We've got all our students assigned, and have our hosts- now we just wait, with great anticipation, meeting our new international friends.

We've got 4 students from China, 3 from Japan, and 3 from South Korea. Some are a little nervous about their English skills (which I assure them will be better than our Chinese, Japanese and/or Korean skills.:) Some are nervous about having pets in the house, as that is not something they do in their cultures. Some plan on going to graduate school in the US, some are here for just a few months. Our students range from 19-32 yr old- a bit of a wide range, but we've had wider.:)

It is clear from the bios that our students have sent that they love their hometowns and are very proud of their home countries. At least 2 have said theirs is the prettiest part of their country- yet they live in different areas in the same country.:)

We've got a full two weeks for them- 2 overnights- one in San Antonio and one at our lakehouse, following a tamalada. We want to expose them to as much of Texas as we can-both the myths and the truths. From the Alamo to the Bob Bullock History of Texas Museum, to the State Capitol and LBJ's home- they'll get a wide range in terms of history (myths and truths)- it is up to us to open our homes and hearts to them to build our bridges of peace and friendship.

Today at the meeting of the Austin table of the Pan American Round Table, I led the "Collect"- part of it says this: "Teach us that through knowledge we gain understanding, and that understanding leads to friendship, and through friendship comes peace." Although this is from a group that fosters relations with Latin America, it also describes our CIH program perfectly.

A Stranger Among Us

In Sunday School this past Sunday, one of our hosts talked about the first time they hosted a Christmas International House student, what she said reminded me of the first time we hosted and what I’ve heard from other hosts about the first time they hosted, namely, "Why in the world would we bring a stranger into our midst during Christmas," this wonderful family holiday that.... celebrates the birth of our Lord, who taught us about.... giving to those less fortunate, ....about how what we do to "the least of these" is what we do to God, "how dare we bring a stranger into our midst" (the litany goes on and on)..but what WAS it that what Jesus preached? Who IS our neighbor? Is it that new refugee family that is now coming to our church? Is it just the people in our neighborhood? Is it the war-worn people in Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur, and all the other war-racked places on this earth? Is it college students from another country who need a place to go during the holiday break, when dorms shut down? Is showing hospitality a “mitzvah”, a blessing? Isn’t it really more of a blessing to us when we do something that Jesus actually encouraged us to do?

I remember when we talked about hosting our first time. What would it be like to have strangers with us? Would they ruin Christmas for us? Would it be awkward? Our first students (we had 2) were from Japan and Taiwan and were delightful. Neither was Christian, although Mei’s Mother was Christian, so she had some knowledge of our faith. It was fun, talking to them, and explaining why we do the things we do. For example, why DO we cook turkey for Christmas dinner- (I found that many in the northern US do beef tenderloin rather than turkey, when I looked up food traditions for Christmas.) Last year, our student was Christian, and we found (pardon the pun) a world of difference between how we celebrate Christmas and how it is celebrated in South Korea. There, the emphasis is on celebrating the birth of Jesus, not on eating til you feel like a beached whale and buying everything you can for your kids and yourself. They don’t exchange gifts there, they worship.

I can remember when Christmas was on Sunday when I was on the Worship Team many years ago, and the discussion was actually SHOULD we have church on Sunday, with it being Christmas! Would it be too big of a hassle to pack up in the midst of opening OUR presents and "have" to go to church? Hello! We’re celebrating Christ’s birthday, doesn’t it make sense to do it in church??? Sadly, in the US, we’ve largely gotten away from the real meaning of Christmas. We try to come back to it, with our Hanging of the Greens Service, etc., but the commercialism is still with us- in every single store into which we venture, on commercial TV, magazines, it is difficult to escape. How do we teach our children that Christmas isn't about getting, it is about giving of yourselves? God gave us a great gift in this baby Jesus child- how can we possibly ever be even a millionth as generous?

Might we not stretch ourselves a little this year and welcome a stranger among us? Christmas International House- Austin needs more hosts. We prefer families, but kids aren't mandatory! We have all females coming to our program, so, sorry guys, no single men can host.:) Go to www.christmasih.org to learn more about this wonderful program. You can host for one or both weeks, it is up to you. Week one is Dec. 19-26, Week 6 is Dec. 26-Jan. 2. Please look into your heart, and if you’ve got a spare bedroom (or even a spare bed in your daughter's room,) consider hosting. While we’ve had a few "challenges" the past couple of years with a couple of students, overall, the 7 or 8 years with which I’ve been involved with the program have been a real blessing.