2015 - Orphan Hosting

Smiles with Santa

The children of the Winter 2015-2016 Hosting Program have been here for over three weeks, and we’ve seen some amazing changes already in the kiddos. From first hugs to the first time meeting Santa – we’ve watched these children grow and change the lives of their host families, too!

Check out some of the photos of our hosting children having the time of their lives with their host families. Don’t forget – we have many amazing HOST TO ADVOCATE children looking for a forever family in our China Program. You can check out their profiles over at this page, and contact us at meredith@gwca.org to get more information about adopting a host child.

If you really need a smile, watch one of our China Host kids enjoying a game with his host family – his laugh will warm your heart!

The Latvia Winter Host Kids Have Arrived!

THEY’RE HERE! We are so happy to announce that all of the kids from our Latvia Winter Hosting program have landed safely in the United States! Each of our host families has been anxiously awaiting this moment for weeks, preparing for a holiday season of fun with their host kids.

We are so excited for all of these kiddos and their host families, and we look forward to following their journeys over the course of the next month! Follow along with us by visiting our Orphan Hosting Blog to see updates!

The Countdown is On…Hosting Children Arrive this Week!

We can’t believe it’s finally here – this week and next, children from two of our amazing Orphan Hosting programs will be landing here in the United States to meet with their host family. It’s a wonderful time of new beginnings and sharing for the kids. This Friday, our children from Latvia will touch down on the East Coast and then head out with their host families to spend the holidays together. Next Friday, our children from China touch down on both coasts, East and West, and spread out over the United States!

If you’ve ever wondered what arrival days are like, the chaos of the photos gives a good indication! It’s a blur of TEAM CAN t-shirts, smiles, hugs, a little bit of shyness, and a whole lot of love. For us, it’s the moment we get to see all the work that’s gone into hosting come to light. It’s the first moment it becomes real – a child steps out from the doors, and we start to see families born.

Since our hosting programs have launched, we’ve seen the change that hosting brings, in both the children and the families! The biggest surprise we love to see is that families talk about how hosting has affected their lives in little and big ways. To keep up with the journey that families are going through, continue to follow our blog for our Uplifting Moments Blog Posts. It includes some of our favorite moments from hosting – the “moment of the week” from families when there was a little bit different light in their host child’s eye, the first hug, the first bike ride…all those little moments you remember as a parent that these families now get to experience in the span of one short hosting program!

The children are here through January, and then of course, the next group of children will need advocacy. If you’re interested in learning more about either becoming a host family or becoming an advocate for these amazing children, please reach out to us! You can find out more by contacting info@orphanhosting.com or by calling (512) 323-9595 ext. 3102.

Thanks for following our families’ and children’s hosting journeys!

~ Shannon & Cayce

Volunteers Needed – Will You Give Thanks AND Give Back?

An Open Heart and a Voice to be Heard

The Hosting Program depends on the passion and commitment of volunteers – it’s YOUR VOICE that finds a family for just one more child.

Our winter program will see 50 children from three different countries come to meet a family, and potentially find a forever family. The task of not only hosting but of finding FOREVER families for these children is significant, and there is always room for your voice to join the cause. The effort to promote and place each one of these children is in our hands – will you lend yours?

If you have a hand to lend for these children and a desire to spread the word to change the life of just one child, we would love to call you a part of the CAN Host Family. It is long work, but it is work that is worth it to see these children find their family. You can contact us at cayce@childrenofallnations.com or start your volunteer application here.

Want to Get Your Church Involved?

If you would like to have your church participate in Orphan Hosting, whether it’s through sponsoring a specific child or family through hosting, please contact our office at (512) 323-9595 ext. 3102. We’re also happy to speak with your church or group about Orphan Hosting.

Materials You Can Share

You can download and share the following resources to your friends, family, and church. This allows us to reach more families at a lower cost, thereby helping even more children along the way. We hope these materials are useful as you advocate for our amazing children!

What Do I Do?

♥ Email cards to Friends
♥ Share on Facebook
♥ Share cards at your church
♥ Repeat!

Printable Card Front

Printable Card Back

You can reach the Volunteer Coordinator Cayce Canipe for more information at (512) 323-9595 ext. 3102!

Program Spotlight – The Philippines

Our Philippines program is extra special. It is the first program in which the country has specifically asked Children of All Nations to run the program as a “host to adopt” program. We’re looking for permanent families for these children, and we’re very passionate about doing so!

It also means that families interested in hosting from the Philippines must have a serious intention of adopting from the Philippines. Even though hosting is designed to let you meet your host child, the Philippines likes a strong commitment to the idea of adoption.

Families should meet adoption qualifications in order to be able to host from the Philippines. They should also be prepared for lots of love – because these kiddos are amazing!

Children from the Philippines

Healthy: Almost all of the children in our Philippines hosting program will be healthy. Many of them are small for their age due to malnourishment and street life, and they will have the emotional scars that come from growing up without a family.

Older: The children in our Philippines program will typically be between ages 9-14. We do not often see children under the age of 10 who are by themselves – they are usually part of a sibling group.

Sibling Groups: Many of the children in our Philippines program will be part of a sibling group. We work hard to keep siblings together, so if you have an open heart and home for these “little families,” the Philippines program may be a great fit for you!

Currently, our Philippines program is available in the following states: Texas, Florida, Georgia, New York, and New Jersey.

Chaperone Host Families Needed!

Our Winter Hosting Program is well under way, and the children will be here in less than a month!

We still need some amazing volunteers to help contribute to our Orphan Hosting Program – we are most especially looking for volunteers to serve as Chaperone Host Families.

It is completely free to be a Chaperone Host Family. All you need is a spare bedroom and an open heart! You have the option of hosting a chaperone for either two or four weeks, which is half or all of the hosting program. It’s a great opportunity for you to meet the amazing caregivers and translators who are here to support the children throughout the program. It’s also a neat opportunity for the chaperones to visit America and learn our customs around the holidays.

Our chaperone from Latvia knows English, and she needs a host family in the New York area. If you live in New York or one of the adjacent states and would like to host Laura, please email Cayce at cayce@childrenofallnations.com. We also need host families for our China chaperones in the Tennessee, Illinois, California, and New York! If you’re able to host a China chaperone in one of these areas, please email Shannon at shannon@gwca.org.

It’s through your service that we are able to help the amazing children of the Orphan Hosting Programs! If you’re ready to become a Chaperone Host Family, you can start your FREE application here!

Can I Host?

There are so many questions that revolve around hosting. Am I ready? What if I’m not interested in adopting? What if I am? What do I need to host? What do I need to provide? Question after question – and we have the answers for you!

For general eligibility, many of our programs are similar. As a general rule, families should be the following requirements:

Citizenship: One parent must be a U.S. citizen.
Age: Generally between 29-60 years old, depending on the country and the special needs of the child, if any.
Marriage Status: Single women and married couples are generally eligible in both countries, and single men can be considered on a case by case basis for Latvia.
Criminal History: Applicants with a criminal history of child abuse, violence or domestic violence are not eligible to host
Health: Host parents must be in good health with no major medical or psychological concerns.

But there are often bigger questions that aren’t so easy to answer with a general eligibility check. What do I need to have? Do the children come with clothes? Should I take off work?

The children need to have their own bed to sleep in while with a host family. Many of the children share a room with a sibling of the same gender – this actually may be comforting to the children, as many of them will never have slept in a room alone before. If you’re hosting a child and you have no other children, consider keeping a nightlight in the room to comfort them when they sleep.

Many of the children will come with few to no possessions, so host families should be prepared to provide clothing for their host kiddo while they’re here. Gently used hand me downs and thrift store finds are a great idea – taking a host child shopping once to pick out their very own clothes is a great bonding idea.

The biggest concern we see with eligibility is work during the program. Since the children in our hosting programs are not proficient in English, they cannot be watched under day care or day camp services. They also come from institutions, either orphanages or foster homes, so going back into what they will see as another institution can feel like abandonment all over again. Host parents are asked to take the majority of the hosting program off of work in order to spend time with their host child. Host parents also can reach out to extended family (host grandma and host grandpa!) for help periodically. Every adult who is in charge of a child must have a background check on file with Children of All Nations, and host children can never be left unattended or in the supervision of a child under the age of 18.

If you have eligibility questions about hosting, we would love to help! You can get your hosting questions answered at info@orphanhosting.com or call (512) 323-9595 to ask to speak to a Hosting Coordinator today!

Hosting Tong

Zhao Tong came to America in 2014 for GWCA’s Holiday Hosting Program. During the four weeks that Zhao was here, his host family grew to love him very much, and they began working on the paperwork to bring him here forever! Now, less than one year later, they are getting ready to complete the final steps of the adoption as they travel to bring him home. Read their story about deciding to host this amazing kiddo, and how it has changed their lives forever!

A Seed is Planted

Several weeks later I was abruptly awakened from a deep sleep to sitting straight up in bed to someone calling out “Mom”. Jamie & Jayden always call me Mommy and they come running in to our bedroom if they want me. Troubled, I got up and checked on them and they were sound asleep. In the morning I told Jeff about the voice I heard. No comment from him. I told Jeff I really think God wants us to do this. He responded well God needs to show me too.

About this same time Justine and Jenna our older daughters started asking us when we were going to go back to China and adopt another child. I shared my dreams with them. They were convinced it was what God wanted us to do. So they started asking Jamie & Jayden if they would like another brother. Jamie and Jayden said definitely “NO”. Jayden listed reasons why not; 1. There is no room for him to sleep at our house. 2. He would break their toys. 3. He would fight them. 4. They already had a brother, Jerus. No new brother was coming to our house.

In December Jeff shared with me a dream he had. In his dream, he was out to eat with some people for work. Someone asked him how many children do you have? Jeff answered 5. Then a little boy sitting next to him grabbed his sleeve and said “What about me, Daddy?” Jeff was beginning to believe God wanted us to adopt but brought up Jamie & Jayden’s reluctance to having another brother. Jamie & Jayden were still always answering NO to talk of a new brother.

In January as we sat down to eat Jayden says out of the blue, so if we did get another brother where would he sleep? How old would he be? What kinds of things could he do? As I answered each of his questions he and Jamie would look at each other and then he says what do you think Jamie, let’s get a new brother. Jamie agrees with Jayden and then looks at me and says “Wow what made us CHANGE OUR HEARTS.” God finally got our entire family on the same page.

In the summer of 2014 we learned about Great Wall China Adoption’s (the adoption agency we had used for Jamie and Jayden) winter hosting program. This is where a family has a child from an orphanage come and live with them for four to six weeks. The time period for hosting was mid-December to mid-January. So in September of 2014 we set off on a journey to host a boy from China.

Great Wall China Adoption (GWCA) Hosting Program

Meeting Zhao Tong

Who the heck is Conrad

Tong came with a variety of stuff from China. Besides the suitcase of clothes he was carrying on his back he had two pairs of snow paints, an extra winter coat and a huge bag of snacks in his backpack. There is one thing about Tong that became pretty obvious right away, he loves to eat. He quickly learned about when dinner time was and he was always promptly sitting in his seat at the dinner table waiting for the food to be served. We can’t really describe him as overly chunky, the best description came from our niece Kaesha Koch. She described him as “a big marshmallow you just love to squeeze”.

Tong quickly learned some key words in English, “NO” was very easy for him and he used it frequently. He also jumped on the diet coke bandwagon with “cola”. He had “cookie” down in less than a day and he loved to add his finality to our dinner prayer with the loudest “Amen” we have ever heard. We think he might have translated this to mean “let’s eat”. He quickly taught us his favorite phrase “wan wanju” translated “play with toys”. One of our biggest surprises came when we gave him a piece of paper and a pencil. He promptly returned the paper with the English letters A to Z written in proper sequence 15 times. We learned he has an infatuation with the English alphabet, his favorite letter is “L”. We found a DVD about the alphabet and when the DVD came to the letter “L” he would get all excited. We had an electronic game that was shaped like an apple that has all 26 letters as keys. While our other kids played on their iPads he had his own apple type electronic game.

One of the first days in Omaha we gave him a coloring book and some colors. He colored the page then wrote “Conrad” at the top of the page. This became common place every time he did something with a pencil, colors or markers he wrote “Conrad” on each page. In fact one day he wrote “Conrad” 25 to 30 times on a piece of paper then repeated this on four more sheets of paper. What was he trying to tell us? At first we were a little concerned that Conrad was some subtle message he was trying to send us like “redrum” from the little boy in “The Shining” . We tried writing it backwards but it didn’t make sense ”darnoc”. After some additional investigation we found a Christmas card in his backpack that was for our family signed Conrad. We then talked to his chaperone and learned that in some orphanages they give the Children an English names to practice when they are writing in English, I guess he was just showing off.

Highlights from Our Time Hosting Zhao Tong

Tong was with us from December 13, 2014 through January 12, 2015. When we picked him up in Chicago he didn’t really know any English spoken language. We relied on pointing and a couple of iPhone apps to interpret for us and him. There where so many wonderful experiences we had with him. We observed a shy compliant little boy who did everything we directed him to evolve into this wonderful child who has a stubborn streak and a smile that will melt your heart.

The hosted children are not told that they are coming over to America to be adopted. They are told they are coming to the US for a vacation and to learn English. We decided we wanted to make sure Tong had the full experience while he was here. We set out on a plan to do as many Omaha fun things as we could fit in.

We went to the Omaha Zoo where Tong became infatuated with the penguins. He did not want to leave their exhibit, he could have stood there all day watching them. We think he enjoyed the rest of the animals but nowhere near his love for the penguins.

We took him swimming at Lifetime Fitness where they have a zero depth pool. Jeff carried him out to the deeper water and Tong immediately put the death grip on Jeff and wanted nothing to do with being in the water if he could not touch with his feet. After about 30 minutes sitting in a chair he finally got enough courage to go back in the zero depth section. This is something we will have to work on with him to fit into this water loving family.

We took him ice skating out at Mahoney State Park which was ok except for the fact he wanted nothing to do with wearing ice skates or being on the ice. Luckily there is huge indoor playground which he loved and spent hours climbing, sliding etc.

We went to Okoboji /Minnesota for the Christmas holidays. We stayed at our condo in Okoboji and went to Big Twin Lake (Trimont MN – Janell’s family) and Amber Lake (Fairmont MN – Jeff’s Family) When we picked Tong up in Chicago we had already decorated our Christmas trees in Omaha so we put up and decorated a Christmas tree in Okoboji with Tong. He had his own special way of decorating which included putting all the ornaments on one branch.

While we were at Big Twin we took out the ATV’s and gave him a ride which he loved. We had a light snowfall one day and he liked catching snowflakes. He is not a big fan of the cold though and quickly learned that word “COLDDDDDDDDDDDDD.”

We made Christmas cutout cookies with him which he loved both making and eating. We also played a lot of card and board games with our whole family. We would help him out on some occasions and a lot of time he played just fine on his own. We got him to ride a bike with training wheels and he loved to swing on our swing set. He also loved playing the piano. He would press the keys very gently and smile

Our whole family had a great time with him. Justine got to spend a long week with him and Jenna was at home almost the entire time.

The Decision

We started the hosting program thinking we might want to adopt another child. We spent a lot of time talking about the possibility of getting another child and sibling for our five kids. All of our kids were sold on the idea except for Jayden, our 9 year old. He is the youngest and does not want to give up his youngest child position. We thought the hosting program would be a good trial for us and especially for Jayden to see what it would be like, kind of a rent to own program.

Things did not start off as well as we would have hoped. There was little interaction between Tong and our youngest two kids especially Jayden. As we approached the third week we started to wonder if this was going to work. Tong was having a great time and we had a great time with him but the relationship between Jamie, Jayden and Tong was not as we had hoped.

On that weekend we went to the Omaha Children’s Museum and things just started coming together. We saw our two younger kids interacting with Tong. We then went to the Spaghetti Factory for lunch. Going out to eat with our family can be a disaster, but not this time. Tong did great, Jayden was helpful we started to see how Tong fit into our family.

When we got home that afternoon Janell received a note from a friend in the mail. The note included the following bible verse, Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world James 1:27.

Well, our decision was made.

As the next week drew to a close we got a little sadder every day, we knew we had to send Tong back to his orphanage in China. The day before Tong was supposed to fly with Janell to Chicago to meet the rest of the hosting group for the return trip, his chaperone called. He told Tong that he was going back to the orphanage. Tong gave the phone to us went upstairs packed his backpack and came down ready to go.

We really didn’t know what to think. Tong didn’t really have any emotion as we said goodbye to him as he and Janell headed to the airport. Did he have any feelings about us? They flew to Chicago and met the rest of the Hosting kids that were headed back to China. Janell waited with the group for about an hour and then it was time for her to catch her flight back to Omaha. She went to Tong gave him a hug, said good-bye and started to walk away. He suddenly realized what was happening, he grabbed her and started to cry and yelled “No Mama”, and then she started to cry. One of the volunteers with the group helped pry Janell loose from Tong’s grasp. Janell reluctantly headed to her gate, crying, hearing Tong’s wailing as she walked away.

Ok God, if we weren’t sure about our decision before, we were now.

Why Does Hosting Cost?

The Cost of Hosting:

Application Fee: $250

Hosting Fees: $3150-$3450

Gently Used Clothing: $50

A Child’s Smile: Priceless

One of the most common questions we receive from families: “Why does hosting cost?” We know it’s the biggest obstacle for families to participate, so we want you to know exactly what the money goes to.

All of the costs of hosting go toward sponsoring the children’s travel to the United States. This means their travel approvals, their actual flights, and the insurance (yep the kiddos have insurance!) while they are here in the states. In essence, families sponsor a child’s travel here to the US in order to spend time with a family. All costs are tax deductible, and families receive a letter from our office for tax purposes. Families are providing humanitarian aid to a child in need!

The cost of hosting depends on the program:

$3150 Latvia
$3250 China
$3450 Philippines

The differences in cost reflect the different flights prices per country.

There is a great thing about our hosting costs – many of the costs of hosting cover some of the expenses of adopting a host child. With our hosting program, the hosting application doubles as your adoption application, meaning families don’t pay a second fee to another agency to begin your adoption process.

That also means that the ball doesn’t get dropped when a family decides they want to adopt their host child. You don’t get passed on to another agency that doesn’t know you. Our staff is in direct contact with our agency’s adoption staff, and we walk you through the process every step of the way.

Hague Training, which is a requirement for all families choosing to internationally adopt, is also included in the cost of hosting. This saves families time and hassle down the line as they prepare for adoption.

The tax deductible letter is available for all families in reference to payments made for the hosting program. This is a humanitarian service to these children, and we want to help in any way we can. We know that hosting costs each and every family, but the experience of hosting a child is one like no other. If you’re ready to start the journey, contact us at info@orphanhosting.com today!

What It Means to Age Out

What do you mean
“age out?”
What happens when
they turn 14?

This is a question we hear over and over as we speak with families about the older children in our hosting program. The answer to the question is complicated, difficult, and heart-breaking. In our China program, children “age out” of the orphanages at age 14, in Philippines and Latvia it is age 16.

On the face of it, this means that the children are no longer available for international adoption, but the reality is, when the children in our programs reach this age, this is often the end of the line. The day these children turn 14 or 16, their hope for a forever family flickers out. What is most unfortunate, as these children get closer and closer to this aging out deadline, there are fewer and fewer families stepping up to prevent the bleak life ahead of them.

For the lucky ones, children are allowed to stay on and work at the orphanage. They may help cook meals or serve as a caretaker for the other, younger children still at the orphanage. They work as they watch their younger friends get adopted, knowing that is now a permanent impossibility for them.

For the not-so-lucky, they are turned out of the orphanage, sent to look for work in a local village or a nearby city. In many cases, the children who reach 14 or 16 are simply never heard from again. Human trafficking and child labor is a real issue that many of the children we serve face as they grow older, and we are unable to protect them once they reach their age deadline.

If you’re ready to help an older child find their family through hosting, contact us today. These are the faces of the children in our program who are nearing “aging out.” We can stop a life of work at 14, of begging on the street at 16, and a future with no family to call their own.

Archive for December 30, 2015

Smiles with Santa

The Latvia Winter Host Kids Have Arrived!

The Countdown is On…Hosting Children Arrive this Week!