Hello Mary Kay!!!

I wanted to send you an email and let you know how blessed we feel to have been part of your exchange program for the last four years. Our family is truly blessed with the students who have stayed with us!! This year was no exception. Nano (Fernando) was amazing to have with us for the month. He was joyful and full of grace all of the time (even I am not that:)). But more than that he truly wanted to make a connection with our children. Our boys are 12 and 10, not exactly the same age as him, but he did a great job finding things to do that they would all enjoy doing and could do. I thank God for soccer and swimming...he spent so much time talking with them while doing these things. He encouraged our boys to do better all the time and I am forever grateful. Most important to me is that he became more than just a student to our family, he became family! We stay connected through social media, often times daily but for sure weekly. We use it to send pictures back and forth and our youngest sends Nano weekly video messages. He is truly part of the family and deeply missed. I tell you all of this so that you can know what a difference your program makes! We are forever changed and I am grateful.
One last thing I want to share. We had the unique experience of Nano actually knowing one of our previous students, Maria. We were super surprised when he was in the living room one day looking at pictures and he said "I know Maria." (a former exchange student) We all thought "Wow! How cool!" Then last Friday, I received the attached photo from Nano! A picture of him and Maria with the follow text "A photo for the Wienke family!" I can not explain how cool that was to receive and the fact that when he saw her he thought to do that for us!
Thank you so much for all you do! Thank you so much for continuing to do this program! Thank you so much for serving these kids this way! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

God Bless,

Jessie Wienke