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ACCTS offers hospitality, discipleship, and fellowship to international military students who are studying at US military schools. For over 25 years, one ACCTS staff couple has provided such a ministry at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio where the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), the AF Research Laboratory, AF Material Command, and a number of other units are located. The couple helps international students and their families with housing, furniture, transportation, and English lessons, sharing the Gospel as the Lord provides opportunities. Like most of ACCTS ministries, student ministry is one of relationships. (Similar ministries are provided in San Antonio, TX, and Monterey, CA) The following God Story is excerpted from one of the Ohio couple's periodic reports.
 The new class of AFIT internationals is arriving. I met four Turks on Friday and helped them with furniture. They took quite a lot, so I was glad since we had a lot of furniture. While helping the them one asked me if Christian martyrs are guaranteed to go to heaven. This opened a very interesting conversation, and hopefully we'll have more opportunities to talk with them while they are here. There's only one more international coming that I know of, and he is from Argentina. Others were coming, but their countries are not sending them because of all that is going on in our crazy world.
Recently, we have been "Skyping" with a family in Egypt and their three older children. This has been interesting and exciting, and we have enjoyed them immensely.. They're working to improve their English since they hope to come to the States in a year or so. We also "skyped" with a young man from Turkey who wants to come here next summer for his last year of high school. We aren't sure if this will work out since we already have a young Turkish lady staying with us for her last year of high school. God will sort it out before they make their plans. We also enjoyed a visit from Ojars Freimanis and his wife. (Ojars lived with us in the '90s.) It was good to enjoy a short time of fellowship with them. He is now retired from the military and pastoring a church in the Chicago area.
God blessed us mightily during our annual Chapel Labor Day Retreat at White Sulphur Springs (The Officer's Christian Fellowship Conference Center in PA). We didn't have as many go as I had hoped, but we know that God had the right ones there. Our speaker, an Air Force general, was really outstanding, and he hit the topics that many of our people are struggling with. One of the participants from Australia was particularly struck by the content of the general's message, and his humility. The weather was quite nice, and outdoor activities were the order of the weekend, including horse-back riding, wall climbing, Frisbee, square dancing, bowling on the 130 year old alley, and a picnic/bonfire with "S'mores." We hope to fill the WSS Hotel next year!
One disappointment was four cancellations the morning we left. I later wrote them a letter encouraging them to consider their integrity as Christians, and urging them to set an example for others by following through on their commitments. Another family couldn't go, but two other families joined us at the last minute, one a chaplain, so God was clearly in charge and will ultimately use this time to His glory.
At chapel today, we had another pleasant surprise, when another old friend walked in. We had lunch with him and the Aussie who had been on the retreat, and enjoyed sweet fellowship. Perhaps this is what heaven will be like.
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