University of Texas at Austin RUF International
Join us for Dinner & Discussion - Thursdays at 7:30pm on Zoom
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RUF International exists at Texas because local churches want to welcome, serve, and love international students as you come to this new city and country.
No matter where you're coming from, or what you're in Austin to study, we are here for you. It is difficult to be in a new place, let alone a new country where you don't know anybody. We hope you'll find a community and friendships with other International students, as well as American students and families that will help make your time in Austin feel more like home.
RUF International exists to welcome the nations through social activities and events around Austin, and in American homes. Dinners, Movie nights, game nights, and cultural holidays are some of the main things we do. We also want to give you the opportunity to explore the Bible and good news of Jesus through our weekly Dinners & BIble discussions, but this is not required. We want to be your friend regardless of what you attend or how often you come to stuff. In our goal to explore the good news of Jesus Christ together, we have a weekly discussion where you can read passages from the Bible, and ask questions about God, Jesus, the Bible, and Christianity. This is a safe place and time for skeptics, doubters, non-believers, and those of other faiths to see what exactly the Bible says about who God is and what Christians believe.
If you're interested in connecting with Americans and other international students, or learning about the Bible, Jesus, or Christianity, or just looking for some community come check out one of our events or contact Terry and he'll be happy to meet you!
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Meet Our Team
Terry Dykstra
Originally from Colorado, Terry lived most of his life in Georgia before moving to Austin in summer 2017 to continue the work of RUF International at Texas. Terry studied Journalism at the University of Georgia, where he met his wife Mary Rose through RUF. Mary Rose was a finance major and now works in Business Valuation at Deloitte. Terry and Mary Rose have been married since 2014 and welcomed their first child, Arthur, in May 2018. They also have two cats named Agnus and Georgia.
Terry enjoys watching most sports but especially American football (and is growing in his excitement for the world's football), listening to podcasts, and likes playing volleyball, tennis, racquetball, and frisbee. Together, he and Mary Rose enjoy good food, art, theatre, reading, working out and riding bikes. They look forward to meeting students from all the nations represented at UT, and Terry would love to meet on campus over tea, coffee or lunch!