Saturday, August 8, 2009

Exchange Student Experience

Earlier this week I blogged about the opportunity to host Vietnamese exchange students. Below is a blog post from Bob Roberts (Pastor of Northwood Church . . . which started GVI) about their experience with a Vietnamese exchange student seen 10 years down the road . . .

Spending the Day with Ti!!!

Almost ten years ago - Ti Luu from Hanoi came as an exchange student to with live with Nikki, Ben, Jill and I. It was one the greatest things we ever did. With his coming from a nonreligious, Buddhist background country, where 80% worship their ancestors, it was always eventful living in a pastors home - but it was all good.

To see him grown, working with a great company, highly educated, and now engaged - I am really proud of him. I asked him what was the best thing about living with us. He told me, “I was forced to think about things I never would have thought about had I not lived with you.” He told me he liked it and it played a role in preparing him to be the man he is.

I encourage you - open your home to exchange students. There’s something about a family living their life together with someone from a totally opposite culture. There are several students headed to the US right now to begin their year as exchange students in the US from Vietnam. Are there challenges? Sure. Are they worth it? You bet.

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