Foreign Exchange
This past summer we decided we would try hosting a foreign exchange student. We had heard so many positive stories. But to better understand what was involved we volunteered to host a student for just the summer. That would give us a chance to evaluate if we would want to host someone for a year.
So, we contacted a group we had heard of and met with them. We had lots of questions about their rules and regulations, as well as expectations of the organization, the family of the student, and the student. We were pleased to learn that we were not expected to make major changes in our lifestyle and routine. The focus was on the student experiencing the everyday life of a family in America.
After praying and more discussion we decided to apply. We were quickly approved and learned that we would be hosting a young man from southern France. He was a high school student wanting to improve his English and learn about the USA.
L was a very amiable and quiet young man. He was wonderful with John and they enjoyed being together. We decided it would be great to take him to visit 
my family in G and so planned a vacation trip north.
We stopped at an animal park and lake along the way. He was amazed at how far it was to my family. He would have crossed all of France and more. He really enjoyed the farm and willingly helped Perry sift through hundreds of bushels of wheat to store as seed for next years crops. It was fun to watch him as he absorbed all he saw.
The summer ended well, and we felt that we would be open to hosting a foreign exchange student for the up-coming school year. The organization was happy and promptly send us information on an 18-year girl from Mexico. We were a little concerned when we noted that she was not excited about going to school and that she smoked. We quickly contacted the organization to discuss this. They said no she had to go to school and attend classes and she was aware that she was not allowed to smoke in our house. With that confirmed we moved forward and helped her enroll as a senior in the school.
We introduced her to our neighbors who had a teenage boy. A couple weeks after arriving they invited her to go three-wheeling with them. We were happy that she was making friends. But that afternoon we received an urgent call that she had fallen off the bike and could we meet them at the hospital. We promptly called the organization to see what we should do and how to handle this situation.
They said everything was fine and that it was not the first time for such an injury. Their insurance would cover all the costs and we should proceed with hosting her in our home. Their answers calmed our concerns until she got home and called her parents. She said all kinds of things, cried a lot and then went to her room. She said that in no uncertain terms she was not staying and must be allowed to return home.
The organization contacted the parents and tried to help resolve the situation but with no success. So, after a short three weeks she left and so ended our endeavor to be hosts for a foreign exchange student. We had hoped we could use this process to learn more about other cultures and how to understand the life and culture of another person. We learned a lot but not all that we had hoped.
She called us a couple of weeks later begging to be allowed to return. We don’t know what changed but said we would need to talk with the organization about it. When we called them, they said they would not recommend her return based on how she had behaved and what they had learned through their interaction with the family.
So, our attempt to host someone from another culture was a mixed blessing. Wish both experiences had been as positive as the first. We had hope to learn how people perceive us by hosting. We also wanted to learn more about how we would respond to a person with different cultural values.
Nancy
What can you do now to learn about other people, accepting them as they are, and how you will respond to the differences in attitudes, preferences, and personality?
Hmmm. I’m not very good at this at this point in my life. My husband works nights and sleep days and live-ins don’t work well in our setting. What I try to do is make conversation and friends with my neighbors. We have multiple cultures and many religions just on our block. Since I have never been steered to go overseas, it seems God brought other cultures to my neck of the woods, so I reach out to my neighborhood in many ways.
a great example of the call of missions. to go where you are. also a great example of the most basic form of evangelism which we all learn from childhood, the ability to say hello and connect to the person next to us.
Interesting! We had a girl from Norway and she and our youngest daughter, Laurie, had such a good time together. She was a delight to have in our home and invited us to come to Norway and we went and had such a good time! We know it doesn’t always work out though. We have enjoyed all of your blogs.
Jim and Olive Slye
I am glad you had a great time. the foreign exchange programs provides a wonderful opportunity to learn about other cultures and to share our faith in our daily life. I am glad you are enjoying the blog.