“Lee just prayed to receive Christ!” Kathy brought the report following her Thursday night women’s Bible study. The group had been meeting each week for the past few years. Lee (name changed) was one of the women attending who had moved in to our ministry house last June.

At any one time 3-5 international students and ministry staff constantly live in our home. We simply call it “The House”, but it is much more– a refuge for students when they first arrive in the U.S., a place where 50 or 60 international students gather for an informal dinner or party, home away from home for students living on campus that want a place to check in from time to time or to hang out with a family.

Nine years ago, a Foursquare family, Yvonne and Emory Huschka took a step of faith, allowing us to move in at a greatly subsidized rent. The House is located close to downtown Portland and Portland State University in one of the city’s most desirable areas.

The first weekend after we moved in a ministry team from Korea stayed with us praying through the 4 floors and 8 bedrooms. Originally this had been a notorious neighborhood drug house– now it is a place where visitors comment often about the warmth and love they feel here. The first year or two it was common for us to find yet another syringe in a rafter or in the grass. Neighbor after neighbor would stop by with the exact same greeting, “We are so glad you are living here!”

In nine years we have had students, scientists, and scholars live with us from China, Korea, Germany, Russia, Denmark, Uzbekistan, Argentina, Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bangladesh, Japan, and France, not to mention countless students visiting from more than 25 nations.

The House is a critical though sometimes little known aspect of our ministry in Portland. Saint Augustine once wrote that, rather than persuading men through theological argument to convert to Christ, he would simply challenge a stranger to live in his home for one year to demonstrate the gospel in daily life.

Last week, Lee discovered the power in a home dedicated to God when she responded to Jesus.

Author Profile:  Vic is Oregon and Pacific Northwest Area Director for Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, part of the Leadership team of FOCUS at Portland State University, a writer, blogger, usually an INFP (with "E" overtones), a long time resident of urban inner southeast Portland, the husband of one wife for more than 30 years, a Dad, grandfather, and mentor & friend to all kinds of young adults. Read more from this author