You could just see the excitement in her eyes as she started to share, “I believe God has blessed this program.”
Jerry and Christine Christoff have been the heartbeat of the LAC Homestay Program for 16 years! Lake Avenue Church provides classrooms for the students’ English and American culture lessons. In turn the organization makes a substantial donation to LAC’s Friends of International Students. Christine shares their story…
I had been married to Jerry for only four months when I was approached by a woman in need of help. She had 34 students arriving in a week from Italy who needed to be placed in homes. She asked if I would consider taking one of them.
The first thing that came to mind was the Great Commission. “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ “
- Matthew 28:18-20
Only 25-30% of the students get placed in evangelical Christian homes. We really need the support of Lake Avenue Church families to not only host the students but to share Christ with them.
I asked Jerry if he would be okay with hosting. His response was, “Well, how long? A week?” I told him four weeks and he called me “nuts.” But being newlyweds, and wanting to make me happy, he agreed to do it. We then met with the lady who showed us the student’s profile.
The image of the student was just awful. As we read her profile we noticed that she liked Stephen King and skiing, an odd combination. However, Jerry’s daughter had the same interests, so we decided to take her.
Her name was Francesca, and she was beautiful. She looked nothing like the girl we first saw in the passport picture. Breakfast was our bonding time. Jerry would make an American breakfast every morning. She loved Trader Joe’s waffles and syrup!
One of those mornings Francesca asked if we would come and stay at her house in Italy for a month. I kicked Jerry under the table knowing we couldn’t say no. We were both really excited, especially Jerry. We went that year and the next four years!
Christine recalls, “Her grandma would take Jerry’s laundry, iron his shirts and underwear and even put tissues in between each one! I told Jerry not to get used to it! Grandma also taught me how to make homemade pasta as well as other dishes. Francesca’s family showed so much love and appreciation for us in numerous ways.”
Some of the other host families have also visited their students in their home towns. Francesca first came in 1998 and is now in her 30s. We still keep in touch and talk frequently. She always asks me to pray for her; we’re very close.
This program is all about building relationships. We have students from all over the world including China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Some of our committed families include the Isenbergs, Schallers, Turners and Watts. We are also thankful for Pastor Waybright’s support. The Mayor of Pasadena is also most appreciative of the program which introduces many international students to the city.
The first year I was leading the program (1999) we had 34 Italian students. They were being loud in the hallways at Lake and very passionate in their conversations. Gordon Kirk, Pastor at the time, approached me with a smile on his face and said, “Now you know how Paul felt in Rome!”
This program takes you out of your comfort zone.
But it’s during those times when God teaches us the most. As Americans it’s difficult for us to open our homes to strangers. But we have to listen to where God is calling us in the process. Some think that the reason I am able to do this program is because I was a school teacher or administrator which isn’t true at all. I came from a very different background - a Pepsi sales representative for many years. Then God called me here.
It doesn’t matter what job or experience you have, it takes opening your heart and your home to these students who are in need of a place to stay for four weeks. They’re only home in the evenings and on the weekends. The program leaders take them to San Francisco for one of the weekends. It’s really not that bad!
Andy Pierce, Head of International Students at LAC, told us many times that 75% of international students never see the inside of an American home.
John Isenberg recalled from his 2011 trip to Spain visiting one of their students, “I had an absolutely wonderful visit with Pablo (just turned 21) and his family in Barcelona. They practically treated me like royalty. I had lots of fun sightseeing in the 50 hours I was there.”
John’s wife, Debbie, shared, “Last summer we visited a German girl. It was the first time I got to go. We went to Hamberg, Germany and stayed with her family. They were so gracious to us and it was so fun seeing her in her hometown. We had an awesome time with them.”
We have also had some difficult times as well. We had a student from Vienna stay with us. We weren’t aware that he was Muslim because he didn’t tell us. We faced some issues with the food restrictions that caused his family to want to send him home. He told them he wanted to stay and that he liked us very much. He loved coming to church with us and really enjoyed the High School group at Lake. We faced some hard times but this student knew how important our faith was to us and he respected us for it. The following Christmas he sent us a beautiful cross. It turned into a deeper relationship because of the difficulty we faced together.
Another student, Stephanie, was deaf. Judy and Steve Turner took a step of faith and decided to have her stay with them. One Sunday, when Pastor Greg was preaching, there was a card in the Worship Folder asking us to evaluate our relationship with God. Jerry was sitting next to Stephanie and noticed she had checked the box that said she had accepted Jesus Christ. Another Italian student accepted Christ and was baptized at Lake.
In addition to Lake, we go to the Pasadena and Monrovia Farmers’ Markets and local churches to explain the program.
Only 25-30% of the students get placed in evangelical Christian homes. We really need the support of Lake Avenue Church families to not only host the students but to share Christ with them.
One year we had the son of the French Ambassador of Saudi Arabia join the program. This is the caliber of students who come. Unfortunately his host family wasn’t Christian. If we could get 50 families from Lake to host we would impact so many lives internationally.
Most of the students are Russian Orthodox or Catholic but rarely attend church. We need strong Christian families to host them and share the Gospel, showing Christ’s love to them. These students come to Lake and say, “If church was like this back home I would definitely go.” This is my hope for the Homestay Program as I pray over every application that comes in. God always provides. We ask that you prayerfully consider hosting a student this summer. Listen to God and He will show you what He wants you to do. As it says in Matthew, “...go and make disciples of all nations.”
Open your door to the world and make a difference in a young person’s life by hosting a high school student from Russia, France or Spain, ages 13-17, July 2-28. It’s easy - all they need is a bed, meals and love! There is also opportunity to share your faith with them. Interested? Please contact Christine Christoff at 818.384.0083 or or Natalee Kennedy at 818.426.3697 or stop by and visit our table on the plaza following the Sunday morning services for more information or visit our event page.