Expanding global friendship through IVEP

Editor’s note: Ron and Judy Zook of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, are hosting 2024-2025 IVEPer Yehyun Choi from Republic of Korea (South Korea).

We read a church announcement that a host family was needed for an IVEPer from Republic of Korea (South Korea) who would be volunteering at Water Street Mission, which is near our home in downtown Lancaster. At Water Street Mission, Yehyun Choi helps in the resource center, activities center and the welcome desk as the first point of contact. Ron and I looked at each other and knew we wanted to host her.

Over the past 20 years, we have hosted IVEPers from Taiwan and Paraguay and eight exchange students from Ecuador, Mexico, China and Spain. Our lives have been enriched by each one. We love learning to know them, their interests, families, cultures and countries. As a result of these yearlong friendships, we have visited some of their families in Ecuador, Paraguay and Spain. Hosting an IVEP participant introduces us to another country, but we also have an opportunity to introduce them to Lancaster and our culture.

We have enjoyed learning to know Yehyun in the two months that she has lived with us. She loves to explore the streets of downtown Lancaster as she goes out for walks. She enjoys cooking Korean food. When we learned that Thanksgiving is a weeklong celebration in Korea, we decided to celebrate it this September. Yehyun invited the local Lancaster IVEPers and introduced all of us to a delicious chicken, rice noodle and veggie dish with exquisite seasonings. Kimbap was also on the menu, and it was a lot of fun to learn how to make it.

We are fortunate that two other IVEP hosts live within a mile and a half of us. Yehyun, Guilherme (Gui) Wieler (IVEPer from Brazil) and Ozioma (Oma) Okwuchukwu (IVEPer from Nigeria) have become good friends and get together frequently. One of the challenges of moving into a new community is learning to know people. Having one or two existing friendships helps IVEPers living and working among unfamiliar groups.

Yehyun and Gui joined our extended family gathering at Woodcrest Retreat in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. It was nice for them to be together while getting to know our family.

A few weeks ago, Yehyun and Oma joined us for a weekend at our church retreat at Camp Hebron in Halifax, Pennsylvania, with Community Mennonite Church of Lancaster. It is a challenge to get to know people when there is such a large group, especially when it is a new culture and language. One of their highlights was meeting up with other IVEPers who were also there for a retreat with their church, North Baltimore Mennonite.

That weekend we introduced them to tent camping, something we love to do. Camping in a tent was a first for both. Friday night was perfect weather, but they needed to brave a severe thunderstorm on Saturday night. Now they are seasoned campers!

Yehyun’ s family were part of the Bruderhof community in England and Korea during some of her growing-up years. Although she is not a member of that community, we are enjoying connecting with some of her friends who visited Korea and are part of a Bruderhof community in Pennsylvania. Again, our friendships expand.

Yehyun is also teaching the broader community about Korea as she shared in an adult Christian ed class. She prepared an excellent PowerPoint presentation about her country, family and culture. At the end she answered many questions about Korea. It takes a lot of courage and confidence to do this in a second language.

Yehyun was invited by a young adult in our household to be a part of a young adult gathering on Friday nights called FIG. She in turn invited Gui and Oma and they are regular attenders. This group especially welcomes international visitors, and we would recommend it to any IVEPers living in the Lancaster area.

We are grateful for this opportunity and look forward to the rest of the year. We look forward to sharing U.S. Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions with her. Other things on a list of activities to do are to visit Washington, D.C., New York City, and local cultural and natural highlights.

Banner photo: Celebrating Korean Thanksgiving with other IVEPers and friends who live in Lancaster. Photo/Ron Zook