Many of Columbia International University’s students want to become more prepared to share the Gospel in their native countries, Student Admissions Counselor Nicole Jones said.

Miriam converted from Islam to Christianity when she was 15 years old, breaking the laws of her Central Asian homeland and risking her life. Not shy about sharing her faith in Christ, Miriam spent a night in jail when she was reported for sharing the Gospel. For 13 years she witnessed and helped show others what it meant to follow Christ. But with little access to Christian resources, Miriam felt limited in how much she could teach.

She longed to learn more about her faith, and dreamed of traveling to America to study the Bible without having to hide. Miriam, which is not her real name, wrote to several Christian colleges hoping to find one that would accept her. Columbia International University, a small college in South Carolina, offered her a spot in their masters program, and eventually, her government agreed to allow her to travel to the United States. Officially, she was going to learn how to teach English; unofficially, Miriam planned to study theology.

Although no single agency keeps track of how many Christian students from foreign countries travel to the U.S. each year to study, Christian schools report thousands of internationals on campus every semester. Last year, Liberty University welcomed 900 foreign students to Lynchburg; Baylor University enrolled almost 500.

Not all of the students fled persecution at home, but like Miriam, many chose to come to America to strengthen their faith.

Many of Columbia International University’s students want to become more prepared to share the Gospel in their native countries, Student Admissions Counselor Nicole Jones said.

“They are able to get training from professors who have lived overseas and who have walked the path of the areas they are teaching in,” Jones said. International students make up about 11percent of CIU’s student body.

Biola University is a popular choice for international students because of its academic reputation as well as its Christian commitment, International Student Services Director Ivan Chung said. About 100 new foreign students join the Biola student body each year, with about half of them coming for a graduate degree. Although the undergraduates choose a variety of majors, the graduate students prefer theology, Chung said.

Biola student Giovani Prayitno could have pursued an international business degree in her native Indonesia, but she could not have had her faith integrated into her studies. Coming to America gave her the opportunity to learn to live independently, but more importantly, the experience helped her to make her faith her own, she said. Although Prayitno grew up in a Christian home and considered herself a Christian, she didn’t personally commit to Jesus Christ and decide to live for His glory until after her first semester at Biola.

While Biola’s Christian commitment is important to international students, the value of an American degree is another big draw, Chung said.

“Formal education in [the] U.S. is considered to be of utmost importance,” Chung said. “And having an academic degree from an active institution and a Christian active institution in the U.S. gives them clout for their ministries, for their careers.”

Miriam knows her English teaching degree could help her get a job someday, but her theology training is what she hopes to use the most. After graduation, Miriam plans to return to Central Asia to continue in ministry, no matter how challenging it is for a Christian to witness among Muslims.

“I’ll try to be wise, but on the other hand, Jesus never promised me a perfect life,” she said. “If I share in His sufferings, I will share in His glory. That’ s my concept. He must increase; I must decrease. That’s my philosophy.”

@Copyright 2011 World Magazine – Used with permission