Over the past year, I’ve advocated for orphans being hosted through hosting programs, like New Horizons for Children. This past summer, we almost hosted…We were almost ready to agree to host 2 siblings when I found out someone else had stepped up to host them before us. So we became back-up family for these 2 children and I went to training, just in case. I prayed for them and thought of them often as they were hosted by a family here in the U.S. I prayed that God’s will be done…that if they ended up not being adopted after being hosted in the U.S., that we’d take it as confirmation that we needed to host them this Christmas….Then I found out they were not going to be adopted…So I immediately started pursuing hosting them despite the financial obstacle of trying to fundraise and save money quickly to pay the hosting/travel fees required to host the children for 4 weeks this Christmas. Am I scared of trying to raise the $ on one income in such a short period of time? I won’t lie….I’m very scared and struggle with worrying about it sometimes. If I could come up with a flexible part-time job right now that wouldn’t interfere with taking care of our son & daughter during the day, I would (any ideas?). If I could grow a money tree, I would have planted it yesterday. Instead, we are having a yard sale, fundraising web site, book sale, and Alan is busking/playing ukulele at a local flea market this Saturday, The Flea off Market. I’m also considering selling locally & by mail gluten-free chocolate chip cookies…
BUT to the heart of the matter, I’m trusting and praying that God will provide what we lack if we are truly meant to host these 2 children (with possibility of pursuing more—ie forever family?). And I’m trying to visualize and think of the WHY behind our commitment to host these 2 precious children in our home this Christmas. I’m picturing the kids already here (even though we don’t have the $ to write a check for the hosting fees…yet)…taking nature walks, being tucked in at night, playing games, laughing, chattering in Russian and Latvian, and receiving hugs. I’m imagining saying to them in Russian, “You are beautiful,” “You are kind,” “I love you,” and “You are special.”
So in this season of political debate, please forgive me if I spend more time trying to raise money for my favorite cause, children who need the love and support of families. I’m “liberal” with my love for orphans world-wide and “conservative” in my family’s spending so we can do all we can to get these two precious kids to the U.S. for Christmas in our family where they may possibly find a forever family.
Here are a couple of photos of the kids from this summer, when they were hosted this summer.
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Amazing to realize how far she’s come since I first met her in October of 2010 when she was less than 3 lbs! Now she is 21 lbs+ and a healthy cruising baby (walking is bound to be soon with all her cruising and almost standing alone).
to be pregnant….We are talking about very low percentage of chance. We believe the pregnancy was due to Alan and I finding out we were dairy intolerant & gluten intolerant and changing our diets (about a year ago I changed first and then Alan changed after the first towards the first of the year…)…and that it was a miraculous gift from God.
ake my heart smile 
She weighs over 15 lbs now and is replete with sweet baby pudge. So wonderful to see a healthy little baby after having met her when she weighed less than 3 lbs!
