International Adventure

           My international adventure began a year and a half ago. My husband and I had been asked to consider hosting a Chinese high school student for the school year. We discussed it and thought about it for a little while and then decided to decline the offer.  A month or two went by and my husband asked me if the school had ever found a family to host this young man. I found out that they had not. My husband had a few questions about the program and the student. I told him to call the director of the program and get the answers for himself, without me as the middle man. At this time I was taking the kids to visit my mom and step-dad. During our trip I finished a book I had been reading called, “Same Kind of Different as Me”. I highly recommend this truly beautiful and inspiring book! But, I want caution you, this book will challenge you to step out of your comfort zone and do something new for/with God. As you may have guessed, I did read it, so you know I was challenged to do something for/with God. Out trip came to a close and the kids and I got in the car and headed home. On our drive back home I prayed that God would show me what He wanted me to do; where He wanted me to step out of my comfort zone and join Him on an adventure. I prayed that if it was God’s will for us to have an international student that God would speak directly to my husband.  When I got home I got my answer. My husband had called the director while I was away and had set up an appointment to meet with her the next day. He was feeling led in the direction of hosting. We had our meeting; we agreed to host and thus began our adventure.

       It was a year of ups and downs.  God was teaching me to lean on Him for all my needs. Adventures challenge us, surprise us, make us stronger, bless us, grow us and leave a lasting impact on our lives. My adventure did all of the above. We now have a relationship with a young man we never would have known had we not listened to God’s voice and followed Him into the great unknown. Even though he lives with another family this year I still see this young man at the school when I volunteer in the library. We sit together at water polo games and chat about how school is going and his plans for his future. We have been blessed to watch him grow over the past year and a half. He was even crowned Homecoming King this year.

       Our adventure continues even though we are not hosting full time. Our family is signed up as a respite family, giving the full time families a break when they need it. This last weekend we had the blessing of hosting two boys for the weekend. One from China, the other from Brazil. They came on Friday night and stayed till Sunday night. Over their time with us the boys and our sons went to the park and played basketball together, they ate pizza, they played video games, they laughed and sang and even danced a little. The Brazilian boy loves to sing! We also had another Chinese boy join us for dinner one of the nights. I told my younger son he was going to have his own international pizza party! We laughed.

       I look forward to many more international adventures as God brings students into our home. I am on the mission field in my own home!!

2 Corinthians 5:20, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors.”