Our family met these 3 children when they stayed in our home through an Orphan Hosting Program over Christmas. (Their younger sister couldn’t come because she had chicken pox.)
Our long-term goal is adoption (which is complicated and may or may not be possible) and while we wait for that process to unroll, we invest in their lives by staying in touch over Skype and hosting them in our home. We are wanting to bring all 4 children back to our home this summer! Thank you for your interest in following our family’s story! Click here to help bring our host children back!
Why Is Orphan Hosting Important?
- Children in an orphanage older than 5 only have a 20% chance of ever being adopted
- If they are part of a sibling group their chances of being adopted are significantly lower
- Children “age out” of the orphanage at age 16, before they are mature enough to handle life as an adult
- 80% of boys who age out of the orphnage end up living on the streets or in jail
- 60% of girls who age out are trafficked into the sex industry
- 50% of Eastern European orphans don’t live to see their 20th birthday
BUT, a child who has been hosted knows that they have a family in America who loves them! They have learned their value and their chances of any of these things happening to them drop to below 20%! Hosting a child helps them know they are loved and truly changes their life in deep, meaningful ways.
Those were our initial reasons for hosting. We’ve met the children and they are incredible kids! Now that they’ve been in our home for 5 weeks, the “orphan problem” is no longer a theory for us. These are REAL CHILDREN! We can’t look them in the eye and say, “Well, good luck in the orphanage. I hope you survive the streets when you get older.” We LOVE these people! Whether we are able to adopt them or not, they are forever part of our family.
Here are some links, sharing our family’s story:
Combining two families is definitely an adventure! When our host children are with us, everyone’s ages are: 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 6, and 2. Papa the Farmer and I are definitely outnumbered, but in the most wonderful way!
- The Biggest Announcement We’ve Ever Made (The Story of Why we are Hosting and Hoping to Adopt)
- How God Led Us To Choose Adoption
- Our Family Has SO MUCH To Be Thankful For (My Thanksgiving Post telling some of the amazing stories that happened when we had to raise $12,000 in 12 days)
- What The Days Before Orphan Hosting Are Really Like
- Guest Post at ASlobComesClean.com: How a Mom With Too Much Laundry Learns to Manage
Our Current Goal
Right now our family is in a time of waiting. We have a newborn baby and are having a “babymoon” with her while we wait to see how the situation progresses. There are things that have to happen in Europe that will determine the fate of these children. In the meantime, we are able to Skype with our host children and other children at their orphanage. We are also involved in some other activities to support their orphanage. (More news about that to come!)
Here’s How You Can Help:
Right now what we need is lots and lots of prayer! You can join our prayer group here.
Fundraising Links:
The Lord has been incredibly faithful to send money for the children to come visit. Without these visits we would not have had the chance to bond with our host kids the way we have. Even though they are still in an orphanage, they KNOW they have family in America who loves them!
We are not currently fundraising for hosting. If you are interested in helping a family host or adopt, please contact me. I know lots of families with hosting and adoption stories that are as amazing as ours and can put you in touch with one of them.
Other Links:
The children arrive with the clothes on their backs and nothing else. We provide absolutely everything they would need (you should see our grocery bill!) and send them back to the orphanage with a duffel bag and backpack full of clothes, shoes, winter jackets, toiletries and any other necessities we can possibly fit! While we wait we are making other changes and arrangements to make hosting more practical in the future. Anything you do to support our website will help us with these various related costs. Here are some suggestions:
USE THIS LINK
Purchase a Lilla Rose Flexi Clip through THIS LINK and we will receive a 30% commission.
Usborne is a leading publisher of children’s non-fiction. Purchase through THIS LINK and we will receive a 30% commission and some free books to share with our 4 Ukranian children.
Join Our Facebook Group to Watch the Miracle!
There’s a lot of information about the children that I can’t share, but I CAN share the stories of how God works miracles to make this happen! (And we need A LOT of miracles!) If you haven’t yet, you can join our Facebook Prayer Warriors Group here:
Facebook.com/groups/DuboisAdoptionPrayerWarriors
I know several people are not on Facebook. Fill out this webform to receive our Hosting update letter:
Friends of Our Hosting Adventures
So many people have encouraged us and helped us on this journey of orphan hosting. Here are some businesses who have been exceptionally wonderful to our sweet host children. I am deeply grateful to them. If you are in North Dallas area, here are some places for you to check out. These are people who LOVE other people!
- Dr. Gregory Harrison and Dr. Courtney Perry at the Eye Gallery in Plano, Tx
- Dr. Horsley-Teny at Harvest Dental in Farmersville, Tx and Van Alstyne Family Dentistry in Van Alstyne, Tx
- Mini-Encounters Miniature Therapy Horses in Melissa, Tx
- West Shady Grove Baptist Church in Blue Ridge, Tx (We don’t even go to this church and they blessed our host children in so many ways!)
- WonderMix (affiliate link) Their mixers can stand up to the needs of our family!
- Kelly at Easy Lunchboxes is a CEO-Mom who has been a wonderful friend and incredible mentor to me over the years. So much of what she has taught me has helped in our hosting journey immeasurably.
Thank You!
Did You Donate To Another Family’s Fundraising Efforts?
Here at the Good Old Days Farm, we want to help ALL the children in the photolistings find host families (and maybe even forever-families)… not just our own host children. If you have donated to another family’s hosting effort, please enter your information below. I have a special treat to say “Thank You!”
(Please note, entering your information above will take you immediately to a download page. It will also add you to my blog’s newsletter. I hope you’ll stick around and follow our family’s hosting and adoption adventures as well as all the other great stuff we share on our blog. But you are also free to unsubscribe. There is an unsubscribe option at the bottom of every email. Please do not mark my emails as spam. Thanks!)
