STARKVILLE, Miss. (ABP) — Diana Bridges is an avenue to God in Northern Mississippi for internationals like the Muslim woman who always asks Bridges to pray for her.
“God listens when you pray,” she told Bridges.
With a call to missions that began at age 13, Bridges has a heart for internationals. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship commissioned her as a field worker in 2007, after she already had spent 10 years working with internationals through the Baptist Student Union at Mississippi State University, located in Starkville.
She also has been director of Crossroads International Friendship House, a ministry focusing on the needs of international families in Starkville for seven years.
Although a small university town of about 20,000, Starkville has an international population of close to 1,000 individuals. Mississippi State hosts more than 600 international students representing some 70 countries, including India, China and South Korea.
When internationals arrive in the United States, they often need help orienting to a strange new community and culture. Bridges has taught English classes at the university, led weekday ministries for family members, hosted Bible studies, helped parents get school-aged children involved in soccer or other after-school activities and accompanied women to doctor's appointments.
“The heart of my work is building relationships in the international community, meeting the needs that I'm able to meet, sharing my faith as I share my life,” the Texas native said.
“Many of their needs decrease with time, but the need for friendship and a sense of community doesn't. The level of trust that develops over time allows for the fullest sharing of the gospel.”
Last fall, Sun, a Chinese national, told a conversational English class, “You all have a God, and I would like one, too.”
Bridges invited Sun to join her Bible study, and soon Sun was attending church regularly with Bridges. During the Christmas season, Sun read the entire Bible. By spring, she had accepted Christ and was baptized on Palm Sunday.
“She then moved to another state,” Bridges said. “But the last time I heard from her, she was teaching Bible school in a Chinese language church.”
A partnership with World Neighbors Association, a local organization that provides opportunities for internationals to share their cultures with the community, has helped connect Bridges not only with internationals, but also with other denominations and groups that share her desire to build friendships across cultures.
The organization hosts Thanksgiving and Christmas events. Each spring, it also hosts the International Fiesta at Mississippi State. According to Bridges, it is the international community's biggest event of the year, attracting more than 1,000 people.
Bridges encourages churches interested in reaching out to international populations to make contact with local colleges and universities. Many international students look for volunteer conversational partners, she said.
“Try to figure out what's already going on first to avoid unnecessary duplication,” she noted. “Look on the university's website for international activities and learn about the population before you start planning.”
Bridges dreams of growing a network of churches committed to intercultural ministry.
“We all need to take a look at the numbers,” she said. “There are large concentrations of international students in states where CBF has a sizeable presence. Texas, my home state, has the third-highest number of international students, and Florida is fifth at 31,000. These numbers don't include visiting scholars or family members, so the number is really much higher.
“If we want to raise a new generation of intercultural ministers, we don't need to go far. We just need to open our eyes.”
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