I was born on a small island in the Philippines to a Chinese Christian family. Growing up and educated in a private school where speaking and learning Mandarin Chinese, American English, and the Philippines’s national language Pilipino are required in a mixed multicultural environment is problematic and natural in my little world. Aside from learning multi-language at school and home, my parents needed us to speak our native Chinese dialect, Fokien. Surrounded by native speakers that speak a different Philippines dialect, Ilonggo, which is very different from what the Pilipino language learned in school. Living in this environment gave me a lot of understanding of international students submerged in an unfamiliar culture.

After living in the Philippines for the first twenty years of my life, I immigrated to Los Angeles, California, USA. I completed my education in Radiology, a Healthcare management degree, and subsequently, Gerontology. I worked in the healthcare industry for a good twenty-seven years. God allowed me to serve Him through youth ministry for thirteen years during my time in the United States.

I arrived in Toronto, Canada, in 2011, intending to retire. However, God has different plans for me. I started a homestay in 2015, welcoming primarily high school students from mainland China. I want them to experience what Christian living is all about. One of my rules is that they share the dinner table with me with prayers before meals and family discussions after meals. I soon realized these students need family care much more than anything else. God is calling me to be an example to live as a follower of the Living Christ.

Since then, God has led me to participate in broader ministry through the ISMC Toronto chapter, not only with homestay but also:

1. Helping find and train Christian families willing to adopt these students into their families and show them the way of the Lord.
2. Helping international students find short-term Christian families to share the love of Christ by opening their homes as a temporary refuge.
3. Assist the international students should they encounter any landlord issues.

The current situation is that there is a shortage of students housing throughout the Greater Toronto area, and the prices are incredibly high for students’ affordability. There is also a shortage of homestay hosts, especially in the Christian community. I pray that more Christian families are willing to open their families as part of their ministries to the international students in need.

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