Resources for Students

IFI Peoria is entering a new season…the founders are stepping back while new leaders are stepping forward. A ministry that was built on showing up to soccer games, dinner tables, and the margins of campus life is being prepared not just to survive the transition, but to grow through it.

IFI Peoria was founded by Jim and Paula Hanes, who had just returned from serving overseas in the fall of 2016, moving back to a city they already knew and their alma mater, Illinois Central College (ICC), just five minutes from their front door.

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Ruby* remembers the moment her plane touched down at Chicago O’Hare back in August of 2025. The cabin filled with applause, something she hadn’t known people did.

“It was as if they were clapping for me,” Ruby said. “It was so special.”

The welcome felt like a sign. What followed was harder.

Navigating the huge airport alone was a struggle; she got stuck in an elevator, spent the night at the terminal, and arrived on campus still without a US bank account. The challenges kept coming– unfamiliar technology, difficulty finding halal** food, and a roommate who was rarely around.

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Summer* had dreamed of living in the US since she was 14 years old. After years of watching American YouTubers and feeling a quiet connection with the culture, she finally arrived in January 2024 to pursue her master’s degree at Kent State.

It wasn’t her first time in the country, as she had previously taken some trips to the West Coast that had left her charmed: the greenery, the friendly strangers, the generous portion sizes…

But moving here was different.

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Beatrice* was born and raised in South Asia, and from a young age, she carried a question: Which God is for me?

Determined to find answers, she asked friends and family and even created a plan to follow a different god each month. After years of searching without any results, she gave up and began calling herself an atheist.

“Faith had always felt like a strict set of rules,” Beatrice confessed. “It never felt like something real or from the heart.”

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In the fall of 2024, Fiorella arrived in Columbus from Peru, stepping into a brand-new chapter of life at OSU.

Just one day after landing, she stopped by an IFI table on campus, where she was warmly welcomed by students and staff from Latin America. It didn’t take long for her to find her place, building friendships, attending gatherings, and eventually joining a weekly Bible discussion led by Bob, Karen, and Fabi, IFI Columbus staff.

One Friday during a Bible discussion, Fiorella asked a simple but profound question:

“How can I make sure I have Jesus in my life?”

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Coby* almost didn’t come to the United States.

When a college recruiter from America showed up in South Asia during his undergrad, Coby assumed it was a scam. But his mom believed before he did; she bought all his winter gear before he was even accepted. That kind of faith runs in the family.

Coby arrived in Chicago in August 2025 to pursue his master’s degree. The pressure was real: student loans, a job left behind, and a mom whose dreams were riding alongside his own.

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For over 15 years, IFI Cleveland has been waiting at the door when international college students step off the plane, often disoriented, jet-lagged, and without so much as a meal plan or a city bus pass. That initial welcome has quietly become the heartbeat of everything the ministry does.

DJ Bradley, IFI staff member who joined the team in 2021, has watched that evolution up close. The first point of contact is simple yet effective: a welcome dinner and driving them to Walmart. It sounds small, but ask the students– it’s the kind of thing that earns trust in ways a flyer or a campus event never could.

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Lea is a second-year student at Corban University studying intercultural education. She is originally from Washington State, grew up in a military family, and has already lived more cross-culturally than most people twice her age: a gap year in Papua New Guinea, coasts crossed, cultures navigated.

When Dawnita, IFI Salem leader, came to speak at one of her classes about IFI, it felt like a natural next step.

But natural didn’t mean easy.

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Have you felt stuck in your ministry to international students due to the lack of resources and/or ideas? Our friend and IFI staff member in Muskingum, Katie Pozzuoli, shared this fun article with us to help our trusty volunteer community. Continue reading for some inspiration!

At Muskingum University, the bread and butter of our ministry to international students is our Friendship Family program (many of our IFI locations use the term “Conversation Partner”). We are a small school, and connecting every interested student with a local family is the key to fulfilling IFI’s mission “to extend life-changing hospitality and friendship to international students out of reverence for Jesus.”

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When Simon* moved from South Asia to the U.S. in the summer of 2022, he expected academic challenges. What he didn’t expect was how much living in a cross-cultural community would shape him.

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Lately, IFI staff, volunteers, and even students have been getting more questions about student visas— especially as policies and costs continue to change. For many internationals, navigating the U.S. immigration system is one of the most stressful parts of studying abroad. Understanding what they go through can help us be more compassionate, better-informed friends.

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When Nat arrived in Ohio from Thailand as an international student, he held excitement and nerves in both hands. Like many students new to the U.S., he wondered how he would adjust to life in a new country...

Priscilla* arrived in Cleveland from South Asia in August of 2024 to begin her master’s degree in Information Systems. While she had traveled internationally before, this move felt different...

In her final days in the U.S., international student Janet*, originally from a closed country, joined IFI staff members in the fall of 2025 to watch a showing of The Chosen: The Last Supper. But her questions about faith had actually begun long before that night...

When Soledad left Bolivia for the United States, she thought she was coming simply for her education. Instead, she found herself on a journey of faith and transformation that would change her life forever...

In the fall of 2024, Aiden* arrived in the United States from South Asia to pursue a master’s degree in computer science. Having visited the U.S. before as a tourist, he thought he knew what to expect. But this time was different. Life as an international student meant new responsibilities, new rhythms, and a need for a new community...

In 2022, Lily* came to a university in the Midwest as an exchange student. She was excited about the opportunity but also nervous; she had never been so far from home, and she didn’t know what to expect. The first months were filled with culture shock, academic stress, and the ache of being away from family...

For many students, this season raises a lot of questions: “Is it a religious holiday?” “Should Christians take part in it?” As IFI volunteers and partners, this season gives us a unique opportunity to connect, educate, and model a Christ-centered perspective on culture...

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IFI began in the United States, but its mission and vision have never been bound by geography. As IFI expands beyond the U.S., it remains the same: to welcome international students, befriend them, and show them God’s love. Lindsey, serving in Daejeon, is living out that vision as the leader of IFI’s very first location in South Korea...

You may have heard the saying, “God doesn’t call the equipped— he equips the called.” What does this mean? It means that no matter how equipped someone might feel, God calls his people, ordinary as they may be, to faithfully serve and lead in extraordinary ways– just as He did with Paul*, an IFI volunteer who found his purpose working with international students...

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When Thomas* arrived in South Korea in August of 2023 from West Asia, the country felt like a complete mystery. 

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Sara moved from Indonesia to Oregon in the fall of 2022, blessed to receive a government scholarship to pursue her bachelor’s. She was excited to live her American dreams, and did once she landed in the San Francisco and later Portland airports. 

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When Zac arrived in the U.S. in 2022 to pursue a marketing degree, he was immediately overwhelmed. Coming from England, he was struck by how vast everything seemed and how far apart places were. 

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It all started when Henri and his wife Marguerite heard about IFI through connections at their congregation in Columbus. “This couple was picking up people from around the world,” Henri said. “We got interested because we thought what a good thing for our kids to be exposed to the nations like that!” 

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It can be scary to establish an IFI location from scratch. “Where does one even begin?” 

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Johnny left his home in Asia in 2022 to pursue his master’s in electrical engineering at the University of Dayton. It was his first time flying by himself and his first time going to the US; he was nervous but eager. 

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Reading the news these days, you might wonder how current US government policies affect IFI.

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As members of the modern world, an abundance of needs and service opportunities are constantly pulling at our attention. Help here! Give there! Join this or that cause! In this cloud of requests, why choose International Friendships? What sets us apart?

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Kakeru’s journey from Japan to the U.S. began in August of 2023, as he’d decided on a study abroad program in Oregon. His dream of living in the States trumped his anxiety; but when the realities of moving sank in, Kakeru’s confidence quickly faded. 

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In 2024, Trazzy, originally from Kenya, moved from her university in Turkey to attend Purdue. As she tried settling in, she was quickly faced with challenges. 

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Amy* arrived in Florida from Asia in August of 2023. Although familiar with the culture in the U.S., as she’d done one year of undergrad in Michigan, she still experienced loneliness. 

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In 2022, Gabriel* moved from South Asia to Peoria, Illinois. He came in January, the deep winter of the Midwest.

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Daniel* arrived in Tempe, Arizona in 2023 from East Asia. He was there to pursue a master’s degree, excited to make his dreams come true. 

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In 2023, Erica* arrived in Columbus from Spain to pursue her doctorate in Hispanic Linguistics. However, she felt extremely homesick upon arriving and was on the fence about accepting her scholarship offer at OSU because of it.

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Not all superheroes wear capes, so the saying goes.

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In 2022, Jade* moved from Asia to the States for her master’s degree. She’d always been curious to travel and see the world, so when she got the opportunity to study in the US, she was thrilled. 

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David* left his home in Central Asia to pursue his PhD in 2023. It was his first time in the US and he was excited to start his program.

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This article is by one of our IFI students, Amita* from South Asia. Read how an IFI volunteer, Ms. Jenny, made all the difference to Amita’s journey to the US.

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About 30 international students gathered at the Car Care Workshop hosted by Hope Church and IFI Cincy. This wasn’t your typical IFI life group or sharing a meal… but teaching and helping students to change a tire and all things car-related. 

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Seven years ago, Rich Mendola, IFI’s Global Ambassador, presented about IFI at Gull Lake Ministries in Michigan. Ellen and Randy, now IFI Grand Rapids leaders, just so happened to be in attendance. Their hearts were moved as Rich spoke, and by the end of the week, they knew where God was calling them.

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