To introduce myself, I am a retired schoolteacher. I grew up in a Christian home. My parents came to know Christ in a personal way shortly after they were married and had their first child. I learned to know Jesus as a very young child. Like most children, I went through times of rebellion and doubts, but Jesus Christ always held me closely and brought me back to Himself. I taught Sunday School as a teen-ager and served in various capacities in the church over the years while teaching school. There came a time when I no longer had a ministry and couldn’t understand why.But as I look back now, I feel that God was releasing me from obligations to free me for a greater ministry.

I had often heard about international students coming to America and many never have an opportunity to visit an American home. This bothered me, but I didn’t know how to get involved with them.

I was invited to attend a small group session in the fall of 2000.In that group, two people shared information that changed the course of my life. An instructor from Towson University suggested I call the International Office and express my interest in international students. I did call the International Office and offered to have students who wouldn’t be going home for Thanksgiving to come to my house for dinner. Two students came, one from Korea and one from Bangladesh. They were so happy to spend the holiday with an American family.

The young man from Korea came back to my house almost every week and started bringing others. I have had students from Japan, China, Bangladesh, Morocco, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Kenya, and Korea to visit my home. I learn so much from them and they learn from each other.

Another member of the small group talked about the New Exodus Fellowship that meets in Cockeysville Middle School. She said the people were so friendly and would remember your name after your first visit. I decided to visit after the holidays. The first Sunday in 2001, I drove by the school to see what time the service started and attended the following Sunday. I felt that I had come home. The worship was wonderful and the people were so friendly.

The following Sunday, my Korean friend expressed an interest in attending church and he loved it. One student who came to my house with him was from China.  The church was going bowling one Sunday afternoon and I invited him to go to church and then go bowling with us and he agreed. He loved the church and started attending every Sunday. Then he saw an ad about a Chinese Bible study and started attending it. They invited him to a Christian retreat and he accepted Christ as his Savior. He is so happy to have come to know the truth about Jesus. He has invited many other students to church and a number have come. I do not preach to them about Christianity. I just provide friendship and American experiences and they appreciate the opportunity to be in a home. They enjoy the lively music, the joy they see in the Christians, the ministry of the Word and the friendliness of the people at the church. Some students from Korea have expressed that they have made new commitments to Christ since being here.

Many of the students have no knowledge of Jesus Who died for their sins and rose again to give them eternal life. They are so happy to learn of this truth and to find the peace that comes from knowing Jesus in a personal way.

The pastor spoke to the church about the privilege of reaching out to the students.Many responded. We formed a group called Friends of International Students. When the new students came in for the spring orientation, we served them a dinner. As a result, a number of students visited the church. We served another dinner at the end of the term. Some of the friends have taken students on short trips or out for meals. It has been a wonderful privilege to be a friend to these students. My time with them has been the most rewarding thing I’ve done in my whole life. The church has been so supportive and I appreciate it very much.