Mom to the World - Judy Engel

Judy Engel never dreamed she would be a mom to so many.

“We always said we were stopping with three kids,” Judy Engel said. “Then, we added 57 more ... from 23 different countries.”

Engel and her husband, Phil, started hosting international students in their home in Portage in 1997 through a short-term exchange program with the Lions Club. In this program, international students would come from and stay with a host family for six weeks at a time to experience American culture from the inside.

Within a few years, Engel was coordinating the exchange program for Northwest Indiana.

Then, Francisco changed their lives. Two days before he left Brazil to study in America, his host family backed out. Judy and Phil agreed to fill in on a temporary emergency basis. He moved out eight years later.  

“A few days after he arrived, we knew God wanted him to live with us,” Judy said.

Continue reading this story at the NWI Times.

Kouts Honors and Encourages Graduates

Friends and family gathered Friday night to celebrate their high school graduates and inspire them to reach high in their next steps.

Principal Terry Brownell said the 2013 class, which is the 106th group to graduate from Kouts, is extremely talented.

“We’ve got National Merit Scholars, state athletes, Spell Bowl champs, and a three-time winner of the Porter County Attitude Award," Brownell said.

Co-valedictorian Andrew Birky commented on the unique experience that comes from having Kouts elementary, middle and high schools together on the same campus.

“It’s a way of marking time,” he said. “Seeing the younger kids makes you more aware of your own growth each year.”

Ellen Fortin, another graduate, appreciates Kouts’ welcoming environment.

“It’s been really good to be a student here. I really fit in more than I might in a bigger school. It’s like family here," Fortin said.

Kouts gave honorary diplomas to two exchange students, Mariya Sergeyevna Tarasova, of Russia, and Sophie Nai Guo, of China. But the exchange program has extraordinary significance for the Crowley family.

Mike and Jill Crowley adopted their daughter Faith Crowley from China, so hosting Nai Guo has given their family an unparalleled opportunity to learn about Chinese culture right at home. Also, after graduation, Faith will return with Nai Guo to spend a month in China.

Continue reading this story at The Times.