First it was Chinese graduate students and scholars going overseas to study. Then undergraduates joined the ranks of international students from China. Now there are thousands of young Chinese students arriving in the US for high school.
Having observed this trend ChinaSource has been partnering with others who are involved directly in educating and caring for this new group of young Chinese students studying abroad. Last year we co-hosted a US-China education consultation in Southern California with the theme, "Expanding the impact of Christian education on youth in China." Following up on that meeting we dedicated the 2014 summer issue of the ChinaSource Quarterly to this growing trend.
While I was preparing the summer CS Quarterly for publication on the ChinaSource website, a friend here in Saint Louis called me to ask if we might be interested in hosting a young student from northeast China who is coming to study in a nearby high school. I was stunned. All that I had been reading about and processing as I worked on the CS Quarterly was coming right to my doorstep.
As I finished up posting and preparing the email notification for "Partnering with Chinese Families to Educate Students in Christian U.S. High Schools," I was also filling in forms, being interviewed by a homestay coordinator, and getting a background check done. About the time the issue was finished and available on the website, we had been approved to be a host family. Now we wait to welcome a student from Shenyang who will start the new school year in our neighborhood.
For me, this issue of the CS Quarterly has been remarkably timely and personally useful.
Narci for the ChinaSource Team
For Prayer:
- Pray for the growing number of young Chinese students studying overseas, the adjustments and challenges can be overwhelming.
- Pray for the families they leave behind, including parents who are sacrificing greatly to provide their child with a western education.
- Pray for the host families to be sensitive to the needs of their students and supportive and caring as they open their homes.
- Pray for the great number of Christian high schools that are educating Chinese students and introducing them to Christ.
- Pray for us as we continue to collaborate with others to address the needs of and issues faced by Chinese students both in China and overseas. Pray for a consultation that is planned for early next year in Asia.
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