Faith, Family, and International Student Ministry  

See Rick D'Errico's interview of me on Word News by clicking here. Then use the backspace key to come back to this page.

My Relationship with Christ:

I was active in my local church growing up and in Christian student groups while attending high school. However, those who knew me during that time can tell you that my life was definitely not centered around Christ as Lord or Savior -- particularly during my junior high and high school time. I read the Bible, prayed, and participated in religious activities regularly, but there was no close relationship with Christ evident in my life because His Spirit was not living within me.

In college, I was gently directed by some friends from the Navigators to face truths from the Scriptures that I had been able to avoid previously. As I continued to read the Scriptures, I came to see that I was relying upon self-confidence, religious practices, and denial of now-obvious sin in order to convince myself that I could be acceptable before God. I came to recognize that salvation is by grace through faith and that only Christ was worthy of God. I saw that only He was able -- through His holy life, sacrificial death, and omnipotent resurrection -- to give me or anyone else right standing before God and an eternal connection with Him. With this faith came a relationship with God through His Holy Spirit dwelling within me, and there are various milestones and turning points in my Christian life from that point on.

Our Family

My beautiful wife, Kathi, was a Christian from an early age. She became involved as part of our outreach team to internationals in the Albany, NY area, and we fell in love and married in May of 1992. She willingly went with me to Japan, and our daughters Kaitlen and Christina were born in Japan in 1997 and 1999 respectively. Kathi's deep commitment to Christ and to family -- and her giftings in organization, teaching, and hospitality have been a great complement and addition to my strengths (and weaknesses). We have ministered together since marriage. Kathi is a terrific wife, mother, and teacher to our children. Kaitlen and Christina are a joy and a blessing that we yearned for and are delighted to see growing in maturity, knowledge, faith, and godliness.

Why Internationals?

For those who have known me for any period of time in my life, you know that I have always deeply enjoyed foreign people, languages, and cultures since childhood. We had exchange students in my home, and I traveled abroad as an exchange student to Spain and Peru. My bachelor's degree is in Spanish, and my master's is in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). I taught ESL/EFL (English as a Second/Foreign Language) in the U.S. and Japan for over 8 years after completing my master's. 

While working on my master's, I sought counsel on starting a Christian outreach to international students at my university -- a deep burden that has never left my heart. Upon finding others who shared such a vision, I helped begin such a ministry there. A significant part of this was mobilizing and helping the wider Christian community to love internationals at the university in Christ's name and share their faith with these students. Others continued this work when I left for Japan over 10 years ago, and the ministry continues to thrive today.

Why Ministry with ISI?

Teaching ESL provided both many opportunities and also some barriers to reaching out to students. My vision at the time was to continue working in ESL/EFL, reach out to my students and the wider student community, and invite the greater Christian community into service and relationship with my students. While familiar with ISI, my early connections before going to Japan were primarily with a different organization. Upon returning from Japan, I took a position starting a new ESL program in the Detroit area and volunteered with the ISI ministry in the nearby Ann Arbor area. However, due to circumstances beyond my control, I found myself out of the field of ESL 6 weeks later, and I was surprised to find it very difficult to get back in. Through a series of events, I found myself working for a company that makes software for accountants.

With a young family and a daily commute to work, I found it increasingly difficult to have an impact on students, and I became discouraged at trying to be involved. I tried to reconsider redirection into other volunteer or professional ministries, but the yearning God gave me for impact with internationals has continued to dominate my vision. God used my difficulties to open my heart and my wife's heart for me to pursue His calling into ministry with ISI. The vision and burden God has given me for mobilizing the church to reach the international student community remains central, and God and ISI have called me to be the Ann Arbor team's Area Mobilizer. As my support increases, I will be able to dedicate more time to this vital ministry.

See Rick D'Errico's interview of me on Word News by clicking here. Then use the backspace key to come back to this page.