International students have a world of stories to tell

Nine percent of the on-campus student body at The Master’s University are international students. How did they hear about TMU and why did they decide to study here?

Sophomore Fernanda Islas Gonzales’ home is Mexico. She is majoring in English with the hope to become a translator. She learned about TMU through her mother.

“My mother is a big fan of John MacArthur,” Gonzales said. “I believe she heard about Master’s from his preaching or a YouTube video.”

“I really wanted to keep growing in my faith and there’s no Christian universities in Mexico ... I knew I didn’t have a full understanding of God’s Word. I knew I would learn a lot here.”

Coming to TMU was a miracle for Gonzales. 

“I didn’t think of anything; I didn’t know anything,” she said. “College and university is different in the States. It was a blind step for me. I was trusting the Lord. When I came here, it was the first time I saw the school, met the people; it was my first time in the States ... I would like to be a translator, like translating books from English into Spanish. Or maybe just be a writer, or a teacher, maybe. I’m open to anything that God wants me to do.”

Sophomore Ronewa Rampfumedzi arrived at TMU via a 30-hour flight from Polokwane, South Africa. He heard of the university through his father. 

“My dad is part of [The Master’s Academy International]. He works with The Master’s Seminary.” he said.

Rampfumedzi, an engineering major, chose to attend the university because of the opportunities he could have in the U.S.

“Even though we do have the same things, I’d have more exposure in the U.S. other than in my country. The education level is different ... The U.S. does have a higher standard of learning.”

From the Guangdong province and the city of Guangzhou in China, Zilong Li came to TMU in 2021.

“I heard about [Master’s] from my Chinese pastor and my high school principal; they are husband and wife,” Li said. “They both visited the campus twice, and a third time to visit me. And they heard [about Master’s] from a high school teacher. One of the teachers was from the U.S., and he used to work here at TMU.”

Li attended an underground Christian high school and thought he would be done with school after graduation.

“As I was about to graduate, I thought that would be the end of my student life, because it’s not likely to go to the Christian colleges,” he said. “My high school diploma is not approved by the Chinese government. Also, to study abroad, I did not know what school to go to, and it would be too hard for me, because I have a wheelchair. But they prayed with me and recommended me.”

Li chose to attend TMU for a few reasons.

“First of all, the teaching here is very solid. And it’s a Christian college, that’s the main reason. My Chinese pastor told me, ‘If you want to pursue academic success, you don’t have to go to the U.S. There are fine academic institutions in China. The only reason to go to the U.S. is that there are faithful Christians there, making high level education.’ The second reason is music. The third reason is that this is a small campus. It fits my situation, and the professor to student relationship is closer. A fourth reason is the weather. California is dry and even though it’s very hot in the summer and cold in the winter, it’s a dry heat and dry cold. Where I live is wet hot and wet cold.”

Li is pursuing a B.A. in music with an emphasis in vocal studies. He plans to serve the local church with music, either in the choir or in leading worship, as well as become a teacher in music, both in a school and private lessons. 

Coming from Chile where she spent her childhood, Tiffany Lam moved to the States when she was 14. Her parents are originally from Taiwan and Cambodia. 

“I consider my home to be Chile because that’s all my childhood, where I grew up. I could also consider, now that I have been four years at Master’s, that Master’s is my home. I love it here and it’s something I would not change for anything,” Lam said.

Lam heard of the university from friends. 

“I had friends visiting from Chile and they knew about John MacArthur. They really wanted to go to his church. It was around the COVID years and every church was closed. But when they came to the States, they really wanted to see that church and go there. So when they were going to church, they told me about it. 

“This was my senior year of high school and I didn’t know about [the university] until May, the month of graduation. They were telling me, ‘You should apply for it!’ In my mind I was like, ‘I already applied for my other colleges and they already replied.’ So I thought, ‘Why would I apply, they probably won’t accept me.’ But [my friends] were like, ‘What’s the worst that could happen? The worst that could happen is that they reject you, and you’ll never know unless you try.’”

She applied to TMU not really knowing where she wanted to go. She had received all her acceptances but none of them compelled her.

“Once I was accepted [to TMU] … I decided to visit. As I was coming, I saw all the houses and wondered, ‘Where is this college I applied to?’ As I was coming, and praying, I said ‘Lord, show where it is, where you want me to be.’ The Lord provided and as I came to visit, it was an answer to prayers … this place felt right.”

Now a senior, Lam is studying biology pre-med. Though she was not originally planning to study biology; she applied to come as a marketing media major. 

She hopes to go into medical missions. But before going to the mission field, she’ll go to the [physical assistant] school to practice her skills, and before PA school, she’ll do EMT school. “I’ll be volunteering around the hospital around my home.”

Josué Romeno is from Siguatepeque, Honduras, and he heard about TMU through several connections. 

“I grew up in Honduras all my life, completely disconnected from everything happening [in the States],” Romeo said. “But it was through the circles that TMAI relates to, like Grace Ministries International [that I learned about TMU]. My dad happens to work at the seminary, the training center for TMAI. But it wasn’t until 2021, the first GO trip of students went down to Honduras—that was when I was about to reach college age. 

“Since the training center is in my city, that’s where the GO team went …just seeing the way they served the Lord, the way they served each other and loved the people around them was just so new to me … Seeing that made me ask, ‘Who’s behind these kids? Who’s taking these kids and teaching them how to do that?’”

Romeno chose TMU because “this stage of life is the stage of life where you build convictions.” He is studying business, specifically entrepreneurship. 

“Honestly, I was scared of my own heart, knowing that it’s deceitful. I knew my desires; I wanted to go into business. But I knew I could get lost in that world, just chasing after money or the approval of people,” Romeno said. “[Coming to] Master’s has been life-changing and helped me to build convictions. It has brought me closer to the Lord and understanding of biblical perspective and worldview of business.”

After graduation, he would love to go back to his country and use what he is learning on campus to benefit his community there. 

“Last semester, this idea of making something similar to Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods, where you provide this store with the healthier option. You provide a store where you can buy ingredients that enrich your experience in the kitchen. What that would look like in Honduras is that there’s so many people that are in the agricultural field. I would love to create a network of farmers, where I could just teach them simple stuff, considering that some of them do not have an education and they just inherited this business from their parents. 

“They’re selling vegetables, selling fruits, and fresh produce. But you come alongside them. You can teach them, saying, ‘Hey, you can just buy something to dehydrate this fruit and you can sell it this way,’ and it creates a point of difference for them and for their business. When you help them do that, you earn their trust and credibility and that’s just the perfect segway to share the gospel to them. That’s where I see the ministry opportunity.

“Having been here at TMU for only two years, Romeno can see the impact on his life. “It has impacted me in every way. Just considering how Christ is Lord of every discipline, it’s no longer something I just acknowledged that I know. It’s something I believe in and that changes everything for me; it changes the way I want to approach business, the way I want to approach people, the way I want to network with people, the way I’m hoping to serve them through business and my own career. It just encouraged me to serve them the best I can and love them.”