What is your ministry?
As an international student worker, I support local churches and Christian Unions (in Glasgow) in reaching out to international students by running both regular and one-off events where they can befriend foreigners, provide hospitality, and give them opportunity to hear and to respond to the Gospel. This year I am also a part of the World Alive International Track planning team spring conference where international students can connect with Christians from their home countries, hear the gospel, and think about challenges they might face back home. Lastly, I also give talks at Christian Union events to equip students in their walk with Christ.
When did you trust Christ?
I believed in God from early childhood and grew up in a Christian environment where people believed in what had been passed on to them by previous generations. At the age of 15, I started reading the Bible more closely and thinking more about what exactly I believed about God. God made me see that I was saved in Jesus and I that I didn't have to try to earn his favor. I got baptized when I was 19.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
Being a part of a community of authentic Christians who I can learn from, share my life and experience with, and be accountable to. I have also grown through studying the Bible, attending seminars, and leading small groups and seminars.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
I want to meet people involved in various ministry fields from all different places in Europe, to learn about the contexts and challenges they are facing in the countries they serve in, as well as hearing about the ways they are dealing with them. I hope for us to share our experiences, resources and see if there is any potential for future cooperation.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
I was the coordinator of Christian summer kids camps for four years. I facilitated a small group at church in 2017. I was a student leader of IFES international group in Vienna, Austria for a year. I was the Bible study coordinator at Friends International Edinburgh International Outreach in 2018. In 2019 I was the junior outreach leader at FI Cambridge International Outreach. Since 2019 I have been working with Friends International.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
One of my responsibilities is to train church and team leaders and volunteers to reach out to international students in the UK. It is helpful to meet with other Christians to learn how they think, learn, teach, and learn and serve. I also connect with international students (Christians and non-Christians) individually and help them see the relevance of the Gospel in their own home cultural background and try to prepare them to return home to be ambassadors for Christ there. It would be highly beneficial for me to learn about the challenges evangelical Christians face across Europe (and beyond). Likewise, I am a board member of the Czech IFES movement. Through the governance role, I'm a part of a team that oversees the goals and directions of the movement, ELF would help me to support the national movement better. Equipping and supporting workers involved in local and global missions, such as myself, is one of the ways how to respond to the Great Commission (Mt 28). It plays a crucial role in advancing the Gospel in Europe and beyond.
