Two students from Kazakhstan have lived with families in Dalton while interning at a local bank and accounting firm. "The experience has been terrific for some of our people who are reaching far out of their comfort zone to share Christ's love and we've found that many families who've never been involved in missions are now doing various things with these two women," Perry said. "Another benefit I've noticed is we've deepened our relationships within the church as we've collaboratively worked to provide the very best internship experiences for these students."

Tom and Sally Perry hosted Anna in their home for the exchange period and have heard first-hand her impressions of an American church. "Last night, over a cup of tea, we spent two hours talking with Anna about her thoughts since she's been in America and what she's learned. It's been very easy this summer to experience the joys of kitchen-table evangelism with Anna."

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Fellowship Bible Church has long been a missions-minded church with at least ten percent of its budget devoted to missions. There have been short-term mission trips to countries where supported missionaries serve, such as the Dominican Republic and Burkina Faso. Additionally, missionaries often speak during the annual Missions Conference. "Currently Fellowship Bible supports 15 full-time missionaries," Perry said. "After Hurricane Katrina our church also sent teams to Louisiana to assist churches there with home reconstruction projects. This is the first year we've experienced the reverse missions trip idea, but we've discovered the church has gotten a greater bang for our missions buck. Instead of sending only a handful of people on a short-term mission trip, a larger portion of the church has had a cross-cultural experience."

"The world is at our doorstep! A half million of the brightest international students from 210 countries come to the United States to study.  Most of them live in the 10/40 Window which is made up of unreached people groups, often with restricted access and from closed countries," according to InterVarsity's International Student Ministry. You'll never know if that international college student behind the bakery counter in your town needs to experience first-hand the power of a simple invitation home to meet your Jesus.

Sidebar:

Want to minister to International Students? Contact:

E2ES to ask about the Summer Immersion Program. Tom Goetsch (425) 260-1415 E-mail: tgoetsch@gmail.com