 7月6号ICE发布了对2020秋季上网课的国际学生的签证政策，其中提到对于全面网课的教学模式会影响学生们的合法身份，让许多学生不免吃了一惊。和几个在明尼的中国学生聊天之后感觉到他们的内心也被焦虑感灼烧一般。2020年自开始以来，已经有大大小小发生在中美两国的事情让留学生们觉得措手不及、百感交集。因此，我想把自己的故事写出来给留学生们一点鼓励和安慰。
2019年5月8日的早晨，公司移民律师电话通知我的H1B签证抽签落选了。仅有一年opt的我当时心里的感觉一言难尽：因未来不能如期进行的失望感，因这个结果对未来产生的不确定感，以及更清醒地看到自己在这个国家是一个漂泊的异乡人那种失落感都一时涌上心头。后面的事就先暂且不提，分享这个经历是想说我能理解和体会许多同学正在经历的心情。（也许你并没有很被这个事情影响，那让我们一起感恩这份平安。）那天早上我照常打开圣经app抄下每日经文，跳入眼里的是圣经以赛亚书48章17节： “耶和华你的救赎主，以色列的圣者，这样说：‘我是耶和华你的神，是教导你，是你得益处的，是在你当行的道路上引导你的。” 看到这句话，尽管当时情绪上很不稳定，但我记得心有平安。那一刻神让我知道不论将来去到哪里，祂都是要在我以后的人生道路上引导我的，因此我大可以勇敢地做出选择。 这个经历让我深刻认识到我们对人生中很多事情的控制都非常有限。今年的疫情以及后来世界上发生的种种也进一步证明了这个道理。不论后面世界上再发生什么，神都希望在你生命里给你平安。接下来的日子里你若任何时候感到焦虑或不安，不妨花几分钟来朗读下面几节经文：
分享一首能让心平静的歌 *** 如果你想了解更多关于圣经的事情，欢迎你随时来找我！我的微信ID是ilazsai，邮箱是sai.wang@wayzatafree.org
0 Comments
 (This article was written by an active member of our HCC community. This is the English version. The original Chinese version can be found in our July archive.)
On July 6th, ICE issued a visa policy for international students in online courses in the fall of 2020. It mentioned that the teaching mode of comprehensive online courses will affect the legal status of students, which surprised many students. After chatting with a few Chinese students in Minnesota, they felt that their hearts were burning with anxiety. Since the beginning of 2020, there have been things happening in both China and the United States that have made foreign students feel caught off guard and mixed feelings. Therefore, I want to write my own story to encourage and comfort international students. On the morning of May 8, 2020, the company immigration lawyer notified me by phone that my H1B visa lottery was unsuccessful. With only a year of opt, my feelings at that time was hard to describe: disappointment because the future could not be carried out as scheduled, the uncertainty about the future caused by this result, and the more sober sight of seeing myself as a wandering stranger in this country. The sense of loss came to my mind for a moment. I will not mention the latter thing for the time being. Sharing this experience is to say that I can understand and appreciate the feelings that many students are experiencing. (Maybe you are not very affected by this thing, let us be grateful for this peace together.) That morning I opened the Bible app as usual and copied the daily scriptures. What jumped into my eyes was the Bible Isaiah 48:17 : "The Lord your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, says this:'I am the Lord your God, I teach you, you benefit, and I guide you on the way you should go." After reading this, although emotionally unstable at the time, I remember peace of mind. At that moment God let me know that no matter where he went in the future, He wanted to guide me in the path of my future life, so I could make a brave choice. This experience made me realize that we have very limited control over many things in life. This year's pandemic and what happened later in the world have further proved this truth. No matter what happens next , God wants to give you peace in your life . If you feel anxious or upset at any time in the following days, you may wish to take a few minutes to read the following verses aloud:
 Earlier this week I had the privilege of talking with a student from China. Leo came to Minnesota last year, and when I asked how he decided on this state he told me it was because of the American sitcom, How I Met Your Mother. I haven’t seen it, but apparently one of the characters is from Minnesota and that was enough to peak his interest.
Leo loves America; he says the culture is exotic. He’s adventurous and he wants to try everything. He even tried ice fishing which he says was the worst experience of his life. His Chinese friends tease him saying he’s more American than Chinese, and Leo is okay with that. Leo reached out to me because he wants to live with an American family. He came to America to learn about American culture; he doesn’t want to spend his time here living with Chinese people—that’s what he’s done his whole life! He wants to cook for an American family and share his culture, and he wants an American family to cook for him and share their culture. He wants to explore Minnesota and build meaningful relationships. He wants to look back on his time here and know he got the most out of it that he could! There are so many international students just like Leo who come to Minnesota and never see the inside of an American’s home. They’re curious about our culture, and they want to make friends with Americans. They chose to come to America for a reason! HCC has a long-term hosting program for students who want to truly dive into our culture and experience the American life. This program requires a three-month minimum commitment, but it often lasts longer as the family and the student become good friends. (The family receives a monthly stipend.) HCC also offers short-term hosting (a couple days to a week), hosting for holidays like Thanksgiving and Easter, and a program called Friendship Match that pairs Americans and international students for the purpose of learning each other’s cultures and helping students feel welcome. We have an amazing ministry opportunity right here in front of us. Chinese and other international students have come to us ready to learn more, all we need to do is open our front doors. Name has been changed for safety reasons. |