“Seven years ago, a local coordinator was attending a theater production that I had directed. After the show the woman boldly approached me and said, ‘Have you ever thought about hosting an exchange student?’ Well not only had I never considered it before, I didn’t even know what that really meant.

The woman gave me information and I went home that evening to discuss this with my partner. We both readily agreed that our schedules were too busy and asked ourselves why in the world would anyone bring a teenager into their home on purpose? So of course we signed up.

Within a few months our first son arrived, and we have never looked back. It was truly the greatest experience of our lives. It opened our minds and our hearts to experiences that we never dreamed of.

After a couple of years, I found myself enlisted as a local coordinator and now I am the one reaching out to people I suspect might benefit from such a wonderful experience.

Since then, we have hosted seven amazing young people that have become a part of our everyday lives. They come to visit often, we talk on the phone regularly and FaceTime is a weekly experience.

I will never be able to thank that local coordinator enough for being brave enough to walk up to me. She gave me a gift that I didn’t know I needed but can’t imagine having lived without.”