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A Time to Heal

“To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven.”—Ecclesiastes 3:1

The following is a glimpse of Holt’s work in Haiti since the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake…..

A time to embrace……

Three weeks after the earthquake, Holt Fontana Village staff in Haiti gathered around to say goodbye to 21 children leaving the Village to unite with their permanent families in the United States. The children, already matched with adoptive families prior to the earthquake, had their adoptions expedited and have been home for 4 months.

“When the talk of Humanitarian Parole Visas started, Scott and I were afraid to believe that Manel’s case would qualify. Within days, however, we received phone calls from our senator’s office, the governor’s office, and from our social worker telling us to believe it,” said Laura Conners. “When Manel’s eyes met mine for the first time, and I heard him yell “Mommy!” the anxiety of the last two years melted away as he jumped into my arms. A miracle had happened….read the rest of the Conners family’s story

A time to Love….

21 children had departed Holt Fontana Village and only four children remained in care, giving Holt the opportunity to protect and care for children affected by the earthquake. Through the hiring of additional Village staff and the completion of new houses on the property, Holt welcomed 40 orphaned and vulnerable children into Holt Fontana Village.

“Appropriate permanency planning services will be provided for the children including family tracing and search for kinship care placements,” says Dan Lauer, Holt Vice President of International Programs.

22 of the 40 children are currently receiving temporary care at the Village while their family members stabilize and can prepare a better home for them. With the loss of housing and income, many families are struggling to care for their children, and Holt is happy to provide these children protection, love and stability while their families get back on their feet. Continue reading “A Time to Heal”

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A Match Made in Heaven

Soon after Tony and I were married, we found out that it would be difficult for us to have biological children. Tony wanted to look into adoption; I, however, wanted to try for biological children. We tried IVF with donated eggs…twice. No luck.

Eventually, we realized that we really just wanted to be parents and began looking into domestic adoption. Three years (and no requests to meet us) later, we started to pursue international adoption and attended an informational meeting held by our local agency. After reading about the various country programs, Tony and I decided that China was the country for us.

During the paperwork process, we kept hearing about (and being reminded about) the lengthening wait times for a child in the standard process. In our mid-40s, we knew that we would not be able to wait the 3 or 4 years after our dossier arrived in China for a referral. That’s when we decided to look into adopting a child with special needs. We knew, however, that we wanted a child as healthy as possible, rather than one with a more acute medical condition. Continue reading “A Match Made in Heaven”

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Don’t Miss Out — Holt Picnics Underway!

Communities build around shared experiences. Every year, adoptees and their families gather at Holt Annual Picnics to enjoy the company of those who share the unifying experience of adoption. Last year, over 2,100 people attended Holt’s picnics, from Oregon to New Jersey and several states between. We hope you can attend a Holt picnic this year.

For a current schedule, click here.

On July 17th, Holt’s Portland Area Picnic will take place at the site of Holt’s Adoptee Camp — Camp Angelos in Corbett, Oregon. Pack a lunch and come meet Holt’s adoptee camp counselors amid the rugged beauty of the Columbia River Gorge. All adult adoptees from various countries, the camp counselors are eager to share favorite camp memories, answer questions and get to know you and your children. And don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes! You might decide to hike Multnomah Falls or overlook the Gorge at Crown Point en route to or from the picnic.

The following weekend, Holt’s annual Midwest Picnic will take place in Omaha, Nebraska at Cooper Memorial Farm on July 24th. The Korean Presbyterian Church of Omaha will serve a delicious Korean BBQ lunch for all who RSVP. Join in the fun, including face painting, balloon twisting and an interactive Korean culture display.

Holt’s original Eugene picnic — the one that started the tradition — is scheduled for August 7th at Camp Harlow. Holt adoptive Dad, Daniel Freed, a.k.a. “The Amazing Spaghetti,” will once again host a magic and fun show — a wildly popular event last year. The Eugene Korean Presbyterian Church will serve a delicious Korean BBQ lunch for all who RSVP. Directly following the picnic, join hundreds of Holt adoptive families as they travel to Florence, Oregon for the annual Holt Family Campout at Honeyman Park. Contact Debbie Dunham for more information on the campout. We look forward to seeing you soon at a Holt picnic!

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The Gift of Compassion

by Brenna Bonner

I had barely heard the last few words of the radio advertisement for the Secret Keeper Girl event, but I did hear it, and four weeks later my daughter, five friends and myself were on our way to the event. On the night before Mother’s Day, our spirits were high and we looked forward to a fun evening.

The Secret Keeper Girl presentation captivated us from the very start. We sang worship music, listened to teachings on modesty, watched a fashion show, and learned what God says about our true beauty.

Those events were just the beginning, however. The Holy Spirit had just begun to speak.

As intermission approached, the presenters on stage switched gears, and Secret Keeper Girl Creator, Dannah Gresh, shared the story of how she was lead by God to adopt a child through Holt International. She also discussed Holt’s Child Sponsorship Program. I was riveted.

Over the last four years, I had visited many child sponsorship tables at concerts, ministry events and Christian conferences. I would often respond to the nudging of the Holy Spirit and go looking for the one child that caught my eye. Would I choose a boy? A girl? A child from Romania? China? Honduras? Should I choose an older child? An infant? Before I knew it, I had let loud worldly questions drown out God’s voice…but on this night, at the Secret Keeper Girl event, things would be different. Continue reading “The Gift of Compassion”

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For We Walk by Faith…Not by Sight

by Jennifer Smith

After the birth of our third child, my husband and I decided that our family was complete. We were content and didn’t plan to have any more children; however, God had other plans. During the summer of 2006 we began to think about adding to our family, discussed adoption and prayed for God’s guidance. We both felt a tugging towards adoption, but we wanted to make sure it was the right path for our family. We were looking for some sort of “big” sign, and that’s exactly what we got when we attended Winter Jam in 2007 in Mobile. It was our first time to attend a Winter Jam concert, so imagine our surprise when we discovered that Holt International sponsored it. As a video presentation of orphanages in China played, we watched as tears rolled down our cheeks. When it was over, we looked at each other and said: “we’re adopting…we’re going to China.” We requested an application packet from Holt the next week.

Like most people, we experienced both miracles and challenges during our adoption journey, but we forged ahead and claimed 2 Corinthians 5:7 as our adoption verse. It states: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” That verse came to mean so much to us during both the joyful and difficult times of our adoption journey.

We started out in the standard process but then switched to the China Child of Promise option. After only a few weeks in this program, we received our referral for a beautiful little girl named Shang Nan. She was listed as having vision problems. We read over the information and looked at her pictures, and we knew that she was the one. We fell in love with her instantly.

Rinnah Shangnan is doing very well now. She’s had an eye examination, and it was confirmed that she is completely blind in her right eye. She wears glasses now, and we can tell that using them is definitely helping her. She is trying to stand up now and even does somersaults! She is a good-natured and happy little girl. Continue reading “For We Walk by Faith…Not by Sight”

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Ethiopia—Where we Go from Here

Surgical center for children and their families

by Ashli Keyser, managing editor

The second Holt medical campaign in six months had come to an end. For a week, Holt Board Member Dr. Becca Brandt and her husband Dr. Kim Brandt volunteered their time and expertise at the Holt Shinshicho clinic. Arriving at the clinic in the early mornings, the Brandts stayed until each patient had been diagnosed and treated. With the conclusion of the campaign, hundreds of children and families had been treated for malaria, tuberculosis, meningitis, goiters, and other common ailments affecting the people of this region.

“This is good,” says Becca. “Most people would not come to the clinic, or they would wait until their needs are too great. The message went out to the community that we were here to provide the services, and they should come and use them.”

Holt’s renovations of the Shinshicho clinic and the subsequent medical campaigns have dramatically changed the lives of children and families of this area. People are now able to receive medical treatment, prenatal care and health and hygiene education in a clean and safe environment.

A lot has been accomplished in this area, and yet children and families continue to get sick, many of them succumbing to treatable illnesses—leaving the questions: what more can we do? And where do we go from here?

During the closing ceremony for the medical campaign, hundreds of residents and community leaders gathered to help answer these questions. One by one, men and women enthusiastically stood up, walked through the crowds of people, stepped onto the stage and proudly pledged what little they could to help the clinic, which has provided them with so much hope, enter into its next phase of expansion…a state-of-the-art surgical center.

“We don’t have surgeons or an operating room at this clinic currently, and the children and parents are not able to get the surgeries they need to survive,” says Dr. Mintesinot Tadewos, clinic physician and coordinator for the medical campaigns. Continue reading “Ethiopia—Where we Go from Here”

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National Public Radio Interview with Holt Adoptive Parent

John Seabrook, staff writer for The New Yorker, and his wife, Lisa, adopted their daughter, Rose, from Haiti in 2009.  Rose, along with 20 other children living at Holt Fontana Village, had her adoption expedited due to the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake.

Seabrook recently wrote an article about international adoption (read the New Yorker article here), and National Public Radio (NPR) conducted an interview with him about his family’s adoption experience and bringing Rose home.

listen to John Seabrook’s interview here

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Celebrate your Mother and Give a Gift of Hope Today…

Mother’s Day is only a few days away!

When you give a Gift of Hope to a child in need, you will not only be recognizing the sacrifice and devotion of your loving mother, but you will also help precious children receive the nutritional food, clothing, educational material and medical care they desperately need.  Give a gift to a child in need, and Holt will send a personalized card or e-card honoring your mother or loved one this Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day is only a few days away!…Give a Gift of Hope Today!

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Just Being Their Mother

Mother’s Day Gifts of Hope

by Melissa Schmidt

“What do you want for Mother’s Day?” my husband, Dan asked last year. What could I possibly need? I was the mother of five children, waiting for our sixth child to come home from India. The only thing I could think about needing was a maid!

I had everything I wanted and just wanted to give something back. I thought for a little bit about honoring our children’s birthmothers and an idea popped into my head. I asked our daughter, Shabnam, who we adopted from Mumbai in 2006, how she would feel about planting a tree in honor of her birthmother. She was delighted.

We bought two trees, knowing that Sanjith would be coming home by the end of the year, and on May 18th, 2009 we gathered our children in our yard, dug holes and planted the trees. Shabnam was very excited to stand by “her tree!” She even named it “Asma”, after her birthmother’s name. I told Shabnam that any time she wanted to feel close to her birthmother she could go out by her tree. She grinned from ear to ear. Shabnam gave it water every day to make sure it would grow.

We brought 2-year old, Sanjith, home from Bangalore in November 2009. He has been running around outdoors this spring and has already worn a path by his birthmother’s tree. Sanjith was considered to be a child with special needs. However, we think that his only special need was “needing” to be home with us. When he came home in November he was speaking only four words in his native language. He is now speaking over 200 English words. His five other siblings have a hard time getting a word in around Sanjith. We are so lucky to have him in our family.

On Mother’s Day, the kids wanted to make sure that I wasn’t sad that I didn’t get a present for myself. I reassured them and told them that I had received a fantastic present. I get the best present every day just being their mother!

Give a Gift of Hope this Mother’s Day in Honor of your Mother or Someone Special

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Bringing Families Together

Holt’s Special Needs Adoption Fund

Nathan came into Holt’s care with a cephalohematoma, a collection of blood under the scalp usually caused by trauma during birth. He also had developmental delays and partial seizures. When children with special needs are brought into the care of Holt International, it takes a special kind of love and commitment to make sure these children are provided for…it takes a tremendous amount of faith, as well. The loving caretakers need faith to believe that the children will survive and grow. And the children need faith that a permanent family who will love and care for them unconditionally is out there…waiting just for them.

Back in the United States, Andy and Angela Betts longed to hold one of these precious Waiting Children in their arms forever and, relying on their faith, they brought Nathan into their home and hearts.

“From the day we signed our application, we wanted to adopt a child with special needs,” says Angela. “For me, I felt like God was pushing us in that direction and God knew exactly what he was doing when he brought Nathan into our lives.

“Nathan has been home for a year and has grown so much. He has gone from not being able to sit up at 11 months, to walking and running around the house. Nathan has attached to us and formed a bond with each member of his family.”

Holt’s commitment, to do what’s best for every child, means putting extra effort into finding families for children with special needs.  We reduce adoption fees for every child with special needs, and Holt’s Special Needs Adoption Fund helps families who need additional assistance to complete their adoptions.  As a result, hundreds of children who might otherwise have no hope at all now have loving families.

Today Nathan is surrounded by parents and four siblings who love him unconditionally.  The Betts family had faith that Nathan was meant to be a part of their family.  And they had faith in people who give so generously to Holt and to funds like the Special Needs Adoption Fund.  “You will never regret giving this wonderful gift,” says Angela.  “The SNAF grant helped make us a family.”

Help Children with Special Needs Have a Family of Their Own…Donate to the Special Needs Adoption Fund!…..