Baptist families view exchange student hosting as ministry
___By George Henson
___Staff Writer
___Debbie Key has not been able to go to Macedonia or Germany to do mission work. She has, however, brought Macedonia and Germany into her home in Olney.
___Key, a member of First Baptist Church in Olney, has welcomed foreign high school students into her home this year and last.
___Her family's experience with taking in foreign students just felt right from the start, she said. "There was a boy from Macedonia who needed a home, and I just knew we were supposed to be it."
___Key was uncertain how great an impact attending her church had on the young man, because it all seemed so different for this affluent Catholic young man growing up in a Greek Orthodox nation. She said he seemed to have trouble understanding the importance of a spiritual life.
___That did not stop her from taking a girl from Germany into her home this year, however. This young woman enjoys going to church and is very involved in the youth group. Church attendance is a new thing for her as well. Even though she is a church member in Germany, her family usually only attends church on Easter and Christmas.
___"It's been a real eye-opener for me to see how many teenagers have very little, if any, exposure to Jesus," Key said. "Most of these kids are really, really nice kids, but going to church is just not a part of their culture."
___Because going to church and being part of a family where spiritual things are a priority are such a change, Key believes housing these students for a school year has in a sense made her a foreign missionary.
___"It's a wonderful opportunity to share Jesus with the kids by just loving them, taking them to church and not pushing Jesus down their throats," Key said. "You can bring the mission field right into your home."
___Key cautions, however, that while taking these teenagers into a home and exposing them to Jesus is a good thing, attempting to hard-sell them on Christianity will not work.
___Gale Greeson, a member of the Missionary Baptist congregation of First Baptist Church in Rice, saw a young Russian girl profess faith in Christ while staying in her home. Greeson still gets letters from the girl saying how good it is to be a Baptist and how certain she is of her salvation, in contrast with the Greek Orthodox church which does not teach soul security.
___"I guess my main reason for being involved is that it is a mission work. Most of us will never be able to afford to go to Russia or Kurdistan, but this way we have an opportunity to change the life of someone who can then return home and affect the lives of others," Greeson said.
___Numerous agencies provide placement services for foreign exchange students coming to America. For more information, call (800) 637-0217.
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The Baptist Standard
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