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Reaching Local Internationals with VBS

8/16/2024

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Vacation Bible School for children has been a staple in American churches since the early 1900s. All local children are invited for games, songs, Bible stories and activities. Local international children are invited, too, of course! But sometimes they don’t attend because their parents don’t know what it is or maybe they don’t hear about it in the first place. But what if the parents are invited, too? 


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Embracing with Grace

5/8/2024

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“God just knows how to do things exactly right!,” states Jani Whaley, Executive Director of KIN, describing how a new KIN Embrace group of young adults’ resources, experiences, and personalities came to perfectly match the particular needs of an international family newly integrating into Knoxville. 

When McKenzie from Grace Baptist Church contacted KIN about her life group's interest in KIN’s Embrace program, she shared, “We were looking for a way we could serve as a group, since each of us is so very busy with our lives, and this was the perfect fit. Many hands make the work light, and everyone in our group had giftings and talents they could bring to the table.” KIN’s Embrace program provides an opportunity for a church small group, Sunday School class, or assembly of close friends to be trained, equipped, and supported to assist an international family as they integrate into Knoxville. 

Ahmed and Wardha* arrived in Knoxville from Syria in January 2024 with their 2 children, a 7-year-old son with severe health issues and a 6-year-old daughter. Wardha spoke very little English; Ahmed was a civil engineer/project coordinator in his home city and hoped for employment in his field, as his English was further along. But upon their arrival, their basic integration needs overwhelmed them, including regular trips to Nashville for medical attention for their son. 


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Tami Offers Welcome to Fellow Japanese

5/7/2024

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Two little Japanese girls came running from the playroom full of children for the one who could understand them. Consistently pulled from assisting in the adult English class, Tamiko Sakaguchi soon transitioned herself to caring for the children during the Maryville ELL (English Language Learning) program. Now she orchestrates childcare for the international children like a weekly VBS with Bible songs, a story about Jesus, and games to reinforce the concepts. Tamiko, also called Tami, is a wise Japanese woman who loves Jesus. Behind her quiet smile and bright eyes is a storehouse of scriptural wisdom, a prayer warrior, a creator of games, and the power to lead.
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Tami arrived in Indiana from Japan at the tender age of 15 for a school exchange program. Learning for the first time about the gospel of Jesus, she also witnessed the freedom of praying Christians who did not hide their problems. As an honor\shame culture, in Japan, problems are not shared; people bear heavy burdens alone. But Tami saw a better way...


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Because of the English Classroom - Part 2

10/11/2023

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The English Language Learning (ELL) classroom is the perfect place to personally connect with local internationals by teaching English, building relationships, instilling confidence and independence, and ultimately pointing them to Jesus. Two Knox County ELL programs have facilitated incredible friendships, impacting lives on a deeper level along the way. They began with different target groups, but have the same beautiful story of network collaboration! ​
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by Bobbie McClain
​Another program made stronger through collaboration has been Village Church ELL. It began in 2014 when Cindy Hood, with a heart for international families in the Norwood community, ran a summer English camp at Tillery Ridge apartments for Iraqis new to that area, and then her family personally moved into the neighborhood! 

Seeing a need that these mothers had for their preschool children, families involved with camp were invited to a “Kindergarten Readiness Program” held in Norwood Elementary cafeteria. Courageous volunteers separated children from their moms by coaxing the little ones to participate in blanket activities stationed around the room: books, toys, snacks, singing and forming water fountain lines. Meanwhile, the moms on the other side of the cafeteria were learning lessons of their own. One delighted teacher “watched the confidence of these moms blossom as they walked into school each week and even talked to school staff about issues with their older children.” 


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Because of the ELL Classroom - Part I

9/11/2023

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The English Language Learning (ELL) classroom is the perfect place to personally connect with local internationals by teaching English, building relationships, instilling confidence and independence, and ultimately pointing them to Jesus. Two Knox County ELL programs have facilitated incredible friendships, impacting lives on a deeper level along the way. They began with different target groups, but have the same beautiful story of network collaboration! 

by Bobbie McClain
West Hills ELL started their program in West Hills Elementary School Cafeteria after Northstar Church asked KIN to help them carry out their faith journey in fall 2022. KIN provided a teacher and encourager (teacher assistant), while Northstar volunteers formed program teams and worked with school staff to share about the class with parents of ELL students. God also brought a new couple to Knoxville, and to Northstar, at just the right time, as they were seeking a church where they could carry out their calling to teach ELL. ​

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 Kevin and Lynne Quinn taught upper-level students the first year and are now the program co-directors. Kevin says, “If you can speak in English, you can help an international student navigate their new environment!” Lynne states, “Our lessons lead to conversations that help students talk about their experiences here and in their home country.” Last year, West Hills ELL had students representing 10 countries and 7 languages!

They all began doing things together outside class, and with their families, such as attending Northstar’s “Family Day at the Farm” in Lenoir City. The class bonded that night as they scaled ropes, wandered through corn mazes, rode potato sack slides, and went on hayrides. Another memorable event was the multicultural Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving Day. All who attended stated it was the first time they had been invited to a traditional Thanksgiving meal and they were honored and excited to receive such an invitation.  

Building trust is often difficult for some as they come to this new country, so the ELL classroom provides a safe place to encourage taking those steps. After one Afghan student’s house was hit by three downed trees during a recent storm, she and her husband hired someone to remove the trees, paying a 50% down payment - only to never hear from them again.


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Meet Your New Neighbor: Welcome Sabrina!

8/29/2023

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by Anna Garlington
When Sabrina, a native of Honduras, and her daughter, Luna, arrived in Knoxville, they moved from another state; so they were not new to the US. However, they felt unsure how they would fit in and how Luna would make new friends and adapt to a new school.

​For Sabrina, she wanted classes to improve her English and to also find some work.



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The Network at Work

8/8/2023

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​In the spring, an article ran in KIN's e-newsletter explaining the "network" and how it functions. So, how is that going? Does the network work?....

Not only does it work, it works well: facilitating relationships to support acquisition of individual needs, sharing resources so each volunteer doesn't individually have to beat the bushes to find them, and sharing systems and processes information (healthcare, insurance, government assistance) so new volunteers learn from what others have already discovered.

Check out these examples of the network at work:*


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Shoreline Church Embraces Local Afghan Family

7/11/2023

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Sometimes it takes a village…or in this case, an Embrace group. When KIN was notified that a family from Afghanistan would arrive at the Knoxville airport within a week, a call for an Embrace group went out to our church partners. Immediately, the Mission Director at Shoreline Church responded enthusiastically, “We’re in!!”

Although there were steps to be completed such as applications, background checks, and training, the group of nearly 20 quickly and eagerly did what was needed to be paired with the family of eight. “I was initially apprehensive; but once we met the family, I realized they weren’t much different than us and simply needed friends to guide them on integrating into Knoxville,” stated one Embrace member.


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Providing a '2nd Home'

4/25/2023

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by Blythe Thompson
Gone are the days of having to leave our homes, our country, and our culture. 
We can now step out our door to love and care for the nations without ever leaving what is familiar to us. 

2nd Home, a program of KIN in association with the Knox County Association of Baptists, launched in the fall of 2022, connects a family in the Knoxville area with an international student at the University of Tennessee to provide a “family away from home”. As the program began, Clark and Alyson Cutrer, a young family in Knoxville, saw that KIN still had a need for sponsor families… but Alyson had just given birth 2 weeks earlier to their second child. Feeling very strongly the mandate of the Great Commission, the Cutrers signed up! There was excited anticipation in their home as they invited their student for dinner, hoping that their circus of a family would not scare him away.

Quite the opposite… there have been great conversations, shared meals, and outings, including a recent visit to the Knoxville Zoo. And as the 2022-23 program winds down, with school ending soon, Alyson says it doesn't just meant a lot to the students, it has meant a lot to their family, as well - and has gone above and beyond their expectations.

The Cutrers highly encourage others to participate in the program. As Alyson says, “Just do it! If you wait for the perfect time to, you’ll miss out.” 

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LaMPs Shine Light on More than English

3/28/2023

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by Blythe Thompson
Growing up an American missionary kid in Ecuador, now residing in the US, Geri knows the challenges of feeling at home in a foreign land, which for her, is the US.

So, since moving to the US as an adult, Geri has always found a way to connect with internationals in her community, wanting to help them feel more at home. Additionally, volunteering had always been part of her retirement plan, to give back to the community, and help people find Christ or grow in their faith. 


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KIN Friends Share Christmas Tidings

1/24/2023

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by Charles Simerly, KIN Volunteer
It was a brisk and cold day 
the week of Christmas. My wife, two young boys, and I loaded into our car and headed to our destination. We parked on the street of a neighborhood I had many fond memories of, because growing up, I had a good friend that previously lived here. However, the house up the hill remained unfamiliar. I can’t say I'm never nervous about meeting new people, so I felt hesitant as we walked up the steep driveway toward the door. We had a gift for the international family that lived there that included some homemade desserts, pajamas, and toys.


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Room in Knoxville for Maria

12/13/2022

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She always knew she wanted to be a mother but after she wed, it appeared it was not to be. Malika and her husband lived in Palestine and had been married a few years. But after two IVF attempts, they were still unable to conceive. 

​“You will never bear a child” were the doctor's words and with a heavy heart, Malika re-directed her attention to furthering her education in America.

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The Gift of Hospitality

10/11/2022

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Lena and Mustafa* were delighted that Lena’s pregnancy was progressing well, and that they and their 3-yr-old child were happy and healthy. However, they were struggling with an agonizing situation in their apartment complex: a neighbor was harassing them, for no apparent reason, other than that they were Arab and Muslim. Things were escalating and they were concerned, but hopeful things would calm down. 
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So We All Belong

4/25/2022

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​As an elementary school principal, Ms. Harrison wants all the families in her school to feel like they belong: like the school belongs to them, they belong to the community, and everyone has a part in educating the children. But at the beginning of the school year, ten percent of the families at West Hills Elementary had an extra hurdle to cross before they could feel like they belonged. Why? Because their first language is something other than English.
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The Small Things are Big

3/24/2022

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​Dan thought KIN’s Embrace Initiative would be a good outreach project and a way for his men’s group to experience community mission work and grow closer. One of the young men in the group thought, “This is going to be fun, just hanging out and building relationships.”

​So KIN representatives met the 7 men on a Saturday morning, walked them through a not-so-short orientation, and introduced “their” international family.

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Watching From Afar

2/2/2022

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With over 1 million people of Ukrainian descent (reference) and an estimated 344,000 current Ukrainian immigrants (reference) in the United States, it’s not surprising that we have Ukrainian friends and neighbors here in metro Knoxville.

​KIN reached out to two Ukrainian-American women to see how things were going for them. Both have been in the United States for close to a decade, and both are married to men of Ukrainian descent as well. We withheld their identity for privacy and security reasons. Their answers have been edited for length and clarity.

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Giving Good Words

10/11/2021

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Nate* could have chosen any city when he immigrated to the USA, but he chose Knoxville. He had friends, he says, who were “giving me good words about Knoxville.” They said his children would have a good future if he moved here, and the cost of living was reasonable.

Three years later, Nate is “giving good words” about Knoxville himself! He wants to buy a house and see his children grow into adulthood here. 

But getting to Knoxville wasn’t easy.


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Hospitality Means More Than Food

5/11/2021

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​In Clair’s first tutoring relationship through KIN, she helped a middle school boy learn to use his new hearing aids, which helped him excel in school. As much as Clair liked the family—and they liked her—eventually, they didn’t need a tutor anymore. 
Clair stays in touch, but since then, she has worked with two other new-to-Knoxville families.

In the first, an elementary-age girl needed help with math. Clair has coached her up so that she rarely needs tutoring now. Instead, Clair visits them as friends, including an iftar meal this past month to break their Ramadan fast. (Yum!)

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The Nations at the Lunch Table

3/25/2021

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​You wouldn't notice if you passed them in the courtyard, but their outdoor lunch table is a study in cross-cultural acceptance. 
These Iraqis and Americans see nothing strange about sharing a meal every weekday. (The one time in the school day, by the way, when they take off their masks.) Some of them have been friends for years and some have joined the table in the last few months.

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The Nations Next Door - Literally

2/9/2021

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When Bobbie Jo pulls into her driveway, her two-year-old doesn’t look toward his own house but toward the one next door. If the neighbors’ garage door is open, he’ll say, “Heather* home. See Heather.” That’s the 
special relationship Silas has with his nine-year-old neighbor, Heather.

In a time when many people don’t know their neighbors, Heather’s parents, Gustavo and Maria, made a point of welcoming Chris and Bobbie Jo to their neighborhood several years ago.

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