Welcoming International Students Through Gospel Hospitality

“When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:33-34)

About 9 years ago, I moved from Vietnam to America to go to college. [LG1] One of the biggest struggles that I experienced as an international student was loneliness. Moving far away from home meant leaving behind friends, family and everything familiar. I started college in a place where I didn’t know anyone, and having English as my second language made the transition even more challenging. Although I eventually made many friends and built a life here, the feeling of homesickness and loneliness still return from time to time.

According to Institute of International Education (IIE), there are about 1.2 million international students at colleges and universities in 2025. [1] These international students are spread out over all 50 states. [2] There is a high chance that at least one or more international students live within your community and attend your college. Many of them are struggling with homesickness and loneliness just as I did. Have you ever thought about how you can both welcome and share the gospel with those students?

Moving Towards Internationals

In my experience, I rarely meet an international student who does not want to build friendships with Americans. They are living in a foreign country, looking for a community where they can belong and feel connected. They want to experience the new culture they have never been a part of before. But often, they are hesitant to make the first move because they are unsure how they will be received.

As Christians, we are called change that.

If we are God’s children, He calls us to show hospitality to others. Let’s look again at these verses from Leviticus 19:33-34 that we read at the beginning:

“When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”

These verses record God’s instructions to the Israelites. If God expected this of His people then, shouldn’t we consider what He expects of His people today? He calls us to love our neighbors regardless of who they are.

God’s command is not merely that we avoid mistreating the sojourner. We are to step towards them and treat them as native-born members of our community. In other words, they are not to be regarded as outsiders who are merely tolerated, but as neighbors who are welcomed and loved. The second part of this command is no less important: “You shall love him as yourself.” This principle is echoed in the New Testament: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). Jesus presented this as one of the central commands for his followers. The word “neighbor” extends beyond people who are most like us.

Think about it this way: this is our home, so we are the hosts. And great hosts do not wait for guests to make the first move. You do not expect guests to welcome themselves, right? So, let’s be the ones who extend a welcome to international students.

How can I be a faithful host?

Ask God to give you a heart that genuinely loves international students and desires to bring them to Him. Ask them about school, their major, and how they are adjusting to life here. If you are worried that you will not know what to talk about, ask God to give you wisdom and opportunities for meaningful conversations.

Many international students who live on campus do not have a car, so even getting groceries can be difficult. A practical way to welcome them is to drive them to the grocery store or help them run errands. Small acts of kindness can communicate God’s love in powerful ways and open doors to Gospel conversations.

One of the best things you can do is help your intentional friends become part of a Christian community. Whether they are a believer or not, invite them to join you for a meal, a game night, or another casual gathering with your Christian friends. For further reading on how to welcome internationals, check out Nicole Carr’s article, Sharing the Gospel in Collective Communities. You could bring them to your church event and plug them into church community. As they begin building relationships, invite them to church events and, eventually, to a Sunday service. It is much easier for someone to visit a church when they already know people there who genuinely care about them.

I experienced this kind of hospitality during college. Without a car, it took me an hour and a half to get to church by public transportation. Then a young family from church invited me to their home for a meal. Their kindness didn’t stop there. They soon welcomed me to stay with them on weekends so I wouldn’t have to make the long trip early Sunday morning. It grew into a lifelong friendship. They remain some of my closest friends, and I am still deeply grateful for their hospitality and care for me during a difficult season of my life.

This is why I encourage you to befriend both believing international students and those who do not yet know Christ. Many of them are coming from countries with little to no access to the Gospel. Who knows? You might be the first American they meet who treats them with genuine kindness after they arrive in the States. That first impression will have a lasting impact on them.

If they know you are a Christian, they will learn something about the God we serve through our actions. As we welcome international students into our homes and lives, God also provides opportunity to share the Good News about Jesus. We pray that God will use our hospitality or friendship to draw someone to Him.  As Jesus said, “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance” (Luke 15:7).

God works in miraculous way. He simply asks us to go and meet people where they are.