Last night was filled with tears and sad goodbyes as we sent off our Chinese students. They really started becoming a part of us and I am willing to be if they stayed any longer, they just would not go back to their home land. Many of the students declared a reluctance to return to China. Their life is hard and stressful with many expectations and I believe very little affection and time spent with their parents. Many also said that they would like to return to the US to go to college. I am bet some will return. My students know they will always have an American family if they do return. If you ever get an opportunity to take in foreign exchange students I highly recommend it. It was a wonderful experience for the entire family. The Lord gave us all the grace we needed to share our homes and lives with these precious girls.
Max arrived today to join our family. He is truly the most precious dog ever. He is taking a little nap right now but has been playing and exploring his new home thoroughly. Surprisingly the cats are doing very well with our new addition. Lucy is cautious but not too stressed and hasn’t hidden and Bella, still in the kitten phase is exploring playing with him. It think the adjustment will go far better than I expected.
Here are some pictures:
Susan, you are just gorgeous!
I’m so glad your visit ended tenderly. What a neat experience those girls had getting to be a part of your family.
And Max, well he’s just the cutest darn dog I’ve ever seen. Almost puts a little longing in my heart for a dog.
Almost!
Gayle
i heard the same thing from the chinese exchange student our pastor had. he was surprised at the amount of affection our children got from their parents. he also left wanting to come back to america for college. but right now he is in spain.
your little dog is so cute!
I’m sure you and your family left a positive and favorable impression on these young ladies. Perhaps a seed was planted where they will come to Christ one day!
And knowing that they know somebody here in the US will give them hope of returning one day for college. That would be a fun reunion, don’t you think? Your girls will have grown and then you will get to see those young ladies’ reflections on their time in the US and how it impacted them.
I never really thought about the stressful lifestyle, but then again, when I think about the pressures that my mom put on me when I was younger, I can only imagine! And that is here in the US… let alone if we were still living in Korea.
May we always have grace with our children in everything!
Love,
Marsha
What a great experience for you and your family. I’m sure it is one that will be remembered fondly on both sides for a long time.
Your little Max is adorable…and I’m not even an animal person!