Region / Country: English- and Portuguese-speaking Africa

From Angola to China

Frederico was doing what he could. But he was 10,000km away from the Angolan students living in China. Frederico’s focus had always been on the universities in his own country. But he realised that there was a huge number of Angolans studying in China, and he wanted to do more to support them. Encouraging them through social media was better than nothing, but he longed to meet with them in person!

So with support from the IFES Breaking New Ground project, Frederico and another GBECA staff worker, Mariano, started planning a trip to visit a small group of Angolan students in China.

But it was not to be a straightforward journey…

by Sergey Pesterev on Unsplash

Unexpected hurdles

Frederico and Mariano missed their first flight because their visas hadn’t come through in time. On their second attempt, they had to first drive from Angola to Windhoek in Namibia to catch the flight. But their car broke down on the journey and had to be towed all the way — almost 600km — all through the night. They missed the flight again.

They returned to Angola, determined to try a third time. It would have been tempting to give up the dream, but Frederico reflected:

“There were many missionaries who gave their lives so that we could be saved by Christ. Even if God wants to save only one student using us, it would be worth going through all this.”

Their third attempt was successful, and soon they were face to face with the students, telling the story of their eventful journey to be there. The students were moved by the effort they’d gone to — and by the love of God for them. The group of around 30 students spent five days with Frederico and Mariano, looking at the Bible, praying and enjoying fellowship over meals. Some professed faith for the first time; for others it was a significant time of discipleship and growth. The group was encouraged to hear about the worldwide IFES fellowship and know that they are part of something much bigger.

by Nicole Honeywill on Unsplash

Investing in the future

Since that trip, the Angolan students have continued to meet together and the group has grown as they’ve drawn in others from the pool of 100 or so Angolan students on their campus. The students are hungry for good Bible teaching and are eager to learn how to tell their friends about Jesus. Frederico is still discipling them from afar and hopes to return to see them again soon.

Two of the student leaders reflected on the impact of the visit:

“It helped to strengthen us all. We experienced many amazing transformations in our walk with God — in our perspective of life here, purpose, relationships. Some have even seen God transform and restore family members back in Angola through our testimonies.

It is a particularly strategic group of students to be investing in. Several of them will return to key leadership positions in the church, in education and in Angolan society. Not only that, but there are more than 500,000 Chinese people living and working in Angola today. God-willing, these international students will return equipped and envisioned to reach out to them.

by Rohan Reddy on Unsplash

Respond

Are there students from your national movement studying overseas? Are they thriving spiritually, or just surviving? How could you encourage them this year?

The trip to visit these Angolan students in China was supported by the IFES Breaking New Ground project. This was one of 67 grants awarded in 2018 to help pioneer new groups in unreached campuses, cities and countries around the world. Read more stories from Breaking New Ground here.

Give today to help us support more projects like this to reach more students with the gospel.

IFES is now accepting applications for Round 5 of funding, which will close on Thursday 28 February. Email bng@ifesworld.org to apply or visit our website to find out more.

Open doors for planting on a new campus

It was an ambitious plan: to start a new student group on an unreached campus in one week, with a team consisting of just 13 LIFES Liberia students, staff and volunteers. But when they arrived on the campus, it was clear that the Lord had already prepared the way for them.

The dean of students enthusiastically allowed them on campus and they paired up to start asking students if they would be interested in joining a Christian group. Some professors even allowed them to make announcements in class.

Liz and Becky got chatting to student Emmanuel. Becky asked him: “What do you want God to do for you?” and he replied: “I want to be transformed. I want to be like you two – going around and talking with my friends about Jesus.” Within minutes Emmanuel was walking around with Liz and Becky, sharing the vision of LIFES and inviting his peers into this new fellowship.

The next day at the launch meeting, Emmanuel and another 100 students showed up! After an introduction to LIFES by the General Secretary, these 100 students broke into small groups and experienced an inductive Bible study led by students. On the third day, students like Emmanuel who had expressed interest in serving as leaders gathered for the first of many leadership trainings.

  • Praise God for the boldness of this movement in seeking to plant on new campuses, and for the open doors they found at the university.
  • Pray for Emmanuel and the other 100 students to stay committed to evangelism and discipleship, prayer and Bible study.
  • Pray for the LIFES staff members, travelling for hours between twelve campuses on bad roads. Pray for their safety, stamina and effectiveness in ministry.
  • Praise God for four new staff members who joined the LIFES team at the end of 2018. Pray for Moses, the General Secretary, as he leads the small team.

Thanks for praying with us!

Because we are all called to go

For students in TAFES Tanzania, Christmas this year will be one to remember. 1200 delegates from across the country will be spending it together at the bi-annual GO conference, looking at the book of Esther. The purpose of the conference is to help students and associates develop a missional mindset, and to consider how God has brought them to their campus or workplace “for such a time as this.” Esther 4:14 [NIV].

Two years ago, a law student John Msemo, attended the conference. What he heard there left a deep impression:

“I remember one of the seminars on Evangelism through your Profession. There were only about 30 of us in the room. The speaker encouraged us to make evangelism part of our daily routine – in the classroom, over breakfast, at our hostel. He told us that no-one was better placed than we were to reach our own friends. I left feeling responsible to tell my law friends about Jesus. Praise God, many law students did turn to Jesus and are still going strong today. The conference really changed my perspective on mission and evangelism.


Now I am a new staff member with TAFES, and I’m helping to organise the conference. My prayer is that students will be inspired like I was and equipped to reach out tirelessly in their workplaces and areas of study. We must not say we are too busy. There are no excuses, no exceptions. We are all called to go.”

  • Pray for safe travel, easy logistics, and a rich time of fellowship at the conference, 22-27 December.
  • Pray that as a result of this conference, TAFES students would grasp more deeply how precious the gospel is and would be excited to share it with their friends on campus.
  • Pray that they would be equipped to enter the workplace with a missional mindset. Pray that they’d have courage to work in a distinctive and godly way, whatever the cost.

Thanks for praying with us in 2018!

The pressures of family and finance

Kadie* was in a desperate situation. She was grieving the loss of her father who died in the floods that hit Sierra Leone last year. She was also facing the impossible task of suddenly having to pay for her own medical school fees. She just didn’t have the money. Kadie’s story reached the SLEFES Sierra Leone community, and they decided to help raise money to cover her tuition. That led to an opportunity to share the gospel with her. “How can I know this God?” she asked. Today Kadie follows Jesus and is a committed member of her student group.

Because Sierra Leone is a Muslim-majority country, life can be very difficult for students who start following Jesus. Another medical student, Mariatu, came to know Christ as well. Sadly, her parents won’t accept it. At the moment she is still dressing as a Muslim and has to meet up with Christians in secret.

Join us in praying for these students.

  • Praise God for His transforming work in Kadie and Mariatu’s lives.
  • Pray that Kadie would have the funds she needs to finish her medical education and pray for her family as they grieve the loss of her father.
  • Pray that God would soften the hearts of Mariatu’s parents and one day bring the whole family to know Him. Pray that Mariatu would have wisdom and courage in witnessing to them.
  • Pray that God would bless the ministry of SLEFES, bringing many more students from Muslim backgrounds to know Christ this year.

*Names changed

Thanks for praying with us!

A secret atheist comes to know Jesus

Student Larwuo was one of the LIFES Liberia evangelism team. Each week the group would go out on campus to meet people and try to tell them about Jesus. But Larwuo had a secret. She didn’t actually believe in the Jesus she was proclaiming. She only did it to please her father, who was a pastor.

One day she opened up to a staff-worker about her beliefs. For years she had been exposed to the gospel and had been involved in Christian activities, but below the surface it was a different story. She just didn’t believe it.

Over the following year however, Larwuo agreed to look into it again, with a genuine desire to know the truth. She read the Bible and continued to meet with staff. Slowly, it started to make sense. She became convinced of the reality of her sin, her need for God’s grace and committed her life to Christ.

Today Larwuo still goes out on campus to share the gospel with other students. She’s doing the same thing she used to do, but this time it’s different. Before she was pleasing people. Now it’s for Jesus.

Many students in Liberia call themselves Christians, but don’t have a firm faith in Jesus. Pray with us that many would move from nominal Christianity to a genuine faith in Christ over the coming year.

  • Pray for Larwuo and other Christian students as they seek to share their faith with others on campus. Pray that they would share it faithfully, clearly and boldly.
  • Pray for LIFES staff to have wisdom as they get alongside students and help them understand the foundational truths of the gospel.
  • Pray for financial resources to support four new members of staff.

Thanks for praying with us!

Learning to lead in a global world

Balancing time. Managing tensions. Making decisions. Keeping going.

Leadership is hard. Especially when it’s all new.

At IFES we believe in investing in our young leaders. We want them to be empowered to exercise their leaderships gifts with boldness, integrity and godliness. We want them to love and lead their teams well. We want them to have wisdom as they navigate the complexities of cross-cultural campus ministry in a fast-changing world.

That’s why the Global Leadership Initiative (GLI) exists. 26 March 2018 marked the end of the first GLI program. 18 young IFES leaders had been selected from each of the regions across the world to participate. The group met together three times over the course of 18 months. It has been a formative experience for all of them. One reflected:

“This has been a life-changing experience for me. I have grown so much not only as a leader but as a believer in Christ.”

Three of the participants shared what impact the GLI program had had on them and on their ministry.

Mary Olguin — Compa Mexico, Head of the national office & regional staff worker

I’ve always enjoyed working with IFES, but a few years ago I was ready to quit. I just felt that I had finished what I needed to do; and there were already new leaders who could take on my role. I wanted to do something new. But then I joined the GLI program. During our first meeting together we spent some time considering what our strengths were, what gifts God had given us. I realised that God has made me a pioneer; it’s what I love to do and what I’m good at doing. Maybe that’s why I often get the urge to move on and do something new! Soon after that an opportunity opened up for me to stay with IFES but to focus on pioneering within the national office. And I knew it was the right thing for me.

I also oversee some of the field staff of the movement. After learning about teamwork strategies at the GLI program, I met with my field staff in one city and shared with them what I’d learned. They were excited and decided to try out the new strategies together as a team.

So when they met six months ago they agreed on some changes. They agreed that they’d hold each other accountable. They agreed they’d make plans and help each other to keep to them; that they’d turn up on time. They agreed to give feedback to each other after every event. They agreed not to talk behind others’ backs but have those difficult conversations openly.

The change has been huge. Not just for team morale, but also for the students. The team being more committed has made the students more committed. The students know the events planned are going to happen; it will start on time and finish on time. That makes a difference.

Team relationships have improved significantly too. They used to struggle with the same issues many teams face: team members not pulling their weight; people turning up late; people feeling annoyed with each other but not saying anything; making plans that never materialise. One of them was so unhappy she wanted to leave the team.

They are a much healthier team now. They communicate; they support each other; they really enjoy working together. New staff want to join and old staff want to stay. They’ve realised how much they need each other if they are to do the best they can for God’s kingdom on campus.

Lawrence Gomez — FES Gambia, General Secretary

At the start of this year, I became the General Secretary for FES. GLI has been hugely formative for me as a leader. Taking the time to work out what my gifts are and what they’re not was such a helpful exercise, and one that I’ve brought back to the office. We’ve since moved people around a bit so that they’re in roles where they can play to their strengths. Discovering your strengths at an early stage of life saves you from a life of mediocrity.

GLI has helped me to be a better leader. In the past if someone wasn’t doing their assignment, I would just do it. But now I try to encourage and empower them to do it. We check in every day. How’s that project going? What’s holding you back? How can we help?

If you do it alone you might do it fast; but if you do it together you will go far.

Christian Pichler — ÖSM Austria, General Secretary

As a new General Secretary, one of the big challenges is discerning priorities. There are many good things to do, but which one is the best? Which one should you start with? It really needs wisdom and patience to lead a national movement in the right direction, one step at a time.

And that’s particularly true given that we live in such a global world. The teams we lead are often cross-cultural; the students we try to reach are both local and international. We need to deal with global issues. We need to learn to be leaders in a global context.

That’s why GLI is such a strategic and unique program: the participants are from all over the world, from different cultures and backgrounds. We all do leadership differently.

Learning in community with the other young IFES leaders really was the highlight for me. I learned so much just through conversations with them over coffee or lunch. Hearing about the challenges they face and the way they address those challenges made me reconsider my approach to leadership in my own cultural context.

GLI helped me to have a global vision. That’s so important for leaders today.

Protesting university fees – taking a Christian stand

Students prevented from attending university because they cannot afford the fees? We know this a reality all over the world.

Over the past year, there have been protests about university fees in South Africa under the banner of #FeesMustFall. In the past two months, the unrest became violent in some places. 

But the protests are not simply a matter of university fees, Zuko Gabela, General Secretary of SCO, pointed out to me. ‘South Africa has the world’s greatest inequality of income levels, as measured by the well-known Gini Coefficient.

‘Our poverty has colour. Education is a tool that could bring about the self-worth, dignity and self-reliance of the indigenous African people. Unfortunately, higher education is currently very expensive and is accessible only to a select few – hence the series of protests.’

Zuko decries the fact, however, that ‘reckless action from the student community has muddied the clean noble cause, and unfortunate incidences of arson and destruction of property have been exacerbated by the heavy hand of police and security forces.’

SCO is standing firm against the violence. SCO staff worker Motseki Sosibo and some SCO associates have stood in the gap on campuses as Peace and Justice Witnesses, under the banner of South African Christian Leadership Initiative. Having observers present has played a significant role in de-escalating the violence and some are serving as mediators, engaging with both students and university management.

Sibabalo Mtonga, a second year law student at University of Western Cape and member of SCO had this to say: ‘In the past, Christians were regarded as always isolating themselves from such initiatives and I am proud to state that such narratives and stereotypes are being dismantled.

‘People now appreciate the role of Christians. SCO members are shaping a way forward and contributing positively towards the success of the current movement. There is normally a bad habit of Christians remaining invisible. We are glad this has not been the case with SCO. We are proud and unapologetic about being Christians.’

Motseki adds, ‘It is a clear aim of SCO to be actively involved in issues facing students in their respective institutions. We believe that change comes with prayer and unity, so please pray for us as we seek to serve Christ by being relevant to student communities at different universities.’

Emma Brewster, former staff with SCO, has stood alongside Motseki and others in recent days, and stands with him now in asking the IFES family to come alongside them in prayer. ‘In recent months, many students and academics have gone through traumatic times. They need counsel, spaces to be heard and healing. Pray too for the Christian students, that they will be salt and light. Pray for the many prodigals we have met, that they would come back to the Father, and pray for non-Christians who have been touched by the Christian witness on campus that has led to many conversations. 

And of course, in the words of Zuko, ‘pray for the peaceful roll out of inclusive, accessible, quality education.’