'God Brought Them Here for a Reason': The Friendship Group Touching the Lives of International Students
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More than 1,000 international students have enrolled at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia this fall. They are just a few of the more than a million international students across the United States and also from China, India, Saudi Arabia and other countries.
Seventeen years ago, Dr. Kurnia Foe was one of those students, arriving with his family from Indonesia. Now, he's giving other international students a helping hand.
He founded Global Student Friendship, a nonprofit organization that aims to serve the international community in the Hampton Roads area by helping them form meaningful relationships with Americans.
"We have international students and scholars and their families that come from different parts of the world. They pursue education, and pursuing their future and a career," Dr. Foe told CBN News.
Global Student Friendship is supported by local churches who help sponsor events. With their help, Foe held a welcome luncheon for hundreds of arriving international students.
"With this sense of welcoming them, and giving them a cup of water, a plate full of meal, something that will feel for them, something represents, something that will speak to their heart that these people care about me," Dr. Foe explained.
The friendships formed in this program lead to family outings and meals in American homes during the school year. It's something most foreign students don't experience.
"Eighty-eight percent of internationals are never invited to an American home, and actually for immigrants, they live here maybe 20 years and don't have American friends either," said Kathy Hardison, director of Global Friendship ventures.
Anticipating the needs of these arriving students, the global friendship team also provides welcome bags full of household items. Free rides to the grocery store. And even furniture for empty apartments.
"We are very grateful for this organization because we got a lot of furnitures, like a student desk and dining table, and couch. Lot of things. And if we had to pay for those things it's very expensive," said Wimarsha, a student from Sri Lanka.
Next semester, the ministry will open “the globe," a housing unit for 60 international students next to the ODU campus. It’s just one of many opportunities to befriend internationals turn strangers into friends.
"Imagine being able to find someone from almost any country that you're interested in and know that God brought them here for a reason. And so we Americans have this amazing opportunity to engage the world," Harrison said. "So just reach out and give a little bit of time, a little bit of money, a little bit of food, and you have done what takes missionaries overseas years to accomplish. It's easy!"
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