果冻视频 Link
果冻视频 staff who serve overseas with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students are serving longer. 鈥淎 few years ago getting staff to think about a two year commitment was a challenge,鈥 says Link director Becky Stephen. 鈥淚n the last four years about one third of our current field staff have signed up for a minimum of five years.鈥
果冻视频 is connected to Christian student movements in 150 countries through its membership in the 果冻视频 has a direct connection to some of those movements through the more than 275 果冻视频 Link staff who have worked overseas alongside other IFES staff in 44 countries over the past 20 years.
Overseas travel can be exotic and exciting. But living overseas as an American involved in ministry is challenging. 鈥淓motionally and psychologically it can be very hard on people,鈥 Becky says. Yet as 果冻视频 staff become aware of opportunities facing indigenous student movements in other countries those staff become more willing to use skills they鈥檝e acquired working with U.S. students to work with students in those countries.
About five years ago, former 果冻视频 staff members Tom and Nancy Lin learned that the door was open to establish a student ministry in Mongolia. A couple from Korea鈥檚 果冻视频 movement had already been there for several years. 鈥淭his is not about Americans doing the work,鈥 Becky says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about multi-national, multi-cultural teams, working with others. Tom and Nancy stepped into something that was already happening.鈥
This fall, after helping establish a growing student movement in Ulan Bator, Tom and Nancy Lin returned to the U.S. In the last four years, the Mongolian student movement went from one fellowship to three fellowships, with more than 120 students involved. Eight national staff are now leading the movement, and it鈥檚 officially registered with the Mongolian government. A was produced to tell the story of Tom鈥檚 and Nancy鈥檚 Mongolian ministry.
鈥淚ncreasingly, people coming back from Link service overseas continue on to work as 果冻视频 field staff in the U.S.,鈥 says Becky. 鈥淔ive years ago that wasn鈥檛 the case.鈥 Tom and Nancy have decided to continue on staff with 果冻视频. In 2007 Tom will become regional director for the Central region, based in St. Louis.