Back to Home Page The Matthew 28 Project    Matthew 28 is a program designed to attract foreign students to Veritas Christian Academy. The idea behind this program is to follow the directive of our Lord, Jesus Christ set down in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) “ to make disciples of all the nations”. Veritas Christian Academy strives to have a local, regional and even global missions impact. The ability to attract students from distant lands allows us an opportunity to disciple that student and have them return to their own people with the knowledge and tools to advance the Gospel.  The humanitarian impact on the individual student is that in most cases we are taking them out of an impoverished nation and offering them a once in a lifetime opportunity for an American education. Many of these students will eventually earn academic, athletic, or arts scholarships to American colleges and universities. This further empowers these young people to eventually be able to make an even bigger difference in not just their own lives but that of their countrymen as well. The cross- cultural benefits to our own American students are immense. They have the opportunity to learn and interact first hand with a handful of nations all within the walls of their own school. Some will develop an even deeper understanding of these cultures as their families may choose to serve as a Matthew 28 host family.  The concepts, gifts and ideas these international students bring to our existing students will give them a much broader world perspective and help them begin to look at issues, people, and ideas from the standpoint that we are all made in the image of our Lord, regardless of where we come from. Ways to get involved Becoming a Matthew 28 Host Family – One of the most rewarding opportunities available through the Matthew 28 Project is that of serving as a host family during the school year for one of these young people. Host Family Responsibilities – 1.        Provide them a loving and nurturing Christian living environment during their stay. 2.         Provide them with meals. 3.        Serving as their American parents as far as providing emotional support and behavioral guidance in the absence of their real parents. 4.         Serving as their advocate and supporter. 5.        Providing transportation to get them back and forth to school. What Host Families Are Not Responsible For – 1.        Tuition and Fees for School 2.        Airfare to and from their home country 3.        Spending Money (The students are supposed to come with their own spending money.) 4.        Clothes 5.        Insurance – (The students are required to take out an International Student Health Insurance Policy.) Be a Part Time Host Family  If you feel like you want to be involved but just cannot commit to hosting another child full time, perhaps part-time hosting is for you. Host families have travel situations come up, family visiting, weekend trips etc..There is a need for families who are interested in filling in and allowing a student to stay with them for short durations of a few days or even sometimes a couple of weeks. Contact us if you interested in volunteering in this capacity.   Become a Matthew 28 Host Employer  International students are allowed to work as part of their I-20 status with the US Government. Of course, these students will have very busy schedules in that they are attending a school taught in a language foreign to them. Many of them are also very involved in sports, arts, and outside interests that are an important part of their immersion into the American way of life. They will have periods of time during their stay that will allow them the chance to earn some money, and they are encouraged to pursue those opportunities when possible. Most of these young people come from countries where their parents may be lucky to earn the equivalent of a week’s American wage per month. We encourage them to take the financial strain off of their parents back home by trying to earn as much of their own spending money as they can while here.   If you have odd jobs that need to be done, part- time work or after school work, please keep these young people in mind. They are usually very skilled in areas such as construction, yard work, babysitting and providing restaurant help. If you have such needs, contact the Matthew Project Coordinator, John Jordan at 828-681-0546 ext 300. Donate to the Matthew 28 Program  Inevitably there are several financial needs (See Below) that come with operating a program that has such a far- reaching impact. We would ask for your prayers in a few of these areas and if you have an interest in making a financial donation to the Matthew 28 Program, please contact the school. Financial Needs Matthew 28 Faces Tuition Scholarships – As we mentioned, many of these students are coming from situations with limited financial resources. It is very hard for their families to raise tuition money, airfare and spending money for their child to experience this opportunity. Matthew 28 students are eligible for our merit scholarship program;  however this drains resources from that program for students from our immediate area. It is our goal for the Matthew 28 project to eventually have it’s own resources to draw from and not take from the Merit Scholarship Program. Clothes – Many of the international students arrive here needing school uniforms. As you know these items are costly and it can take a good bit of money to clothe them for the school year. Any old or outgrown school uniform clothing is appreciated as well as a cash donation to this cause. Special Needs – Things come up in the life of these students that require funds. It may be something as simple as needing a new pair of soccer or basketball shoes or they may want to take an elective that requires an instrument. It can be any number of things. If you would like to be part of a list of people we can contact when these special circumstances arise or if you would like to make a donation to this part of the Matthew 28 project, contact us.