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From All Over the World They Come to CHIC
KNOXVILLE, TN (July 31, 2003) - Many of the approximately 5,000 students
traveling to CHIC2K3: Reaction this week will come from over 1,000 miles
away, and 16 children of Covenant missionaries are among those making the
longest journey.
Carl Kelly of Mexico is 17 years old and enjoys many of the same comforts
of home in Mexico City that those in other parts of North America do,
including McDonald's, Sam's Club, and Sears. He stated that thick smog and
heavy traffic jams are also similar to that of cities in the United States
and Canada, although Mexico City is larger than any other North American
city. Kelly attends Greengates School, a British international school that
includes students from more than 50 countries. He will attend CHIC with the
youth group from North Park Covenant Church in Chicago. "My sister and I
are from one of the two missionary families that go there, and the other
family isn't from the Covenant. However, it has been a great experience."
Carl says. "I have a load of great friends. I play soccer, the world's
sport, and enjoy it highly. People often ask me who I root for when Mexico
and the U.S. play a soccer game. My answer is Mexico, without a doubt. I
feel much more Mexican than American. However, I can't forget the greatness
of Root Beer, watching (Sammy) Sosa and the Cubs, family up north, and all
the generous people who make it possible for me to live here."
Kristina Noren of Cameroon is 17 years old and attends a boarding school
there. She enjoys hunting and motorcycling with her father, along with
acting. She hopes to teach drama at the high school level someday. She has
a sense of adventure as it pertains to food, having tried cow intestines,
elephant meat and grubs. "I'm a good cook unless I'm with a couple of my
friends because they distract me and we end up with a crazy mess," she
says. "I love people and without them I would go crazy...I can't wait to meet
everyone (at CHIC)."
Jenni Husby of Japan is 15 years old and is a sophomore at Christian
Academy in Tokyo, having earned a spiritual leadership award for her class
last spring. She enjoys drama, music, reading, movies, and basketball. She
recently was a junior-high camp counselor. Among her favorite foods to eat
are a grilled thinly sliced beef called yakiniku and dried smoked ika
(squid), which is eaten in strips like a string cheese. "One thing I love
about being a missionary kid in Japan is that I have so many friends from
different Asian backgrounds," she says. "I also love that I have a lot of
freedom and independence without needing a car because of Japan's great
train lines. I'm really looking forward to CHIC because I've never been to
Tennessee before, and because I'm excited to hang out with my youth group
from Newport Covenant Church in Bellevue, Washington. I'm also looking
forward to the music and to learning and growing stronger in my faith."
Kristina Husby of Japan is Jenni's older sister and will begin her senior
year at Christian Academy this fall. She hopes to attend Covenant Bible
College in LaMerced, Ecuador, in the fall of 2004. She likes music (she was
on a gospel team recently), being with friends, and chatting online. Her
favorite artists include Michelle Branch and John Mayer from the secular
world and Christian performers Nichole Nordeman and groups like the
Newsboys and Switchfoot. Her favorite foods include cashew chicken with
rice. "I have so many opportunities to expand my horizons," she says. "I
have many unique opportunities to do things here that I wouldn't be able to
do if I lived in the United States. Since Japan is more convenient,
especially in the way of transportation, I have a lot of independence to do
things without relying on my parents to be my personal chaperone. I also
appreciate the fact that I am able to communicate in Japanese."
Andy Carlson of Japan finished his sophomore year at Christian Academy in
Tokyo and earned a spiritual leadership award for his class. He was part of
a gospel outreach team, served as a counselor for a junior high camp and
has spent part of the summer as a lifeguard. Carlson runs cross country and
track and was selected to be one those representing his school at a Far
East cross country meet in Guam. He plays the drums for chapel services at
school and the church he attends, along with a nearby international church.
He has also taught himself how to play the guitar, said his mother.
Carlson's older brother, Adam, is a student at North Park University in
Chicago.
Amy Johnson of Thailand is 15 years old and has attended an international
school in Chiang Mai for three years. This fall, she will attend
McMinnville High School in Oregon as her family is in the U.S. for the
school year. She looks forward to CHIC because it will be a chance to get
together with other teens to worship the Lord. The best part about being a
missionary kid, in Amy's opinion, is the opportunity to travel and see how
people live throughout the world. She enjoys reading and listening to
music, among other things, and likes Italian and Mexican food. As for
eating some of the more unique foods in Thailand, she says, "I leave that
to my dad."
Other missionary kids from Covenant mission fields include: Carl Ekstrand
and Brian Stoker of Cameroon; Leah and Skye Sander of Colombia; Naomi Groot
of Thailand; Eric Gustafson of Congo/Central African Republic; Katie Prudek
of Czech Republic; Matthew Dwight of Taiwan; Elizabeth Robertson of Ecuador
and Paulina Restrepo of Spain. Restrepo is with a contingent of youth from
her church in Spain, having spent an extra week traveling to churches in
the Chicago area before CHIC2K3. Three other students with Covenant
connections are also attending CHIC2K3 from Ecuador - Hannah Auger and
Andrea and Stephanie Feijoo are students at Alliance Academy in Quito.
Auger's parents have served in recent years at CBC-Ecuador and the Feijoo
girls' parents are medical missionaries working for HCJB out of a Quito
hospital.
More about CHIC2K3: Reaction and students attending the event will be
posted later this week on both the Covenant website, www.covchurch.org, and
a CHIC2K3 link that can be accessed from the Covenant website.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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