KAMAU UCCF ANTIGUA I am a staff worker with UCCF Antigua in the Caribbean. My country is very religious. I love the fact that my student group is very vibrant and there is a lot of love and fellowship in my group. Being bold with our faith is one of the challenges on our campus. Pray for boldness and that we break through the religious mind sets on campus. - Kamau 1
ANASTAZIA IS/IVCF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO In the University context, students of faith are considered to have an unintelligent worldview. They have encountered situations where some faculty staff during classes would ridicule the concept of God. Time management and maintaining emotional health is also a struggle among secondary and tertiary students. During exam periods there are sometimes reports of students becoming depressed and even committing suicide. I would like to thank God for the students who are responding to the call of full-time ministry and international missions from our national student movement. We have witnessed recent graduates joining our staff team, starting new mission organisations and participating in short and long-term missionary service overseas. Please pray that Christian students will overcome their personal and academic struggles and be a light to encourage their peers. Pray that those whom God is calling to full-time ministry service and career missions will be willing to serve. Pray that all students will find their purpose in life. - Anastazia 2
SANTINA PERKANTAS INDONESIA STUDENT GROUP Majority in my country is Muslims. They think Christianity is their haters. Some places do not allow Churches do usual activity. I like how our group share together, help each other and group up in Christ and catch up newcomers and build new groups. A challenge facing us is that there is a new community to break "Pancasila" as nation unity. They are from Muslim community and now they are fighting for that. Pray for us, and for our campus group committee. - Santina 3
MANGARA #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd POLITEKNIK NEGERI MEDAN PERKANTAS INDONESIA STUDENT GROUP God has blessed our campus for 35 years, and blessed all the components that exist today, and what I hope is amid bad religious conditions in our country, hopefully our campus becomes a neutral campus and God's children are increasingly a witness to the continuing existence of Indonesia as a plural country. We have found it difficult to obtain a place of worship that our campus alliance did once in two weeks. Please pray for our group and for our country. - Mangara 4
ABDI IVCF KABACAN CHAPTER IVCF PHILIPPINES STUDENT GROUP Praise the Lord that He is rebuilding and reviving our chapter and as this is happening, He is leading us to reach out and minister a specific people group. A challenge in our context is that student leaders are prone to neglect the full obedience of the Great Commission starting from Go up to teaching obedience. Please pray that we will really be authentic bearers of the truth and disciple makers. Please also pray for opportunities and boldness as we minister to others, most especially to that specific people group. - Abdi 5
NATALIE NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP FES SINGAPORE STUDENT GROUP I am reading Psychology. I'm part of NTU-CF, which has about 226 members. Singapore is a pretty multi-religious country, different religious groups live in harmony. NTU-CF has been igniting a vision amongst Christian students to be salt and light on campus and beyond. It has challenged us to think about, and act upon injustices around us, to love our neighbours as a community of faith, to seek God's will through studying His Word, and to reflect God's righteousness in thought, word and deed. Pray that God would grant us wisdom to truly engage the campus in ways He wills, and use as His hands and feet, His vessels of love, a prophetic voice in NTU. Ask God to spur a greater passion to be salt and light for Him in all our members, and other Christian students around us. Pray that God grants the NTU-CF leadership strength, wisdom and humility. - Nat 6
KYLE 國立中興大學信望愛校園團契 (NATIONAL CHUNG HSING UNIVERSITY FAITH, HOPE, LOVE FELLOWSHIP) CEF TAIWAN STUDENT GROUP In Taiwan some people think Christians are friendly, some people think we're unfriendly to LGBT. We share our thoughts about what we believe (even with people who are not Christians). Although we has some arguments and fight, thank God he is with us. He has made us more mature and knowing how to be on the same page. Students in our campus usually embrace LGBT's thoughts. Besides, we don't have the courage to step out of the comfortable environment, which means that we haven't taken actions to share gospel. Pray to God to let our group to have the courage to share gospel to our friends and classmates. - Kyle 7
JACOB #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd FOCUS, PWANI REGION FOCUS KENYA STUDENT GROUP The Lord is raising a people of power, a people that will impact the institutions of higher learning, the church and the society. We are reaching students and changing nations. Our biggest challenge is the secularization that is rapidly on the rise, Christianity is increasingly becoming watered down and the believers are lowering their standards to fit in with their peers. Pray that many students will stand for what they believe in and stand up to be counted for the transformation of the institutions of higher learning, the church and the society - Jacob 8
ABEL ABEMO MAPUTO CITY ABEMO MOZAMBIQUE STUDENT GROUP Mozambique has 50% Christian population, but still strong traditional influence. Many people consider the church a refuge for their problems. At University God is dead, or has no action in anyone's life. We held debates on the problem of evil, which brought a great impact. We praise God because he uses me to do apologetics in the classroom, even if it costs passing my class. Be different from everyone else, do not copy in tests, be faithful in the examinations, deny sinful celebrations, always tell the truth to classmates and the teacher even if classmates want me to lie - as class leader I am the spokesperson. The great challenge is to be like Christ in the college. Ask God to help students not to be hypocrites so that Christ is seen in every Christian student and they are not afraid to defend their faith in the University which is very difficult. - Abel 9
DANIEL #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd NIFES ZARIA NIFES NIGERIA STUDENT GROUP Praise God that he is using us to reach out actively to students through evangelism and disciple them unto maturity in Christ. Our major challenge is Islamic fundamentalism. It is a major threat to being a Christian on campus. Pray for the rain of revival upon our student group - Daniel 10
VICTOR #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd TAFES ARDHI TAFES TANZANIA STUDENT GROUP I study environment science and management at Ardhi University, Tanzania. I am the ICT and Publicity Leader to our fellowship - TAFES Ardhi. And on the World Student Day I would like to share my prayers all over the world about technology in Christian ministry. Christian are using and involving in all kinds of internet usage like websites, blogs, social networks, chat rooms. Their exposure to technology may either build their Christianity or destroy it. I believe in reaching more people and transform their life through technology, we can reach more people and bring them to JESUS through ITVANGELISM...Harnessing the power of technology for Evangelism. Pray that our technology is not our self destroy rather than a means for us to serve GOD in our schools, colleges and universities as our ministry. - Victor 11
PETRO BSKSH TIRANA-MIX BSKSH ALBANIA STUDENT GROUP I study Structural Engineering and advise and assist in certain situations in BSKSh Tirana. We have 20-30 people coming frequently. In Albania, Christianity is seen more like a heritage rather than a style of life. In BSKSh Tirana, I like the sociability with people of similar viewpoints with mine and the creativity in the meetings. Please pray for us to reach more students, to improve our cooperation with local churches in our city and for more people to take on more responsibilities leading BSKSh Tirana. - Petro 12
ÁGNES ŐSM LINZ ŐSM AUSTRIA STUDENT GROUP I study Contemporary Dance and lead the mission and evangelism in our group. In Austria people think that Christianity is boring, not up to date and that the Catholic Church as an institution has done many wrong things. In our group of 15-20 students I enjoy the variety of us studying so many different things, and I see a passion for God in science, in music and arts. Pray for the growth and development of our group (individually and together), and for "hidden" Christians that do know yet know about our group to connect with us. Ask God for worship opportunities at the music uni and talks at the science uni, and for our reviving prayer nights (including that they would expand to 24h). - Ágnes 13
VEDRANA EUS BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA I am an EUS staff worker working in Sarajevo. Our country is an open place, even though the main groups are Muslims, Orthodox and Catholics. We have lots of non-christian students in our group, God is helping us reach them through free language classes and through Christmas and Easter events. Pray for EUS to be fully funded, for us to have more local and other workers, for us to have more Christian students and to see people converting. - Vedrana 14
DIDI БХСС ВАРНА (BXCC VARNA) BXCC BULGARIA STUDENT GROUP I study Marketing and lead the Bible study and prayer meetings in BXCC Varna. In Bulgaria, people think of Christianity as a religion, or as a sect people go to church to get things. We have 11 students in our group. We try and invite more people to make new relationships. Please pray for us to be more brave to share the Gospel, to be more open to serve others and that we would have more leaders. Photo: BXCC students at IFES Europe Presence conference - Didi 15
JOHANNES OPKO IN KUOPIO OPKO FINLAND STUDENT GROUP I study Medicine in Kuopio. There are 20 people in my OPKO group and I am the Chairman. In Finland some people follow Christ, some are open but do not follow, some are apathetic, some oppose. We have a great group of students, I feel safe and good among them. God is equipping our group, for example letting us organise mission week and thus letting us learn. He is equipping Christian students and reaching non-believers through the group. Please pray for a training program for the members of the group, for new leaders and for strengthening of the students relationships with Jesus. - Johannes 16
KATHARINA SMD MÜNSTER SMD GERMANY STUDENT GROUP I study Medicine and lead my SMD group along with two other students. In Germany many people look down on Christians as being naïve or delusional. They think that we don't need religion anymore (because of science) they just believe in a vague "higher power". In our group of about 25 students we hold events (every other week) which are attended by many people and we usually get interesting people talking about interesting topics. Many new students have joined and our volunteers are quite motivated. Please pray for us to be disciplined in keeping our commitments and for unity in our group. - Katharina 17
WINCHESTER UNIVERSITY CHRISTIAN UNION WINCHESTER UNIVERSITY CHRISTIAN UNION UCCF GREAT BRITAIN STUDENT GROUP In the UK, Christianity is well thought of. A lot of people know the messages of Christianity or identify as a Christian, yet don't know Jesus personally. It's a great community of Christians on our university campus coming together for one mission- to share Jesus and his love and encourage each other! He's growing us and giving us opportunities to share our faith and the truth about Jesus. Challenges include trying to fit into the worldly British culture of uni life (drinking, relationships and often identity built on self achievement). Praise! - last year we had a good number of freshers join, serving our campus and sharing Jesus boldly and enthusiastically! Pray this will be the same this year, and that students will be willing to 'give up' other things to be a disciple of Jesus. We want to see even more students in love with God and wanting to share his love! Pray for our weekly outreach events and especially for our events week (Nov 6-10). Pray we have high expectations of what God will do, trust in His faithfulness and have energy to get through the week. 18
MĀRĪTE LKSB RIGA LKSB LATVIA STUDENT GROUP I graduated in Biology and am now an LKSB staff worker. People in Latvia think that Christianity is private, a bit outdated and not scientific. Religion makes you become a better (nicer) person but you shouldn't become fanatic about it. Visiting a church for Christmas is enough. There are six people in our group, the student leader is faithful, available and teachable (= FAT ). There is good fellowship and trust inside the group. Being a small group they try to do some evangelistic events and small group. Pray for more Christians to join the group and be passionate about Jesus. Ask that Latvian students would like to be involved also in International Student Ministry. Pray for Christian students to build relationships with non-christians friends, course mates. - Mārīte 19
KRISTINE TRONDHEIM KRISTELIGE STUDENTLAG (TKS) NKSS NORWAY STUDENT GROUP I study Engineering Cybernetics in Trondheim and recently stepped down from being a leader in TKS. In Norway people think that Christians are out of date, judgemental, sometimes they think we ignore facts or are stupid. God is working through our Sceptics Week, text-a-waffle, Bible and Life, open dinners, prayer meetings on 4 different campuses, students speaking, Bible studies, share, worship and meet together on Fridays and on weekend trips. You can see what is going on in TKS on our website www.laget.net (in Norwegian and English) and find out more about Sceptics weeks in Norway at the www.skepsisuka.no (Norwegian) website. Pray for healthy growth in our group, that more people will take responsibility and that people in TKS will believe they can make a difference. - Kristine 20
RENATA CHSA KATOWICE CHSA POLAND STUDENT GROUP I study Finance. Many people in Poland think Christianity is just a religion, they believe that they will be saved by their good works not by God's grace and His son. They attend church every Sunday, but Jesus isn't their Lord in daily life. Some people are prejudiced against Christians and the church. In our university building we have a nice meeting place and some local church leaders help us as speakers in organising apologetics meetings which are really interesting and helpful. God has also been leading us through some challenges. In hard times he blesses us with perseverance, supplies our lacks, and in Him we can have a hope for the future. Please pray that God would use Christian students to share the gospel and to be a living testimony. Pray for new student leaders and for the wisdom how to reach out students with the gospel in these times of ignorance and relativism. Photo: ChSA at IFES Europe Presence conference - Renata 21
BEATRIZ GBU DE COIMBRA GBU PORTUGAL STUDENT GROUP I'm in my third year studying Medicine, and was president of our GBU in 2016-2017. We have 25-30 students. Most of Portugal is traditionally Roman Catholic and people's views on Christianity are mainly based on what they learnt as children. People see Christianity as something linked with rules, how you behave and that it imprisons people. What I really like about GBU is that it's quite inclusive. We have lots of people with different religious and cultural backgrounds. Even more amazing is how it very much feels like a family. People get along very well and naturally become friends and organise social meetings on their own initiative. God has been bringing people closer to him through this group because of love. Pray for Christian students to understand the importance of our mission sharing the gospel. Pray for students to be more proactive. Pray that we would not settle with our 'level of faith', but would desire to gain more knowledge and grow as Christians. - Beatriz 22
HONORINE GBU GENÈVE GBEU SWITZERLAND STUDENT GROUP I study Psychology. Geneva is originally a Protestant district but is facing a rise in secularism and atheism. In our group there are 25 members and we can freely discuss our questions and experiences of faith. We can do projects and serve God together. Pray for the Bible studies and the conversations there with new people and non-christians. - Honorine 23
ANNA #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd GROUP IN HRAZDAN IFES ARMENIA STUDENT GROUP I am studying translation skills (Armenian-English). I am responsible for media and prayer in our group of 5 students. Generally people in Armenia are nominal Christians. They say they are Christians, but they has not responded in repentance and faith to Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. I like the unity in my group. We not only try to work with other students but also we see God s grace and mercy in our inner personality. We grow in belief by serving one another. Many human values has been changed since I joined IFES in Armenia, because working with other volunteers help me to receive and share the way of thinking and acting. God opened a door through this service to see other students who need Him. Many souls heard about the real religion, which propagates love and faith. I think this is already much. Pray for the prosperity of our group in all it s meaning. You can pray for nominal Christian people s thinking. Pray God to see Christianity not as a religion but as a faith. - Anna 24
KARO #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd YEREVAN STUDENT LEADERS TEAM IFES ARMENIA STUDENT GROUP I study Engineering and Economics and am a Yerevan Student Ministry Intern (Karo). I study Tourism. I am responsible for SLT meetings (Naira). Our group has 4 students. We live in Armenia, the first country to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301 AD. The Armenian Apostolic Church is the national church of the Armenian people, part of Oriental Orthodoxy; it is one of the most ancient Christian communities. The majority of Armenians have knowledge about God, but they don't want to have a personal relationship with Him and also to read Bible. They are quite religious Christians. The students of our group are faithful to God and want to serve him. God speaks with our friends through us. Pray for the studies and health of our group. Pray for our evangelism. Pray for finding new student leaders for our group, Christian students, who will be eager to serve God and evangelize. Pray for new Bible study groups and for our semester programs. - Karo and Naira 25
GIORGI სტუდენტური კლუბი (SKSK TBILISI) SKSK GEORGIA STUDENT GROUP I study Law and lead worship in our SKSK student club in Tbilisi. My country is not too open for Protestant Christians, but not too closed either. God is touching Christians in our student club. We held a mission week in Tbilisi in May Googling God. Several students drew closer to Christ. Pray that we would have more understanding of God's heart and of God s love. Pray for us to have more thirst for God, for us to have more of the Holy Spirit! - Giorgi 26
CRISTINA #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd CSC BALTI CSC MOLDOVA STUDENT GROUP I study Psychology and help organise our CSC group of 10 students. In Moldova, people think they are Christians because they belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church, but in fact many of them don't understand the basics of Christianity. Each Christian s mission is to tell those around them about God's love and that each of us is precious in His eyes. Many Christian students don't know how to share their faith. In CSC, we always look for chances to tell those around us about God. We have organised events where I have been able to get to know non-christian students and begin to share my testimony with them. CSC is a bridge between students who don't know God and us, those who love Him and want to share His love! Pray for Christian students new to the group, to become leaders. Pray for Christian students to develop good evangelistic relationships with their university colleagues and for God to work through evangelistic projects that we are hoping to organise such as a student Cafe and mission week. - Cristina 27
VASILE #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd CSC MOLDOVA STUDENT GROUP I'm studying Graphic Design and I'm a volunteer at the Community of Christian Students from Moldova! Here is where I met God! Now, through my abilities, I spread the word about God and Technology! Last year 2016/17, I had 5 students at Web Development Club. For me was very hard to speak about bible with 2 of them, but the staff from CSC, helped me! This year 2017/18, I want another Club, this one will be a full course about Photography! I'm waiting for more students at this course. Please pray that they will come and I can speak about Bible with them. I'm really happy to be part of something bigger! - Vasile 28
MARK CCX ХНУ ИМ. КАРАЗИНА (CCX AT VN KARAZIN KNU, KHARKIV) CCX UKRAINE STUDENT GROUP I study International Economics and lead an CCX small group. In east Ukraine, people are fine about Orthodox Christianity, but are worried about Protestants. God is giving us the opportunity to invite our non-christian course mates and talk about the Bible. There are about 25 students in CCX Karazin, we hold lunch discussions during mission week in our university. We have a discussion club each week, and about 10 non- Christians students come along. Pray for more committed student leaders and more non-christians to come to CCX, and for us to be blessed with spiritual growth of Christian students. Ask God to help us in our studies and our exams. Pray for a good relationship with the university administration. - Mark 29
POLINA CCX НАЦІОНАЛЬНИЙ АВІАЦІЙНИЙ УНІВЕРСИТЕТ (CCX AT NATIONAL AVIATION UNIVERSITY, KYIV) CCX UKRAINE STUDENT GROUP I study International Information and lead a Bible study group in CCX. In Ukraine some people are very religious and for them Christianity is all about rules and traditions. They think that if a church is not Orthodox, it is probably a sect. People go to church mostly on holidays (Easter, Christmas) and do that without thinking about the real meaning, they go there just because everyone does. In CCX we have a pretty good biblical understanding of our faith. Our group of 9 students only started in September 2016, so now we have become closer as friends and as a team. Pray for courage to share the gospel. Ask God for the university administration to be open to CCX so we can get official permission for our Christian group. Pray for more non- Christians to come to CCX meetings, and that we can do a mission week in our university. - Polina 30
MARDOCHÉ #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd GBU-ENSPD DE L'UNIVERSITÉ DE PARAKOU GBEEB BENIN STUDENT GROUP Praise God for allowing several students to become interested in GBU. Through biblical studies and the grace of God, some members became more firmly established in Christ. God granted academic achievement to most members and allowed several to assume certain positions of responsibility within the school. Also, God gave the group grace in the eyes of the authorities, who allowed us to use the school premises for some of our special events, but the university authorities are becoming increasingly hostile to religious movements, which prevents us from using lecture theatres. But the LORD has helped us. Pray for us, there are more and more movements (who pretend to be Christians) who teach false doctrines, contrary to the word of God and to our doctrinal basis. They mislead many students and make them hesitant to join GBU. There is also a succession problem in some groups. Members graduate, and when they leave, it is difficult to find new leaders. The immediate consequence is that some groups are in decline. - Mardoché 31
SAMSON #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd GBU PARAKOU GBEEB BENIN STUDENT GROUP Praise God did wonderful things in the group and by Parakou groups, especially this year we saw students transform through the study of the Bible and engage for mission. Glory to the Lord. We face challenges including in evangelization and in obtaining permission to hold activities in the university's classrooms. Praise the Lord for GBU Parakou, for those who are working to transform the lives of the students of Parakou. Pray for the effective awakening of the members so that this year we can make Christ known to the academic world and the wider population of Parakou. Pray for the challenge of the succession in the GBU Parakou. - Samson 32
OWENDPANGA UGBB BURKINA FASO I come from Ouahigouya. In my country in general there are Christians everywhere but in the region I come from in the north it is more difficult. There are only 3% Christians so many more Muslims, and Christianity is not so popular as Islam. God allows our activities to be conducted, like Bible study, friendship evangelism and other things. God is in control and we contend to have results. Our challenges are difficulties in mobilising resources and in getting people to catch the vision of the movement holistically speaking. Please pray for us that all Christian students will be engaged and that the gospel will be in all hearts. - Owendpanga 33
NINA #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd GBU CÔTE D'IVOIRE Praise God with us for the commitment of students and for those who have converted. Our challenges in ministry here are an unstable university schedule, lack of financial means, difficulty in being able to meet on campus, the spread of church cells that lead to deserters in the ranks, and socioprofessional need that causes weakness in students commitment. Please pray for us by asking the Lord to spark even more of a sense of calling in students, and to help us find stable partners for the financing of our activities. - Nina 34
STÉPHANE #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd GBU COCODY, ABIDJAN GBUCI CÔTE D'IVOIRE STUDENT GROUP I am studying Practical Theology and am a member of a small group in Cocody. At the national level, I am responsible for staff communication and fundraising. My country is secular. However, freedom of expansion of Christianity does not help people's faith as numerous are the churches that produce pseudo Christians. Praise God that he allows us to remain disciples modelling ourselves on Jesus through the study of the Bible in a contemporary world that ignores God. Our challenge is that the present world on campus is hostile to the gospel. Our students need to use a lot of creativity to communicate the Good News of Christ. Please pray that we would be able to do that, and for us to keep our focus on Jesus Christ in spite of the world around us. - Stéphane 35
MOUNZIMBA #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd GBG LIBREVILLE GBG GABON STUDENT GROUP I am part of GBG Libreville, the capital of Gabon. Our universities struggle with frequent and often long lasting strikes, which makes it hard for Gabonese young people to study, and for our student groups to meet as often the studnets go home to other places when a strike is on. We also face a lack of creativity, issues with how people spend their time, and we do not have a stable place for Bible studies. Please pray for us, for more creativity; for more commitment and for love of the ministry. To find out more about our movement, you could watch this short video from 2015 http://alturl.com/8kv7o - Mounzimba 36
RADOMAMPIONONA #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ACAU TOAMASINA UGBM MADAGASCAR STUDENT GROUP I come from Madagascar. Our group at Université de Toamasina, Madagascar, needs more staff and volunteers to support it, please pray for us about that and about our observation of the Sabbath too. - Radomampionona 37
CRISTINA #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ABU - PORTO ALEGRE ABUB BRAZIL STUDENT GROUP Praise God that since I began to attending the meetings, God taught me more and more about his amazing Grace showed through people way different than me, and how Jesus' love binds us. Also, it was great to find other Christians in the university, because people have this image about science disassociated with faith. A challenge for us is I guess to preach the Gospel and be more than just a club for Christians, showing Jesus' love in a really concrete way to the students community. Please pray that we get more students engaged in the Word of God and with the love of Jesus in a transformative way. Also so that we can deal with differences and learn from them. Brazil is a country with a history of democratic restructuring and is currently politically polarized, and this has affected the Christian body and people's mind, it's been very hard to relate with each others in a non aggressive or defensive posture. - Cristina 38
SOANE #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ABU MARÍLIA, SÃO PAULO ABUB BRAZIL STUDENT GROUP Praise God who has blessed us with fellowship among the group, given us greater possibilities of relationship with local churches and opportunities for the opening of cells in other universities. The group has some difficulty with more effective action on campus, reaching a greater number of people more quickly (issues of gender, prejudice, political factors in general). Please pray for us for greater campus effectiveness with non-christians; for stronger partnership among the other ABU cells already existing in our city; for new leaders for 2018; for motivation for continued outreach activities; and that new students who arrive in college and meet the ABU would get and stay involved. - Soane 39
VALERINE GBU - PUNTA ARENAS GBUCH CHILE STUDENT GROUP Praise God that he has been working on our character as servants to make a contribution in our local churches. But it also helps us to be light in the University. Reflecting God in my life will always be a challenge for me. But surely this year has been difficult to bring the gospel to others. Pray that God may use us for others to know Him. And that we would have hearts willing to serve despite the sacrifice that may be required of us. - Valerine 40
VERÓNICA ANDREA GBU- NORTE (NORTH ZONE OF THE COUNTRY) GBUCH CHILE STUDENT GROUP The northern part of Chile is very different from the rest of the country. We are the most arid desert in the world, cities are built around mining and ports. Population is up to 70% migrants (domestic and foreign), shifts mean workers stay 10-20 days in the mine and short periods with family. The economy is strong (although there is evident inequality), but not physical-mental health, quality of social, family and spiritual life. Indifference, loneliness and lack of hope is the greatest evil. God gives us hope, shows us the power of His Word to transform worldview, daily life, goals and motivations so we can transform our city starting with students. The greatest challenge is to live the gospel, not only to speak but to share it practically. We fight a worldview that ignores God and the importance of healthy human interactions. Ask God to fill us with passion for his gospel and courage to live in his ways. Pray for more students who want to serve in university and commit to the transformation of our cities and to find creative and appropriate ways to reach our classmates. - Verónica Andrea 41
KAREN #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ECU COSTA RICA Currently, universities in Costa Rica have the slogan of "not tolerating intolerance". College students tend to believe that Christians are not tolerant and therefore we should limit ourselves in many areas. Now saying you are Jesus' follower on a campus means that they point you out and accuse you of behaviors you have not done. Issues such as homosexuality and abortion are difficult to address in this context, as universities are currently fighting in favor of these issues. In spite of this, God has been good, he has brought new students to the groups, new leaders and a new staff worker. Ask God to give us the wisdom to deal with current issues in universities and to know how to deal with the discrimination we often suffer by mentioning that we are followers of Jesus. In addition, so that we can by means of creative ideas, present the Word in the different campuses. - Karen 42
CESAR #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd COMPA, GUANAJUATO COMPA MEXICO STUDENT GROUP Praise God that he is raising up a community of students who love and serve God and their classmates. We face challenges, including exclusion and people mocking and sneering at us. Pray for God to build and lead a community of students who are committed to his gospel. Ask him for courage, so that we can share our faith with love and humility. Pray that we find ways to serve our classmates. - Cesar 43
SAMUEL #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd COMPA EN NUEVO LEON COMPA MEXICO STUDENT GROUPS Praise God for bringing the group together and enabled us to learn from each other, we have seen how God is present in different areas of our routine life and how we can share Christ in our daily lives. Sometimes it is difficult to take the time to share with a friend or to eat with them, and there is always openness so that we can share Christ so openly, sometimes we have had people against this group, but thank God there is remained. It is also sometimes a challenge to invite friends to come to know Christ, but the biggest challenge is for them to see Christ through us, this once we have invited them. You can ask God to give us encouragement and strength to continue on this journey, that we can leave our comfort zone to be able to help our classmates know Christ. We would be grateful if they would pray that God would give us wisdom on how to work with our university authories about COMPA, and look for opportunities every day to share Christ. - Samuel 44
NAZARET #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd COMPA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO ZONA NORTE COMPA MEXICO STUDENT GROUP I work with Compa in Mexico City. Praise God for stirring the hearts of students to spread the gospel in various ways, taking on commitments born of biblical studies and some training events. The Word has been the key. New students have started their Bible study group this semester. It takes a sense of urgency to present the gospel to the students, I can have good conversations and take an honest interest in each one, but I want to take every moment, wisely, to connect them with Jesus. There are times when it has happened and I am glad! But there are others where I clearly let the opportunity pass. Pray that the students and leaders of the groups keep in mind Jesus words in Mk 1:38, that activities and urgencies of everyday life are platforms to spread the gospel. Pray that students with administrative tasks within Compa, work, or studies which consume much time and energy, do not let these weaken their fellowship with the Father, and they keep talking about the gospel where they are and make bridges in conversations and activities to talk about Jesus. - Nazaret 45
CLAUDIA ABU, RÍO PIEDRAS ABU PUERTO RICO STUDENT GROUP ABU is a space of dialogue about what it means to be a Christian. We are a small group so we are very close to each other. God helps broaden our ideas, create prejudice-free spaces to talk about the Gospel and has moved us to think about and serve the needs of students, faculty, university workers. As Christians we can face prejudice from students/ professors, so it is hard to openly share the gospel on campus. As a group we seek ways to show Christianity as a gospel of love and hope, not judgment and doom. The university is undergoing big budget cuts. A lot of students are feeling stressed about how they will be able to afford lunch, books or even attend college. Pray for the future of our university, Puerto Rico s only public university and that God helps us trust in Him and spread love and hope in this rough time. - Claudia 46
IFES NORTH AFRICA IFES NORTH AFRICA Student ministry in North Africa can be very divided, with deep divisions between national and international students (mostly sub-saharan African). An IFES North Africa conference in January helped change things when each person shared in their Bible study groups. Hearing about the challenges of the others around a Bible passage broke through barriers. A student shared: This conference allowed me to have a new way of seeing certain things and certain people. I also had the chance to experience true fellowship and communion like I have never before, to meet amazing people and to learn to love them, and from now on they will be a part of my life, my prayers, my thoughts a part of me, really! Praise God that a North African IFES movement has employed two new (their first ever) female staff. Pray they will help expand the movement s ministry and reach more women. Pray for this movement as they start international student ministry. 47
ELIO LIVF GROUP IN BEIRUT LIVF LEBANON STUDENT GROUP I'm majoring in Education. Lebanon is a religiously diverse Christian country. Our president is always Christian (in name, not practice). Lebanese know what Christians do and believe. Ministry to Lebanese students was affected by the influx of Syrian refugees (Lebanese population 4 million, refugees 1.5 million). Donors support refugee ministries, churches' ministries revolve around them. I've been involved for 4 years. They're in need and God is doing great things. MANY Muslims are coming to Christ. However, the downside is that ministries to the Lebanese are on a downhill. LIVF try to choose relevant and topical subjects and study them in the light of God's word. Pray that God will use us in a suffering area and that we will be light to our Muslim brothers and sisters. Pray we'd be able to start more student groups in different universities. Pray for God's provision and protection for Lebanon and the region. - Elio 48
LAURA GRADUATE STUDENT FELLOWSHIP MINISTRY, UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA INTERVARSITY CANADA STUDENT GROUP Many in Canada have negative impressions of Christians - thinking we are fundamentalist, hypocritical, closed-minded, unintelligent, 'haters', judgemental... Others are apathetic. I love that our group is growing (not just in numbers, but in commitment to one another), and that we are diverse - having members from at least 6 nations when we meet with about 10 of us for dinner, that's pretty good! I love that we are each in different departments/disciplines sharing the Kingdom of Jesus in different ways, exploring and researching things to the glory of God - music, pathology, occupational science, statistics, physics... Christians are not thought of as intelligent, and some Christians I know do not tell people in their departments for fear of (usually subtle) retribution. Pray for continued growth of the group, and for boldness to reach out to the people in our labs and departments. - Laura 49
KYLIE #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd BROCK CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP (INTERVARSITY), ST. CATHARINES, ON INTERVARSITY CANADA STUDENT GROUP We are blessed to live in a place where we are free to worship the Lord openly. There is a general stereotype of Christians in our culture that is not what the Lord wants His people to look like, so it is important for us to represent Christ accurately through our lives so that we can show people what it really looks like to love as Christ does. We are a small group this year but already seeing growth. We want to be a space where people can come to worship, ask questions, and grow in their relationship with each other and with the Lord. We want to be a light on our campus. Pray that we would not just be a group that meets together, but that as we learn and grow together, we would apply what we learn. Pray that God would show us what He wants us to accomplish and we would to do just that. Pray that we would be bold and not hesitate to obey. Pray that we would come alongside those who are hurting or questioning and walk with them in their struggle. Pray that we wouldn't be afraid to go deeper with people. - Kylie 50
MADDIE #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd LATINO FELLOWSHIP UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA INTERVARSITY/USA STUDENT GROUP LaFe aims to provide a safe place for Latino students so that they may ask questions, learn, and grow spiritually as a community and body of Christ. Being on a campus that is majority culture, we do not always encounter Latino students. It has been a challenge to reach out to Latino students who are non-believers since we are not strongly connected with that community. Please pray that we will be bold in our outreach events and that our actions will be intentional when inviting students to fellowship with our community. Pray that our student leaders will take on important roles in LaFe so that incoming students will have the opportunity to experience God's love and community. Pray that we will continue to support and love one another well. - Maddie 51
ROSS #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd INTERVARSITY CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY IN MANHATTAN, KS INTERVARSITY/USA STUDENT GROUP We're seeing new students draw near to God, especially in the LGBTQ community, among Arts students, and in Fraternity and Sororities. We had a Buddhist student experience Jesus in prayer in a profound way and he's considering giving his life to Jesus and we're seeing the Lord give us favor with our school administrators. We are struggling to develop student leaders who can develop other students leaders. Our students are overcommitted and don't have as much left to give to ministry as would be ideal. Our staff isn't fully funded and we only have one staff at our school (university). Pray that our students (specific leaders) would embrace sacrifice for the sake of the gospel in tangible ways - with their time, their money, and their relationships. - Ross 52
SUJITH #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ICEU BMDL UESI INDIA STUDENT GROUP Praise God that we have been able to be praying that other students may receive Jesus as their personal saviour. A challenge that we face is conducting Bible studies in the hostels. Pray that God would help us to do that. Pray also about the availability of students in the evening times,during the holidays - Sujith 53
G. MFES MYANMAR STUDENT GROUP People here think of Christianity only as one of the big religions. I first heard about IFES about 2 years ago, and I found many spiritual new insights and strength. We started with about 10 members but now it is spreading through different universities and more are involved. We have great fellowship and training at Summer Camp. God has been doing great miracles, though sometimes we felt it impossible, changing students life and building up our faith. Almost all students in my university are unbelievers, so it s really difficult to share the good news. I really want to share the grace of God by manners and words. Keep me in your prayer to be strong enough in spiritual life and to withstand all the struggles. Pray for us to keep faith in God s mission without giving up and lead unbelieving students in God s way. - G. 54
S. MFES MYANMAR STUDENT GROUP I m a 3rd year student. Most people in my country think of Christianity as a foreign religion. My father, a pastor, got the vision of student ministry through his good friend who leads the IFES movement, and sent me to the Saturday Bible Study more than 2 years ago. The ministry is developing in number of students. Staff and volunteers are visiting us at the campus more frequently. The Bible study groups are very encouraging. I see God is at work through guiding me in my spiritual journey and equipping other students with the Scripture. I knew only one more Christian when I was in first year but she moved to other uni. I don t know any Christian in my department, so pray for me to become Salt and Light for Christ to them. I ve 3 unbelieving friends whom I could share the gospel. Please pray they would accept the good news before they left the uni. - S 55
GANGA BHARATPUR CBS NBCBS NEPAL STUDENT GROUP I study in the city of Bharatpur. Christianity is new religion which has been rapidly growing in Nepal which may cause big problem in future for the majority of people who are following ancient faith. Also Christianity is big threat to major religion. We pray together in college. We study Bible in group which I like most. In colleges bullying is big issue for Christian students. Bullies harasses us, which causes low- esteem and the result is to be remain silent about faith among fellow students. Pray for us to bold enough to share our faith with friends even when situation is not favorable. - Ganga 56
RUMALA #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd FOCUS SRI LANKA Since January this year all Sri Lankan state university medical students have been boycotting lectures / clinicals in protest against a private medical school [due to concerns about entry qualifications and teaching standards]. Please pray that this issue will be resolved soon. If it continues no intern doctors will be produced for the entire country. Praise God for Christian students who have the opportunity to meet and grow in faith but many are isolated & desolate. - Rumala 57
MOO CONNECT: CHRISTIANS AT UNITEC, AUCKLAND TSCF NEW ZEALAND STUDENT GROUP I am an international student majoring in Computing Science. Most Kiwis are non-religious and see Christianity as historic, nice, harmless, good moral values but not relevant. Some perceive it as restrictive and judgemental. There s a wide variety of perspectives as NZ is multicultural. Connect has 9 students. I like that we are forgiving and understand each others weaknesses (like time management and turning up late to meetings!), and that we study the Word of God and discuss it together. God is giving us the desire to share the good news and participate more in the campus. Pray that God would give us the boldness to share the gospel with students with other faiths, and be interesting in how we share, that he would soften their hearts, so they are interested in what we share. Also, pray for clubs days that people would find out about our group. - Moo 58
CALLUM #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd ifeswsd.org #ifeswsd CHRISTIAN MEDICAL FELLOWSHIP, UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND TSCF NEW ZEALAND STUDENT GROUP Praise God that he is teaching us to be true witnesses on Grafton Campus as we seek to put him at the centre of our lives and studies. This year, our classmates have noticed that fundamental difference in how we conduct ourselves, which has opened up exciting opportunities for evangelism! Christians on Grafton Campus (the home of the medical school) are often thought of as regressive on issues such as contraception, abortion and euthanasia. We pray that God would help us overcome those barriers to help us touch people regardless. Pray that we would oppose the euthanasia bill currently before parliament with integrity. Please also pray that we would gladly put our friendships on the line as we tell our friends about God. - Callum 59
GODFREY SOLOMON ISLANDS UNIVERSITIES CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP 2015 - I was one of less than 10 graduates who decided to establish an IFES movement here. 2016 - almost 50 students at our first camp. 2017-98 students registered to join SIU-CF. Around 90% of Solomon Islanders believe and claim to be Christians, but when it comes to the word of God, we have a very shallow understanding. SIU-CF struggle with funds for events and for a venue for fortnightly Bible studies. God is hand picking students to take up responsibility, although they have never done it before. Pray for more students, for lecturers to come. Pray for a board and a volunteer to serve SIU-CF. Pray for me as a pioneer, leading this group is difficult as I am working as well. Pray that God will provide according to His riches in glory for upcoming events and international conferences and that we will secure a Bible study venue. - Godfrey 60