Where do I start? Well, her name is Tetiana, she's 15 and living in an orphanage in Ukraine,
and we'll be "Hosting" her this summer for almost 5 weeks!! I know, I know, how on earth did I come to a decision to want to do this? Host an orphan from another country? Are you insane? I'd like to think I'm not, but in looking back at the last 6 months, who knows. I first learned about this hosting thing from a fellow adoptive mama, Paula. I had the pleasure of meeting this awesome lady this past March when I attended the Created 4 Care Retreat for adoptive, foster, and hosting mamas near Atlanta, Georgia. She had posted on Facebook about this organization called New Horizons For Children and that they will be hosting a boy from Latvia. Here's her post on her blog. I thought it was interesting, but didn't give it much thought at that moment. (who knows where my brain was at the time) But a day or two later, it was still in my mind. So I checked out the web site, read a little. The more I read, the more I became intrigued.
In all reality, the hubs and I aren't spring chickens. He will be 46 this August and I will be 43. Yikes!! Nah, it's all good. I'm liking my 40's, but let me confess, chasing this little guy around all day
tends to wear this 42 year old out! So my point is, the thought of adopting another child is out of the question. So when I read about this hosting thing, it stuck! Stuck to my brain like peanut butter and jelly! I emailed them and asked a few questions, filled out the pre-application, got all my ducks in a row, talked to Taylor about it, looked at the web site some more, Tay and I stirred over the photolisting of all the kids that were in the "hosting" program, then went to the hubs about the idea. I'm sure it floored him the same way it floored him when I asked him if we could adopt 6 years ago! LOL Yeah, it did! My hubby knows me, I don't do anything half way, it's all the way or a no go!
So yeah, we're hosting a young girl from Ukraine this summer. If all goes well, she'll be here in late June till the first of August. We don't know much about her, but this info was under her sweet picture on the photo listing.
4/7 kj Tetiana (Tanya) is a sweet, sometimes giggly girl who would dearly love to visit America and learn some English. This is her last year of “regular” school and in the future she hopes to receive training in massage therapy. She’s crafty AND athletic- likes drawing, painting, cross stitch, basketball, track and field, volleyball—you name it, she’s probably tried it. Tetyana’s favorite colors are red and white and she loves teddy bears. She says she would like to improve on her singing and dancing and admitted that though she may dance around in her room, she NEVER dances in public. Tetyana said she’d like a big host family with younger kids.
I went online, filled out the full application, payed the application fee, wrote her the welcome letter she will get right before she boards a plane to travel to the US, yadda yadda, blah blah, and bam! Now we're a hosting family!! BUT....
This hosting thing costs. Compared to an international adoption, it's just a toss of a penny. But, that's the thing when you "host". You're required to pay for everything.
| Child's Travel Expenses (airfare, transport) | $1700 |
| Documentation | $300 |
| Medical insurance | $100 |
| Administration | $300 |
| Portion of Chaperone Expenses (Insurance, airfare, stipend) | $400 |
| Interview Trip | $50 |
| Safety Visit | $100 |
| Total | $2,950 per child * |
Here's the breakdown of the actual fees. Which, if you have any clue what adoptions cost these days, this is just a blink of that reality. But, (I seem to be saying that a lot lately) if we want to give this girl a once in a lifetime chance to come to America, the big ole land of the free, where dreams come true, we have to pay. And pay we shall! Which brings me to this little tid bit. Do you see Tetyana's picture below Taylor and Aiden's to the right of this blog post above? Right below her picture is a Donate button. I'll get to that later. I have to pull on your heart strings some more! ;)
I've been putting my brain to work on how we can raise this money to get her here. Fundraising, fundraising, fundraising....how can I get the word out about this awesome organization, these awesome kids that deserve a chance to come to America, experience it, that may never get another chance and how everyone else can help make this a reality for this precious girl? Check these statistics out and see what your heart says to you:
The Sad Facts…
Without intervention, upon leaving the orphanage, 60% of girls will end up in prostitution, 70% of boys will be on the streets or in jail, and 15% will commit suicide within the first two years on their own.
YOU can revolutionize the life of an abandoned child.
You really don't know what goes on in other countries till you open your heart up and listen. These children were abandoned, and with those terrifying statistics above being a harsh reality, how can some not want to help. These kids are adoptable. Everyone deserves a fighting chance, but if you're doomed from the start, what's left to fight? They deserve a chance at a life worth living, to strive to be better, to know how a family actually lives as one, works together, worships together....
These kids come to the US with literally the clothes on their backs, that's it! We are to provide everything for her, e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g, down to the soap and toothbrush she'll use. We will also get her teeth checked and fixed if need be and have her eyes checked. I've heard if these children have to see a dentist in their own country, they don't use the numbing medicine, yes you read that right! No numbing juice can be very traumatic for children.
Clothes, hair brush, shoes, underwear, think of all the things you need every morning to get ready to go to work, or begin your day, drop the kids off at school, go to the store, etc. I've read some stories on our closed group on FB about some children that come to the US without any underwear on, or didn't get to shower the day before with a bar of soap. And, that some kids don't get to shower every day. Can you imagine? Can you see it happening?
The whole point of this is not to spoil these kids rotten when they get here, buy them all they need and send them back to their orphanage or foster home with all their things, back to their harsh reality. These kids are adoptable. Their ages range from 6 to 16 years of age. And they deserve to know what life is like in a real family. I think this paragraph says it best:
In their 4-5 week visit, host families teach these children English, life skills, and about the love of God our Heavenly Father. By the end of the child’s visit, most host families are eternally grateful for the blessings they have received in ministering to these precious lives. It brings the mission field right to your own home, neighborhood, and church. We are a Christian based, international hosting program, which brings over orphaned children from Eastern Europe twice each year to share with them the love of God and the love of a family.
So, back to the Donate button. If you feel led by this post to donate, great! If you're not, that's okay too. Adopting, fostering, and hosting aren't for everyone. But, (here I go again) if you'd like to help Tetyana get to America, hit the Donate button to help. Sure, we could sit back, save up the money and host any child, but knowing that we're working towards a common goal, working together to show a Ukranian girl that she can have dreams, she can be inspired, that she will be okay, have faith, and that we all worked together to get her here, it makes it all worth every penny! And who knows, maybe she'll meet a great American family. They'll fall in love with her and want to adopt her! Maybe even come to live in a town near you.....it could happen..... because we have our faith! :)
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