The Elder Serves the Younger

By Teresa Schantz Williams

Robert Stanfill is a slight, unassuming man with a weak heart that doctors thought would have failed him years ago. So he was as surprised as anyone to find himself launching a ministry to international college students. 

Robert Stanfill and his wife, Linda, both in their 60s, had no special aptitude for work with college students from distant lands. No cross-cultural experience. And though Avila University”s campus was just a mile from their south Kansas City home, college students weren”t exactly their “crowd.”

They were veteran Christians, faithful members of the Red Bridge Church of Christ, but both assumed their adventures for the kingdom were well behind them.

In September 2007, Linda greeted a visitor at church, young Nina Lin from Taiwan, who had just transferred to Avila. Linda is a warm, silver-haired woman quick to engage and embrace, so she was happy to offer Nina a ride to church the following week. When the Stanfills swung by the campus the next Sunday, they found Nina joined by two international friends, Leon and Kevin, who wanted to come also.

After service, Robert asked the visitors how much they had understood? Very little, they admitted. What if he were to put together a class just for them, offered Robert. It would be designed around their language needs to help them read and study English by using the Bible as textbook. Yes, Leon and Kevin were interested. So the following Sunday, the study began.

In just a few months, Robert and Linda were connecting with several international students from Avila, most of whom had just begun their ESL (English as a Second Language) classes to achieve proficiency before proceeding with their specific studies.

The Sunday morning English class at Red Bridge met a need. But it was just a baby step into a growing ministry.

 

Coming Out of Retirement

In its infancy, the ministry was predictably noisy. The unfinished basement of the Stanfills” modest split-level home was overrun with mixed syntaxes: Korean, Taiwanese, Mandarin Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, and occasionally a Bulgarian, Nigerian, or Arabic tongue. Robert and Linda spent most of every week preparing meals they served on Saturday nights. They called it DAS””Dinner at Stanfills. International students had an open invitation. It was anybody”s guess who was coming to dinner.

The Stanfills offered the mealtimes as an opportunity for the students to strengthen their English skills, which could help them pass their TOEFL (Test Of English as a Foreign Language) more quickly and proceed to their special studies. To assist, Red Bridge church members came to eat and talk.

The home-based hospitality of DAS became the DNA for what followed. The Stanfills” small group from Red Bridge locked step and assisted with the DAS meals, opened their own homes to the students, took on teaching roles, and planned special events and group holiday celebrations.

Jason Pan, who has since returned to his home in Taipei, Taiwan, recalls barbecues, holiday celebrations, camping trips, movie nights, and a baby shower. “I also loved to participate in the cultural fusion activities, such as hotpot night, Chinese New Year night, Moon festival, dragon boat festival, Asian BBQ, and Japanese sushi,” Pan says.

The Sunday morning English classes grew larger. Those who attended were encouraged to stay for the worship hour. Young men were invited to participate in Red Bridge”s service by reading the selected Scripture in their native tongue, then again in English, as they became fluent enough to do so.

Pan recalls, “There is always no worry or shame to practice English in the church. Instead, people are encouraging me””or quietly forcing me, ha!””to feel free to talk.”

Throughout the week, the Stanfills assisted students with transportation needs, shopping, and unfamiliar cultural rules and traditions. They tapped the church network to locate furnishings for apartments and dorms. Students began to drop by their home, seeking friendship and advice. Robert and Linda had to relearn the night owl hours of college students.

Joseph and Hannah Chang had their first baby while studying in America. Hannah remembers many ways the Stanfills supported her. “When I needed to see a dentist, they helped me find one. When I needed a ride from or to the airport, they never said no. When I missed my family, they said they are my family in the U.S.A. We always knew where to go when we had any question or just wanted to have fun. We shared our happiness and sadness with each other.”

 

Sharing Life Together

Seven years later, the Stanfills remain active in what is now a full-blown ministry of Red Bridge Church of Christ that includes a weekly class on American idioms, one-on-one Bible studies, continued Sunday morning English classes, family-centered hospitality, and activities for cultural learning.

The Stanfills” records suggest that about 150 students have spent various lengths of time as part of the ministry. Five Red Bridge families have done much of the heavy lifting for this ministry, but many other members of the church have played supporting roles.

The Stanfills and their coworkers have been witness to students” engagements, weddings, and births””both spiritual and physical. Seven Asians have been baptized at Red Bridge, and two babies born to international students, as well.

Difficult moments were also shared. One student was robbed in the elevator of his apartment building and lost critical paperwork and belongings. A couple of students became quite ill, and the Stanfills helped them navigate America”s healthcare system and advocated for their care. Linda, in particular, filled this role. Later, when Linda herself was diagnosed with a serious illness, the students were quick to comfort her as she had them.

Cheryl Mushinski, one of the ministry leaders, says, “Linda brings big hugs and holding hands, as probably only a woman could do. She listens to the students and encourages them and understands their difficulties.”

 

Full Impact Is Unknown

The long-term effects of this ministry cannot be assessed. For every student reached here in America, family members in their native homes are also affected.

During the summer of 2010, some students invited the Stanfills on a trip to Taiwan and China, hosted in several cities by parents of students. They connected with 75 to 100 friends and relatives of the students while there.

“One message we received everywhere we went was an appreciation by the parents and families for what was being done to help their children adjust to life in the U.S.,” says Robert. “They all know we are Christians and that what we do is characteristic of Christian people.”

Some students” lives have dramatically changed. Yuan Dai, a Chinese student in his 40s, arrived with little exposure to Christianity and intending to pursue a degree in international relations. But his Bible studies and interactions with Red Bridge changed his plans. Now he calls himself “a seeker,” and is attending Saint Paul School of Theology.

The people who serve with Red Bridge”s international ministry never pressure the students, Dai says. They serve, rather than preach. “Action is more persuasive than words, especially for international students, because for most of us, language is a big barrier to understanding the religious concepts.”

 

No Tee Time for Them . . . 

The Stanfills could be enjoying retirement American style, pursuing hobbies, travel, easy living. They chose differently. This is not lost on the students.

“The age of 70 is an age of enjoying life, but they chose to serve strangers from remote countries,” says Dai. “They have to face the different culture, different religious background, and acculturate these differences at their age””it should be a big challenge for them. They definitely felt frustrated and discouraged sometimes, but they did not give up. They keep serving these students almost 24/7. Their works really make their Christian faith alive.”

Robert and Linda believe other churches located near colleges and universities might be able to establish ministries to international students. “We have missionaries in some countries who do not have the number of teaching opportunities that we have right here in our own backyard,” Robert says.

Sometimes Robert wishes he and Linda could have been involved in this ministry earlier in their lives, but he acknowledges that parenting and career would have been competing priorities. “And I feel I would not have been as prepared spiritually in my younger years for a ministry like this.”

These last few years have changed the arc of their Christian walk in ways they never anticipated. “I know Linda and I share the feelings of several who would say this outreach to our international students has been the richest and most meaningful activity of Christian service that we have experienced in our lives.

“Some of us would even say it has been a life-changing experience.”

 

Teresa Schantz Williams is a freelance writer living in Kansas City, Missouri. She worships at Red Bridge Church of Christ and is currently mentoring an international student from Mongolia, China.