"Love foreigners as you love yourselves."
- Leviticus 19:34 NCV
International students are waiting for Friendship Partners (FPs) - someone to simply talk with and who will show them around and do fun activities with them. You would also be available to assist them with practical needs: taking them shopping, answering questions about the U.S. culture, and listening to their concerns as they adjust to their new home. It is our hope that this opportunity will help volunteers build a bridge of friendship and lay a foundation of trust so that faith can be shown and shared in natural ways.
Three of the biggest felt needs of international students, scholars, and their families are...
1. Improve English skills. They need a friend to practice their English with who will be a good listener and patient to answer their questions. (No special training is needed.)
2. Help understand and adapt to our culture. They need a friend who will help them to adapt to their new surroundings and culture.
3. Overcome loneliness. They need a friend who will invite them to participate in fun activities.
Take the opportunity to share God's love with students from across the globe meeting weekly, or two times a month.
Learn More about being a Friendship Partner
What to Expect
The Need
- The largest number of volunteers will be needed at the beginning of the fall semester at OSU, near the end of
August. However, students request conversation partners throughout the year. Usually we have a waiting list of students
and spouses desiring American conversation partners, so in most cases you can be matched quickly at any time of the
year.
Matching
- After training and application approval, you will be contacted with the name and email address of a student who has
requested a conversation partner. You should then contact the student and set up a time and place to meet that is mutually
agreeable. Note that it is our practice to match you with a student or international spouse of the same sex. We also try our
best to match you with someone of the same age and interests, although this is not always possible. If you have a
preference for any specific culture you may indicate that at the time of your application and we will do our best to honor
your request. The large majority of our students are Asian.
Time Commitment
- You will be matched with a student for one semester (4 months). Our hope is that a good friendship would be established
and that you would like to continue meeting with the student. However, both you or the student you may choose not to
renew your commitment or you may decide to meet less often
Contacting the Student
- Please remember that you are the “host” to a guest in our country and realize that it can be very intimidating for an
international student to make the first contact, especially using a second language. Please do not give up after one
attempt; try the student several times, and call them if your emails are not answered. If after these attempts you are still
unsuccessful, please contact the IFI office (294-2434) so that we can either facilitate the contact or rematch you with
another student.
More information is available here.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I have an interest in a specific country. Can I be matched with someone from that country?
We will certainly make a note of your country interest, and will match you if there is someone available from that country. If you could be flexible, that would be wonderful. We frequently have Asian students who have to wait 3 or 4 months for a partner. In the meantime, they lose interest, and we have lost the opportunity to connect with them. - How often am I required to meet with my student? Who sets up these meetings? What do we do at these meetings?
We ask that you meet with your student on an average of one hour a week. If the student is extra-busy, perhaps every other week for 2 hours would work better. We will give you and your partner each other’s contact information, and you will make your own arrangements as to where and when to meet. You will be sent suggestions for activities and conversation starters, but every individual partnership will have its own flavor. Just pray, and go with the flow! - My partner seems to only want to discuss her own religion. What should I do?
By listening and showing interest! Ask good questions. Bring up similarities and differences. Invite her to church on special “religious holidays”. Ask the Lord for opportunities to discuss your faith naturally. Check out the resources on the IFI web site. Ask for our handout on Buddhism (or Islam, or other world religions). Be an unconditional friend and don’t push for a “decision.” - Do I need to be an expert in English to be matched?
No. You are a native speaker, so you will innately know when your friend is making mistakes, which you can gently correct. Do try to limit your use of idioms, unless you are using them to teach. Also, do try to use correct English and avoid too much slang! - I don’t like driving to campus. Can the student come to my house?
Most international students do not have cars. Even though some do, YOU are the host, and should be willing to drive to meet the student. Perhaps when your friendship has progressed, the student will be comfortable driving to your home. But we always ask the volunteer to be willing to make the sacrifice of driving to meet with the student on his/her “turf”. - I called and left a message on my partner’s cell phone, but she hasn’t returned my call.
Phoning is very difficult for most international students. You are still a stranger, and they are not confident in their English skills. Please, if at all possible, make your initial contact by email. Also, students are just as busy as we are; they may not be able to connect with you for a week or two. If they have not responded by the end of two weeks, and if you have tried at least 2 times to connect, please let the IFI Volunteer Coordinator know: . They will find out if the student is interested, and if not, match you with another. - I don’t seem to relate well with my partner, or she doesn’t seem to be enjoying our meetings. What can I do?
We try to match folks of similar age, marital status, and occupation (if we know it), or we match you with a person from a country you are interested in. If you have not gotten a comfortable match, just do your best for 3 months, and then please try again. We always have a waiting list, and if you can tell us what “type” of person would be a better match, We’ll do our best. In the meantime, you have served the Lord even though it might not have been easy.
Join our Friendship Partner Volunteer List
International students are waiting for partners - someone to talk with, show them around, and to go shopping and do fun activities together. Grab the opportunity to share God's love with students from across the globe as a Friendship Partner! Meet weekly or two times a month.
