Whitesboro family, German student learn from each other during foreign exchange program

This year, Whitesboro natives Justinia and Joshua (J.C.) Lunsford welcomed 16-year-old foreign exchange student, Mabel Spannagel, into their home for a six-week program. 

Hailing from Germany, Spannagel arrived as a total stranger, but wound up being one of the closest people in the Lunsfords’ lives. 

A junior in high school with a dream to visit America and experience living with a foreign exchange family, Spannagel and her parents were on the search for a trustworthy agency that could connect them with the perfect host family. In Germany, through a colleague of Spannagel’s mother, they found the program Partnership International. 

Partnership International paired Spannagel with the Lunsfords. Once Spannagel knew they had a host family, she was able to see that her interests were similar to her host family’s and moved forward with the process. 

“It’s hard to express it in words, it’s so surreal to me. I was scared at first getting to know strangers,” Spannagel said. “They’re an amazing family. I feel blessed that I’ve been able to spend six weeks with them. I wouldn’t have thought of a better family.”

One thing Spannagel said that was very different yet interesting while staying in Texas was church and church life. Spannagel’s family comes from an evangelical background, and there is a very big difference in the way she has experienced it in Texas. 

“In Germany, I wasn’t as interested, but all the people at church here were really nice. Getting to see the different cultures as well has shown me a different perspective of church and religion,” Spannagel said. 

She said that staying in Texas for six weeks has allowed her to experience life as her host family lives. 

“They were so kind, I felt immediately comfortable. I would like to stay in contact with all of them and come back next year,” Spannagel said. 

The Lunsfords had a similar experience. Once they decided to be a host family, the process was pretty easy. Justinia Lunsford filled out their application from her cell phone while in the car one evening. 

The Lunsfords have four daughters of their own. Once they spoke about this as a family, the girls were excited and on board. 

“The experience of welcoming a stranger into the home was an adjustment, but we all adjusted well. We bonded over Dutch Bros [Coffee],” Justinia Lunsford said. “I feel like I knew that I would treat [Spannagel] like part of my family, and she really did become a part of our family.” 

The Lunsfords became familiar with the program with the help of their niece, Kylynn Robinson, an agent with Education Travel and Culture (ETC). ETC has provided this foreign exchange inbound opportunity program since 1998.  Foreign exchange high school students have the opportunity to live with an American family, and some even attend an American school to study abroad. Robinson said this type of program gives many of the foreign exchange students college credit, experience with cultural diversity and the educational advancement they are looking for.  

“You have to be willing to want to help kids to go through all of this,” Robinson said. 

According to Robinson, the goal is for families to be present with these foreign students, make them feel like they’re a part of the family and help them achieve their goals or dreams.

“It’s all about making connections that will last a lifetime,” Robinson said. 

Robinson said the ETC is all over the United States. The program’s home-base is in Portland, OR, but they have helped coordinate putting host families together with foreign exchange students in the Houston, Tyler and DFW area.

There are currently three foreign exchange students being hosted by local families. One student is living with a host family in Callisburg, TX for an entire school year (nine months), one student is living with a host family in Collinsville, TX for an entire school year and another student is living with a host family in Whitesboro for three weeks. 

Robinson said they are currently in need of two Collinsville residents interested and willing to become a host family. She said Collinsville ISD is ready and willing to welcome two more foreign exchange students for the school year. She is hoping more local families become open to the idea of welcoming foreign students and learning from each other. 

Robinson has encountered diversity and differences in cultures with her own personal experience as a host parent. Robinson and her husband have served as a host family in the past and are currently hosting a 16-year-old student from Spain for the entire school year. Robinson said her first experience was wonderful. They became so much like family that Georgia (her first foreign exchange student from Italy) decided to return and currently attends The University of Texas in Tyler. Robinson said they get to visit regularly. She said she considered her one of her own children. 

According to Robinson, the agency makes it a priority to match host families and students to make the experience the best one. 

“I’m excited for host families to experience cultural diversity,” Robinson said. 

She also said most families don’t understand that they are not taking on the full responsibility of a child. A host family has to provide three meals, transportation or public transportation for school and a bed. She said it’s supposed to be a fun experience helping to achieve a child’s goal.

“Nobody really understands diversity until they experience it first-hand,” Robinson said. 

If anyone is interested in either becoming a  volunteer host family or becoming a local coordinator and getting paid for it, they can reach out to the agency. To become a host family, visit  www.edutrav.org and fill out the application. For more information, contact Kylynn Robinson at 903-818-5217 or [email protected]