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<v Speaker 1>Good money, good morning, good morning, welcome, welcome, welcome the idiots.

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<v Speaker 1>Time now for our community connection right here on K one.

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<v Speaker 1>The one you trust, familiar face to a lot of people.

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<v Speaker 1>Thomas Lowry in here with us. He's a regional developer,

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<v Speaker 1>i should say, for international Cultural Exchange Services. How you doing.

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<v Speaker 2>Today, good? Thanks for having me in.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, it's always great to have friends in and you

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<v Speaker 1>host the exchange students and you have the study abroad program.

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<v Speaker 2>We were talking in the green room, folks. We really

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<v Speaker 2>don't have a green room.

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<v Speaker 1>We're really just kind.

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<v Speaker 2>Of outside the studio hanging out. We were checking out

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<v Speaker 2>AM and M's or anything like that. But anyway, it's fascinating.

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<v Speaker 1>You've been doing this for just a couple of months,

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<v Speaker 1>but it's really something that's not all.

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<v Speaker 2>That new to you. Yeah. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 3>Previously it was pastoring Calvary Chapel here in Bartlesville, and

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<v Speaker 3>before that we were doing international missions, so spent time

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<v Speaker 3>in Africa, Middle East, and Southeast Asia. So yeah, it's

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<v Speaker 3>not totally foreign, no pun intendance.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, this is great because you get the chance to

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<v Speaker 1>bring some kids from all over the planet here to

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<v Speaker 1>see the United States.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and vicey Bercy yep.

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<v Speaker 3>And that's the whole plan with the Fulbright Hayes Act

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<v Speaker 3>of sixty one was to foster cultural exchange. You know,

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<v Speaker 3>all of us have a different maybe experience and opinion

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<v Speaker 3>with American culture, but we want that the United States

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<v Speaker 3>wants that that culture exported, giving other countries an opportunity,

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<v Speaker 3>especially if you think about in the sixties Iron Curtain

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<v Speaker 3>and all things going on, and of course that you

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<v Speaker 3>travel around the world, everybody has their eye on the

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<v Speaker 3>United States. They're all interested in what's going on here,

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<v Speaker 3>and so this gives an opportunity for students to come

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<v Speaker 3>and learn firsthand internationally what it's like to be an American.

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<v Speaker 2>Hey, describe the process.

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<v Speaker 1>What you're you're you're man and a woman. You're you're

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<v Speaker 1>looking for maybe an adventure, and one of the adventures

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<v Speaker 1>might be hosting a for in exchange student.

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<v Speaker 2>How does a couple go about this?

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<v Speaker 3>So pretty simple. That contacts me and we get them

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<v Speaker 3>an application. You got to pass a background check. You know,

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<v Speaker 3>you're gonna have somebody else's kid in your house, so

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<v Speaker 3>we want to make sure things.

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<v Speaker 2>Are squared away.

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<v Speaker 3>But you throughout the application and then we can start

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<v Speaker 3>sending your profiles of kids that get to pick the student.

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<v Speaker 3>All our students pass English proficiency tests, medical exam, psych evaluation,

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<v Speaker 3>and uh and then we get them enrolled in whatever

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<v Speaker 3>school district that you're in. And that's a great, pretty easy,

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<v Speaker 3>simple process.

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<v Speaker 1>It's very rewarding. I was telling Thomas that my aunt

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<v Speaker 1>and uncle and you know, my cousin, they were hosting

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<v Speaker 1>a young girl from Poland. This would have been in

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<v Speaker 1>the seventies, and that was a little different because Poland

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<v Speaker 1>in the seventies was not like Poland is today by Mark,

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<v Speaker 1>and it took her a while to kind of, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>kind of figure it all out because it was just

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<v Speaker 1>so different. Now. I mean acted a lot of students

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<v Speaker 1>take a look once they get here and been here

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<v Speaker 1>for a few days and say, this is this is.

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<v Speaker 2>Really different, really different.

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<v Speaker 3>It can be quite quite a significant change cultural change

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<v Speaker 3>for them. That's why we run them all through an

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<v Speaker 3>orientation sure, and then part of that process of hosting

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<v Speaker 3>the exchange student is you basically get me with it,

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<v Speaker 3>stay in contact with the student in the school and

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<v Speaker 3>the family and making sure everybody's you know, kids are

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<v Speaker 3>doing what they're supposed to do in class.

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<v Speaker 1>And so this really isn't a whole lot more different

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<v Speaker 1>than pastoring because that phone's gonna ring and you guys

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<v Speaker 1>have to go somewhere.

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<v Speaker 2>It's pretty similar. It's pretty similar to pastor.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, now, you when you were younger, you were telling

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<v Speaker 1>me that you were all all over the world with

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<v Speaker 1>your folks and with the ministry team they get doing

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<v Speaker 1>mission work. Yeah, we're well, there were you spreading the work.

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<v Speaker 3>We're in East Africa, in the Middle East, keep that unnamed,

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<v Speaker 3>I guess, and uh in Vietnam. UH did a little

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<v Speaker 3>trip there.

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<v Speaker 1>So in some of these places, Christianity is not.

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<v Speaker 3>Welcome, correct, Yeah, some of them are a little hostile

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<v Speaker 3>in those places. And the great thing is with our students.

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<v Speaker 3>They're coming from you know, they want to be here,

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<v Speaker 3>and they understand that American families go to church and

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<v Speaker 3>they'll be expected to attend church with them. In fact,

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<v Speaker 3>I go through the profiles, the vast majority have checked

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<v Speaker 3>off that they're Christian, you know, even if that's just

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<v Speaker 3>they were baptized as baby ers.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, they're familiar with they're familiar with.

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<v Speaker 3>What's going on, but they they will go to church.

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<v Speaker 3>It's it's what a tremendous opportunity to have a student

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<v Speaker 3>come who maybe doesn't doesn't have the depth of faith

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<v Speaker 3>that the family here has, and so to be able

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<v Speaker 3>to come to you know, Bartlesville or one of our

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<v Speaker 3>communities here and be able to go to intend to

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<v Speaker 3>church and go to youth group and things that they've

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<v Speaker 3>never experienced before. And then to be able to take

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<v Speaker 3>that home, you know, a fully immersive school year, and

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<v Speaker 3>then be able to take that home and go, oh yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>I got some new ideas. Ye And we also do

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<v Speaker 1>this with American students there they're able to exchange and

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<v Speaker 1>you set that up too.

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<v Speaker 2>Yep.

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<v Speaker 3>We can facilitate so any student that wants to go

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<v Speaker 3>study abroad, we can facilitate that they can go for

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<v Speaker 3>a semester or a full year school year.

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<v Speaker 1>Now, how do we get a hold of you? Do

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<v Speaker 1>you have like a website or yeah?

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<v Speaker 3>Best best way to get hold of me is just

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<v Speaker 3>email me T Lowery at I C S USA dot org.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, there you go. It's pretty simple, pretty easy.

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<v Speaker 1>It takes care of it. And this is really something

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<v Speaker 1>else because, like I said, I've only witnessed it once,

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<v Speaker 1>but it paid off big benefits for the young lady

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<v Speaker 1>who was the exchange student Yeah. Now, one of my

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<v Speaker 1>daughters did go to the problem with one of the

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<v Speaker 1>exchange students from Germany. Uh soccer player, because I got

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<v Speaker 1>a kick out of him anyway, But anyway, but he

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<v Speaker 1>he he adapted really well, he had no problem. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>in fact, he wanted to go back home, get his

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<v Speaker 1>stuff and come back.

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<v Speaker 3>And yeah, there's it definitely makes a connection, our connection

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<v Speaker 3>for the student any area, and that's that's pretty profoundly

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<v Speaker 3>important for us. Like be in Oklahoma, we don't host

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<v Speaker 3>a lot of foreign exchange students compared to the other states,

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<v Speaker 3>which is why.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm doing area. So we want to we want.

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<v Speaker 3>To vastly increase that because Oklahoma has probably to me anyways,

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<v Speaker 3>traveling all over the world, in all of the United States,

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<v Speaker 3>Oklahoma is one of the most unique cultures of anywhere

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<v Speaker 3>in the world.

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<v Speaker 2>Really it is.

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<v Speaker 3>And our students that are coming from other countries, they're

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<v Speaker 3>really interested in classic Americana right here. Yeah, cowboy culture,

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<v Speaker 3>they want rodeo, they want to see horses, got Native

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<v Speaker 3>American culture, everything, everything. It's a convergence of so many

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<v Speaker 3>things here in Oklahoma. And so this is really an

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<v Speaker 3>incredible place and the students love it. When they come here,

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<v Speaker 3>and you can imagine the culture here is I think

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<v Speaker 3>is much better than the culture in the LA or

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<v Speaker 3>Seattle or Detroit, which hosts a lot of students.

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<v Speaker 1>Having been around, yeah, I've been in all of these cities. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not sure they be right here.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, And we've got other unique programs too. We've got

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<v Speaker 3>an F one student program for private schools so we

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<v Speaker 3>can send we got a whole different pool of students

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<v Speaker 3>who want to come to private school, Christian private school,

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<v Speaker 3>so we're signing up those schools to be able to

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<v Speaker 3>issue their I twenties, and so anybody that's involved in

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<v Speaker 3>private school education should also reach out to me because

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<v Speaker 3>those are very unique programs and pretty cool.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, let's get this developed here.

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<v Speaker 1>I'd like to see some more young faces here in town,

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<v Speaker 1>and a lot of people know if you live here

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<v Speaker 1>in Bartlesville, this is kind of an international community as

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<v Speaker 1>it is already and thanks to some of our big

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<v Speaker 1>employers and so it's not going to be anything too

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<v Speaker 1>shocking for anyone. So, folks, if you've ever thought about this,

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<v Speaker 1>please give Thomas Lowry a call or get a hold

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<v Speaker 1>of him by his email. We'll put that out on

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<v Speaker 1>the website a little bit later and see where you

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<v Speaker 1>interest lies and see what we can get going.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah sounds great. Hey, thank you for being with us

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<v Speaker 2>and thanks for sharing with this. Yes, sir, thank you

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<v Speaker 2>for having me