International connections grow at Westminster

 

Westminster Christian Academy’s international exchange program recently grew stronger when 24 South Korean students and two of their teachers spent the month of January living and learning in West County.

For the past two years Westminster students and teachers have gone to South Korea during the summer to visit the school’s partner school, Saemmul Christian Academy, in Seoul. This winter the South Koreans sent their largest group so far to Westminster which is located in Town & Country at 800 Maryville Centre Drive.

Although this may be the first time for some of the students to visit West County, it’s not the first trip to America for a few of them.

“I’ve been to the U.S. seven times,” said Youil Kim who is known as C.J. at Westminster.

Another student, Saemuel Choi who is known as Samuel, also has been to the United States but does not remember it. “I was born in Illinois,” Choi said. “I was only there for two years.”

Choi said Facebook is one of the things that brought him back to the states and to Westminster. “My friends came here and they Facebook chatted about everything.”

Both boys agreed that they especially liked the comfortable, casual attitude of their American teachers and pastors.

“They are so relaxed,” Kim said. “In Korea they are kind of serious.”

American music is another thing the South Korean students like, especially the worship music.

They said that Korean church music is beautiful, but they like the relaxed, popular quality of the music they hear here.

Kim said that music is one thing he would like to take home with him and use when he becomes a worship leader.

Choi said American houses are the thing he would like to learn more about. He plans to be an architect and “go to poor countries to make houses.”

That kind of global attitude is just what Dani Butler, Westminster’s director of international programs, had hoped for when the school started its partnership with Saemmul Christian Academy in 2008.

“Our Head of School, Jim Marsh, has a vision that we are not going to be just a local school,” Butler said. “We are going to be a global school that can make an impact overseas.”

According to Deana Vandegriff, seventh grade team leader, the South Korean students are already making an impact on this side of the Pacific.

“It has been great for our students to learn how to say things more simply,” Vandegriff said. “It’s given our students a chance to live out some of things we always talk about like putting the needs of others ahead of ours.”

Steve Hall, head of the middle school, said it’s important for Westminster’s teens to see that teens from the other side of the world are similar to them.

“It’s important that they understand that God’s kingdom is global, too,” Hall said. “It’s wonderful to see believers from the other side of the globe.”

Besides the temporary exchange students, Westminster currently has 33 full-time international students from South Korea, China, Thailand, Hungary and Mexico.