Foreign Exchange Students

Time flies... 3 years ago we embarked upon what our family thought was a scarry experience, yet exciting. We opened our home and our hearts to a Japanese exchange student who was coming to Utah for a Home Stay. They were coming for an American Family Experience. Our first student was a young lady who was 12 years old. Her name was Chisato.  She was very shy, but quickly became talkative and was like a professional pianist. she had been playing since age 3.She was very experienced and it was beautiful. She spent the summer months with our family. We went everywhere, showing her things of interest. We sorta forgot she was 12. We took her to the State Capitol, Temple Square, Bear Lake, and so many other places locally. Day before she leaves she tells me she really wanted to go to amusement park. Well, there was no time nor did we have the money left to take her to LAGOON, the local amusement park. We loved her and we all cried when she left. She had become a part of our family.  I wasn't sure I wanted to go through that again. It was a wonderful experience, but my heart ached when she left.

Summer rolled around again and was getting those little email reminders that the summer Japanese students are coming, would we please again open our home and our hearts. We did so one more time, This time the young lady was 13 years old named Madoka, She had a interest in batton twirling. She wanted to see a competition in Baton twirling while she was here. They have those sorta things in Las Vegas. I explained, I didn't think that Las Vegas was a good place for a 13 year old child. She understood and we had a delightful time with her and our family. Learning my lesson from the year before, I asked this student what ONE thing she would really want to do, if we could only do one thing, what would it be. She said she would like to see Arches National park. So off we went to visit Arches,Dead Horse Point,  Grand Circle and the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon. I think that she quickly grew tired of seeing Red Rocks.  Again, time flew and it was time for her to leave...again, Tears!

My daughter feeling abandoned when her brother got married and left her at home alone, she had been asking for us to adopt a child. Well, I thought lets risk and branch out a bit and open our home to a Japanese High School student who would be coming to study for the entire school year. We all agreed and we decided not to participate in the summer exchange students and we would just have the high school student.

 We picked a young lady who had many things in common with Eve. This young lady is 17 years old and her name is Fuzuki. We had been in much anticipation and excitement for her arrival which wouldn't be til the end of summer just a week before school begins..

 As summer approached, again those emails started coming telling us that they had so many summer students coming they needed more homes, so we extended and opened our home and heart once again to a summer student. Her name is Ryoko and she is 15 years old. She was a beautiful young lady. So very mature for her young years. Very smart as well. She was only coming for a short home stay. Only 2 weeks. Well, 2 weeks will fly by in such a hurry and there  is no time to "fall in love" right? WRONG!!! Ryoko is the one student who we fell the hardest for and the fastest. I still feel like I am missing someone in my; home, my heart. She is a lovely young lady. Like Madoka, Ryoko requested to see ArchesNational park, we also took her to Deadhorse point. . Unlike Madoka, she seemed to have actually loved Arches and I think she would never grow tired of Red Rocks! She loved to hike and see the beauty of the National parks. She loved it!!

There was a glorious 2 days where we actually had the two Japanese girls together with us, Fuzuki arrived on Friday August 13th. Ryoko left to return to Japan on August 15th. The morning before she left we took her to watch a live recording of the Music and the Spoken word. It was a very nice morning. We took a family photo together on Temple Square then had a special lunch with Grandma and Grandpa and then we returned again for the second time that day to Salt Lake to see Ryoko off and return her to the UTrek Program. Again... we and she Cried. Our hearts had touched and joined. She will forever be a part of our family. We stressed over and over before she left... if anyone were to ask her where she lived. she was to say she had two homes, on in America in Utah and one in Japan. She writes us an email every week. Her mother also writes and our lives have been enriched!

Fuzuki is now a part of our family as well. We are being blessed by a 17 year old, very thin, beautiful young lady. She is struggling with the English language. I had no idea that so much of our culture revolves around Christianity.  I have tried to be so respectful of these young ladies religion and to not impose my own views and beliefs onto them, that I have perhaps neglected to share with them what I really do believe, other than what the Sister Missionaries have told them on Temple Square when we take them to tour.
Now, I am faced with one Daughter, who is Buddhist,, and needing to understand Christianity to be able to understand her English literature class and her American History Class. She has no background for Christianity. Knows nothing of Jesus. Nothing of Creationism. Nothing of Adam and Eve.   She is so wanting to learn so that she can understand. We are discussing these things everyday now.

If anyone really reads this, I want you to know that participating in this program is a real blessing. If you have the opportunity to participate in these programs, you will enrich your life by opening your home and your heart to one of these wonderful students!!

If any;one reading this lives in the Bountiful Area, there is still a student that is here for the school year and his host family had a crisis and couldnt' take him at the last moment.. and He is still in need of a permanent family for the school year.  If you know of someone in that area, please leave a comment and a way to contact you and I'll have those in charge contact you regarding a life changing experience.   We are having a wonderful time!! I don't even want to think about May!!