Christmas International House - CIH

10/14/2026

Registration is Open!
Christmas International House is a special program for U.S. international students and scholars to experience friendship and hospitality with an American host community during winter break. Through CIH, international students throughout the U.S. are able to travel and explore a new city, experience what it is like to live in an American home, and develop life-changing friendships.

This homestay program of friendship and hospitality is open to any international student or scholar over 18 years of age. Our registration period has begun and we are now accepting applications through our website at amisatlanta.org/cihstudent.

Now in our 61st year, this year's program will once again take place in St. Augustine, Florida - America’s oldest city. Programs will take place between Dec. 19, 2026 to January 2, 2027.

Apply today before the spots fill up! Please share this message with other international students and scholars throughout the country who may be interested in this fun, homestay winter program!

Learn about our Christmas International House Program. Spend your winter break with a host community in St. Augustine, Florida.

10/10/2026

What a great way to welcome international students and scholars to the city!

Last month, AMIS hosted our 48th AMIS Welcome Reception at CODA Plaza! With just over 200 people, including international students from 26 countries along with AMIS volunteers and friends, this event was an afternoon of fun, friendship, and connection. Thank you to all of the volunteers who made this event a success including Jesse Hancock, Heidy Brusitus, Roti Chakraborty, Sujay Galen, Shivam Kumar, Iris Pi, Cara Hendsbee, Misty Whitlock, Paula Peche, Sandy McQueen, Andy Su, Lia Wright, Kirk Keene, Eboni McNeal, Nadeen Green, Ned Cone, Victoria Dorsey, the Kesler Family, Alona Piatnytska & Camille Kesler.

Check out the link in our bio to watch a short video recap from this fun event!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D-HBTA26bY

10/09/2026

Christmas International House (CIH) is a special program for international students and scholars to experience friendship and hospitality with an American host community during winter break. Through CIH, international students throughout the U.S. are able to travel and explore a new city, experience what it is like to live in an American home, and develop life-changing friendships. Christmas International House takes place in St. Augustine, Florida for two weeks during the holidays. It's so much fun and students create memories to last a lifetime! For more information and to apply, log on to https://www.amisatlanta.org/cihstudent!

09/11/2026

15 days until AMIS Atlanta’s largest event of the year! If you're in Atlanta, come join AMIS on Saturday, September 26th, in welcoming international students and scholars studying at colleges and universities all over the metro area to the city of Atlanta. The Welcome Reception will be held from 2-5 PM in Coda Tech Square Plaza.

This FREE community event will feature a DJ and international music, a photo booth, group dancing, giveaways, international food, and an amazing opportunity to meet others from around the world and right here in Atlanta! Families are welcome!
Are you interested in attending as an international student or a volunteer? Get your free ticket at amisatlanta.org/welcome!

07/13/2026

We're so excited to announce that the 2026 Christmas International House application is now open! Program details and registration may be found at https://www.amisatlanta.org/cihstudent. Please help us spread the word to international university students throughout the U.S.

The CIH program is a fun way for international students to spend the Christmas holidays in a beautiful coastal town and stay with an American family. The program lasts two weeks, but the memories and bonds created each year through this special program last a lifetime.

Heartfelt thanks to CIH program chair Nancy Hutton and her wonderful team of dedicated volunteers and hosts, including Bob and Jane Fulton, at Memorial Presbyterian Church in St. Augustine, Florida.

05/10/2026



04/07/2026

AMIS Atlanta executive director Camille Kesler celebrated Easter with international students, friends & family with a service project before dinner. Together they prepared nearly 300 sandwiches for food-insecure Atlantans. What a wonderful way to celebrate Easter; by helping others! If ever you are in Atlanta and are interested in participating in AMIS events, check us out at amisatlanta.org/events. 

03/02/2026

If you have plans to be in Atlanta on April 25 or want to support us from afar, we hope you will consider our Afternoon of International Tea fundraiser benefiting the Atlanta Ministry with International Students (AMIS)! Mix and mingle with international students and guests, and sample beverages and bites from all over the world while supporting our mission of friendship and hospitality with Atlanta’s International Student and scholar community. All are welcome! And even if you are unable to attend in person, we welcome your support! We offer traditional sponsorships, as well as an option to sponsor tickets for international students to be able to attend. Information is available at amisatlanta.org/events. 🫖

01/09/2026

Christmas International House has been around since 1965! And for more than 20 of those years, AMIS has coordinated with Memorial Presbyterian Church in St. Augustine, FL to provide hospitality for international college students from around the world during Christmas break.

We want to take a moment to thank Nancy Hutton, this year‘s local CIH chair, and long-time CIH volunteers and ardent champions of this special program Bob and Jane Fulton for all of their efforts in organizing fun activities for the students to explore St. Augustine's history, landscape and culture. In addition to Nancy, Bob and Jane, we want to thank all of the volunteers who hosted the students in their homes. Their efforts to provide such a warm welcome and provide a home away from home during the holidays will forever be such a special memory for  these students.

We are sharing a few pictures from the 2025–2026 Christmas International House. What fun! 

12/11/2025

The following blog post featured on our website was written by a current AMIS student from Taiwan named PJ Chen. His words provide a powerful testament to the importance of friendships and creating a sense of belonging for Atlanta's international students. PJ's experience mirrors that of many international students looking for community in the United States. And, AMIS Atlanta is grateful to play a role in helping them have a positive experience in Atlanta!

Finding Full Color in Atlanta: My PhD Journey with AMIS
By Pin-Jun Chen

Let’s start with a confession: Do you ever feel like your life is running in black and white? Like you're stuck in a blurry 1980s VHS tape when everyone else is living in 2020s Full Color, 4K UHD QLED? That's exactly how I felt when I first landed in Atlanta - until I found AMIS. My name is Pin-Jun Chen, and I’m a second-year Yellow Jacket pursuing my PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech. I arrived in Atlanta in August 2024. This wasn’t just the start...

Read the rest of this blog at https://www.amisatlanta.org/post/finding-full-color-in-atlanta-my-phd-journey-with-amis