Indiana Church And Business Reach People From All Nations
December 13, 2022 at 1:28 a.m.
By Micaela Eberly-
French-speaking communities can be found in pockets across northern Indiana.
In Fort Wayne, the International Restoration Church serves as a safe haven for cultures to come together to worship. In addition to French and English, congregants speak languages such as Swahili and Creole. Pastor Francois Mikobi’s vision is “a church for all nations.”
“We want to be a place where all people are coming,” Mikobi said. “All the nations can come and find a family here.”
Mikobi’s family came to America from the Congo 22 years ago. They started the church in 2009 with the hope to provide a safe place for all people to come and worship regardless of race or ethnicity.
“God has restored our lives and our family, and God wanted to use us to restore others,” Mikobi said. “He put us in this place for a reason.”
Now, at least 10 countries are represented in the congregation, including Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Chad, Haiti and Kenya. The sermon is mostly in English, but the other languages are used during worship and among members of the congregation. Mikobi enjoys seeing all the cultures coming together.
“That’s how Heaven will be,” Mikobi said. “We’re all different, but we love each other because Jesus died for all of us. My prayer is that when someone comes here, they feel at home. We want to create a church of people who care.”
In the future, Mikobi hopes to expand the church’s community outreach.
“We want to be a place where anyone is welcome,” Mikobi said. “The doors are open to anyone, regardless of race or ethnicity.”
The International Restoration Church is not the only group of cultures coming together. At the Goshen Farmers Market, Rachel Shenk runs a cheese booth called the Wedge. She sells cheese imported from countries around the world.
Shenk grew up in Belgium with her parents. Her family moved to Goshen when she was 15, and just over 20 years later, she still calls Goshen home.
When she was let go from her job as an adult, she needed a way to provide for her family, so she started a bakery, Rachel’s Bread, out of her home. At first, she baked American-style bread, but she soon realized the bakery was the perfect way to tie in her Belgian roots.
Shenk found that she naturally incorporated her Belgian culture in other ways. She closed the business when she went on vacation, a practice not normally done in America, and she made the bakery a friendly place.
“The bakery became a community, which was how it was when I was growing up,” Shenk said. “The baker knows everything that’s going on because everyone comes to the bakery. I didn’t realize at the time that I was using those cultural models that are not American.”
With the bakery, Shenk’s goal was to support her family, not to keep expanding like can be the case with American businesses. The bakery was Shenk’s livelihood, and she attributes that to Belgian influence as well.
Because she grew up in Belgium, Shenk spoke English and French. In fact, before she was 21, she knew English, French, Spanish and some German and Dutch. Another employee at the bakery spoke French, and they were able to communicate with native French speakers living in Goshen. She saw these people come back again and again because they had a place where they could speak their language.
Eventually, Shenk decided to go into partial retirement, so she started the Wedge and let someone else take over the bakery. The Wedge imports cheese from countries such as France, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Spain and Greece.
On an average day, Shenk speaks to about four customers in French and three in Spanish, and she occasionally uses what she knows of Dutch and German. She has also started teaching herself some Italian and Norwegian.
Shenk enjoys the opportunity to use her various languages, and she also knows that it gives others a place where they can freely speak their native language. She has been able to hold onto the culture that she knew growing up, and she makes it a point to return to Europe every year so she can stay connected to the cultures that have made such an impact on her.
Between the International Restoration Church and the Wedge, communities of people from different cultures gather together. They are places for international residents to find comfort and to share their cultures with their friends and neighbors.
III. International Residents Have Difficulty Adjusting to the American Culture
According to Hector Rivera in “Infusing Sociocultural Perspectives into Capacity Building Activities to Meet the Needs of Refugees and Asylum Seekers,” refugees can more easily transition if they have supportive communities, family cohesion and caring mentors or teachers.
One man, who lives in Elkhart, moved from Haiti to the United States for work. What started as a five-year visa turned into nine years due to the political unrest threatening his country. To protect his family in Haiti, he wishes to remain anonymous. He does not know when he will get to go back home, but he said he does not see it coming anytime soon.
In 1804, Haiti became the first country in the Caribbean to gain independence, and it was the first black republic in the world. Over the past few years, the COVID-19 pandemic, the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 and the 2021 hurricane have caused increasing violence and turmoil in the country.
The Haitian man noted that there are many challenges that not only he but other people face when they come to the United States. If they do not find a job, it is hard to live because they do not have access to food, housing or other necessities. He adds that medical care is expensive, especially if someone does not have medical insurance.
The Haitian man has also struggled with the differences in laws and principles. Factors like public shootings and the large number of people who own firearms can be hard to get used to because they are not common in his country.
When he lived in Michigan, the Haitian man faced judgment in public places, like on public transportation. People looked at him scornfully because he is black, he said, and he learned to avoid these places.
A native French speaker, he recently moved to Elkhart and has been taking English classes. With the support of his teachers, he has been able to learn not only the language but also the laws that help him understand the country.
“I had a lot of experiences, and each one gave me the strength to not give up despite the bad situations that could happen,” the man said.
As the Haitian man looks to the future, he wonders when he will be able to go home. He hopes that as people see the struggles that Haiti is facing, they will reach out to Haitian citizens, both those who have found refuge in the United States and those who are still in their country.
“Being a black immigrant, we must be considered humans with the desire to live, to learn, to educate, to know and to make ourselves known,” the man said. “Being the first black republic, free and independent, I would like us to be truly free and that wherever we are, we don’t have to be afraid to say who we are and where we come from.”
Another difficulty that some French speakers have faced in their international transition is adjusting to a third culture. Jacqueline Schram, of Winona Lake, grew up in Saint Albain in Burgundy, France. Her small village had only 350 inhabitants, and her parents were church-planting missionaries. She grew up between two worlds: the American culture in the home and the French culture around her.
For her last year of high school, Schram moved back to the United States. After graduating, she took a year off and then went to Grace College.
Schram found it difficult at times to identify with either culture, especially when those around her did not always recognize both parts of her. The French were surprised that she was American because she dressed French, and Americans were surprised she grew up in France because she did not have an accent.
“I remember in college wrestling with this concept of my identity, feeling disingenuous because I would be one person here and another person there,” Schram said. “I talked to a psychology professor and finally thought of it as a diamond. The cut is going to catch different lights depending on where you’re standing, and I came to the fact that this is who I am.”
When she was older, Schram learned the concept of a third culture kid. According to David Pollock and Ruth Van Reken in “Third Culture Kids: the Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds,” “A Third Culture Kid (TCK) is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents’ culture. The TCK builds relationships to all of the cultures, while not having full ownership in any.”
When Schram realized that she was a TCK, she felt less alone in her struggles over her identity. The more she looked into the topic, the more she saw a community of people who felt the same way as she did.
Schram learned that TCKs often feel like they are stuck in an in-between. Tension can exist between the different cultures they’ve experienced, and they never fully identify with either one. As challenging as this was, she also recognizes the unique perspective this gives her.
“It provides a beautiful opportunity for what becomes a space between, holding tensions of what seem like extremes that actually complete each other,” Schram said. “There are so many contrasts that I have known in my life, and that experience creates a framework for me that is ongoing.”
The longer she lives in the United States, the more Schram can accidentally lose the French culture that was such a dominant part of her upbringing. She finds little ways to bring in her past, like spending hours around the dinner table with friends and family or through the decorations she keeps in her office that remind her of her travels.
As Schram continues living in the space between cultures, she lets the experiences shape her into who she is. She knows that everyone has a distinct childhood that is unique to them, and she sees how this makes each person she encounters special.
“The beautiful part of adaptability is being able to move into a new setting and understand the different lenses,” Schram said. “I use it to recognize the uniqueness and the beauty of individuals around me.”
IV. International Students Face Challenges in the United States
When international students leave their home country, they can face many challenges. As they experience language barriers and culture shock, they often need support from their peers as they adjust to their new environment.
According to Jean-Philippe Gouin and Sasha MacNeil in “Attachment Styles and Changes in Systemic Inflammation Following Migration to a New Country among International Students,” international students develop more secure attachments when they receive support from others.
Dave and Susie Hobert have been missionaries in France for over 40 years, and they have had the opportunity to interact with international students at Grace College when they come back to Indiana. Dave Hobert has noticed many difficulties people face when being immersed in a new culture, including a new language, new customs and new ways of thinking.
“Cultural differences can sometimes be subtle, and these subtle differences can alienate the new person in a new culture, cause misunderstandings and make the new person feel alone and rejected,” Dave Hobert said.
As Gouin and MacNeil’s research shows, one thing that can help people adjust to a new culture is support from their community. When moving to a new place, people can easily feel alone, and they might need help getting integrated into their new environment.
“I have seen people and groups reach out to new people in a new community regardless of their national and racial background, helping them to learn English, to get settled in the new community and to feel welcomed,” Dave Hobert said.
One Grace College student, Maxime Bregeon, is an international student from France. In addition to getting an education, Bregeon came to Indiana to play soccer, and he hopes to continue soccer on a professional level after college.
Because soccer is so important to him, Bregeon knew the team he played on also mattered. He said the team was welcoming, and the experience helped him transition to his new environment.
“The team was perfect,” Bregeon said. “I was directly a part of the family.”
As the program coordinator for the Institute of Global Studies at Grace College, Debora Wilhite works with international students like Bregeon. She is the principal designated school official for the Department of Homeland Security, and she works with international students as well as students studying abroad in other countries.
Wilhite sees how difficult it can be for international students to even get to America. The path to getting a visa can be long and expensive. Students have to prove that they can pay for school, and interviewers can be hard to please.
As complicated as the process can be, students face many more challenges after they get to Indiana. It can be difficult to adjust to the new culture and to constantly speak a new language, which can make students feel more alone in their new environment.
Wilhite has seen how international students come together and support each other in small but important ways like conversing in languages other than English. She says that even if the students speak different but similar languages, like Spanish and Italian, they are often able to understand each other.
“When they are constantly surrounded by people speaking a language that isn’t their native language, their brains can get so tired,” Wilhite said. “Especially in the beginning, they have to work so hard to keep up with the language. Having someone who can understand their native tongue is really helpful.”
Wilhite noted a new club at Grace, the International Student Family, that provides a place for international students to come together. It also allows them to share their culture with the rest of the student body.
“Often, what international students really need is to feel like they’re understood and have someone to talk to,” Wilhite said. “Whether they’re talking to other international students or any student willing to listen, they find that support in each other.”
Dave Hobert also sees how international students can be supported by other students on campus, and he knows it is an important part of their transition to their new home.
“I have personally known many Grace College students coming to study and play sports,” Dave Hobert said. “Most of the foreign students I have talked to have felt a warm welcome on the Grace College campus and appreciate cultural differences and the great education they are receiving.”
In the end, anyone adjusting to a new environment needs community support. International students can often find solace in each other, and having the native students help them learn the customs of their new environment can ease their transition.
V. Community Support Helps International Residents Through Cultural Transitions
The French-speaking community in northern Indiana faces many challenges, including language barriers and culture shock. International residents can find it difficult to adjust to American customs, especially when those customs are different from what they are used to.
Although most residents of northern Indiana may not interact with French speakers on a daily basis, many will encounter people from another culture. Missionaries, missionary kids and military kids, though born to American parents, have been immersed in other cultures and may have difficulty adjusting to American culture.
Many other countries are represented in the Indiana population. At the International Restoration Church in Fort Wayne, congregants come from countries such as Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Chad, Haiti and Kenya.
Some international residents come for work, such as a Haitian citizen from Elkhart who has not been able to return to his country due to political unrest and wishes to be anonymous to protect his family. Others come for education, like Maxime Bregeon, a student from France who is studying at Grace College.
Jacqueline Schram, of Winona Lake, is part of another important population: third culture kids. Third culture kids are people who grew up in more than one dominant culture. Schram lived in France during her childhood, surrounded both by the American culture her missionary parents brought into the home and the French culture that comprised life outside the home.
Another woman, Rachel Shenk, grew up in Belgium. Now, she owns a cheese shop in Goshen, the Wedge, that sells cheese imported from around the world. Shenk uses her knowledge of many languages, including English, French and Spanish, to create an environment where people of all backgrounds are welcome.
Other than the international residents themselves, many people in northern Indiana work with people of other cultures. They offer a support system to new residents as they adjust to their new lives.
Dave and Susie Hobert have lived in France as missionaries for over 40 years. When they come back to the United States every year, they have the opportunity to interact with international students at Grace College.
The program coordinator for the Institute for Global Studies at Grace College, Debora Wilhite, also works with international students like Bregeon. She works with students as they apply for visas and get permission from their governments to study in the United States.
As many of these people have found their way here from other countries, one thing has helped them all: community support. According to Jean-Philippe Gouin and Sasha MacNeil in “Attachment Styles and Changes in Systemic Inflammation Following Migration to a New Country among International Students,” international students have more secure attachment when they have support from others.
The congregants of the International Restoration Church in Fort Wayne are in community together, the Haitian man has been supported by teachers in his English classes and Bregeon found comfort in his soccer team. Having others to rely on has been important in their cultural transitions.
Even after Schram has lived in Indiana for most of her adult life, she still experiences life between two cultures. This space between can be a challenge, she said, but it is also an opportunity to learn more about identity.
“Really reflect on the experiences and sit with the discomfort,” Schram advises anyone who is adjusting to a new culture. “Don’t lose yourself in the new culture. Take time to explore what is true and unique about you.”
Many opportunities exist for residents of northern Indiana to learn about other cultures. The first step is to support their neighbors, co-workers and fellow church members who come from different backgrounds. These people need support from those around them, and they often want someone who is willing to hear about their cultures.
People can also learn about other cultures by learning a new language. Many tools, such as Duolingo or Rosetta Stone, are available.
“Learning about culture, a lot of times we think we have to go there,” Schram said. “Learning a language, though, it’s a way to connect with the culture. It’s an expression of the culture. The commitment of learning another language, that’s a window into another culture that goes pretty deep.”
Anyone who comes to a new country is going to face challenges, but as research shows, what helps them is to have people who support them, and one way their community can do this is by learning more about their culture.
“Sometimes, people just want to stay in their own bubble, but having interactions with people who are different is incredibly valuable,” Wilhite said. “In the end, culture is what makes us people.”
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French-speaking communities can be found in pockets across northern Indiana.
In Fort Wayne, the International Restoration Church serves as a safe haven for cultures to come together to worship. In addition to French and English, congregants speak languages such as Swahili and Creole. Pastor Francois Mikobi’s vision is “a church for all nations.”
“We want to be a place where all people are coming,” Mikobi said. “All the nations can come and find a family here.”
Mikobi’s family came to America from the Congo 22 years ago. They started the church in 2009 with the hope to provide a safe place for all people to come and worship regardless of race or ethnicity.
“God has restored our lives and our family, and God wanted to use us to restore others,” Mikobi said. “He put us in this place for a reason.”
Now, at least 10 countries are represented in the congregation, including Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Chad, Haiti and Kenya. The sermon is mostly in English, but the other languages are used during worship and among members of the congregation. Mikobi enjoys seeing all the cultures coming together.
“That’s how Heaven will be,” Mikobi said. “We’re all different, but we love each other because Jesus died for all of us. My prayer is that when someone comes here, they feel at home. We want to create a church of people who care.”
In the future, Mikobi hopes to expand the church’s community outreach.
“We want to be a place where anyone is welcome,” Mikobi said. “The doors are open to anyone, regardless of race or ethnicity.”
The International Restoration Church is not the only group of cultures coming together. At the Goshen Farmers Market, Rachel Shenk runs a cheese booth called the Wedge. She sells cheese imported from countries around the world.
Shenk grew up in Belgium with her parents. Her family moved to Goshen when she was 15, and just over 20 years later, she still calls Goshen home.
When she was let go from her job as an adult, she needed a way to provide for her family, so she started a bakery, Rachel’s Bread, out of her home. At first, she baked American-style bread, but she soon realized the bakery was the perfect way to tie in her Belgian roots.
Shenk found that she naturally incorporated her Belgian culture in other ways. She closed the business when she went on vacation, a practice not normally done in America, and she made the bakery a friendly place.
“The bakery became a community, which was how it was when I was growing up,” Shenk said. “The baker knows everything that’s going on because everyone comes to the bakery. I didn’t realize at the time that I was using those cultural models that are not American.”
With the bakery, Shenk’s goal was to support her family, not to keep expanding like can be the case with American businesses. The bakery was Shenk’s livelihood, and she attributes that to Belgian influence as well.
Because she grew up in Belgium, Shenk spoke English and French. In fact, before she was 21, she knew English, French, Spanish and some German and Dutch. Another employee at the bakery spoke French, and they were able to communicate with native French speakers living in Goshen. She saw these people come back again and again because they had a place where they could speak their language.
Eventually, Shenk decided to go into partial retirement, so she started the Wedge and let someone else take over the bakery. The Wedge imports cheese from countries such as France, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Spain and Greece.
On an average day, Shenk speaks to about four customers in French and three in Spanish, and she occasionally uses what she knows of Dutch and German. She has also started teaching herself some Italian and Norwegian.
Shenk enjoys the opportunity to use her various languages, and she also knows that it gives others a place where they can freely speak their native language. She has been able to hold onto the culture that she knew growing up, and she makes it a point to return to Europe every year so she can stay connected to the cultures that have made such an impact on her.
Between the International Restoration Church and the Wedge, communities of people from different cultures gather together. They are places for international residents to find comfort and to share their cultures with their friends and neighbors.
III. International Residents Have Difficulty Adjusting to the American Culture
According to Hector Rivera in “Infusing Sociocultural Perspectives into Capacity Building Activities to Meet the Needs of Refugees and Asylum Seekers,” refugees can more easily transition if they have supportive communities, family cohesion and caring mentors or teachers.
One man, who lives in Elkhart, moved from Haiti to the United States for work. What started as a five-year visa turned into nine years due to the political unrest threatening his country. To protect his family in Haiti, he wishes to remain anonymous. He does not know when he will get to go back home, but he said he does not see it coming anytime soon.
In 1804, Haiti became the first country in the Caribbean to gain independence, and it was the first black republic in the world. Over the past few years, the COVID-19 pandemic, the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 and the 2021 hurricane have caused increasing violence and turmoil in the country.
The Haitian man noted that there are many challenges that not only he but other people face when they come to the United States. If they do not find a job, it is hard to live because they do not have access to food, housing or other necessities. He adds that medical care is expensive, especially if someone does not have medical insurance.
The Haitian man has also struggled with the differences in laws and principles. Factors like public shootings and the large number of people who own firearms can be hard to get used to because they are not common in his country.
When he lived in Michigan, the Haitian man faced judgment in public places, like on public transportation. People looked at him scornfully because he is black, he said, and he learned to avoid these places.
A native French speaker, he recently moved to Elkhart and has been taking English classes. With the support of his teachers, he has been able to learn not only the language but also the laws that help him understand the country.
“I had a lot of experiences, and each one gave me the strength to not give up despite the bad situations that could happen,” the man said.
As the Haitian man looks to the future, he wonders when he will be able to go home. He hopes that as people see the struggles that Haiti is facing, they will reach out to Haitian citizens, both those who have found refuge in the United States and those who are still in their country.
“Being a black immigrant, we must be considered humans with the desire to live, to learn, to educate, to know and to make ourselves known,” the man said. “Being the first black republic, free and independent, I would like us to be truly free and that wherever we are, we don’t have to be afraid to say who we are and where we come from.”
Another difficulty that some French speakers have faced in their international transition is adjusting to a third culture. Jacqueline Schram, of Winona Lake, grew up in Saint Albain in Burgundy, France. Her small village had only 350 inhabitants, and her parents were church-planting missionaries. She grew up between two worlds: the American culture in the home and the French culture around her.
For her last year of high school, Schram moved back to the United States. After graduating, she took a year off and then went to Grace College.
Schram found it difficult at times to identify with either culture, especially when those around her did not always recognize both parts of her. The French were surprised that she was American because she dressed French, and Americans were surprised she grew up in France because she did not have an accent.
“I remember in college wrestling with this concept of my identity, feeling disingenuous because I would be one person here and another person there,” Schram said. “I talked to a psychology professor and finally thought of it as a diamond. The cut is going to catch different lights depending on where you’re standing, and I came to the fact that this is who I am.”
When she was older, Schram learned the concept of a third culture kid. According to David Pollock and Ruth Van Reken in “Third Culture Kids: the Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds,” “A Third Culture Kid (TCK) is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents’ culture. The TCK builds relationships to all of the cultures, while not having full ownership in any.”
When Schram realized that she was a TCK, she felt less alone in her struggles over her identity. The more she looked into the topic, the more she saw a community of people who felt the same way as she did.
Schram learned that TCKs often feel like they are stuck in an in-between. Tension can exist between the different cultures they’ve experienced, and they never fully identify with either one. As challenging as this was, she also recognizes the unique perspective this gives her.
“It provides a beautiful opportunity for what becomes a space between, holding tensions of what seem like extremes that actually complete each other,” Schram said. “There are so many contrasts that I have known in my life, and that experience creates a framework for me that is ongoing.”
The longer she lives in the United States, the more Schram can accidentally lose the French culture that was such a dominant part of her upbringing. She finds little ways to bring in her past, like spending hours around the dinner table with friends and family or through the decorations she keeps in her office that remind her of her travels.
As Schram continues living in the space between cultures, she lets the experiences shape her into who she is. She knows that everyone has a distinct childhood that is unique to them, and she sees how this makes each person she encounters special.
“The beautiful part of adaptability is being able to move into a new setting and understand the different lenses,” Schram said. “I use it to recognize the uniqueness and the beauty of individuals around me.”
IV. International Students Face Challenges in the United States
When international students leave their home country, they can face many challenges. As they experience language barriers and culture shock, they often need support from their peers as they adjust to their new environment.
According to Jean-Philippe Gouin and Sasha MacNeil in “Attachment Styles and Changes in Systemic Inflammation Following Migration to a New Country among International Students,” international students develop more secure attachments when they receive support from others.
Dave and Susie Hobert have been missionaries in France for over 40 years, and they have had the opportunity to interact with international students at Grace College when they come back to Indiana. Dave Hobert has noticed many difficulties people face when being immersed in a new culture, including a new language, new customs and new ways of thinking.
“Cultural differences can sometimes be subtle, and these subtle differences can alienate the new person in a new culture, cause misunderstandings and make the new person feel alone and rejected,” Dave Hobert said.
As Gouin and MacNeil’s research shows, one thing that can help people adjust to a new culture is support from their community. When moving to a new place, people can easily feel alone, and they might need help getting integrated into their new environment.
“I have seen people and groups reach out to new people in a new community regardless of their national and racial background, helping them to learn English, to get settled in the new community and to feel welcomed,” Dave Hobert said.
One Grace College student, Maxime Bregeon, is an international student from France. In addition to getting an education, Bregeon came to Indiana to play soccer, and he hopes to continue soccer on a professional level after college.
Because soccer is so important to him, Bregeon knew the team he played on also mattered. He said the team was welcoming, and the experience helped him transition to his new environment.
“The team was perfect,” Bregeon said. “I was directly a part of the family.”
As the program coordinator for the Institute of Global Studies at Grace College, Debora Wilhite works with international students like Bregeon. She is the principal designated school official for the Department of Homeland Security, and she works with international students as well as students studying abroad in other countries.
Wilhite sees how difficult it can be for international students to even get to America. The path to getting a visa can be long and expensive. Students have to prove that they can pay for school, and interviewers can be hard to please.
As complicated as the process can be, students face many more challenges after they get to Indiana. It can be difficult to adjust to the new culture and to constantly speak a new language, which can make students feel more alone in their new environment.
Wilhite has seen how international students come together and support each other in small but important ways like conversing in languages other than English. She says that even if the students speak different but similar languages, like Spanish and Italian, they are often able to understand each other.
“When they are constantly surrounded by people speaking a language that isn’t their native language, their brains can get so tired,” Wilhite said. “Especially in the beginning, they have to work so hard to keep up with the language. Having someone who can understand their native tongue is really helpful.”
Wilhite noted a new club at Grace, the International Student Family, that provides a place for international students to come together. It also allows them to share their culture with the rest of the student body.
“Often, what international students really need is to feel like they’re understood and have someone to talk to,” Wilhite said. “Whether they’re talking to other international students or any student willing to listen, they find that support in each other.”
Dave Hobert also sees how international students can be supported by other students on campus, and he knows it is an important part of their transition to their new home.
“I have personally known many Grace College students coming to study and play sports,” Dave Hobert said. “Most of the foreign students I have talked to have felt a warm welcome on the Grace College campus and appreciate cultural differences and the great education they are receiving.”
In the end, anyone adjusting to a new environment needs community support. International students can often find solace in each other, and having the native students help them learn the customs of their new environment can ease their transition.
V. Community Support Helps International Residents Through Cultural Transitions
The French-speaking community in northern Indiana faces many challenges, including language barriers and culture shock. International residents can find it difficult to adjust to American customs, especially when those customs are different from what they are used to.
Although most residents of northern Indiana may not interact with French speakers on a daily basis, many will encounter people from another culture. Missionaries, missionary kids and military kids, though born to American parents, have been immersed in other cultures and may have difficulty adjusting to American culture.
Many other countries are represented in the Indiana population. At the International Restoration Church in Fort Wayne, congregants come from countries such as Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Chad, Haiti and Kenya.
Some international residents come for work, such as a Haitian citizen from Elkhart who has not been able to return to his country due to political unrest and wishes to be anonymous to protect his family. Others come for education, like Maxime Bregeon, a student from France who is studying at Grace College.
Jacqueline Schram, of Winona Lake, is part of another important population: third culture kids. Third culture kids are people who grew up in more than one dominant culture. Schram lived in France during her childhood, surrounded both by the American culture her missionary parents brought into the home and the French culture that comprised life outside the home.
Another woman, Rachel Shenk, grew up in Belgium. Now, she owns a cheese shop in Goshen, the Wedge, that sells cheese imported from around the world. Shenk uses her knowledge of many languages, including English, French and Spanish, to create an environment where people of all backgrounds are welcome.
Other than the international residents themselves, many people in northern Indiana work with people of other cultures. They offer a support system to new residents as they adjust to their new lives.
Dave and Susie Hobert have lived in France as missionaries for over 40 years. When they come back to the United States every year, they have the opportunity to interact with international students at Grace College.
The program coordinator for the Institute for Global Studies at Grace College, Debora Wilhite, also works with international students like Bregeon. She works with students as they apply for visas and get permission from their governments to study in the United States.
As many of these people have found their way here from other countries, one thing has helped them all: community support. According to Jean-Philippe Gouin and Sasha MacNeil in “Attachment Styles and Changes in Systemic Inflammation Following Migration to a New Country among International Students,” international students have more secure attachment when they have support from others.
The congregants of the International Restoration Church in Fort Wayne are in community together, the Haitian man has been supported by teachers in his English classes and Bregeon found comfort in his soccer team. Having others to rely on has been important in their cultural transitions.
Even after Schram has lived in Indiana for most of her adult life, she still experiences life between two cultures. This space between can be a challenge, she said, but it is also an opportunity to learn more about identity.
“Really reflect on the experiences and sit with the discomfort,” Schram advises anyone who is adjusting to a new culture. “Don’t lose yourself in the new culture. Take time to explore what is true and unique about you.”
Many opportunities exist for residents of northern Indiana to learn about other cultures. The first step is to support their neighbors, co-workers and fellow church members who come from different backgrounds. These people need support from those around them, and they often want someone who is willing to hear about their cultures.
People can also learn about other cultures by learning a new language. Many tools, such as Duolingo or Rosetta Stone, are available.
“Learning about culture, a lot of times we think we have to go there,” Schram said. “Learning a language, though, it’s a way to connect with the culture. It’s an expression of the culture. The commitment of learning another language, that’s a window into another culture that goes pretty deep.”
Anyone who comes to a new country is going to face challenges, but as research shows, what helps them is to have people who support them, and one way their community can do this is by learning more about their culture.
“Sometimes, people just want to stay in their own bubble, but having interactions with people who are different is incredibly valuable,” Wilhite said. “In the end, culture is what makes us people.”
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