Home Away From Home

Imagine being thousands of miles from home. Imagine being away from your family for the first time in your life. Imagine being in a strange land, with strange customs. How would you feel? What would you do? Who would you go to if you needed help?

Now, imagine your child being thousands of miles from home. Imagine they are away from home for the first time. Imagine they are in a strange land, with strange customs. How would you feel? Wouldn't you want them to have someone friendly to help them?

I'd like to introduce you to our First Family program. Through this program, we'll introduce you to a wonderful international student. You'll have the priviledge of getting to know them by inviting them to your home, and inviting them to be part your your family.

What is involved in being a First Family: build a friendship with a wonderful college student from another part of the world, invite them to your home for a few dinners during the semester, invite them to trips and outings your family makes, call and email them regularly just to say "hi" or find out how they are doing, help them get to our activities and attend with them, and most importantly, just be YOU.

What we are NOT asking you to do: they don't need to live with you, you don't need to feed them every meal, you don't need to pay for their books or tuition, you don't need to smother them with attention.

If this sounds like something you feel you and your family can do, please contact us at the email on this page. In the subject line, put "Family" and in the body give us your name and phone number. We'll get in touch with you as quickly as we can to meet with you and discuss this program in more detail. Also, don't think that just because the school semester has started you're not needed. We always need more families. Each year we have more students wanting families than we have families, so we do NEED you.

Here's a little fact for you: 75% of internationals desire to be invited into an American home, but 80% never are. Now, think about this: where do you want these future leaders getting their information on the American family, from you or from TV?

Tips For Hosting Internationals

1. Pray! Commit your relationship to the Lord. Ask for sensitivity to your guest and their needs.
2. Make initial contact by telephone, identifying your self and how you received their name.
3. Be specific about details of first meeting. Pick up the student. Be gender sensitive with regards to person picking up student.
4. Let your guest know if attire is casual or formal. Casual is usually preferred for first meeting.
5. Ask about dietary restrictions.
6. Some internationals are uneasy around pets.
7. Attitude is important. Treat your guest as an equal. Learn to pronounce their name correctly. No nicknames!
8. Speak slowly and distinctly, without raising your volume. Avoid slang or idioms. Humor rarely translates.
9. Be willing to listen objectively to possible critiques of American life and customs. They are not meant to be an insult. The student may be experiencing culture shock.
10. Do not manipulate the conversation to speak of Christ. Over time, the student may have questions about your faith if they sense you care for them.

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