More than 4.6 million students crossed country borders to study in 2017. The numbers have grown over the past few years. In 2017, the USA was host to over a million students; the UK and China hosted half a million each.

International students present an extraordinary opportunity for local Christians to offer hospitality. Many students will never otherwise be invited into a local home. Some will never have lived in a place they can hear and freely consider the Gospel. Some arrive with a great spiritual hunger. Many will rise to positions of influence in their home countries.

China is unique. It sends more students into the world than any other nation – more than 300,000. It is also growing fast as an international student destination. This rise is boosted by visa restrictions in the West, by growing academic excellence in China, and by scholarships being offered, especially to African students. International students in China enjoy an unusual measure of freedom, for example to attend international churches.

Father, we pray for Christians worldwide to welcome international students and take them into their homes, churches, and hearts. We pray that there will be campus Christian groups in every university in the world. China alone has more than 2,600 campuses. We pray that many more international students will find faith, grow in Jesus Christ, and become leading influencers for the Kingdom of God in their home countries.

Praying for the World is a free weekly prayer guide to inspire and inform the whole church to pray for the entire world. Visit www.lausanne.org/pray to start any week. –Created through the partnership of Operation World and the Lausanne Movement.

Team Expansion Worker

Thank God with Paul and Kerri Daniels (France) for a smooth return to Poitiers the end of August after a brief time in the U.S. Pray for continued good sleep/rest and an easy adjustment back to France. Thank God for a refreshing and reconnecting time with family and supporters during the summer in the U.S.

Pray for More Workers

Lord of the Harvest, thrust out more laborers for Your harvest fields. Father, we pray for Christians around the world to welcome international students into their homes and hearts. We pray for more campus ministers to be on every university campus.

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