ST. LOUIS, MISSIOURI (ANS) -- Chinese student delegations united for the first time in 60 years during the Urbana09 student missions conference here sponsored by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Delegations from the mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong united last night in fervent prayer for their people.

This prayer meeting was one of many which are part of the International Students tract which is virtually a convention within a convention here. The internationals are housed in the Millennium Hotel where they break into separate prayer and study groups based on continents, regions, countries and language groups.

Over 25% of these are from Asia. There are over 3,770 East Asian students here, mostly from China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asian nations. They make up 23.3% of the pre-registered attendees. South Asians, mostly from India and Pakistan, make up another 2%.

Urbana09 encourages students to break into small groups each day, called families, in order to support one another. There are also ethnic lounges, study groups and special receptions for international students.

William (Bill) Thomas Bray, 62, has been a bi-vocational Christian journalist since 1966 and frequently contributes to ASSSIST News Service. He is on assignment this week for ASSIST News at the giant Urban09 student mission’s conference in St. Louis. He is also president of the Overseas Students Mission, a Charlottesville, Virginia non-profit that combats the brain drain from developing countries and works with indigenous peoples.