| Q: New to International Student Ministry? I have never dealt with an international student. What is it like? A: While it is hard to generalize, international students as a rule are curious about Americans, lonely, and eager to make an American friend. It is truly a heart-warming adventure to befriend one. You will learn much about your friend's country and God will usually provide open doorways to discuss all aspects of life, including matters of faith. ISI's publication, The World At Your Door is a good resource for understanding international student ministry. You can order it from our online "Resources" page or by calling (800) 474-4147, ext. 111. Q: Can families do this? We have a family. How do international students take to families? A: Usually, international students love families. Our exit surveys of our students reveal being in an American home as one of the most important objectives they have--next to getting an American education. Incredibly, few international students ever set foot into the home of an American family. Q: What about raising personal support? We will need to consider raising support for some or all of our income. What is this really like, and how does ISI help prepare a candidate to do this? A: ISI has one of the best support development schools there is, as part of our New Staff Orientation (NSO). You will leave this one week program with a specific support raising plan and a coach to see you through the support discovery process. But perhaps more important, at this stage, is getting comfortable with the concept. ISI has two suggested tools for staff candidates to get closer to this quite common and Biblical method of ministry compensation: 1) an excellent book, entitled Friend Raising, which can be ordered by calling ISI at 1-800-ISI-TEAM ext. 111, and 2) another is a book you can order from Amazon.com entitled, Funding Your Ministry, by Scott Morton. Q: What about my own skills and giftings? I would like to look further at how my own skills and gifts can be used with ISI. How would I do this? A: The quickest way is to look at our Field Team Ministry Positions home page. Each field staff position comes with a complete Job Description and Job Profile. The Profiles are written with this very question in mind. In each one you will see a list of questions that get at the heart of each staff position we have in terms of what tendencies and gifts are most utilized in each position. And finally, call us! We love talking with serious seekers of God’s direction in ministry. You can reach the Recruitment department by calling toll-free at 1-800-474-8625. | 
