The Blog

2nd Year of Adopt-a-Student Program Begins

Nebraska Christian’s international students–hailing from China, Vietnam, Korea, Kenya, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand–come to the center of the United States to learn English. Since the students are not able to be with their families, NC initiated a new program in 2016 called the Adopt-a-Student program, where each international student is paired with an American family. Students spend one Sunday a month with their host family. Kaitlin Flynn, the girls’ dorm mother, said, “The purpose of us creating this program is to encourage the students to experience American families’ lives, getting closer to them, and deepening relationships each month.”

Andy Falk enjoys the pig roast with one of his sons.

The kick-off for the program’s second year was Sunday, August 20. That morning, all the international students were picked up at the dorms by their new host families. The students attended church with their hosts and spent the afternoon with them. That evening, the Adopt-a-Student families, international students, and NC staff gathered for a pig roast!

Prior to the big meal, while the host parents met with International Director Gib Killion, the students played games. Mr. Andy Falk, who led the game time, explained, “I want to see the barriers that exist between the different nationalities broken down. We, as a school, need to care about each other and get to know each other more. The main purpose of the games was to help knock down the barriers and have interaction between international kids and the American kids in a fun way.” All the games required American and international students to interact, helping them become familiar with each other.

Melinda Kim and a host sister.

Of the day, Korean senior Melinda Kim said excitedly, “I got to hang out with babies in the Heartland church on Sunday morning. Also, I had a chance to spend time with Anna Musgrave’s siblings and her family. I was relieved, comfortable, and loved by their actions. I enjoyed spending time playing games that Mr. Falk led so much! I got to hang out with Americans and has had a blast with them.”

Looking forward to the future, we hope that the international students would see Christ through their adopted families’ lives and build relationships to last a lifetime.