Amazing Opportunity to Host a Chinese Student right here in Lakeland! Have you thought about taking a missions trip this summer, but cannot seem to get time off work or maybe you need to save a little longer to get to go? Well, I have the perfect solution for you – for the cost of 3 meals a day and some daily transportation- for ONLY 17 DAYS you can take a missions trip from the comfort of your own home and be able to work each day while the students are in their daily program.
Educational First Homestay Program (EF) is a non-profit, non-Christian based company from Cambridge, MA, is bringing 153 Junior Chinese boys and girls, from China, to our area this summer. These Junior Chinese students, ages 9-14, are here for only 17 days in July. They can speak some English, but they are coming to America for culture and for conversational English. They will be here from July 14th to July 29th.
Our program is growing!! When this program started in our area seven years ago we started with 34 students, last year we had 102 students and now God is sending us 153 of these precious children to love and share His love with them. This is GOD’s work, but it take YOU. For God’s perfect plan to be fulfilled, this summer, it will take loving people opening their homes, like you!!
We are expanding our territory, again, so that more families can be involved. We have established 2 more bus stops and are opening up the Winter Haven/Auburndale area, so that the Host Families will not have to drive more than 5-10 minutes from their homes each morning.
During the program, the students are under the supervision of EF Program Staff from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm (M-F) attending English language classes in the morning and participating in a variety of organized educational activities and field trips during the afternoons.
Host Families are only asked to provide a bed (they can share a room with your child(ren) or with another EF student, but they cannot share a bed), 3 meals a day and to drop off/pick up their EF student(s) in the mornings and late afternoon at their bus stop.
There will be buses running for our Host Families this summer to pick up and drop off our students.
There will be 2 stops for each area:
Bartow, Mulberry and South Lakeland area Families:
Stop #1 Highland City Publix Parking Lot
Stop #2 Kmart on S. Florida Avenue Parking Lot
North Lakeland Families:
Stop #1 Planet Fitness Parking Lot
Stop #2 Socrum Loop Publix Parking Lot
Plant City Families:
Stop #1 Mike Sansone Park at Park Road and I-4
Stop #2 TBA (depending on area most convenient for a group of families)
Winter Haven Families:
Stop#1 Faith Baptist Church
Stop #2 TBA
Auburndale Families:
Stop#1 TBA
Stop #2 Auburndale Life Church off Berkley Rd.
These buses will take the Chinese student to the course center in Lakeland (to be announced soon). Host families only need to take their student(s) to the bus stop closest to their home. The students come with their own insurance and spending money. We encourage host families to embrace these children into their family and let them experience the American way of life.
Maybe this is your year!! The year to take one of these precious little lives into your home and give them exactly what Christ gives us – UNCONDITIONAL LOVE!! What a blessing for your Chinese child to have you in their life and them in yours for a lifetime!!!!
Also, If your child is in High School or entering 9th grade for the 2016-2017 school year, they can earn 45 community service hours for each student hosted.
As you watch the attached videos, imagine your family with these kind of memories. Also, this will help you catch the vision of the Foreign Missions on American Soil.
Video from our program in the Lakeland Area:
Video link: https://vimeo.com/15305
Contact: Christina Pourroy 863 409 9458
