Learning to be Ambassadors

This is how our little guys welcome their new friends from around the world!

Enjoying an evening at Claytor lake with the new international students

We have also enjoyed many family dinners with new friends

And a glimpse at the international furniture give-away - Robert's 8th year helping!

For the Howe family, August is a month of welcoming international students!  This year we have been busy welcoming nearly 800 new international students to Virginia Tech.  Every member of the family is contributing to this effort: Alexander is our extrovert and loves to make new friends.  He quickly introduces himself, asks others questions, and is excellent at including children in a new activity.  Elijah is our cutie pie who the students just love to watch. Elijah is shy but has a smile that could make anyone feel at home and loved.  Ella is the baby and no matter where you are from a baby can make everything a little better.  Ella has been rocked, kissed, and snuggled by students from more nations than I could even begin to count.  While Robert and I spend extra hours serving these students and working hard to help them find a welcoming community here in Blacksburg we are so thankful for all the lessons our kids are learning.  Our kids have to make a lot of sacrifices during this time of year but we believe it is worth it because we hope they are learning invaluable lessons about how to be ambassadors of love and grace to the world around them.