Whether that’s playing music, attending a concert, hiking in the Rockies, visiting a Sugar Shack in Quebec, cheering on the local hockey team, looking for treasures at the local thrift store or hosting a games night in your basement, so many students are absolutely thrilled to be invited into the lives of Canadian friends.

And better yet, this is ministry. Not a project, but a friendship. As students hang out with you, they learn to trust you. They become curious about how you see and experience the world. They may even become curious about the faith that means so much in your life.

This was the case with an Iranian student in Guelph. 

A couple of years ago, a Canadian family hosted a few students for a Thanksgiving dinner. They connected well, and the family “adopted” him and his friends, inviting them regularly for food and fun. They celebrated his birthday with cake and candles, attended a musical performance together, and they even took him camping one weekend in their trailer. 

Touched by their kindness, he became curious. So he joined an Alpha group on campus to learn more about Christianity. Over the course of a year, he participated in a Chosen watch-party and discussion group, weekly dinners at a local church, and then another Alpha group. He spent last summer exploring faith and the person of Jesus, while also enjoying friendship and fun social activities. Last month at Alpha, he once again heard the reason for the cross, and this time, he said, it just clicked. He decided to become a Jesus-follower. 

It all started with an invitation for a simple meal. It was nurtured through friendship and doing life together. And it impacted eternity.

So, can I challenge you to invite an international student along to something that you’re already doing? Who knows where it might lead?

With Blessings,

Cam Janzen
ISMC President & CEO

P.S.  If you need some help getting connected up, you can check out Friends for Dinner; they’re looking for families in various cities across Canada to host international students for Easter Dinner next month. 

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