Host Families shared some of their experiences with us...

From John and Trisia - Michigan

Our hosting experience with Adopt A Miracle was such a blessing to my husband and I both.  We were apprehensive about hosting at first and a little unsure of what to expect from the program.  We chose to host a six year old boy named Vova from Ukraine over last Christmas.  My husband and I were prepared for so many problems-----language barriers, behavioral problems, psychological problems, etc.   What we got from this program is our son!  Our boy was perfect!  He’s a sweet natured, well behaved, loving little boy and is the perfect fit for our family.  The language issues just work themselves out as you learn to talk to one another very quickly and you just enjoy getting to know them.

One of the most touching moments for us was taking him to buy shoes.  He came to us wearing outdoor winter boots and he needed shoes to wear every day.  The day after he arrived, which was Christmas Eve day, we hauled him into Wal-mart to buy some tennis shoes.  He found a pair with Spider Man that he loved.  Unfortunately, they did not have those shoes in his size.  We settled on a pair that fit and had lights built into them.  He absolutely loved them and started to cry when we said he could have them.  I don’t know who was happier; us for being able to give him the shoes he loved so much or him for getting them.

Prior to hosting, I would not have believed you could become so attached to a child in a three week time period.  It is a wonderful experience, both for the children and the host family.  We are finishing up our paperwork now and hope to be able to adopt Vova very soon.

If anyone wants to know about our hosting experience, please feel free to contact me!

Trisia Kappler

tkappler@hughes.net

_______________________________________________________________________

From Richard and Kay - Utah

Our family has hosted two older children from the Ukraine- one this past summer and one during the holidays. Our intention was to give an older child an opportunity to see the United States and the many possibilities here; but also a chance to experience family life and know firsthand that there is love and compassion in the world.

Upon traveling to JFK to meet our first guest last summer, I was struck by the instant friendships that I developed with the other parents. We shared a common bond in our desire to share our love and our lives with these children; and it manifested itself in an instant support group. We actually became an extended family of sorts, in sharing our excitement, anticipation, concerns of travel and that all would go well in the hosting experience. We now keep in contact via telephone and e-mail.

When the children arrived from their marathon journey from the Ukraine, they were in a word; delightful. Even through the fatigue, it was hard to hide their excitement of meeting their host families and the realization of being finally in America.

For our family, it was much easier to plan activities for our child in the summer than in the winter; simply due to the weather. This being said, it did give us an opportunity to accomplish two objectives with our girls: the one visiting in the summer was the oldest of the two guests; and she was able to experience many outdoor activities that she had never even seen before. She relished in riding down a 1,800 feet zipline and watching the U.S. Olympic Ski Team practice jumps into an outdoor pool. She also endured a long scenic hike up a mountain to a beautiful cave where the group was taken inside on a tour. Almost daily swimming in our backyard pool, bicycle riding and a game of miniature golf and bowling were also treats that she especially enjoyed.

Our winter guest had a much different experience as we met her flight at JFK three days before Christmas. One of my fellow host parents who I have become close to, had suggested waiting on decorating our Christmas tree until our girl arrived so that she could participate in an American Christmas tradition. We thought this was a great idea; and our Christmas Eve was spent decorating the Christmas tree with our guest delighting in sitting high on a ladder doing all of the high altitude decorations. She had even brought a few of her own handmade beautiful beaded flowers, as gifts, which were added to our tree! She thoroughly enjoyed Christmas Day with the opening of presents, and her own Christmas stocking. She would be so fascinated with one gift, that she would forget to move on to opening another one that had been placed at her feet. Initially, ribbons and wrapping paper were relished and oh so carefully removed, until she got the hang of gleefully ripping into the next gift! Visits to the homes of extended family and a wonderful New Year’s Eve musical concert were thoroughly enjoyed by our teenage guest. She seemed to just enjoy being with us and getting to know us as a family- rather than being entertained.

It goes without saying that the most difficult part of the hosting experience is saying goodbye. You hope and pray that their experience with you has been everything that they had been wishing for and more. As they leave, you realize that they have blessed your life more than you have theirs.

And that wasn’t the way you had intended it to be. 

____________________________________________________________________

From Harold and Diane - Virginia

My husband and I hosted a 13-year old girl in the summer of 2005 and it was a very positive experience.

After her already long journey from Ukraine to New York, our girl then found she had to make another journey that wouldn't get her to her final destination until lunchtime the next day. She was understandably very tired, but she was very patient with me (my husband couldn't make the trip to NYC). I think she was more patient than I would have been if the situations had been reversed. I can't imagine as a young teen, going to a country that had a language I couldn't speak or read, then being carted off by a complete stranger to an unknown destination. To make things a little easier on her, I had printed out some instructions and descriptions of my house and family from a translation site on the web. I wanted her to feel informed about what we were going to do, who I was and what to expect. I believe this helped a lot. I do speak a little Russian, and every little bit helps. She took it all in stride and eventually we finally made our arrival to my home in Virginia. I marvelled at how patient she was and trusting of the circumstances.

This was our first time hosting a young teen, and with our limited language abilities, we had been concerned about how we would keep her entertained. The language issue did limit the types of places we could go, but as it was the summer there were plenty of things we could do outside together. From time to time, she got to call other kids in her group just to touch base. I'm sure it was reassuring to hear familiar voices in her native language.

As the trip went on, we started to develop a very quirky but effective means of communication using a mix of English, Russian, Ukrainian and sign language, and we started getting into a groove. The three weeks were filled with activities so it seemed to go very quickly.

It was very sad and bittersweet when she had to go back to her homeland. She actually told us that she had received more from us in three weeks than she ever had in her whole life. We didn't know what to say. We knew people who had more money, who could do more extravagant things with their hosted kids, and we hoped our girl hadn't felt like she missed out on something better. But obviously to her, being in a home with a Mom and a Dad, interacting with them, going places and doing fun things together, was really all she had been wanting.

Her comment to us drove home how important the hosting experience is to these kids, especially if it can expose these kids to a potential family. We recommend hosting highly, and are bringing her back for Christmas!

____________________________________________________________________

From Dana and David - Connecticut

When we began to consider adoption, our friends and family assumed we’d want to adopt an infant. We decided, however, that bringing an older child into our family would enable us to create an important opportunity for someone who might otherwise be cast out of an orphanage at the age of 16 or 18 without the family support or preparation to sustain themselves. We had read about the dismal futures of older children living in orphanages. Also, adopting an older child, we envisioned, would be a better fit with our active lifestyle where the child would be able to engage in family activities of all kinds. Participating in a hosting program enabled us to develop a strong sense of a child’s personality, direct knowledge of a child’s health and the confidence that there would be a good fit for both us and the child.

One day we saw a photo of a nine year old girl on the Host a Child website and something clicked for us. We asked a few questions about her personality and it seemed like it could be a good fit for our family. As the date approached for her arrival, our biggest concern was – what if we weren’t sure we wanted to adopt her?

The evening we picked her up at JFK, we were anxious. We didn’t even recognize her off the airplane as all the children looked so tired. Our three hour drive home seemed odd for all of us – we couldn’t communicate very well and we were strangers. Something began to change when we got home. The look on her face when she saw we lived in a house and realized she would have a room of her own was something we can’t describe. The next morning she awoke with the biggest smile on her face, so excited to try new things and explore her environment. Communication became easier through picture books and hand motions. She noticed bicycles in the garage and was so happy to ride outside. We took her swimming in a pool for the first time and she carefully watched the other children and picked up their swimming techniques. She had seen ice skating in a movie and asked to try it - even falling on the ice made her smile.

From very early in her visit, to our surprise, there was no doubt whatsoever about our interest in adopting her. She has a beautiful heart, a thirst to learn, and a wonderful, fun spirit. When she came for the summer, she was told that it was just a visit. There had only been one adoption in the previous five years, and this was the first hosting program, from her orphanage – so she wasn’t thinking about adoption. But by the end of the first week, she was asking if she could live with us forever. After three weeks, we became very attached to each other. 

When we share pictures of her visit, people say – what a lucky little girl. But truly, we are the lucky ones to have found her.

____________________________________________________________________

The families that hosted have said they would be happy to talk to other families who are hoping to host during the Spring 2007 and Summer 2007 Programs. Please complete the on-line registration for more information. We would like to thank everyone who helped make tthe Host a Child Project successful.

Vinola Humphrey and Charlotte Allen, Host a Child Project

______________________________________________________________________

Spring 2007 Hosting Program

The Host a Child Project is pleased to announce that we are bringing a group of Eastern European children to the United States in March 2007 for the Spring 2007 Hosting Program. Scheduled dates for the program are -

March 20, 2007 - April 10, 2007

We are recruiting Host Families now to host the children for the Spring 2007 Hosting Program.

To receive an email with more information and photos of children who need Host Families for the Spring Hosting Program, please send email to info@hostachild.com.

Host a Child Project
2957 Sun Creek Ridge
Evergreen, Colorado 80438
303 216-9009
info@hostachild.com
www.hostachild.com