They're Coming to America. TODAY!

Far
They've been traveling far
Far from their homes
But not without a star.

Sunday morning arrived all dark and rainy. Not the sort of day I wanted the first of the my exchange students to experience! But even tho it was raining, we headed out to Tupelo to await the arrival of Katya from Ukraine who is staying with the Scott Wright family in Calhoun City. I had a lot of thoughts while waiting with another family and the AYUSA Community Rep that was waiting there for their student from Russia to arrive.

I can’t describe the excitement that my family felt in seeing the girls exit the plane. I was feeling so much excitement and I was just picking up a child to deliver to the host family! Katya was arriving just as Bro. Scott would be getting ready to step up to his pulpit to deliver the Sunday sermon to his congregation and it was easier for me to miss church than it would be for him. So we greeted Katya and brought her to her new home in Mississippi USA!

Free
Some want to learn to be free
They huddle close
Hanging on to a dream.
Katya is a very talkative and poised young lady. Her English is fantastic and she is eager to learn our customs and way of life. We left her with her host family and new host grand parents and headed on down to Columbus to await the arrival of Anna, the student from Armenia that we are welcoming into our family. The last we saw of the Katya and her new family, she was snuggled under a blanket on the sofa flanked on each side by her new little sisters and showing them a DVD about Ukraine and its history. Bro. Scott was eating some chocolate she had brought (and he didn’t even share!) while Denise was cooking dinner

With their bags and on the planes
They're coming to America
Looking forward to adventures again
They're coming to America
Anna’s flight was running a little behind schedule and I was getting antsy, pacing the floor in the atrium looking out at the runway. My pacing was finally rewarded with the sudden appearance of the aircraft as it emerged from the clouds and lined up with the runway to touch down. I realized I was holding my breath when the wheels touched the pavement!

Home, don't it seem so far away
Oh, They're traveling light today
To see for themselves
This land of the brave.
These kids are really brave to leave their homes at such a young and tender age to travel half way round the earth to places they have never heard of or seen just to experience our way of life. And their parents are very trusting to entrust their precious children to a Host family to look after and raise as their own for the academic year in a far off land.

Home, to a new and a shiny place
Make our bed, and we'll say our grace
Freedom's light burning warm
And our smiling friendly face.
Every one of us Host Moms that I know personally have been in a dither making the spare room an inviting haven for our newest family members. We want this to be a great experience for these kids that have been brave enough to come here. All of the rooms are quite colorful and quite welcoming! Anna was very excited to finally see her room. I had sent her pictures this week and she told me her Mom was very happy to see where she would be sleeping for the next 10 months.

Everywhere around the world
They're coming to America
Every time that flag's unfurled
They're coming to America!
As we drove back to Bruce, Anna commented on how clean everything was and how much space there is. She comes from a country that is one-fourth the size of Mississippi with 3 times as many people. She was amazed at all the land devoted to trees also. We arrived home and I cooked spaghetti and garlic bread as she explored the house. She told me that her home is Armenia is only 4 rooms. I felt bad for the times that I think I don’t have enough space!

Got a dream that brings them here
They're coming to America
Got a dream they've come to share
They're coming to America
A new adventure has begun for my family and the Wrights. It will also begin for the Schmitz family and the Adams family of Bruce as their students will arrive next week and the next. Brother Scott and Denise also will join us in the double placement club by accepting another student. Cindy from France had been placed in another part of the state and her host family backed out at the last minute. So Katya will not be the only exchange student attending Calhoun City High School this year.

Welcome to America and Calhoun County Katya and Anna. We are so glad you came!
They’ve come to America! TODAY!!