messimers missionaries minister to international students at christian campus house
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12/2/13 Missionaries minister to international students at Christian Campus House
www.columbiamissourian.com/a/167658/missionaries-minister-to-international-students-at-christian-campus-house/print/ 1/8
COLUMBIA MISSOURIAN
Missionaries minister to internationalstudents at Christian Campus HouseBy Marcie Veit
November 26, 2013 | 6:00 a.m. CST
Dennis Messimer, right, holds up his grandfather's axe as he speaks in front of international studentswith his wife, Linda Messimer, at Forum Christian Church. Dennis said that the axe was the kindused to build log cabins, something that the pilgrim character he adopted to explain the history ofThanksgiving might often do. | Jacob Hamilton
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Dennis Messimer wears dress shoes with added buckles at the Christian Campus House'sInternational Thanksgiving event at Forum Christian Church. Messimer and his wife donned Pilgrimoutfits to explain the story of the first Thanksgiving to international students. | Jacob Hamilton
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International students from the Christian Campus House and their families eat a Thanksgiving dinnerat the International Thanksgiving event at Forum Christian Church on Saturday. Christian CampusHouse Minister David Sowers said this year's turnout was the largest they've had for the annual event. | Jacob Hamilton
Dennis Messimer, right, leads a line of international students with their families as they fill their plateswith traditional Thanksgiving food at the Christian Campus House's International Thanksgiving event.
Dinner fare at the event included mashed potatoes, turkey slices, biscuits and gravy, as well as
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Dennis and Linda Messimer spent 38 years as international missionaries. Now, they work with international students
at MU's Christian Campus House. ¦ Jacob Hamilton
COLUMBIA — Baking chocolate zucchini muffins is bewildering to Amy Sun, an MU international
student from China.
In the Christian Campus House kitchen, Linda Messimer is happy to teach her how to mix the
ingredients and spoon the batter into muffin cups.
Sun carefully measures the chocolate chips, cocoa powder, flour, sugar, eggs and shredded zucchini
into a bowl. After stirring, she uses an ice cream scoop to fill the 24-cup pan.
Sun slides the muffin tin into the oven and her work is done — until the muffins are ready in 15
minutes.
"I love baking," Sun said. "Chinese baking is different from American baking, so sometimes I mess
up."
Christian Campus House sells muffins and other baked treats to raise money for mission trips. The
Dinner fare at the event included mashed potatoes, turkey slices, biscuits and gravy, as well aspumpkin pie for dessert. | Jacob Hamilton
Dennis Messimer, right, and his wife, Linda Messimer, watch Khang Thai, 3, at the Christian CampusHouse's International Thanksgiving event. Khang, nicknamed "Mizzou," was born in Columbia duringthe year of the Tiger. | Jacob Hamilton
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fundraiser also serves as a baking lesson for students such as Sun, who are unaccustomed to the
muffins, cupcakes and cookies common in America.
Linda Messimer, 65, and her husband, Dennis, 69, are part of a team that ministers to
international students at the Christian Campus House on College Avenue.
In addition to baking, the Messimers help students with driving lessons, conversational English,
Bible studies and trips to the doctor. They repair bicycles for transportation around town, and
they invite students to a monthly home-cooked meal.
"They offer everything to every international student without asking what they believe," said
Lance Tamerius, director of the Christian Campus House.
Because the Messimers are retired Christian missionaries who spent 38 years abroad, they
understand how difficult it can be for international students to adjust to an unfamiliar place.
"Living overseas for 38 years, we are no longer typical Americans. We enjoy being with people
from other countries," Dennis Messimer said.
International enrollment at MU has been on the rise for the last 10 years, according to data from
the MU International Center.
The Institute of International Education reported this month that Missouri ranks 12th in the
nation in the number of international students enrolled on state campuses.
MU leads the list with 2,490 students. More than one-third of the 17,300 international students in
the state are from China.
The increasing number of international students at MU has intensified the efforts of international
ministers at the Christian Campus House, including the Messimers. They serve as stand-in
parents or grandparents for them. Students even call them "Grandma" and "Grandpa."
"They are missing family back home," said David Sowers, another minister to international
students at the Christian Campus House. "To be a part of a family here is a helpful thing."
Adjusting to another country
The Messimers experienced culture shock when they first moved to Belgium and then South
Africa as Christian missionaries.
"We empathize with students from other countries who may have culture shock," Dennis
Messimer said. "We understand some of their frustrations they are going through."
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The couple arrived in Belgium in 1970, not knowing what to expect. Belgium presented them with
a new language, a different culture and even unexpected weather patterns.
It rained two days out of three in Belgium, Dennis Messimer said. "If you don't do anything in the
rain, you never get anything done."
Linda Messimer said learning Dutch was difficult at first.
"It was all Greek to me," she said. "I didn't understand anything for the first three months."
She would mix up similar words in Dutch, mistaking "freckles" — sproeten — for "Brussels
sprouts"— spruitjes — which led to a bit of confusion in restaurants.
Another misunderstanding occurred when the Messimers were driving a group of choir students
to an event.
One of the girls kept asking a boy for kisses — or so the couple thought. Kussen in Dutch means
either kisses or cushions, depending on the context. Turns out the girl wanted a cushion, not a kiss.
Christian studies in Belgium and South Africa
Most of the Messimers' work in Belgium was dedicated to helping churches find their footing. They
also conducted special Bible studies for new Christians and welcomed many of them into their
home.
"We opened our home for women and kids who needed refuge," Linda Messimer said. A 16-year-
old girl, who stayed with them for more than six months, now has children and grandchildren.
"Those kind of things make you really happy about what you do," she said.
When they arrived in South Africa in 1987, the Messimers were unprepared for the violence. The
Messimers recalled Johannesburg, where they lived, as a violent and crime-ridden place.
"In South Africa, conversation would always eventually get around to violence," Linda Messimer
said.
Their vehicles were vandalized six times, and their home was burglarized at least nine times.
During a 2004 break-in, they were at home watching TV when they heard a noise upstairs.
Investigating, they discovered two men armed with knives. The men stabbed both of them, and
Dennis Messimer was pushed to the ground where his hands and feet were bound together behind
his back.
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He said he could feel blood running down his side from the knife wound. "I started praying right
away," he remembered.
Linda Messimer was forced to hand over all the money and valuables they had in the house before
her husband's hands came free, allowing him to push an alarm. The robbers fled, and the
Messimers were able to get medical attention.
"We felt like even though God allowed the break-in, he set the perimeters and caused the cords to
loosen on Dennis' hands at just the right time," Linda Messimer said.
In South Africa, the Messimers worked to help integrate schools that their children
attended. South Africa had a system of racial segregation called apartheid from 1948 to 1994.
Funding for black schools was six times less than funding for white schools. In 1989, three schools
the Messimers' children attended were among the many that opened their doors to children of
other races based on voter approval by parents.
When apartheid ended in 1994, Linda Messimer was able to take a woman to vote for the very
first time in her life.
"It was a very emotional and special time for her," Linda Messimer said. "We both cried."
The Messimers apparently passed their compassion along to their son, Brent. He saw people in
need on his own mission trips to Uganda and later founded Rescue Innocence, an organization that
seeks to end human trafficking, educates people about human trafficking and provides services to
those in need.
Ministry to international students
The Messimers met at Ozark Christian College in Joplin on Thanksgiving Day 1966.
Dennis Messimer's father was a professor at the college, and his wife invited Linda for holiday
dinner since her family was in Louisiana.
Dennis Messimer's mother jokingly said to her son: "Your future wife is coming for dinner."
The couple married in August 1967.
After their four decades of combined missionary service abroad and in America, they came to the
Christian Campus House 2½ years ago as ministers to international students.
Christian Campus House engages in a number of service ministries — visiting the Women's
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Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia every Monday, pairing students
with widows in the community and going to hospitals every week.
On scheduled field trips, students visit farms, the Capitol in Jefferson City and maybe a zoo.
Christian Campus House also holds Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for the international
students.
The Messimers organize Bible studies and also participate as conversation partners at the center
each week with the non-native speakers.
About 75 international students are a part of the "conversation partner" program at Christian
Campus House. Sessions are one-on-one, and the Americans use the Book of Luke to teach
conversational English, if the students are comfortable with that.
"Campus ministry is not an easy job, but it can be very rewarding," Dennis Messimer said.
Supervising editor is Jeanne Abbott.
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