Here we have a further update from one of our centres throughout the UK and Ireland, where we have been encouraged by this recent news story from Durham. Centre Team Leader Matthew shares a wonderful example of a student who found community with them:

One of the partners with Friends International in Durham happened to be at the airport on the same day as Erick, a postgraduate student from Tanzania, and they crossed paths just after he had touched down on his first day in the UK.

Technology brings many benefits to international students but on this crucial first day in a new country, Google Maps couldn’t locate the right train, so our supporter showed him the way to go.

Having found the train, they got chatting and Erick was put in touch with us.

We were able to meet for breakfast where Erick shared how he was planning to look for a church in the UK. We listened as he shared about his experience of church back home and then helped him prepare for worship in a new language and a new culture. He has very much appreciated making friends with local believers.

A couple of weeks into life in the UK and it was also his birthday. We arranged a dinner and the church sang happy birthday to him and made him a birthday cake. We have also been able to give him an English Bible to help him participate in Bible studies, though our attempts to learn a few Bible terms in his own language have not proven as successful as we had hoped! We are thankful to God for arranging this encounter and the opportunity to meet Erick.

Please pray that he will continue to be a part of our FI community and that he grows in his faith whilst in the UK…