Christmas International House at Cedarkirk

What is Christmas International House?
CIH is a Christian ministry designed to offer hospitality to students during the Christmas holidays. Cedarkirk serves as one of the many hosts for this important ministry. Through the hospitality of churches, this program witnesses to the reality that, behind diverse manners of dress, religious affiliations and political ideologies, everyone stands together as one human family. This is a peacemaking program that gives students an opportunity to visit an American home and to become acquainted with different areas of the country. It gives them a chance to express their feelings about the United States and find explanations for cultural differences they have observed. Students and hosts develop friendships and learn how to exchange ideas and develop relationships with people who come from countries with different ideologies.

How can I help?
You can help make this event a reality by: helping to shuttle students to and from Cedarkirk from the airport, train station, or bus station, hosting a student(s) or finding a host family from your church for December 23rd to 27th, sponsor a student for the 2009 program, volunteering your time at Cedarkirk (see staff for details), and prayers for students’ safe travels and a blessed Christmas. Please fill out the form below and a Cedarkirk staff person will contact you regarding your availability and willingness to help out. If you have any questions, please contact Mark Orendorf at mark@cedarkirk.org or 813-685-4224 ext.2.

CIH Volunteer Information Form (click here for a printable version of this form below)

Name:
Address:
Phone:
E-Mail:
First time CIH host: yes no
Number of students requested: Gender request:
If you would like to host a student from a particular country of origin you may request this;
however, there is no guarantee:
Do you have pets? yes no
    If yes, type of pets: indoor outdoor

Please give a brief description of your family and living quarters (for instance, if you are requesting two students,
will they be in one room with two single beds or two separate rooms) just to give your student a preview of what to expect.

Yes, we are able to pick up our student(s) on Wednesday, December 23rd between 2:00 and 4:00pm and return our student(s) on Sunday, December 27th between 4:00pm and 5:00pm. (If either of these times are not possible, please contact Mark Orendorf to make arrangements prior to requesting a student.)

Other information:
Students’ level of language skills vary from conversational to very strong.
One of the traditions at Cedarkirk is to have an international dinner and talent show on the 30th of December.
All host families are invited to Cedarkirk for this fun evening, but this does not preclude a family from hosting if they are not able to attend.
If you would like more information about Christmas International House or hosting tips, please visit www.christmasih.org. There is some very helpful information about hosting if you go to the host page and then click the link at the bottom entitled “host guide to living with an international student”.

Please return this form to Cedarkirk at:
1920 Streetman Drive
Lithia, FL 33547-1822
You may also reach Mark for questions at 813.685.4224 or mark@cedarkirk.org.
Student/Host matches will be made by November 15th, you will then receive information regarding your student.

Thank you so much for your hospitality and willingness to live out Hebrews 13:2…

“Don’t forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some have
entertained angels without knowing it.”