When people move to a new country, they face unknown new streets, languages, and loneliness. Yet in these vulnerable moments, God works powerfully. In Australia, everyday believers are reaching out to diaspora communities—like Elena supporting international students, Pastor Tay serving seafarers, and Amanda walking alongside migrants in Sydney—opening extraordinary doors for the gospel through ordinary acts of kindness.
Opening Doors for International Students | Elena Junqueira
Elena is a teacher by trade and has her own business, which she started 10 years ago. While working, she noticed the challenges international students face when they arrive in Australia. Most of them seek casual or part-time jobs, but the hurdles of documentation, resume writing, cover letters, and interview preparation often leave them discouraged and alone.
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Seeing this, Elena had a vision in 2015 to help these students find their footing. She created four tailored programs and even secured a contract with the South Australian government to provide educational support for job seekers. Around 8,000 students have benefited from her work. Remarkably, 90% of these students came from countries where the gospel is restricted or Christians are a tiny minority.
Elena ensures that, alongside practical training, she shares her faith. By weaving in stories of Jesus, she offers more than career advice; she points students to eternal hope. Many have asked deeper questions about God, and some have joined churches, experiencing transformation far beyond employment.
international students are one of the greatest mission fields of our time.
Her encouragement to the global church is clear: international students are one of the greatest mission fields of our time. She explains, ‘When they change countries, they are vulnerable. They don’t know anyone, and they usually struggle to adapt to the new reality. This gives us, as Christians, a specific opportunity to bless them, to come alongside them, to support them, to befriend them, to feed them.’
Today, churches in South Australia are seeing an inflow of international students and migrants, once far from God but now reconciled to him. They are living witnesses to the impact of people like Elana.
Floating Pastor with a Floating Congregation | Un Hui Tay
For the past 17 years, Pastor Tay has served as the Principal Chaplain with the Mission to Seafarers in Sydney, Australia. He often describes himself as a ‘floating pastor’, because his congregation is constantly on the move. At any given time, an estimated 1.6 to 1.8 million seafarers are at sea. These men and women are the unseen prime movers of global trade, transporting goods from country to country and port to port, so that others may enjoy convenience on land.
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Many of these seafarers come from countries like the Philippines, China, India, and Indonesia. For most, working aboard a vessel is not a choice but a necessity, as opportunities at home are limited. The sacrifices are immense: long months away from loved ones, enduring loneliness, isolation, depression, and the strain of missing family during holidays and festive seasons.
The Mission to Seafarers exists to meet these needs with both compassion and the hope of the gospel. When sailors arrive in Sydney, the mission welcomes them with simple but essential items, like SIM cards for connectivity, currency exchange, free Wi-Fi, coffee, tea, literature, and a recreational space where they can rest. These acts of hospitality provide a bridge to deeper ministry.
‘Seafarers are often lonely and isolated,’ Pastor Tay explains. ‘We want to care for their well-being and welfare, and we also want to share with them the love of God.’ Over the years, hundreds of seafarers have come to faith in Jesus Christ through this mission. The work continues long after the ships leave port, with ongoing discipleship and encouragement offered through social media platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram.
For Pastor Tay, this ministry is both a calling and a privilege. He gives thanks to God for the opportunity to serve those who spend much of their lives at sea, and he invites the global church to join in prayer. ‘Do pray for them,’ he urges, ‘as they face loneliness, isolation, and the challenges of life at sea. They need our prayers and our support.’
God at Work on Sydney’s Margins | Amanda Mason
‘My heart in Sydney is to see people from different diasporas, particularly those from Buddhist Southeast Asian backgrounds, encounter Jesus.’
Amanda, a believer from the Sydney Anglican Diocese, has been reflecting on what God is doing in her city. Sydney has long been home to a strong Anglican tradition—rooted, faithful, and fruitful. For generations, however, its ministry has largely reflected its base: English-speaking, tertiary-educated, middle-class believers. But the city is shifting. New diaspora communities are arriving, particularly from Southeast Asia, with Buddhist cultural and religious backgrounds. These groups often find themselves socially, economically, and spiritually on the margins.
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Amanda believes this is not a threat but an opportunity. ‘It can feel like ministry is moving in one direction and is difficult to shift,’ she admits, ‘but the margins are where growth is happening.’ Across Sydney, diaspora groups are partnering with local churches, and already stories are emerging of God’s work in unexpected places.
Amanda believes this is not a threat but an opportunity. ‘It can feel like ministry is moving in one direction and is difficult to shift,’ she admits, ‘but the margins are where growth is happening.’ Across Sydney, diaspora groups are partnering with local churches, and already stories are emerging of God’s work in unexpected places.
She is encouraged by diocesan leaders, including bishops of diverse heritage, who carry a vision to see churches intentionally engage migrants. Yet Amanda stresses this call extends beyond Sydney: it is for the wider Western church, which still wrestles with reaching those outside its traditional circles.
Her message is simple: pray. ‘Please pray for us, that God will give us the insight we need to change our direction, to engage with the margin. Because we know that growth is happening on the margins.’ For Amanda, this is more than strategy. It is the very heart of the gospel. Jesus himself went to the margins—welcoming the overlooked and embracing the forgotten. Today, Sydney’s diaspora presents that same gospel opportunity. And Amanda rejoices, because she sees God already on the move.
God is on the Move: Will you join him?
Elena, Pastor Tay, and Amanda represent three very different contexts—classrooms, coastlines, and cathedrals. Yet their stories share one unmistakable thread: God is using ordinary believers to meet people at their most vulnerable moments.
For international students far from home, a career workshop becomes the doorway to hearing about Jesus. For seafarers on lonely oceans, a warm cup of tea and Wi-Fi at a port lead to encounters with the everlasting God. For diaspora communities in Sydney, faithful Anglicans are learning to shift from their comfort zones to the margins, discovering growth where least expected.
These ministries remind us that the mission of God is not confined to pulpits or programs. It is lived out in friendships, conversations, and acts of hospitality. The Spirit of God is at work in Australia—just as he is across the globe—calling his church to open its doors, step into the margins, and welcome the stranger.
The question for us all is whether we will join him there.