As I'm typing this our poor little exchange student is in the bathroom sobbing on the phone to her mom. My heart is BREAKING. She has been holding up really well but fell tonight at the playground and skinned up her knee. She didn't cry then but I knew it bothered her. I'm not sure if the kids at school have been very friendly either. The first day when I picked her up a couple of the girls from her class were kind of snotty to her when we walked past. This is SO much harder than I thought it would be. You wouldn't think that your heart would break so much for someone else's child, but it does.
Update . . . The girls and I prayed for her upstairs before they got in bed. I came down and she had just finished her call. I gave her a hug, but I don't know if that was any help. (She was trying to look like everything was okay.) She really needs her family. Please pray for her!
4 comments:
Poor girl! I can kind of relate. After I graduated my parents and I took a tour through Europe and then at the end of it we went to Germany (to visit the foreign exchange student that lived with us)and then they left me there for three weeks. Even though I was 18 it felt like those three weeks would last forever and talk about home sickness! I think I cried all day for at least the first week and begged my parents to buy me a ticket home. Now I look at it and realize that a month really isn't that long, but that only has come with a change of perspective. Maybe it'd help her to do some sort of countdown calander to help her realize that she's not going to be in our strange place for forever. But also put fun things on it (like an advent calander) so it doesn't feel like your counting down till she leaves in a bad way. Just to help her to look forward to things coming up and still being able to see that her time here won't take as long as it feels. Good luck! Wish I had an idea for snotty girls at school!
Bill suggested in addition to prayer you should give her ice cream. Ice cream makes everything better! :) We will be praying for her, her family, and for your family. Let us know if you need anything or if you want to get the kids together soon! I think Micah misses your little ones! :)
poor thing. i've neve rheard of an exchange student that young before. i'm with you. i would never let my child travel that far alone. i'm sure you are doing a great job with her.
That would be SO hard.
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