Today we hear from host dad Marshall from Texas, who, along with his family, welcomed Suvd from Mongolia and Liza from Ukraine into their home during the 2025-26 school year with the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State! Marshall adds, “This being my first year hosting exchange students, I didn’t realize how quickly someone could become family. My girls, Liza and Suvd, were exceptional and they fit with our family so perfectly. I’m going to miss them dearly.”
This morning, our first foreign exchange student left.
For the last 10 months, we poured love into a person who started as a guest and somehow became family. We welcomed them into our home, our routines, our chaos, our dinner table, our inside jokes, and our hearts.
For 10 months, I thought about them every day. Their safety. Their well-being. Their plans. Their rides. Their practices. Their activities. Their happiness. I shuttled them around, checked in on them, worried about them, laughed with them, and treated them like one of my own.
And then, after all of that, I’m supposed to just drive them to the airport, hug them goodbye, and watch them walk away. All while realizing there’s a chance you may never see this person again…
What a strange, beautiful, heartbreaking experience that I would not change for the world. Hosting an exchange student is one of the weirdest forms of love. You know from the beginning it’s temporary, but your heart apparently does not care. It just opens the door anyway.
Love ya, kid. You’ll always have a place in our family.
Are you interested in making a student a part of your family? We are looking for American host families to welcome a student for the upcoming 2026-27 school year! Check out the profiles of our wonderful students! New profiles go online every Thursday!
