Members of the Buford Church of God got an extra lesson in geography this year thanks to one local family. Sunday school teachers Craig and Linda Cothern have been opening their home to international exchange students since 2004. They enjoyed their first experience so much that they became local coordinators for Aspect Foundation Student Exchange, and soon created a global community right in their own backyard.

“Our church truly turned global last year,” said Craig. “We had students from Norway, Moldova, Armenia, Brazil, Germany, Ukraine, Thailand and Vietnam. What an awesome mix to add to our youth group.”

The Cotherns have hosted four students in their own home from such diverse countries as Ukraine, Brazil and Sweden. They are now awaiting the arrival of Victor from Moldova, who will join their family for the 2007/2008 school year.

“The experience has been so rewarding. It is amazing to see how differently we Americans are viewed in different parts of the world. We are so blessed, but we rarely see that,” Craig said. “Having these kids in from all over the world helps us to see the world from their eyes, but also helps us to see ourselves from their perspective.”

Even more than expanding their perspective, the Cotherns have expanded their family. “Our kids can say they have brothers and sisters in three different countries now – four once Victor arrives from Moldova!” Craig said. “Our kids have much more depth of knowledge about so many other cultures now than we ever hoped to have growing up.”

The cultural learning hasn’t ended when each student returned home. The Cotherns have just returned from a missions trip to Brazil, where they were able to meet up with their former host “son”, Hugo. “He loved the fact that we were there to help out his country and the children that were so poor,” Craig said. They plan to return to visit their “children” in Brazil and also hope to make a visit to their first exchange student, Oksana from Ukraine.

“We would like to go there in the next couple of years, since we now have connections in Ukraine, Moldova and Armenia,” Craig said. 

Aspect Foundation is currently seeking volunteer host families in the greater Atlanta area for students that would arrive in August for the 2007/2008 school year. Interested families can choose their new family member by viewing profiles of available students on Aspect Foundation’s website at www.aspectfoundation.org. 

Host families can be married or single people, with or without children. They provide room and board for a student for a semester or academic year. Exchange students hail from nearly 50 countries around the globe. They are 15 to 18 years old, speak English, and have their own insurance and spending money.

Cothern says this is a rewarding experience that all families should consider. “I always tell families that are hesitant that if they would only try it out, they would see how easy it is. We keep having people say, ‘We will just wait’, but they never will unless they dive right in,” Craig said. “I figure if Linda and I can do it with all we have going on and our own children who are 12, 10, 3 ½, and 2, then anyone can!”

For more information about hosting an Aspect Foundation international exchange student, contact Craig or Linda Cothern at 678-234-8028 or 678-773-0497. Or email them at craig@cothern.org or linda@cothern.org

Aspect Foundation is a non-profit student exchange organization that has been established since 1985. For more information about Aspect Foundation, call the organization’s national office at 1-800-US-YOUTH or visit www.aspectfoundation.org to view profiles of available students online