EMMANUEL AFONSO
“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods…Worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth. Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”...” Psalms 96:1-4,9-10
In the beginning of my ‘Reach’ programme with Friends International, all of the trainees were given a wooden baton with verse 3 of Psalms 96 “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous deeds among all peoples.” It is this that I believe is at the heart of the work that Friends International does all across the UK, from Bournemouth to Belfast. In building friendship, sharing faith, and displaying Christ’s love in practical and meaningful ways to international students who come to the UK from both near and far.
Reach is a year-long voluntary graduate programme centred on cross-cultural discipleship and ministry training. I have had the blessing of being able to engage with students here in Bournemouth from all over the world who attend the local Universities and Language schools through international cafes, trips, bible studies or simply over a cup of coffee. Studying Christian literature and attending training programmes has also allowed me to grow personally and better understand the Bible and how to share the gospel cross-culturally.
The three nations that send the most international students to the UK are China, India, and Nigeria. According to the Open Doors World Watch List for 2024, these three nations rank among the top 20 in the world where Christians face the most extreme forms of persecution on the basis of their faith. For many of us the prospect of travelling to these countries would prove difficult and yet here, on our shores, year after year they come, and attend our universities, live in our communities, and discover the wonder that is the British weather.
How amazing would it be if amongst all their new experiences, international students could also come to know the love and grace found in the Lord Jesus - and then return home with hearts full of good news to share. The wooden baton I mentioned earlier also had the names of previous Reach trainees engraved onto it. It was a reminder that the collective work and efforts of those who had gone before us had allowed us to continue the good work to “Declare his glory among the nations”. This call isn’t just for Reach trainees but for all who know the Lord, and would seek to make him known.
If you would like to find out more about the work of Friends International please do speak to myself, or have a look at the Friends International website (https://www.friendsinternational.uk/) on it you can also access resources which you may find useful as you seek to engage with International students.