Meet the Shrom Family

Glenn and Jane Shrom are both teachers at The King’s Academy. In addition to the service they provide to our school, they have also opened their door to missions by welcoming 11 international students from five countries into their home since 2008.

We recently sat down with them to learn more about their unique experience and their thoughts on serving Christ through the TKA International Student Program.

What inspired your family to start hosting students?
We were both living abroad in Spain, attending the same church, which is how we met. While we were not as young as the students that we host today, we know what it is like to be in a country where you do not fluently speak the language or feel accustomed to the culture.

We also wanted a way for our family to serve Christ and we felt this was a great way to bless the students we host. In return, it has enriched our family’s experience as well.

What do you love most about hosting?
I love that when a student first arrives at our home they are a stranger. But, slowly over time, this beautiful process happens. As we begin to build trust and provide a loving home, they slowly transition from a stranger to part of our family. It is the most amazing experience.

It is also easy to say that while we have opened our home to hosting, we have been blessed the most by this program.

What do/did your children think about having international students living at home?
Our children, who are now grown adults, even now still share how wonderful it was having international students in our home while they were growing up. In fact, our own children have become good friends with some of our host children and our daughter is living abroad this year.

What has been the most powerful part of hosting for you?
We have millions of stories about how all of these students have enriched our lives. But most importantly, it is great to see the love of Jesus in action through our community. There is a global family and love in Christ. This understanding and love has been something that our host students and ourselves have experienced through hosting.

We are looking for more families to join our International Student Program as hosts.
Are you interested? Do you have questions?
Apply today or contact Shannon Bernard, Admissions Director, by email today to learn more.

We'd love to meet you!

There is no better way to get to know The King's Academy community than experiencing it first hand. Whether you are looking for more information on our community, academic program or student leadership training, we would love to meet you.