1. family and parenting
2. children

Summer 2007 Vol. 49 No. 3
Abandoned, Vulnerable Children
in Eastern Europe
Annual Graduate Edition
Open
the eyes
of your
heart
Children in Eastern
Europe wait for
adoptive families.
Holt International is
looking for pioneer
families for:
• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Ukraine
FINDINGFAMILIES
FORCHILDREN
Request an adoption information packet: www.holtinternational.org
Dear Readers
For nearly a year families and adoptees have been sending in photos and short bios
for the “Graduate Edition” of Holt International magazine. Through the years, this
annual issue has been especially popular with our readers.
It is a proud time for all of us—parents, the network of Holt staff and our colleagues overseas—to look over these photos of those who have graduated from high
school, college or vocational school. They powerfully represent the success of Holt’s
mission. We take credit for only a portion of this success. After all, it was the
adoptees’ efforts and their families’ everyday devotion and commitment that ultimately brought them to this place of achievement.
It’s remarkable to see the contrast between children who appear in the stories about
Holt’s current programs overseas compared to the mature, confident and accomplished young men and women listed in this issue. It’s amazing to project into the
future and visualize these yet-to-be-placed children as the new graduates just a few
years from now.
Still, there are many Holt adoptees of this same age who don’t appear on these
pages. Over the years, we at Holt lose contact with many families. Their families
may have moved or simply chose not to stay in touch. On a side note, it’s really
great that many of these families reconnect with Holt when their children graduate.
I realize, too, that some adoptees may feel a bit shy about sending their information. They may feel intimidated by the achievements for many included in this
magazine. They may have struggled in school, or their accomplishments may seem
meager by comparison. Adoptees are regular people, after all, representing the full
range of humanity.
We offer our prayers and praise for all adoptees who are graduating into new
phases of their lives. You are precious to your families, to us and to our Lord. As
David Kim once said: “All children are precious in the sight of God.” And we firmly
believe it.
—John Aeby, Editor
contents
Facing THE Future
Holt’s Work in Eastern Europe Saluting the 2007 Graduates
6
20
Advice to Graduating Adoptees 26
adopting
Ways to stay connected to the Holt
community after you graduate.
adoptees today
Finding My Birth Family
28
departments
Update
Directions
Around the Globe
Waiting Child From the Family
Neighborhood Calendar
Family Tree 4
5
12
14
16
30
31
Our Mission
Holt International is dedicated to carrying out God’s plan for every child to have a permanent,
loving family.
In 1955 Harry and Bertha Holt responded to the conviction that God had called them to help
children left homeless by the Korean War. Though it took an act of the U.S. Congress, the
Holts adopted eight of those children. But they were moved by the desperate plight of other
orphaned children in Korea and other countries as well, so they founded Holt International
Children’s Services in order to unite homeless children with families who would love them
as their own. Today Holt International serves children and families in Cambodia, China,
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Guatemala, Haiti, India, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), Romania,
Thailand, Uganda, Ukraine, the United States and Vietnam.
President & CEO Gary N. Gamer
Vice-President of Programs & Services Carole Stiles
Vice-President of Marketing & Development Phillip A. Littleton
Vice-President of Public Policy & Advocacy Susan Soon-keum Cox
Vice-President of Finance & Administration Kevin Sweeney
Board of Directors
Chair Kim S. Brown Vice-Chair Will C. Dantzler President Emeritus Dr. David H. Kim
Secretary Claire A. Noland Members Andrew R. Bailey, Julia K. Banta, James D. Barfoot,
Rebecca C. Brandt, Dean Bruns, Wilma R. Cheney, Clinton C. Cottrell, Cynthia G. Davis, A. Paul
Disdier, Rosser B. Edwards, Kim A. Hanson, Joseph P. Matturro, Jeffrey B. Saddington, Richard J.
Salko, Shirley M. Stewart, Steven G. Stirling
Holt International magazine is published bimonthly by Holt International Children’s Services,
Inc., a nonprofit Christian child welfare organization. While Holt International is responsible
for the content of Holt International magazine, the viewpoints expressed in this publication are
not necessarily those of the organization.
Editor John Aeby
Managing Editor Alice Evans
Graphics Brian Campbell, Alice Evans
Intern Joey Russell
Reprint Information
Permission from Holt International is required prior to reprinting any portion of Holt
International magazine. Please direct reprint requests to editor John Aeby at 541/687.2202 or
johna@holtinternational.org.
Arkansas Office
25 Whispering Drive, Edgemont, AR 72044
Ph/Fax: 501/723.4444
California Office
3807 Pasadena Ave., Suite 115, Sacramento, CA 95821
Ph: 916/487.4658 Fax: 916/487.7068
Midwest Office Serving Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota
10685 Bedford Ave., Suite 300, Omaha, NE 68134
Ph: 402/934.5031 Fax: 402/934.5034
Cover: Two girls at an orphanage in
Ukraine. Story p. 6
A reunion in Korea brings answers to many
questions.
Holt International Children’s Services
P.O. Box 2880 (1195 City View) Eugene, OR 97402
Ph: 541/687.2202 Fax: 541/683.6175
Subscription Orders/Inquiries and Address Changes
Send all editorial correspondence and changes of address to Holt International magazine,
Holt International, P.O. Box 2880, Eugene, OR 97402. We ask for an annual donation of $20 to
cover the cost of publication and mailing inside the United States and $40 outside the United
States. Holt welcomes the contribution of letters and articles for publication, but assumes no
responsibility for return of letters, manuscripts, or photos.
Finding families for children through family
preservation work.
2007 holt graduates
Summer 2007 vol. 49 no. 3
Missouri Office/Kansas Office
203 Huntington Rd., Kansas City, MO 64113
Ph: 816/822.2169 Fax: 816/523.8379
122 W. 5th St., Garnett, KS 66032
missouri@holtinternational.org
New Jersey Office
340 Scotch Rd. (2nd Floor), Trenton, NJ 08628
Ph: 609/882.4972 Fax: 609/883.2398
Oregon Office
Capitol Plaza 9320 SW Barbur Blvd., Suite 220, Portland, OR 97219
Ph: 503/244.2440 Fax: 503/245.2498
Copyright ©2007 By Holt International Children’s Services, Inc.
ISSN 1047-7640
ACCREDITED BY
COUNCIL ON
ACCREDITATION
www.holtinternational.org 3
update
Notable Awards
Alternative Gifts
Woman of the Year: The daughter
of the founders of Holt International
recently received the 2007 Woman
of the Year Award from Pearl S.
Buck International for improving the
quality of life and expanding opportunities for children in Korea. Molly
Holt, chair of the Board of Directors
of Holt Children’s Services of Korea,
has served the children in Korea for
50 years.
Nearly $21,000 was raised for Holt
International’s HIV/AIDS work in Shanxi,
China, through the FY 2007 Alternative
Gift Catalog. That brings to $293,000 the
amount raised through AGI since 1998 to
benefit Holt projects. AGI is a nonprofit,
interfaith agency.
Stephen Morrison
Korean Adoption
Award: Holt adoptee and adoptive
parent Stephen
Morrison,
an
aerospace engineer
and the founder of the
Mission to Promote
Adoption in Korea
(MPAK),
received
an award from the
Korean government
for his contribution in
the area of the domestic adoption campaign
at the National
Adoption Day celebration held in May
in Seoul, Korea.
Nancy’s Notions
Kows for Kids. This could be a first. Stuffed
cows, made by loving hands, auctioned off
in benefit for Holt International. The event
was
Nancy’s
Notions Sewing
Weekend Expo,
held last May
in Beaver Dam,
Wisconsin.
Nancy Zieman,
host of the
weekly PBS program, “Nancy‘s
Notions,” chose
Holt as the
charity to benefit, donating
almost $4,000.
Holt Fundraisers
Eugene Auction: Holt’s Colors of Hope dinner auction held in Eugene, Oregon, in early
4 Summer 2007
In Memory
Lee Bronson: Dec. 9, 1975–April 17, 2007
Molly Holt at Grandma Bertha Holt‘s 6th Annual
Memorial Service, July 2006.
May brought in $112,000 to help children
and families in Holt-supported programs in
Vietnam. Of that, $18,000 goes to benefit a
new program in Hue Province.
Portland Auction: In benefit to the children
of Haiti, the Portland version of Holt’s Colors
of Hope dinner auction will take place Oct.
20 in Portland, Oregon. Contact: Char
Woodworth, Event Chair, at (503) 638-2518
or charwoodworth@comcast.net; or Caroline
Toy, Holt Events Manager at (800) 451-0732
or carolinet@holtinternational.org
Philippines Gift Team
Travel Nov. 30−Dec. 9 to bring holiday
cheer to children in Holt’s program in the
Philippines, where Holt has worked in
partnership with the Kaisahang Buhay
Foundation (KBF) since 1975. Through
KBF, Holt supports a variety of services for children and at-risk families.
Volunteers will provide meals and host
parties for children in Manila and Cebu.
For more information, contact Debbie
Francis at debbief@holtinternational.org
or call (541) 687-2202.
From the Field
We invite you to check out the new Holt
International blog, From the Field, with
recent entries from U.S. staff traveling
overseas in Nepal, India, Ukraine and
Romania. Online at holtinternational.org/
blog, this site will be updated regularly
with stories written by staff visiting Holt
programs around the world.
Sgt. Lee Whittle Bronson, adopted from
Korea by Bart and Becky Bronson of Roy,
Utah, in 1981, was baptized into the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Lee
became an Eagle Scout, played high school
football and loved
to fish. He joined
the U.S. Army in
1995 and served six
years as a Medical
Equipment Specialist.
Lee is survived by
three children, his
parents, two sisters,
his former wife and
many other relatives.
Lee resided in Beaver
Lee Bronson
Dam, Wisconsin.
in high school.
Chloe Coleman: Jan. 11, 1993–June 5, 2007
Chloe Kathryn Coleman, of Chapel Hill,
North Carolina, was adopted by Jon and
Linda Coleman at age 6 months from
Guatemala. A vivacious personality, she
pursued her many passions with great
intensity. Singer, gymnast, and a varsity player for basketball, volleyball and
lacrosse teams, she
was offensive MVP
of her lacrosse team
for the season. Last
summer, she volunteered at an orphanage in Guatemala.
Chloe is survived by
her parents, her sister
Elizabeth, her brother Peter, and many
Chloe Coleman
aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. ■
directions
Lives in the Balance
W
by Gary N. Gamer, President and CEO
What initially catches my attention as we drive
through the gates is her striking orange sari, illuminated by sunshine breaking through the monsoon
rains. As I approach her, I see a look of concern on
her face.
She is holding a tiny baby close to her chest. The
baby’s eyes are glued shut. She couldn’t be more than
a day or two old. This childcare worker at Bharatiya
Samaj Seva Kendra (BSSK), Holt’s partner in Pune,
India, is totally focused on the baby, on a mission to
ensure this child is safe and secure and gets the necessary care to survive.
What an awesome responsibility our global offices
and partners like BSSK have. They take in children
outside of family care whose lives often hang in the
balance. In India, most end up in the loving arms of
Indian families—parents who come from all across
India to adopt from BSSK. They know that BSSK’s
services are strongly focused on the well being of
children—and that their adoption will be handled
with the highest ethics. The quality and transparency
of this practice is vital for the privilege of assisting
children through intercountry adoption—a partnership Holt has enjoyed with BSSK for nearly 28 years.
Celebrating Love and Compassion
Farther south in Bangalore, I visited Vathsalya
Charitable Trust (VCT), Holt International’s partner for
the last 18 years. In June, VCT began another chapter
in its history with the inauguration of a new center
from which to serve children who need families.
Holt International and its partners like VCT are
actually dedicated to reversing the role of child caring
facilities as a substitute for families… and transferring
the care of children who are abandoned and outside
of family care to families in communities.
VCT has been in the forefront in India to do this
through its model foster care program. The vast
majority of its children are in temporary foster care.
Above: Holt President and
CEO Gary Gamer visits a
child at BSSK, Holt’s partner agency in Pune, India.
Left: Children at VCT,
Holt’s partner agency in
Bangalore, India, celebrate
during groundbreaking
ceremonies in April 2006.
love a mother can give.”
I can think of few things in the world that are more
transforming than the work and impact that will spin
out from the Vathsalya center. Children’s lives will
be saved. Incredible healing will occur. Hearts that
ache will be comforted. Hope will be restored. And
the miracle of families will be created… both families
here in India, and families from around the world
who will forever be tied to the great country of India
through adoption.
Below: At BSSK, a childcare worker holds a baby
just taken into care at their
center. BSSK Executive
Director Roxana Kalyanvala
stands behind her.
Children receiving Vathsalya’s
services—and the services of
BSSK and other Holt-supported
childcare centers around the
globe—will become scientists,
ambassadors, artists, humanitarians, husbands, wives, parents,
adoptive parents, grandparents,
entrepreneurs, champions… the
list goes on.
The new center will serve as an outreach center to
support foster care through well baby clinics and as
a staging area for social workers to go out into the
community to support foster families. The center
will enable children who have disabilities and special
needs to live in dignity and in an environment of
support and love… and to receive therapies that give
them a fighting chance.
What we celebrate in the opening of Vathsalya’s center is not
this structure per se, as important as it is to have a home. It
is the powerful force of love and
compassion that will spread out
from it, to give us hope in this
troubled world, indeed to change
the world one precious child at
a time.
And it will provide a safe haven for mothers who
are in crisis, to assist them in their decision-making
relating to their child, and to support them getting
their feet back on the ground and move ahead in their
lives. Indeed, the word Vathsalya translates to “the
Congratulations to VCT and heartfelt thanks to so
many in the United States and India who helped make
the Vathsalya center a reality. And thank you to all
those in the Holt circle who are working together to
make the world a better place for children. ■
www.holtinternational.org 5
story and photos by
Alice Evans
Managing Editor
Above: Neighborhood
children watch through
the fence in a Roma
neighborhood in Medgidia,
Romania.
Below: Mother and child,
Medgidia.
I
In a grassless courtyard of hard-packed dirt, a
mother stands holding her baby, her oldest girl
gripping her skirt. Her weathered, tobacco-voiced
mother-in-law sits nearby on the edge of a porch halffilled with dirt and rocks, its uneven landing leading
up to an open doorway covered with a cloth patterned in blue diamonds and flowers.
Bedecked with gold earrings, the baby is 6½ months
old. Her face, already serious and wise, opens to her
mother’s voice like a sunflower to the sun. Rays of
light emerge, a 360-degree radiance, more beautiful
than sunrise.
The baby’s sister, 3, wears
multiple dark pigtails and a
worried expression.
This worn, young mother,
who already looks middleaged, reminds me of photographs from James Agee’s
Depression-era classic, Let Us
Now Praise Famous Men.
Let me take a moment
to praise this mother. Poor
beyond measure, she clearly
loves her daughters. Takes
6 Summer 2007
good care of them. Feeds them as best she can. They
are healthy, with all their vaccinations.
But they need help.
The mother’s husband works odd jobs and does not
make enough to cover their basic needs. They live in
one room and hallway in a house that is crumbling,
dilapidated and small, built of adobe bricks, unmortared behind broken stucco walls. They share the
house with the husband’s parents.
Gathered outside their yard, leaning against mishmash fencing topped with several strands of skewed
barbwire, clusters of neighborhood children watch
with bright eyes, their huge grins and spirited gestures
adding a sense of Greek chorus to the main scene.
Holt Romania Foundation (HRF)
I am with Livia Trif, country director for the Holt
Romania Foundation, one of two Holt International
partner agencies in Romania. Two HRF social workers have accompanied us to this Roma, or Gypsy,
neighborhood in Medgidia, Romania, not far from the
Black Sea, bearing diapers, food and supplements.
Both girls are enrolled in the Holt International Child
Sponsorship Program.
Sponsorship is not the only help HRF is offering
Facing
the
u
Fut re
from Romania to Ukraine and points East,
Holt is helping families in crisis keep their
children, and helping abandoned children
find families
these girls and their family. A key part of HRF’s mission statement
is “keep children with their birth families whenever this is possible
and safe to avoid child neglect, abuse, unnecessary institutionalization or abandonment.” Family preservation is a key part, too, of
Holt International’s role in finding families for children.
Parent training classes are an important tool for achieving permanent change in the struggle to protect the rights of children, Trif
tells me. Moral support for isolated mothers and fathers, the modeling of good parenting, and places to meet with other parents in
order to pool resources, share experiences and build community—
these are some of the factors that in the short run and the long run
will best help the children of Romania.
As a leading proponent of child welfare in Romania since
1992, HRF keeps going deeper into the root causes of child abandonment, relinquishment, homelessness and institutionalization.
Alerted by government social workers, teachers, priests and others
who work with children and families, HRF intervenes to stabilize
families caught in crisis situations to keep them from neglecting,
abandoning or harming their children. HRF also helps families
secure official identification papers for their children to make them
eligible for public support. Many children and families in Romania
are without such official papers.
Holt Romania positions social workers in maternity hospitals to
counsel young mothers, sets up parent resource centers in strategic locations near those same hospitals or elsewhere within the
communities they serve, and and offers training to encourage the
strengths and capabilities of parents.
An Untold Success Story
Holt International helped lead the charge to improve child welfare
in Romania after the fall of the Ceausescu regime in December
1989.
The first order of business was deinstitutionalization, moving
children out of institutions and into family-based care. Through a
series of USAID grants in the 1990s, Holt developed a wide range
of services in Romania, including family preservation, foster care
and programs for children who tested HIV-positive. They also
facilitated domestic and intercountry adoptions.
By training staff to investigate the background of institutionalized children, Holt was able to help return many children to their
birth families or find Romanian families to adopt them. Holt
sought well-regulated adoption processes to protect children’s
rights and those of birth families and adoptive parents. But in a
country struggling through political and economic flux, unethical adoption practitioners found ways to profit from children.
Consequently, Romania halted all international adoptions in 1999,
and many agencies left the country. Holt International continued
to work with Holt Romania Foundation to improve the lives of
children and families in need.
More than a hundred thousand children were in institutions
www.holtinternational.org 7
in Romania in 1990 when Holt first started working
there. Now, there are fewer than 30,000, most of
whom have severe special needs.
Where once the government forced pregnancies
and encouraged impoverished parents to send their
children to be raised in state institutions, now a 2005
law forbids the institutionalization of children under
2 years of age. Romania, which recently became
a member of the European Union, continues to
improve social services and protect the rights of its
most vulnerable citizens. But abandonment rates are
still high.
Holt has had a huge impact helping children get out
of orphanages, says Dan Lauer, Holt International’s
senior executive for Latin America, Europe, Africa &
Haiti. “Between 15,000 and 16,000 children are now
in foster care in Romania, many directly or indirectly
through the efforts of Holt. This is so much better for
them than being in orphanages,” he says.
The 2005 legislation eliminated the private sector
from providing direct services such as foster care and
domestic adoption. Every time HRF goes through
a shift such as that, they have to retrain their staff,
Lauer says.
An independent Romanian NGO since 2003, Holt
Romania Foundation continues to reinvent itself.
Parent Resource Centers
Below: Holt Romania
and Holt International
join together to help this
family living in a village
outside Iasi, Romania. The
boy is newly enrolled in
Holt International’s Child
Sponsorship Program. His
mother attends parenting
classes taught by a social
worker from the Holt
Romania Foundation.
At a meeting hall used for parenting classes in a small
village outside Iasi (pronounced Yosh), Holt Romania
Foundation social worker Claudia Guzu was facilitating the second of 10 training sessions with a group
of mothers when we arrived. Claudia poured liquid
back and forth between two plastic cups while more
than a dozen women watched. Every day you have
to refill your cup, Claudia told them. Taking care of
your children and your husband takes energy, and
you must also care for yourself in order to be a good
mother.
Stefan Cojocaru, the director of HRF’s Iasi office,
emphasized how essential to its family preservation
efforts these classes are. Holding them in outlying
villages rather than at a central location in Iasi itself
means that these mothers do not have far to travel to
get the help they need to be better parents, and to
have a friendly, reinforcing environment in which to
interact and learn. The classes are usually the first
time someone has taught these low-income mothers
ways to reduce their stress, or reinforced a sense of
self-nurture. They are the first time someone has told
them that they matter, too.
After the class, we visit one of the mothers, her
husband and son at a nearby cottage.
Among the hundreds of Holt-sponsored children
now in Romania, 5-year-old “Nick” is one of the newest. He has been a sponsored child for just over a
month, and receives a stipend that helps him get care
his parents may not otherwise be able to provide
with the intermittent wages his father makes as a
day laborer. His tiny parents welcome us into their
Hobbit-sized cottage—clean, neat and colorful despite
no electricity or running water. There is a well in the
grassless courtyard, and the husband’s mother, who
lives next door in the main section of the house, has
electricity. But three months ago she cut off the electricity in the cottage because of an ongoing feud.
Inside the living room, an enormous photo of Nick’s
father decorates one wall. Claudia tells us he used to
be into himself more, but now he is drinking less and
not behaving so abusively. Nick’s mother has a worried expression on her face. But today, she attended
her second parenting class, and she is already taking
better care of herself. Claudia hands her several bags
of food and supplies for Nick. Tomorrow, the family’s
electricity will be turned back on.
HRF had been teaching similar parenting classes
at a parent resource center in Medgidia near where I
visited the mother and her two sponsored daughters
with HRF social workers (described in the opening).
At the moment of our visit, however, a big hole
existed in HRF’s program in Medgidia. It is the same
problem Holt Romania faces in all four of its working
districts as they struggle to protect children by preserving families. Rising rent and a demand for office
space in a country that is struggling economically—
these are some of the problems HRF faces as they try
to keep their parent resource centers open in poor
communities and big cities.
Parent Resource Center, Constanta
Holt International is committed to meeting the costs of the new Parent
Resource Center being built in Constanta by the Holt Romania Foundation.
Based on a $50,000 donation from an anonymous Holt adoptive family, the
new center still needs donations totaling $60,000 to meet costs.
Groundbreaking took place in July on land donated by the mayor and council
of Constanta.
The building will provide space for parent training classes and act as a community meeting space for parents and children, a major means of keeping
families together and warding off child abandonment.
To donate or to find out more about this project, contact Holt Development
Director Rose McBride at rosem@holtinternational.org
8 Summer 2007
Close to You
Providing Hope in the Face of Tragedy
Mother Teresa once said that when she looked into the faces of beggars on
the streets of India, she always saw the face of Jesus. Her words came to
mind when I stood in a room full of art made by Romanian youth suffering
from the effects of HIV infection. I saw these teenagers in a special light, as
if God were holding each one of them close to the eyes of my heart.
Most of them are not young children anymore, but young men and women
moving into adulthood. They are among the nearly 7,000 boys and girls
infected with HIV during the latter years of the Ceausescu regime, victims of
misguided blood transfusions and other bad medical practices, carried out
amid a drive to increase population by forcing pregnancies (and ultimately
placing children of overburdened parents into state institutions).
Holt International’s other partner agency in Romania, Alaturi de Voi or the
Close to You Foundation, split off from Holt Romania Foundation in 2002 to
focus specifically on helping these children. CTY took over the staff and HIV
programs developed since 1992 by HRF.
Via national campaigns to raise awareness and win rights for people affected
by HIV/AIDS, Close to You continues to fight energetically to minimize the
spread of the disease and to build a future for these youth, many of whom
survive through ARV therapy.
A teenager in the art room at Close to You.
Ongoing youth groups provide camaraderie and a forum for working
through challenges. CTY also provides support and counseling for foster
parents and their HIV-affected youth. Keyboarding, design, arts and crafts
are some of the classes that help build confidence and provide training for
future employment as children reach the age of independence.
On our last full day in Romania, we visited HRF’s national
offices in Constanta. Country Director Livia Trif showed us the
plans for a new parent resource center, made possible by one of
Holt International’s adoptive families.
Trif took us to a piece of land in the middle of the city, surrounded by a daycare center, a hospital, a cathedral…a beautiful
spot given to HRF by the mayor and local council for this project.
Not only will Holt Romania Foundation finally have permanent
offices for its national headquarters, but also a permanent facility
for parent training classes for the Constanta region. HRF will be
in a position to hold conferences and offer meeting spaces for
other organizations, making it possible for the facility to be selfsustaining.
Holt’s Work in Ukraine
When “Peter” and “Nadia” arrive at the Uman Relief Nursery every
Monday and Wednesday morning, the first thing staff members do
is bathe the little brother and sister.
Warm water. Soap. Something we take for granted but a special experience for Peter and Nadia—and which has now become
routine in their lives. Something their young mother never does
for them because she does not know how. And how could she?
She grew up in an orphanage herself after both parents died and
her uncle left her in the hands of the state. With a family history
of multigenerational abuse, she never learned how to be a mother
herself, and because of her neglect the local government was about
to terminate her parental rights. Peter and Nadia would also be
taken to an orphanage.
Instead, this young sibling pair and their mother found the help
they needed through the Relief Nursery, a new facility modeled
after a program developed in Eugene, Oregon, and funded through
Holt International’s Families for Children Program (FCP), operating
under a grant from USAID.
They are some of the many children whose lives are being
changed for the better through Holt International’s work in
Ukraine.
Alyona Gerasimova, the country director for Holt’s Families for
Children Program, tells me that previously Ukraine did not have
any framework for prevention of abandonment of infants and
young children. The only “child protective services” available for
vulnerable children has been removal from the home.
As in Romania, Holt International focuses its mission on finding
families for children, which in many cases means working toward
family preservation—giving parents the tools they need to prevent
abuse, neglect and abandonment, and when possible and desirable, helping restore a child to his or her birth family. In the third
year of a USAID grant that is being extended for another year, FCP
leads a well-organized charge to protect the rights of children by
training parents to be better parents, setting up model programs to
offer respite, and supporting innovative programs that break away
from the institutional mentality and punitive outlook that have long
held sway in Ukraine. FCP believes in the capability of families,
knows that in many cases, if you play to the strength of parents
instead of taking a punitive approach, they can be helped—trained
through time-tested materials to build a home where children are
treasured, and cared for properly, says Gerasimova.
Using materials developed in Eugene, Oregon, by the Birth to
Three Foundation, FCP trains trainers, setting up model programs
in different parts of Ukraine to meet the vast need for family rehabilitation.
www.holtinternational.org 9
Clockwise from left: A
childcare worker cuddles a
baby at the Relief Nursery
in Uman, Ukraine. • Livia
Trif, country director for
Holt Romania Foundation,
unpacks the contents of
a “welcome baby bag,” a
tool long used by HRF as
a means of welcoming
new babies into the world.
• Alyona Gerasimova,
country director of Holt
International’s Families
for Children Program,
provides leadership and
energetic attention to
children’s needs in Ukraine.
• One of Ukraine’s many
street children, this preadolescent girl is attending
a summer camp supported
in part by a grant awarded
through Holt’s Families for
Children Program, funded
by USAID. • Twins sleep
at a maternity hospital
outside Iasi, Romania,
while their young mother
expresses milk in a bed
next to their crib. An HRF
social worker counsels
young mothers such as this
to head off child abandonment.
Applying Lessons Learned Elsewhere
Perhaps 10 years behind Romania in terms of child
welfare efforts, Ukraine is an energetic nation in the
midst of vast building and rebuilding. As in Romania,
wealthy homes nestle in among crumbling cottages.
The modern butts up against the ancient. In Kiev,
Orthodox believers kiss the glass-encased bodies of
saints in underground tunnels beneath busy avenues
where fashion conscious women walk beside coarsely
dressed babushkas.
Not yet a grandmother, or babushka, myself, I
am old enough to be one, and so therefore not too
taken aback when one of Ukraine’s many street children asks if my white hair is real, and how old the
babushka is.
I am on the Island of Treasures, in the midst of the
Dnipro River across from Kiev. I crossed the river by
boat with the assistant director of Father’s House, one
of the many NGOs supported by funds from Holt’s
Families for Children Program, through the USAID
grant. Father’s House, a faith-based charity that
rehabilitates street children, runs this island camp for
almost three months of summer.
Ukraine has more than a hundred thousand
street children, although no one really knows the
exact number. Some are orphans, and many are
runaways—from orphanages and government-run
shelters, or from families where they were beaten,
neglected or abused, or where they could not get
enough to eat.
In Ukraine, when a family draws the attention of
10 Summer 2007
government child welfare workers, the response is
punitive, not reconstructive. Parents who neglect
their children lose their children—first to temporary
shelters, then to orphanages. But that is beginning
to change.
Just as it takes a village to raise a child, so does it
take the world community to overthrow entrenched
attitudes and bring rights to children and families who
have no voice of their own.
In many ways, Romania stands as a model for
Ukraine. The work carried out over 17 years in
Romania stretches forward in time and across borders
to serve the children of Ukraine.
On the Island of Treasures, the pre-adolescent girl
who asked how old I was continues to follow me
around, seek my attention. She gives me the painting
she just made—yellow stars in a dark-blue sky above
aquamarine waters. I do not want this tough but
fragile beauty to end up back on the streets. If she
can last out the week on this island camp, she will
be given the option to stay the rest of the summer.
If she stays out the summer, then she can go live in
Father’s House, where she will have a real chance
of making it, integrated into a foster family, perhaps
adopted domestically, or internationally, or maybe
even returned to her own family if they can be found,
and if they are judged capable of caring for this girl.
So, too, a pair of 5-year-old twin boys. When
first brought in from the streets of Kiev, they were
so wild and unparented they did not notice anyone
else speaking to them. They heard only each other.
Adopting from
Eastern Europe
But here on the island, they are beginning to interact with other
people.
Father’s House is one of the most effective programs in Ukraine
for transitioning children from the streets to families, says Lauer.
Holt International plans to add 30 children from Father’s House
to our Child Sponsorship Program, as well as another 70 children
countrywide from two new Relief Nurseries and the institutions.
Uman Rehab Center
Light shining through sheer lace curtains helped ease the institutional setting at the Uman Rehabilitation Center for Children with
Disabilities. A small group of children with a variety of special
needs played happily in a central meeting room. Smells wafted
from the kitchen, and when we went in to take a look, a smiling
cook greeted us. We watched as she rolled out dough made from
wheat, eggs and cottage cheese. A bowl of seasoned beef with
onions waited nearby.
The kitchen, newly furbished with funds provided through
Holt’s Families for Children Program with a grant from USAID, is
a stellar, happy place. And it makes a huge difference for the 356
children ages 6 to 17 who are served at this center. Previously,
children could come for no more than a few hours at a time. Now
they can stay all day. This frees their parents to work—or simply
have a respite from their duties.
Twin 11-year-old boys whose mother began bringing them to
the center about a year ago from a village an hour away were so
thrilled to be among other children that they begged her to bring
them every day. Because of cerebral palsy, they are wheelchair
bound. They live in a part of Ukraine where broken pavement
and cobblestones make wheelchair mobility almost impossible. At
the rehab center, they receive physical therapy, educational training, and other services they cannot get in their village. Now when
their mother brings them to the center, they can spend the entire
day because of the food served in this new kitchen. Once isolated
at home, today they are happy boys with many friends among the
children at the center.
Staff at the center participate in FCP’s community family care
workshops. Gerasimova tells us that the worst institutions throughout the country are where relinquished children with special needs
are usually sent. Children at those institutions are basically dying
because of malnutrition, she says. This rehab center is very different. Families here are getting support and encouragement to keep
their children with them.
Helping support children with special needs, and the families of
these children, is a life-saving endeavor. It is a huge step forward
for Ukraine to have this center in Uman, where children with special needs get loving attention and nutritious meals.
Uman Boarding School
The children for the moment are excited and happy, about to
leave for the seashore. Bags packed, one little dark-haired girl sits
waiting at the edge of the sidewalk with her luggage. Or maybe
it’s group luggage. I find it hard to imagine these children having
more than one ragtag bag apiece.
Called boarding schools in Ukraine, places like this are, simply
put, orphanages. Warehouses for children. A kind of prison.
Holt is looking for pioneer families in Ukraine
and other countries.
Holt is currently looking
for pioneer families interested in adopting a child
from our newly developed Ukrainian program.
Children as young as 18
months at time of match,
both boys and girls, as well
as sibling groups are available for adoption.
Children stay in
government-run orphanages and their health and development varies.
Additionally, a new pilot program is under consideration, made
possible by the Ukraine Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports,
to place 10 children with special needs through Holt International’s Waiting Child Program.
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan
Holt recently set up adoption programs in other nations of the
former Soviet bloc. To learn more about adopting children
from Eastern Europe through Holt International, click on the
appropriate box on the opening page of our
website: holtinternational.org
Gerasimova tells me that 70 percent of all street children are runaways from such institutions as this.
The children who live here are the ones whose parents have
left them for good, in one way or another. Death, abandonment,
neglect…various forms of alcohol and drug abuse. Ages 6 to 17,
they are caught in a situation they cannot control. The government
bureaucracy, just beginning to move out of its old set-in-my-ways
mentality of institutionalization as the solution for all child welfare
cases, may be made up of people who mean well and want to help
these children, but there’s not much breathing room.
The fresh air comes from Families for Children. A new way
of thinking: get the children out of the institutions. Train their
parents to be better parents. Give them the support they need
through relief nurseries, rehabilitation centers, HIV/AIDS support
and all the multiple means available for preserving family life—as
in the work Holt International has carried out for so many years
in Romania.
When family preservation doesn’t work, then Holt seeks other
ways of helping children, such as placing them with a trained foster family, or finding them a permanent home through adoption.
Facing Future
Let me take a moment to praise the children, parents, Holt staff
and the many government and private childcare workers I met in
Romania and Ukraine. Caught in the wheels of history, they continue to face the future with hope, love, energy and a willingness
to change, by moving forward to protect the rights of children, and
to offer them better lives amid loving, attentive adults. ■
www.holtinternational.org 11
Globe
Ethiopia
Holt is registering in the African nation of
Ethiopia and when approved will need pioneer adoptive families. Ethiopia has about
4.9 million orphans, with nearly a million
in the southern state where Holt plans
to serve. Holt will work in and around
Shinshicho town, about 160 miles south of
Addis Ababa.
Holt will provide maternal and child healthcare and other medical services in Ethiopia
in addition to our intercountry adoption
and family preservation work. Holt welcomes Dr. Fikru Heramo, MD, as Holt’s
Ethiopian Country Representative. Dr.
Heramo has an extensive background in
community foster care, daycare, and homebased healthcare, particularly for people
living with HIV/AIDS.
Guatemala
The Congress of Guatemala recently passed
legislation that confirms Guatemala’s membership in The Hague Convention on
Intercountry Adoption. This action puts
Guatemala on a track to set standards of
protection for children in the
adoption process.
Thailand
Holt needs Sponsors for 100
new children recently added to
the Child Sponsorship Program
from the southern region of
Thailand.
June, he met with
Nepali government
and child welfare
associates to to help
move the adoption
process forward.
Over 400 children
who have already
been matched with
foreign families are
stuck in the system Children in Ethiopia will soon be served by Holt International.
as the Nepali government deliberates
he said. “I am very excited about Holt
on a new set of adoption regulations.
International building on this potential for
Said Gamer: “Only experienced child wel- the benefit of many Nepali children who
fare entities should be licensed to work in are in need of families.”
Nepal. The adoption system must be ethical and transparent, especially in ensuring Children abandoned in the childcare cenno improper financial payments. And for- ters of Nepal have lost parents and are not
eign agencies working in Nepal must invest getting any younger, Gamer said. “They
in training and building the child welfare just want to be held, protected, cared for
infrastructure in Nepal, including services and loved.”
for homeless and vulnerable children who
cannot be adopted.”
Gamer said he talked with many Nepali
people who are striving to meet the needs
of these suffering children. ”There is ample
good will and examples of good practices,”
India
Vathsalya Charitable Trust dedicated its
new building at opening ceremonies in
Bangalore June 23. Along with several
Holt staff and board members,
Holt International President and
CEO Gary Gamer was on hand
to celebrate the opening of the
new office and childcare center
for this Holt partner agency.
“The tenuous nature of not having a permanent center for VCT
to work out of has come to an
end with the support of some
140 donors n the United States,”
Gamer said. “These supporters
join many people in Bangalore
and across India that have made
the new center possible.”
Nepal
Holt International has begun
helping children in this
Himalayan kingdom.
Our
new country director in Nepal,
Namita Lamsal, recently visited
Holt headquarters in Eugene for
training.
When Holt President and CEO
Gary Gamer visited the end of
12 Summer 2007
The building will serve many
functions:
Director Mary Paul and other members of the staff celebrate the dedication of
Vathsalya Charitable Trust‘s new office and childcare center in Bangalore, India.
• an outreach center to support foster care through well
baby clinics and as a staging
area for social workers to go out
into the community to support
foster families
crisis, to assist them in their decision-making relating to their child, and to support
them getting their feet back on the ground
and to move ahead in their lives.
Kazakhstan
Children at an orphanage in Almaty recently received a shipment of sweaters made
possible through Holt support.
Ukraine
• a sanctuary for children who are abandoned and whose lives hang in the balance
• a place for children who have disabilities and special needs to live in dignity and
in an environment of support and love...
and receive therapies to give them a fighting chance
• a safe haven for mothers who are in
Still Together as a Family
Volunteers Visit Holt’s Family
Preservation and Reunification
Project in SE Asia
Holt International’s first priority in finding families for children is to reunite them
and keep them within their birth family.
Family preservation efforts are an integral part of all Holt’s overseas efforts.
Poverty is one of the major causes of
child abandonment and relinquishment
throughout developing countries.
“What we think is the simplest thing can
change the life of an entire family,” said
In late June, Holt International delivered
the first completed dossier to overseas staff
for submission to the appropriate government ministry. With their application now
in the queue, this pioneer family should
be the first Holt family to bring home an
eligible child from Ukraine. Children available for adoption include boys and girls as
young as 18 months at time of match, and
also sibling groups.
Holt Board member Kim Hanson after
visiting Holt-supported childcare centers in Vietnam and Cambodia last April.
She and several Holt donors and Board
members helped local contractors build a
new addition to the childcare center in Da
Nang, Vietnam, while learning more about
Holt’s overseas work.
Amy Weinkauf kept an online blog during
the trip: “Our second stop was to visit
a family in the Holt Family Preservation
and Reunification Project. This father
is a soldier who lost his leg from a land
mine. He and his wife have six children.
The oldest is working with him. Holt
helped out with some of the tools needed
At an orphanage in Uman, Ukraine, a girl waits to
leave on a group excursion to the Black Sea.
for him to do blacksmithing work and
also for a tire pump to fix tires. These
things will help him generate an income
of about $4 a week. He is so proud of
his ability to support his family. The
mom was very happy that they were still
together as a family.”
If you want to help preserve a family
in SE Asia, see our latest Gifts of Hope
catalog online at www.holtinternational.
org. A $100 donation, or any part of that,
can go toward the purchase of a cow, pig
or chickens to provide a struggling family
with protein and income.
Left: Father works with blacksmithing tools provided by Holt. • Above:
The youngest boy of a Cambodian family in the Holt Family Preservation
and Reunification Program in Cambodia. • Right: The mother and their
four youngest children.
www.holtinternational.org 13
waiting child
Hai
Waiting Children
Special needs, special blessings
Tae-yun
Waiting Children
Special needs, special blessings
These children and many others you can view on Holt’s website
need adoptive families. They may have various challenges such as
medical conditions, or they may simply be older or in sibling groups,
but they have so much to offer the family who makes them their own
son or daughter.
Ashwarth
Interested in a Waiting Child? Contact Holt’s Waiting Child
Program at 541-687-2202. View a photolisting of other waiting children or apply online: holtinternational.org/waitingchild
Ashwarth
Siddharth
Kent
Ashwarth gets along well with children his age,
is in good health, and his development is appropriate for his age. He may have suffered some
physical abuse in his birth family. He loves
playing games, his schoolwork is good, and he is
happy to complete assigned tasks.
Happy, active Siddharth needs corrective lenses
for a visual impairment. An EEG revealed status
epilepticus secondary to encephalitis, and he is
now on anti-epileptic medication. He may also
have a heart condition. Siddharth has a $5,000
grant available from Brittany’s Hope.*
Kent loves to dance, play on the slide, and
please others. He is missing his right radius and
thumb and has dysfunction of the right hand.
He also has polydactyly of the left thumb and
syndactyly of the left index and middle finger.
Hai
Chris
Hai was born prematurely without hands or feet
and has abnormal genitals. Despite challenges,
he has made great strides in motor development. He moves around easily in his walker and
has great control over where he intends to go.
Chris enjoys dancing and listening to music,
loves to smile and is active and playful. A
charming boy, he has short stature and shortening of the limbs. His X-rays showed delayed
bone age and some mild flaring of the metaphyses of his long bones.
Born in India, May 12, 2001
Born in Vietnam, May 14, 2004
Tae-yun
Born in India, July 18, 2005
Born in the Philippines, July 12, 2005
Born in China, August 15, 2003
Barry
Born in China, October 29, 2005
A happy, calm child, Barry can roll from front
to back and sit alone steadily. He loves to be
held by his caregivers and giggles when they
play with him. He also loves listening to music
and can say “Baba.” Completely blind, he has a
$5,000 grant available from Brittany’s Hope.*
Siddhi
Born in Korea, April 23, 2006
Anh
Tae-yun has hypotonic muscle tone and global
developmental delays but is alert, can pull himself to a standing position, smile spontaneously
and say “Dada” and “Mama.” A small atrial
septal defect (ASD) appears resolved. He has a
slightly high palate and a protruded tongue.
Born in Vietnam, September 13, 2002
Anh often helps his foster mother put away
laundry. He enjoys motorbike rides and playing
outdoor games with his friends. His pronunciation is not always clear, and he is on medication
for epilepsy and kidney problems.
Siddhi can stand and walk with support and
say vowel/consonant combinations like “dada.”
She has mucopolysaccharidosis. An abdominal
ultrasound in May showed a slight enlargement
of her spleen. She has a $5,000 grant available
from Brittany’s Hope.*
Sanders
J.J.
Kapil
Sanders enjoys playing peekaboo with his caregivers. Assessed with cerebral palsy spastic
quadriplegic type and microcephaly, Sanders
attends physical therapy twice a week and
shows improved eye contact and muscle tone.
Burned over 28 percent of his body in a house
fire, J.J. is active, cheerful and inquisitive. He
expresses himself in a mature way. J.J. had foot
surgery in October 2006.
Kapil is learning English and is described as
on target for his age. He tested positive for
hepatitis B several times. In June 2006 he had
a normal liver and kidney ultrasound. He has a
$5,000 grant available from Brittany’s Hope.*
Born in the Philippines, January 3, 2006
14 Summer 2007
Born in the Philippines, December 17, 1998
Born in India, September 22, 2005
Born in India, April 11, 2002
Holt’s descriptions of waiting children are based on information available to Holt from caregivers and medical personnel in the child’s
country of origin. Holt cannot guarantee the accuracy of these descriptions or that the medical and psychological diagnoses published
here are correct and complete.
Barry
Sanders
Kapil
Anh
Siddharth
J.J.
Siddhi
Benjamin, 10; Marissa, 7; and Luis, 5
These siblings speak both English and Spanish and are warm and
affectionate despite the hardships they have endured. Ben is caring and protective, adores most sports, and has come a long way
academically. Marissa is bright, with great potential to achieve
if given the proper emotional support. Luis keeps busy running,
jumping and investigating. They need an active, bilingual family
with room in their hearts and home for all three of them.
Chris
Oregon Waiting Child
Kent
Agencies reduce fees for the adoption of a child in state
care, and financial assistance may be available. To learn
more, call the Special Needs Adoption Coalition at The
Boys and Girls Aid Society at (877) 932-2734 x 2392, or
DHS at (800) 331-0503. Also visit www.boysandgirlsaid.
org and www.nwae.org for information and photos of
waiting children.
*Brittany’s Hope grants are available for nine months from their granting date, which
varies by child. Find out more at www.brittanyshope.org
www.holtinternational.org 15
from the family
We Will Always Be in Your Debt
An expression of gratitude to the Sponsors who helped make foster
parents possible for a little girl in China.
by Eileen Beck
Poulsbo, Wash.
Top left: Maya at the
orphanage. • Maya on a
tricycle at her foster family‘s home. • Maya with
her family in Washington—
Front row from left:
Madeleine, 10; Abby, 5;
Maya 13 months; Adam,
12, and parents Eileen and
Lyle in the back.
O
On July 27, 2006 I stood in a sweltering reception
room in an orphanage in southern China. I had in
my hand a little green box containing a gold necklace
with a heart-shaped charm. Most of the people from
our adoption group had already left the room to go
to lunch, and our translator was poised with her pen
over a tiny piece of paper, waiting for me to tell her
what to write.
She was most likely a preemie, weighing just a little
over 4½ pounds. She was found in the morning and
according to her file, was not taken to a doctor’s office
or hospital as one would expect, but to the police station. By noon she was checked into the orphanage,
one of 13 abandoned babies to be brought in during
the month of September. Twenty-two arrived the
month before.
We had met our daughter only three days earlier, a
healthy, charming and utterly perfect little 11-monthold. We hadn’t known until the day before we met
her that for the past two months she had lived with
a foster family. The province forbade any contact
between adoptive families and foster families and so
my little gift and note were the only thanks I’d be able
to give. How could I possibly express my gratitude to
this nameless, faceless family who took our daughter
out of the orphanage and showed her love and care
that she’d never have gotten in an institution?
The orphanage director called her Qiu Ju, meaning
Autumn Chrysanthemum. We named her Maya. She
proved to be a survivor with a strong will and voracious appetite. The orphanage workers laughed and
rolled their eyes as they told us they couldn’t feed her
fast enough. She always wanted more. The nannies
were kind and the room Maya lived in was clean. The
exterior of the orphanage had the look of a castle and
was painted a cheery peach color. Still, it was a poor
substitute for a home. In her paperwork it said that at
five months Autumn was, “a very obedient baby, who
doesn’t cry to affect adults’ work.” Perhaps she had
learned that crying was a waste of energy and that her
cries rarely got a response.
The piece of paper allotted me for my thank you
note was about the size of a credit card. The translator and I were the only ones left now, and I felt hurried. I said the only words I could think of, and our
translator quickly wrote the Mandarin characters and
stuck the paper in the box with the necklace. I had
been able to fit only three short sentences on the tiny
piece of paper: “Thank you so much. We will always
be in your debt. We love her.” The note and my gift
felt so completely inadequate.
Our daughter had been found on September 3,
2005, at the front gate of the Guiping city orphanage in the tropical southern province of Guangxi.
16 Summer 2007
We have pictures of our daughter from the orphanage, about one for every month she spent there. They
show her lying in a crib, propped in a walker, or sitting on the tile floor. In all the pictures her eyes were
intelligent but sadly vacant, and in not one picture
was she smiling.
Foster Family
And then, at about 8 months of age, Maya’s
life changed dramatically. She was carried out
through the front
gate of the orphanage, most likely for
the first time since
she’d been left there,
and went to live with
her foster mother,
father and brother.
The foster family
took 25 pictures of
our daughter in their
home and the difference in her demeanor
and in her new
environment was remarkable. The backdrop of white
walls and bare tile floor was replaced with a garden
and toy-strewn family room. In one photo she was
sitting on the back of a tricycle, excitedly waiting for
a ride. She was smiling and had a newfound light in
her eyes.
When we met little Maya we were amazed at her
health and development. She pulled up to standing
and cruised around the furniture in our hotel room.
She smiled and babbled and ate everything on her
plate as well as ours. These maybe aren’t remarkable things for an 11-month-old to be doing, but their
normality makes them remarkable for an abandoned
infant. We had planned for issues and delays that just
weren’t there, for which we are thankful.
Adoption Medical Specialist
When we returned home to the Seattle area, we
took our daughter to a pediatrician who specializes
in treating internationally adopted kids. She said that
according to research, even one day out of an orphanage positively impacts a child. She felt sure that the
two months that our daughter spent with a family
did wonders for her. Under the heading labeled
Development, the
doctor wrote in all
capitals, with an
exclamation point,
“NORMAL!”
Our
daughter
has been home 6
months now and is
a vivacious, active,
and curious toddler who loves basketball, climbs fearlessly all
over our 100-pound Bernese Mountain dog, wears
Tupperware on her head, chases her older brother
and sisters, and recently discovered the wonder of
pockets. She is a blessing in every way and has won
our hearts completely.
Sponsorship
Just recently I got an e-mail from a mom who was
heading to Guiping later in the month to adopt her
daughter. She mentioned that Holt sponsored some
of the girls from Guiping, her daughter included. She
wondered if maybe our daughter’s foster care had also
been sponsored by Holt.
I contacted Holt and found that yes, their sponsors had funded our daughter’s foster care. It was
a thought that had never once occurred to me—that
because people in the United States wrote a check,
our daughter got the incredible gift of leaving the
orphanage and entering a home for the first time.
So, now I’m stuck with another difficult thank you,
and this time I don’t even have a heart necklace to
go with it. To the Sponsors, all I can say is, “Thank
you so much. We will always be in your debt. We
love her.” ■
Orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children around the world need food,
shelter, clothing and medical treatment... essentials your sponsorship of
$30 per month will help provide. Choose a child to sponsor from Holt’s
website: holtinternational.org/sponsorship or call 888.355.HOLT
Left: Mother and daughter—Eileen says a foster
family made a world of
difference, because Maya
came to her family with
motor skills and social skills
that the babies who lived
solely in the orphanage
just did not have. Eileen
notes that she and Maya
had met less than an hour
before this photo was
taken, a “testament to how
ready this girl was for a
forever family.”
from the family
Unexpected Directions
A new mom loves the learning
curve—and discovers that her
daughter makes a great teacher.
I
by Kay Shaver
Eugene, Oregon
I’m a type A personality. I plan. I research. I make
lists. For me, things go better that way because I
always know what to expect. At least that’s the way
it used to be…
This page: Emily visits the
ocean beach. • Right:
Kay Shaver cuddles with
Emily. • Below: Emily, 1,
visits with the family dog,
a whippet. • Opposite
page: Emily rides piggyback atop her father, Mike
Shaver.
My husband and I decided our daughter was in China
and set out to find her. Our road to meeting her
was long and sometimes difficult. The time to match
doubled during our wait, and I thought my extensive
reading and incessant questions to other adoptive
parents during this time would undoubtedly prepare
me for being a mother.
Not so. I’m a new mom, and one without much
experience with little kids. So despite my pre-China
efforts to create foolproof and easily executable plans
and outlines for every scenario,
much of my experience is not
what I expected. It’s a good
thing I have a sense of humor!
Once we arrived in China we
toured Beijing, and then flew to
Nanchang to meet our daughter, Lin Yi Cha (aka Emily).
We arrived at the Gloria Plaza
Hotel and had two hours to be
ready and waiting outside the
hotel conference room. Time
seemed not to pass at all.
But lucky for us I had a plan
handy.
Meeting Emily and beginning
to get to know her was extraordinary. The stacking cups were
indispensable from the first
day and elicited her first smile.
18 Summer 2007
Reserved and observant, she was sweeter than we had
ever imagined. We were struck by the strange feeling of being instant parents, and as we watched her
one of the repeating thoughts in our minds was “How
could we possibly be so lucky!”
Much of the rest of our trip went according to
the preplanned itinerary and
detailed outlines I had in
my mind and on paper. But
there were many wonderful
things that I didn’t plan on.
I didn’t expect how close we
would feel to many families
in our travel group. I didn’t
expect we would increase
our esteem and adoration
for the culture and people of
China to such a great degree.
In many ways we were sad to
leave, and we still miss much
about our experience. Most
importantly, I didn’t expect
we would truly start falling
in love within seconds of
seeing those two beautiful,
thoughtful and penetrating
black eyes.
The Attachment Dance
Resources for Parents
Attachment is a reciprocal relationship that forms between parent and
child. Relationships are full of surprises and are sometimes unpredictable. There is no magical instant when a parent and child become fully
or completely attached to one another—it is, rather, a dynamic, continuous process that develops between parent and child. Parent and child
follow each other’s lead—sometimes the partners dip and turn, bump
into each other, twirl, fall. Sometimes the roles of leader and follower
seem reversed. As the dance progresses, however, the dance partners
get used to each other, and the relationship becomes more smooth and
relaxed.
The following are some selected resources with helpful tips on positive
ways to build attachment:
Toddler Adoption: The Weaver’s Craft
Mary Hopkins-Best
Attaching in Adoption
Deborah Gray
Real Parents, Real Children
Holly van Gulden and Lisa Bartels-Rabb
ABC’s of Attachment: A Handbook for New Parents
Laura Gjestson (gjestson@mhtc.net)
—by Beth Smith, MS, Director of Services, China Program
After coming home, I didn’t expect to require a minimum of two to four weeks to feel relatively normal
again (um, that would be the new “normal,” not the
old sleep-until-you’re-rested normal). I didn’t expect
to take such objection to strangers’ intrusive comments and questions about my daughter. It is taking
practice to formulate responses that calmly respect my
daughter and reinforce that she belongs with me.
I also didn’t expect the extent of how helpful, kind,
and supportive our close friends and neighbors would
be in those first weeks, or for how it has continued to
grow. I didn’t expect happily emphatic variations of
the word dog (“dog!” “doggie!” “the dog!” “good dog!”
and so on) to come long before mommy or daddy. I
guess she likes the dog. And I didn’t expect her to
be the better teacher of the two of us. Before we left
for China, I thought I would be the one navigating
our journey, but I am now more than happy to let her
lead the way.
Mostly, I realized, falling in love takes time. I expected
to follow my well-researched, fast-track plan for how
my child’s and my attachment to each other should
go. The truth is I started falling in love with her long
before she started falling in love with me. I didn’t
expect to have to work at it very hard, or at least for
very long. Yet I also understand her hesitation to
trust, and that it is my job to validate her and show
her that I will always be there for her. She has lived
without me longer than with me, and so I am patient.
We have come so far in our short time together, and
I am now confident that we will build the connection
and the relationship we both want and need.
As a new mom I am definitely unpolished, unseasoned, unskilled. But I also have this intense adoration for the little wonder of a child who is now
mine. I am still learning about who this little person
is, her disposition, her charm, her preferences, and
what makes her laugh and smile. I am completely
enamored with my daughter. I love her with intensity
beyond what I can put into words. I ache for her,
even when she is near me. I have the joy of connecting to this person who radiates sweetness, has a great
sense of humor and is deeply feeling.
Every day brings something new and unexpected.
Today I spend much less time living in lists and much
more time living in maybes, possiblys, and okays.
Every day she takes me in unexpected directions.
Every day she teaches me things I didn’t expect to
learn about myself. What I do expect now is that
every day she will amaze me, inspire me and take
my breath away. Like all parents, I think my child is
the sweetest, smartest, and most beautiful child in the
world. But then again, to me, she is. ■
www.holtinternational.org 19
CONGRATULATIONS!
Holt’s 2007
Graduates
Almos, Riley
Baglin, Leigh
Banta, Amy
Banta, Michael
Bardele, Kyle
Bercellie, Aaron
Blanton, Lindsay
Boyle, Jenne
Brunner, Jayme
Caldwell (Parsons), Amy
Clayton, Emily
Cook, David
Craig, Elise
Denlinger, Kira
ing band. Plans to study international business at
Northeastern University in Boston, MA. (Korea)
Dispoto, Alyssa
Edwards, Megan
Almos, Riley—Brookings, SD; Soccer intramurals,
1st Team All-State Soccer, Monogram Club, Honor
Roll, Academic All-State Selection. Plans to major in
computer science at South Dakota State University
in Brookings, SD. (Korea)
Baglin, Leigh—Green Brook, NJ; B.A. in psychology
from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. Plans
to volunteer as a counselor for Holt Adoptee Camp.
Aspires to earn her Psy.D and open her own practice
in child psychology. (USA)
Banta, Amy—Colleyville, TX; Plans to train as an
event coordinator at a college in Dallas, TX. (Hong
Kong)
and jazz bands, Louis Armstrong Award, John Phillips
Sousa Award. Plans to major in music performance
Blanton, Lindsay—Flemington, NJ; Student Coun- and music education at Central Michigan University
cil Executive Board member, chair of Historian Af- in Mt. Pleasant, MI. (Korea)
fairs, choir, NHS, peer mediator. Plans to major in Craig, Elise—Cedar Rapids, IA; Cross country, track
art education at Kutztown University in Kutztown, & field, diving, show choir, concert choir. Plans to
study culinary arts at Kirkwood Community College
PA. (Korea)
Boyle, Jenne—Brick, NJ; B.A. in special education in Cedar Rapids, IA. (Korea)
from East Stroudsburg University in East Strouds- Denlinger, Kira—Asbury, NJ; Soccer, Coaches’
burg, PA. Plans to work as a special education teach- Award 2006; Multicultural Leadership Award; Direcer. (Korea)
tor’s Award. Plans to major in secondary education
at
Manchester College in Indiana. (India)
Brunner, Jayme—Belle Fourche, SD; NHS, Girls State
National Delegate, cheerleading captain, Miss Teen Dispoto, Alyssa—Hopatcong, NJ; MVP varsity comSouth Dakota and Miss South Dakota National Teen- petition cheerleading, NHS, Student Council viceager 1st runner-up. Plans to major in international president, Year Book Committee, Gifted & Talented,
social work and peace studies at South Dakota State Friendly Faces, Kids 4 Kids, Bring It, Rebel. Plans to
University in Brookings, SD. (Korea)
major in education at Penn State. (Philippines)
Caldwell (Parsons), Amy—Mt. Vernon, KY; Home- Edwards, Megan—Williamstown, NJ; Williamstown
schooled, Christian Liberty Academy School System; High School Honor Roll every year. Plans to work.
1st Place Women’s Art Club Award; 1st Place Rich- (Vietnam)
mond Art Expo Award; 1st Place Eastern Kentucky Froese, Tanner—Athena, OR; 4.0 GPA (homeUniversity Art Award. Was recently married. (Korea) schooled), varsity basketball at local high school,
Clayton, Emily—Columbus, OH; NHS, Magna Cum football All-Stars Award, community church youth
Banta, Michael—Colleyville, TX; Plans to attend col- Laude, Senior Class president, Student of the Year, leader, Merit Scholar. Plans to major in journalism at
lege in Texas. (Thailand)
Outstanding Senior, Student Council, Student Advi- Corban College in Salem, OR. (Korea)
Bardele, Kyle—Germantown, WI; Varsity wrestler. sory Council, Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Plans to major Froese, Tiffanie—Athena, OR; Youth ministry
Plans to major in criminal justice at Lakeland College
in Sheboygan, WI. (Philippines)
in biology/pre med at Ohio Dominican University in
Columbus, OH. (India)
Bercellie, Aaron—Highlands Ranch, CO; Interna- Cook, David—Troy, MI; Phi Beta Kappa, President’s
tional Baccalaureate Program, FBLA, NHS, march- Award for Educational Excellence, NHS, symphony
20 Summer 2007
four years, chapel worship leader, yearbook, choir.
B.A. in education counseling from Puget Sound
Christian College in Everett, WA. Plans to work
as a teacher and counselor for children. (Korea)
Froese, Tanner
Froese, Tiffanie
Fucile, Andy
Groboski, Olga
Hall, Sylvia
Hansen, Ethan
Hansen, Zachary
Hearst, Reshma
Hodge, Brandon
Hom, Alexandra
Howard, Kevin
Hyatt, Megan
Outlet Store. Plans to major in architecture at the
University of Oregon in Eugene. (Korea)
Kaiser, Jonathan—Palmer, IA; MCYL, Honor Roll,
band, choir, dinner theater, spring play, football,
wrestling, track, soccer 1st Team All-Conference,
wrestling, Homecoming King. Plans to major in
computer science at Iowa State University in Ames,
IA. (Korea)
Ignacio, Rachelle
Ingalls, Joshua
Kluck, Megan—Cedar Falls, IA; Carver Academy
Hearst, Reshma—Sioux Falls, SD; Marching, con- Scholarship; studied abroad at Yonsei University.
Kaiser, Jonathan
Kluck, Megan
B.S. in psychology with a minor in sociology from
cert, jazz and pep bands; numerous music awards;
Iowa State University in Ames, IA. Plans to attend
two-time employee of the month. Plans to major in
computer science at South Dakota State University. graduate school. (Korea)
Kosman, Meghann—Creston, IA; Marching band
(India)
Hodge, Brandon—Williamsburg, KY; FBLA, Who’s squad leader, SW Iowa Honor Band, clarinet solo
state 1 rating, All-State band, SW Iowa Poetry
Who. Plans to major in medical imaging at a college
Awards, Honor Roll. Plans to major in elementary
in Kentucky. (Korea)
education at Northwest Missouri State University in
Hom,
Alexandra—Clayton, CA; Student Coun- Maryville, MO. (Korea)
Kosman, Meghann
Kutik, Seth
cil, California Scholarship Federation, NHS, track &
Kutik, Seth—Long Beach, CA; Dean’s List, DistincFucile, Andy—Spokane, WA; Varsity soccer, Ad- field. Plans to major in biological sciences at the tion in Philosophy. B.A. in philosophy and chemistry
Dominican University of California in San Rafael, CA.
vanced Leadership Team, Scream Team co-chair,
from Whittier College in Whittier, CA. Plans to at(Korea)
Campus Clean-Up Campaign coordinator. Plans
tend medical school. (Korea)
to major in business at Weber State University in Howard, Kevin—Rawlins, WY; President’s Honor Roll,
Lamp, Kali—Brookings, SD; Presidential Scholar, FCNational Scholars Honors Society, Phi Theta Kappa,
Ogden, UT. (Korea)
CLA, German Club, wrestling manager, band. Plans
Kiwanis Award of Merit. Bachelor’s in mathematGroboski, Olga (2006 graduate)—Fruitland, MD;
to major in elementary education at Dakota State
ics and secondary education from the University of
MSW in social sciences from Salisbury University in
University in Madison, SD. (Korea)
Wyoming. Plans to teach math and coach. (Korea)
Salisbury, MD. (Korea)
Lawrence,
Catherine—Wixom, MI; MBA from the
Hall, Sylvia—Bellevue, NE; Valedictorian, ROTC Wing Hyatt, Megan—Mauldin, SC; NHS, Girl Scouts, ten- University of Phoenix in Livonia, MI. (Korea)
nis, Youth in Government, powder puff football,
Commander, Drill Team, JV Soccer captain, marching
dance, piano, graduated with High Honors. Plans Lawrence, Elizabeth—St. Clair Shores, MI; Assoband, NHS, Omaha World Herald Outstanding Stuto major in interior design at Winthrop University in ciate of Applied Science in culinary arts from the
dent. Plans to study at the University of Nebraska in
Macomb Community College Culinary Institute in
Rock Hill, SC. (China)
Lincoln, NE. (Korea)
Ignacio,
Rachelle
—Fremont, CA; Varsity badminton, Clinton Township, MI. (Korea)
Hansen, Ethan—Urbandale, IA; Youth group leader,
JV tennis. Plans to major in civil engineering at UC Lizer, Reka—Reinbeck, IA; Band, SADD, teacher cavolunteer. Plans to major in culinary arts at DMACC
det, 4-H, County Council 4-H, large group speech.
Irvine in Irvine, CA. (Philippines)
in Ankeny, IA. (India)
Working toward completing a Web-based curricuHansen, Zachary—Urbandale, IA; Best Buddies. Ingalls, Joshua—Wilsonville, OR; Dean’s Scholar- lum for para-educator certification. Plans to work
ship, varsity soccer, freshman basketball, volleyball,
Plans to work and to establish independent living.
Springfest Court, church child sitter, works at Nike as a para-educator in an area school. (India)
(India—SOFOSH)
www.holtinternational.org 21
graduates
Lamp, Kali
Lawrence, Catherine
Lawrence, Elizabeth
Lizer, Reka
Long, Bethany
Louie, Lianna
Lyall, Brendan
Martino, Kelli
Matthews, Christopher
Mattix, Jena
McMahon, Ryan
McPeak, Keenan
Neel, Alyson
Newland, Molly
Osler, Brenda
Parsley, Caitlin
Patterson, Jeanna
Perwas, Lauren
Long, Bethany—Salyersville, KY; HOBY Leadership
Conference, Kentucky Governor’s Scholar, tennis,
cross country, Kentucky State Fair Grand Champion,
3rd place National Horticulture competition, Who’s
Who. Plans to major in architecture at the University
of Kentucky in Lexington, KY. (Korea)
Lorens, Gavin (no photo available)—Fairbanks, AK;
Mattix, Jena—Shawnee, KS; Zeta Tau Alpha presi- Parsley, Caitlin—Madison, SD; Regents Scholar, Cum
dent, Society of History Scholars, Rho Lambda. B.A.
in history and international studies from the University of Evansville in Evansville, IN. Plans a year
in AmeriCorps before attending graduate school.
(Korea)
Patterson, Jeanna—Madison, WI; Cross-country
4 years, track. Plans to major in communications
McMahon, Ryan—Des Moines, IA; Football, All- at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, WI.
State kicker. Plans to major in communications at (Korea)
Northern Iowa Area Community College in Mason Perwas, Lauren—Mahwah, NJ; National Merit ComCity, IA. (USA)
mended Student, Distinguished Scholar, NHS, Nation-
Principal’s Award 2007 Outstanding Senior, Senior
History Award, graduation speaker, varsity football
and wrestling, student government. Plans to major
in political science/pre-law at Oregon State Univer- McPeak, Keenan—Corbin City, NJ; Soccer, basesity in Corvallis, OR. (Korea)
ball, Upper Township Recreation Soccer Team DiviLouie, Lianna—Berkeley, CA; Community Philan- sion Champions. Plans to major in education at Atlanthropy Board. Plans to attend Stanford University in tic Cape Community College in Mays Landing, NJ.
Stanford, CA. (Vietnam)
(Thailand)
Lyall, Brendan—Menlo Park, CA; Alpha Kappa Psi Neel, Alyson—Evansville, IN; NHS, Student Athletic
Business Fraternity, Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership New Venture Lab. BBA in marketing and finance
from Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA. Plans a
career in marketing. (Korea)
Martino, Kelli—Eldora, NJ; NHS, Math Team, Science
Laude, exchange student to Germany. Plans to major
in political science at the University of Nebraska in
Lincoln, NB. (Korea)
Council, senior mentor, Pep Club president, BPA &
DECA treasurer, golf team, dance team, Kiwanis
Mental Attitude Award. Plans to major in marketing
at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville,
IN. (India)
al Latin Honor Society, Color Guard captain, church
youth group. Plans to major in chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, PA.(Korea)
Petrey, Cody—Corbin, KY; 1st Priority, Most School
Spirit. Plans to study at Eastern Kentucky University
in Corbin, KY. (Korea)
Phillips, Megan—Lebanon, OR; Honor Society,
cheerleading, Dance Team most valuable dancer,
Service and Leadership Award, National Youth Leadership Forum in Medicine. Plans to major in prepharmacy at Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR.
(Korea)
League, Key Club, Bible Club, varsity softball, varsity Newland, Molly—Louisville, KY; Graduated from
swimming—plans to major in mechanical engineer- Butler Traditional High School. Plans to major in Porter, Lillian—Danville, KY; Soccer captain and
hospitality studies and culinary arts at Sullivan Uni- 4-year starter with two final-8 finishes in state,
ing at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. (Korea)
versity
in Louisville, KY. (Korea)
Matthews, Christopher—Lees Summit, MO; Honor
two People-to-People trips to Europe, Presbyterian
Roll, newspaper staff, ice hockey letter 3 years, foot- Osler, Brenda—Rochester, MN; Soccer, track, NHS, Youth Group, Pep Club president. Plans to major in
ball letter 2 years. Plans to major in business and Spanish Club, MIRA. Plans to study nursing or psy- education at Muskingum College in New Concord,
sports management at the University of Missouri in chology at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, OH. (Korea)
MN. (Guatemala)
Columbia, MO. (Korea)
24 Winter
22 Summer2007
2007
A Big, Crazy Family Like Mine
One Graduate’s Story
Petrey, Cody
Porter, Lillian
Found abandoned on the street in Hong Kong and
taken to a hospital, then later to an orphanage,
I contracted polio when I was a baby and have
been disabled for as long as I can remember. I
was placed at Mother’s Choice, an orphanage for
4-year-olds and younger, where I was discovered
and my photo published in Holt International’s
magazine.
Phillips, Megan
Press-Dawson, David
Back in Texas, my mom and dad saw my photo in the magazine and decided to adopt
me. I was 4 years old and my parents’ second international adoptee when I was
brought home 13 years ago.
I’m paralyzed from the waist down, except for a tiny bit of movement in my right
foot. My mom was determined to make me as independent as possible. After a few
years of stubbornness on both our parts (me, being the tantrum-prone child and my
mom dead set on not doing everything for me as I got older), I became almost as
independent as any other child. My mom gave me invaluable skills to make my way
through life.
Prior, Leigh
Rasmussen, Susannah
Press-Dawson, David—Gold River, CA; President’s
Academic Award, Outstanding English Student Award,
professional DJ, volunteer instructor after school
program. Plans to major in psychology at California
State University in Sacramento, CA. (Korea)
Prior, Leigh—Germantown, MD; Church mission trips,
school mentor, school tour guide, softball, track, Billiards Club, yearbook staff, pianist. Plans to attend
Montgomery College in Rockville, MD. (Korea)
Rasmussen, Susannah—West Linn, OR; Varsity
cheerleader, Silver Key in scholastic art, National
Art Honor Society, writing awards. Plans to major
in graphic design at Utah State University in Logan,
UT. (Korea)
Riley, Christopher—Missouri Valley, IA; International Thespian Society president, BSA Eagle Scout, 3rd
degree black belt tae kwon do, school newspaper and
magazine editor-in-chief, Presidential Silver Service
Award. Plans to major in performing arts and journalism at the University of Iowa. (Korea)
Robertson, Mark—Cheyenne, WY; Hathaway Scholarship, four years percussion, AP art. Plans to major
in graphic arts at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, WY. (Korea)
Rollema, Melinda—Pomona, CA; 3.9 GPA with
Virginia teaching license. M.Ed. in secondary
English education at Liberty University in Virginia. Plans to teach at Faith Baptist School in
Canoga Park, CA. (Korea)
I could move easily along the floor, although I became a safety hazard if people did
not watch where they were stepping. I learned how to go up the stairs on my own
after falling down the stairs a few times. I learned how to get up on a stool to brush
my teeth, how to get into my bed and even how to put on clean sheets. I learned
how to swim. At school, I progressed along with my peers, achieved a good grade
point average and sang in choir. I use a manual wheelchair, but I recently got an
electric one to use on a college campus.
Before they adopted me, my parents adopted my brother from Brazil. Over time,
they also adopted two kids from Thailand. One has a hearing impairment and the
other has spina bifida. They also had three birth children. With a big, crazy family like mine,
it’s hard to
remember that
some of us come
from different
countries—and I
usually don’t until someone asks
why my brother
and I look nothing alike.
My parents
made a giant
leap and sacrifice adopting
four kids with
unknown pasts
and giving
them a family.
Because of them,
I have a great
future ahead of me.
—by Amy Banta, Colleyville, Texas
The Banta family—(Back row, from left): Amy, Kari, Lauren,
Julie and Justin. (Front row, from left): Alex, Adam, Michael
and Steve.
www.holtinternational.org 23
graduates
Riley, Christopher
Robertson, Mark
Rollema, Melinda
Rule, Cydney
Shaver, Elizabeth
Shepard, Myles
Sheronick, Kate
Sheronick, Nicholas
Shives, Drew
Slater, Zack
Smith, Rodel
Smith, Whitney
Trainor, Alex
Ward, Steven
Watson, Jenna
West, Morgan
Wright, Matthew
Wright, Melanie
Sheronick, Nicholas—Van Horne, IA; (2006 gradu- the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY. (Korea)
ate) B.A. in business, administrative management, Watson, Jenna—Mocksville, NC; World Changers,
Young, Claire
Zlomke, Alyssa
Rule, Cydney—Ralston, NB; Dance Team captain,
from Mount Mercy College in 0Cedar Rapids, IA. Youth Choir. Plans to major in religion and youth
(Korea)
ministry at Montreat College in Montreat, NC.
Shives, Drew—Manahawkin, NJ; NHS, Tri M Music (Korea)
Honor Society, AMEROPA Chamber Music Festival West, Morgan—Spring Lake, NJ; Student govern(Prague), Chess Club, Model Congress, Academic De- ment, Dean’s List, freshman year facilitator. B.S. in
cathlon. Plans to major in international business at business management from Fairfield University in
Gettysburg College or Villanova. (Korea)
Fairfield, CT. (Korea)
Slater, Zack—Toms River, NJ; Audio recording hon- Wright, Matthew—Geyserville, CA; Key Club treaors; BandFests; Praise Band guitar, bass, drums. surer, cross country, track, Who’s Who. Plans to maPlans to major in business at Ocean County College jor in graphic design at Santa Rosa Junior College in
in Toms River, NJ. (Korea)
Santa Rosa, CA. (Korea)
DECA honors, Student Volunteer of the Year, yearbook, 1st place Layout & Design UN at Omaha Journalism Competition. Plans to major in marketing,
graphic design and business administration at the Smith, Rodel—Fortuna, CA; Plans to attend the Col- Wright, Melanie—Eugene, OR; NHS, peer mentor,
University of Nebraska at Lincoln in Lincoln, NB. lege of the Redwoods in Eureka, CA. (Philippines)
Art Club, Outstanding Visual Arts Student of the
(Korea)
Smith, Whitney—Muscatine, IA; Choir, Chorale, Year. Plans to major in computer graphic design at
Shaver, Elizabeth—Tomball, TX; Doctor of Optome- Holiday Singers, Freshman Show Choir. Plans to ma- Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR. (Korea)
try, Houston College of Optometry. Plans to practice jor in business communication at Scott Community Young, Claire—Havertown, PA; Orchestra, string
in Pittsburgh, PA, following a May wedding. (Korea) College in Bettendorf, IA. (Korea)
trio, Science Olympiad, Tri-M Music Honors, NHS.
Shepard, Myles —Elk Grove, CA; Jazz Band, Faith Storer, Carmen (no photo available)—Des Moines, Plans to major in neuroscience at Dickinson College
Episcopal Church Youth Band, SEARCH, youth group. WA; Cross country, track, NWC Ambassador. B.A. in in Carlisle, PA. (Thailand)
Plans to major in business and music at Sonoma sociology from Northwestern College in Orange City, Zlomke, Alyssa—Fort Lupton, CO; Honor Roll, chilState University in Rohnert Park, CA. (Korea)
IA. (India)
dren’s ministry worker, basketball, volleyball, theater,
Sheronick, Kate—Van Horne, IA; Hosa Club, vol- Trainor, Alex—Louisville, KY; Governor’s Scholar for band, choir, birth coach, nanny. Plans to major in
leyball, track, basketball, softball, Lincoln College the Arts, Art Club, Science Olympiad, lacrosse, Break psychology with a minor in youth ministries at BethScholarship, Mount Mercy Scholarship. Plans to ma- Dance Club. Plans to major in fine arts at the Uni- any University in Scotts Valley, CA. (Korea).
jor in journalism and mass communications at the versity of Louisville in Louisville, KY. (Korea)
University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA. (Korea)
Ward, Steven—Goshen, KY; Commonwealth
Diploma, swimming. Plans to major in business at
24 Summer 2007
Nolan
Reflections on Being Different
from high school and plan to attend state
university this fall.
When I was younger, I couldn‘t accept
being different. But as I dealt with my
body changes while growing up, my state
of mind changed as well. I learned to
embrace my Asian-American culture and
who I am.
My mother and I really connected while
I was growing up, especially as I learned
she also had this feeling of being different. A native of Boston, she sometimes
felt like an outsider in our small town,
even though she spent a majority of
her life in Iowa. Through the years I
confided in my mother for support and
understanding, consequently coming to
understand myself.
I believe that being different and not like
everyone else is okay. I feel that “normal”
is only a word, which can be found in a
dictionary and nowhere else.
I always felt different, an outsider, growing up in a small rural town in the Midwest, where I alone made up the diversity
at my school. Adopted from South Korea
at 5 months old, I recently graduated
If I Adopt a Child
What kind of child will I get?
My husband and I adopted through Holt
International from Korea in 1989. We
have two boys.
One is 27 years old and into drugs and has
been since age 13 or younger. He cannot
or will not hold down a job. He has been
in trouble at home, school and with the
law numerous times and has more traffic
citations than I care to count. He is married and has a great wife and lovely young
daughter that he is not taking proper care
of or supporting in any kind of reasonable manner. He does not hold down a
job and gets violent and paranoid when
using drugs. He is on his last chance with
his wife to straighten up or he will lose
both of them. At this point he is trying
to straighten his life out, but he is such a
professional liar I can’t say I truly believe
him. Only time will tell. He has made my
life and my husband’s life a living hell and
broken our hearts almost beyond repair
many times in the past 13 years. He has
As an adoptee, I am not angry or ashamed
that I look nothing like my parents. My
situation is different, and therefore I am
different. As far as the fact of not knowing where some of my physical or personality traits come from—I have learned to
accept that fact. I know I am not alone
in this situation, but I also know there are
some holes in the heart that may never
be filled. However, I believe all of this will
great potential that we can all see, but he
just does not tap into it. I know that he
can change if he chooses to, and by the
grace of God.
Our second son is 23 years old. He is in
his fifth year of college and graduated
in May with a bachelor’s degree. He
maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.5 and
plans to go on with his education after
working for a few years. He is going to
be a math teacher, and people are coming
to him and offering him jobs for the fall
without him having to seek them out.
He has been a great kid, and I can count
on one hand the number of times he has
been in any trouble. He rarely drinks
and does not smoke or do drugs. He has
worked since the ninth grade and saved
almost every dime he has made. He put
himself through college with just a little
help from us and scholarships. He is debt
free and still has most of his savings left.
If anyone should be troubled, he should,
because we have, in ways, put him on the
back burner while we furiously and fruitlessly tried to fix our older son. In the
make me a better and stronger person.
Everyone is different. Differences
are what make each of us unique and
interesting. This early experience of
self-doubt and examination, in my
adolescence, now seems like a necessary
part of my personal development. Back
then, however, I often needed consolation
because I was not like my friends—skinny,
blue-eyed, and blonde. But I had to accept that wasn’t me.
Of course, my family’s support helped me
overcome my negative self-image, but
travel showed me a world outside of my
insulated hometown. When I was traveling, for once I wasn’t different. Many
people looked like me or very different
from my friends. These other people
came from different backgrounds, countries and cultures. A part of me actually
missed being different, like I was at home.
Eventually, I came to realize that I am
indeed not like everyone else, but more
importantly, that no one is the same. And
that is definitely something I can understand and accept.
—by Kate Sheronick, Van Horne, Iowa
past few years, we have desperately tried
to make things up to our second son for
our lack of attention to him. In spite of
everything he has turned out great, and
we could not be prouder of him.
Now to the reason I am writing this story.
If some of you out there do not adopt
or are hesitant to do so because you are
worried about what kind of child you will
get, I am here to tell you there is no way
to know what kind of child you will get
whether by birth or adoption. You see, I
have one of each. My natural born son is
the heartache of my life, and my adopted
son is the light of my life.
Age also sometimes comes into factor.
Do not be afraid to adopt an older child,
as our son was 5 years old when we got
him. Go ahead, set your doubts aside and
give a child a home. Your adoptive child
may just be the best gift you ever receive.
Mine was.
—by Anonymous
www.holtinternational.org 25
adopting
Advice to Graduating Adoptees
The transitions from high school to college or from college to careers can be daunting,
and international adoptees have some particular challenges. Here are thoughts from adoptees who have “been there.”
by John Aeby
Director of Communications
I
“I remember being pretty scared when I graduated
from both high school and college,” says Sally Dunbar,
a Holt adoptee and now Holt’s Family Recruitment
Specialist. “Just when I really started to feel ‘at home’
in my school, it was time to move on to yet another
unknown.”
If you’re like most international adoptees in high
school, a wide circle of people are familiar with your
adoption story. Even casual acquaintances know that
you’ve grown up in America, have seen you with your
parents, have met your family, etc. If you’ve stayed
in the same community for most of your life, you’ve
probably developed a fairly comfortable existence
where you’re seldom asked to explain yourself. And,
a significant portion of your identity is tied to your
parents and family, as it should be.
But, now that you’re moving into new environments, you may find that you have to establish you are
known all over again. Some people will be genuinely
interested in your background. And times are changing such that international adoption is more commonly understood. Still, you may meet people who
ask questions that cross the line into rude.
“One time a man came up and began talking
loudly and slowly in my face so I could ‘understand’
him,” wrote Renée Francis. “I politely told him that
I speak English. He laughed uncomfortably and said
that I speak English really well. I simply explained
that I was American and grew up in Oregon. While
that incident could have been offensive, I tried to see
this person as simply unknowledgeable. It was an
opportunity to inform him that just because I was not
Caucasian, it did not mean that I wasn’t American.”
Because this issue of Holt International magazine is
our annual graduate edition, we wanted to offer some
advice from adoptees for adoptees making transitions
to new circumstances. I recently asked several adoptees, including the Holt Adoptee Camp counselors for
what worked best in their lives. Here is a sampling
of their thoughts:
26 Summer 2007
Resolve whatever holds you back from having
maximum peace. For me, it was reconciling “where
I came from.” It will be other things for other
people. Seek peace through personal reflection,
experiencing relationship with others and choose to
live today based on who you want to be tomorrow.
—Sally Dunbar, Holt Family Recruitment Specialist
Embrace the fact that you’re adopted. Look at
adoption as a blessing. Because you were adopted,
you have been given the chance to have a life of
opportunity. Stand confident in the fact that you
have been given this chance. Graduating high
school and moving on to college and/or a job is a
wonderful opportunity to start from scratch. It’s a
fresh new beginning. Even though I am an adoptee who has not struggled with the fact that I am
adopted, I have struggled with the pressures of
life. The pressures teens deal with in high school
are tremendous. My advice to graduates is to head
into college or a new job with confidence and an
open mind, to meeting new people and learning
new things. It’s a whole new world where you can
become and do whatever you want. You no longer
need to be hindered by others (or circumstances)
to achieve your goals. Entering college was a great
time to establish myself as an adult. I met wonderful new friends there. —Renée Aeby Francis, Holt
adoptee
It’s okay not knowing who you are right now. After
high school and college, I felt such pressure to know
exactly who and what I wanted to be for the rest of
my life. I made many decisions based on that feeling. Years later I wished I had slowed down to find
my “true” self and not settle for outside expectations. Graduation is only the beginning of your life.
Slow down because there is time. It’s never too late
to make a change, explore new paths, or find yourself. —Tawnya Shaumway, Holt Adoptee Outreach
Coordinator.
Don’t let your new surroundings overwhelm you.
Don’t change for other people. Stick to what you
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are comfortable being. Maintain your morals and
defining characteristics. Most people will accept
you for who you are, and those who don’t are not
worth your time…. There will always be someone
willing to listen to your story…. —Leigh Ann Baglin,
Holt Adoptee Camp Counselor
Be prepared to deal with ignorance. Situations
dealing with your ethnicity, no matter how large
or small, will almost certainly occur. —Mark Wilson,
Holt Adoptee Camp Counselor
Transitions are an exciting process that helps you
become a bigger, stronger person. It’s all about
going in with confidence in who you are. Be comfortable with yourself and go in proud of yourself
as an adoptee. —Kaitlin Doty, Holt Adoptee Camp
Counselor
Though I’m not an adoptee (I’m an adoptive dad),
I’d like to offer one additional suggestion: stay in
touch with Holt. As you transition out of your parent’s
home, we tend to lose track of adoptees. But Holt is
committed to being there for adoptees over your lifetime. Holt has many programs and services that can
benefit adoptees especially if you desire to investigate
your personal history. A simple way to stay in touch
with Holt is to subscribe to our e-newsletter or the
Holt International magazine. You can also get connected to Holt’s newly developing Adoptee Outreach
program. For information contact Tawnya Shumway
at tawnyas@holtinternational.org.
www.holtinternational.org 27
adoptees today
Finding My
Birth Family
A reunion in Korea brings
answers to many questions
A
by Mindy Rodgers (Lee, Kye-hwa)
Seattle, Washington
As the tires left the tarmac at Seattle/
Tacoma International Airport, I knew there
was no turning back. I was going to
Korea for the first time in 27 years—to
reunite with my biological family. Sitting
on the plane next to my adoptive father,
I felt apprehensive, scared, excited, nervous, optimistic and happy all at once. I
wondered if I could live up to the expectations—and if they would accept me.
My father’s presence was comforting.
During the flight we talked, watched movies, read and watched the global positioning map inch our plane closer and closer to
Korea. After what seemed like an eternity,
our plane landed at Incheon.
We passed through Korean customs and
retrieved our bags from the claim area.
Across the room were sliding glass doors
that led to the passenger pickup area. As
I walked toward them, my heart beat faster
with each step. On the other side of the
doors, my biological brother awaited.
The moment Woo-ho and I spotted each
other we both smiled. I saw the eagerness and anticipation on my brother’s face.
We exchanged handshakes and bows. I
was only 16 months old when I was relinquished for adoption, and I had no memory
of my brother or my life in Korea. It was
a wonderful and amazing feeling to be
standing near someone who shared some
of my DNA. We scanned each other for
similarities. I felt an instant closeness with
him and noticed that he had the same skin
coloring as I do.
My brother drove us to the Holt
International Guest House in Seoul. He
told me through my translator that this was
the last place I lived in Korea. He thought
it would be only fitting for me to start my
return journey here again.
Humble Beginnings
My brother, translator, father and I talked
for hours about my life. We discussed why
28 Summer 2007
The author with her biological brother, Woo-ho.
I was given up for adoption and how my
family wanted to keep me but could not
due to financial issues. I learned that our
family was extremely poor. My brother told
me that food was so scarce I used to hug
my rice bowl. To lighten the mood and
break the tension, I lightheartedly told him,
“I still do!”
When I first came from Korea, my
American family often found me eating out
of the garbage. They also told me that I
panicked and screamed if a bowl of rice
was not left out for me to see. They suspected that I had been starving.
Woo-ho said I lived with him and our
grandmother in the town of Kongwondoo
in a small thatch-roofed house with a dirt
floor. He told me that the three of us
formed a close bond and that he never
forgot the day I was sent away.
One day Woo-ho came home from
school and discovered that our father and
grandmother had taken me to place me for
adoption. This memory was so painful
that he can still recall what he wore that
day. Throughout his life he had longed to
find me. It wasn’t until our grandmother
was on her deathbed that he learned she
and my father had taken me to Holt. The
name of the adoption agency and the time
frame were all the information my brother
had. He searched relentlessly for 10 years
to find me.
I thank God for my brother’s love and
persistence, because without him, I would
never have had the opportunity to know
about my past.
My Search
Like so many other adoptees, I had fantasized about meeting my biological family
since I was a child. Did they ever think of
me, I wondered. Why was I given up for
adoption? Who did I look like?
I grew up with many unanswered questions. Despite the fact that I wanted to
find my biological family, I never thought I
would meet them because I knew so little
about my adoption. The only information
I had was my Korean name, birthdate and
limited health records documented by my
foster families.
Several factors caused me to be apprehensive about searching for my birth family. The first was my Korean name—Lee,
Kye-hwa. Because Lee is a common last
name in Korea, I assumed it would be
impossible to find them. Secondly, I had
known only a few adoptees, and none had
been successful in finding their biological
family. Finally, I feared rejection. I wondered, Would my family want to see me if
I came knocking on their door?
Adopted into a loving and supportive family, I grew up in Brush Prairie,
Washington, with two older brothers who
are my parents’ biological sons. I felt just
as much a part of the family as anyone
else. At home, my family did not point
out my physical differences. I lived in a
predominantly Caucasian community and
was often the only minority student in my
class. During grade school, my classmates
reminded me from time to time that I was
different, but overall my school years were
fun. I never wanted for anything and
was a normal American teenager whose
life revolved around school, family,
friends and basketball. The latter was
my childhood passion. I attended
the University of Colorado at Boulder
where I received my B.A. in anthropology.
Several years after college I finally
began searching for my birth family. I
started with the adoption records my
parents had kept. I did not find any
new information. My next step was to
contact Holt International in Eugene, The author with her two fathers.
Oregon, for information. To my disI spent nine days with my brother and
may, Holt sent me all the same records that
we
traveled throughout the Korean counmy parents already had.
tryside, visiting national treasures, small
I contacted the office again and asked if towns and Buddhist temples. My brother
I could do anything else to find my family. was excited to teach me about the Korean
A social worker told me that I could write culture and food.
to Holt Children’s Services of Korea (HCS)
In Pusan, my sister was so excited to
in Seoul, but was told it would be unlikely
see
me that she cried happy tears. Inside
that I would receive any new information.
her
home
we sat around a table piled high
I was told that often their records are the
same as what is on record in Eugene. I with Korean food. Before we ate, my
sent a letter explaining that I was looking brother, sister and brother-in-law bowed
for my birth family and would welcome any deeply three times to show their respect
new information. About three weeks later I and appreciation to my adoptive father and
to thank him for raising me. My father and
received a call from Holt International.
I were overwhelmed by their kindness and
I learned that my birth family was look- caring. They called him abo-nim which
ing for me! Ecstatic, I told everyone I means respected father in Korean.
knew. For three years my brother periodically had stopped by HCS to see if I had My Biological Father
tried to make contact. Holt International
My journey so far had been amazing.
said that when he learned I had contacted My siblings, niece and nephews seemed
HCS, he drove three hours the next day to overjoyed to meet me. But my biological
release his contact information.
father acted nonchalant and emotionless. I
About a week later I received an e-mail had expected big hugs or a warm embrace,
from a social worker at Holt in regard to but there was none of that. I felt disapmy biological family. This e-mail was life pointed and hurt. When we talked more
changing. I learned that I had an older and took pictures, my father maintained his
sister and two older brothers as well as a distance. My brother had warned me that
father and stepmother, and that my biologi- my biological father was stoic, but I was
cal mother passed away from complications taken aback by his response to me. Sitting
from my birth. I was happy and shocked on the couch in the house I lived in as a
all at once. I retreated to a quiet place baby, I wondered if I had caused him to
where I began to cry for the mother I never relive pain or shame for giving me up for
knew. In just one sentence that read, “… adoption. I wondered if he wished that I
the adoptee’s mother had gone back to her had never come at all.
family’s house and died,” my dreams to
As my mind started to fill with regrets,
meet my mother were gone.
my biological father reached into his walAbout two weeks later I received a pack- let and pulled out a photograph of me
et with photos and a letter from my brother taken the day he and my grandmother
and my biological father. For weeks after- relinquished me for adoption. He had
ward, I studied the photographs to see if I carried my photograph in his wallet for 27
resembled any of my family members. My years. At that point I knew he had cared
brother and I corresponded for about two about me.
years before I mustered up courage enough
I saw my birth father twice more after
to travel to Korea to meet my family.
our initial meeting. Each time, he seemed
to warm up a little more. He followed us back to our hotel room
and looked at some of the childhood pictures I had brought. He
seemed most intrigued by the one
my American family took of us
together when I first arrived in
America. He stared at the picture
for about five minutes before putting it down. I am sure that’s how
he last remembered me.
Before our last visit with my birth
father, I requested that I talk alone
with him through my translator. I told him
I was thankful he gave me up and that I’ve
had a good life. I told him that I wasn’t
angry at him and that I’ve had many successes. I told him I loved him, despite the
fact he was a stranger to me. He seemed
pleased. He told me that he can now sleep
with his feet up, which in Korea means that
he can finally live in peace.
Reflections
As we left Korea en route to Seattle, I
began to miss my Korean family. I don’t
know how to explain it, but upon meeting them, I instantly fell in love with them.
Maybe like a mother who falls in love with
her infant child upon first holding or seeing
them. All the hard feelings and resentment
I had toward my family for giving me up
for adoption had all been relinquished once
I met them in person. I learned that their
life had been a thousand times harder than
mine, and I felt remorseful for any harsh
thoughts I had ever had about them. I
believe through understanding my family,
I gained forgiveness and acceptance. I am
so thankful for the opportunity to have
met them.
I know without my brother’s persistence
in finding me, I would never have had the
chance to meet my birth family. For that I
am forever grateful.
As an adoptee I have felt at times like
I’ve been caught between two cultures
and two worlds. After this experience,
however, I see myself as a Korean adoptee
who has been enriched by both. I have
two families across the globe who love and
care about me. Through my journey to find
my birth family in Korea, I believe I have
finally found my place in the world. ■
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2007
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www.holtinternational.org 29
calendar
Arkansas
neighborhood
calendar
October 13—Fall Picnic & Information
Meeting at
Maumelle Park in Little Rock. RSVP: (501) 723-4444
for details, times and directions.
California
September 29—Holt Family Picnic at Plaza Park in Visalia.
Contact: Sally Dunbar at sallyd@holtinternational.org
or 1-888-355-HOLT x137
Georgia
October 13—Holt Family Picnic at Lutheran Church
of the Resurrection, 4814 Paper Mill Rd. SE in
Marietta. 3 p.m. Contact: Sally Dunbar at sallyd@
holtinternational.org or 1-888-355-HOLT x137
Illinois
August 25—Holt Family Picnic at Ty Warner Park in
Westmont. 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Contact: Sally Dunbar
at sallyd@holtinternational.org or 1-888-355-HOLT
x137
Iowa
Sept. 15—Holt Family Picnic at LeGrand Community Park,
LeGrand. 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Contact: Sally Dunbar at
sallyd@holtinternational.org or 1-888-355-HOLT
x137
Kansas / Missouri
October 6—Holt Family Picnic at Harmon Park in Prairie
Village, Kansas. 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Contact: Sally
Dunbar at sallyd@holtinternational.org or 1-888355-HOLT x137
New Jersey
Sept. 8—Holt Family Picnic at Pine Park in Lakewood.
Contact: Sally Dunbar at sallyd@holtinternational.org
or 1-888-355-HOLT x137
Oregon
August 12—Holt Family Picnic at Cook Park in Tigard.
1 p.m.– 4 p.m. Contact: Sally Dunbar at sallyd@
holtinternational.org or 1-888-355-HOLT x137
Oct. 20—Colors of Hope Dinner Auction in Portland
to benefit the children of Haiti. Contact: Char
Woodworth, Event Chair, at (503) 638-2518 or
charwoodworth@comcast.net; or Caroline Toy, Holt
Events Manager at (800) 451-0732
Texas
Nov. 9—Benefit Art Auction at Paradise Cove in Grapevine
to benefit children in Holt’s care who are affected by
HIV/AIDS. An Evening at the Lake with Holt President
and CEO Gary Gamer. Contact: Caroline Toy, Holt
Events Manager at (800) 451-0732
Summer, 3, and Maurianna Kowalski, 5, with friend Eric Margadonna, 6.
Strawberry Fields
“I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I wanted to be a mother.”
On September 11, 2001, I was working from home when I heard about the
destruction of the Twin Towers. Living less than an hour’s drive from New
York City, I know lots of folks who commute to work in the city, including my
brother and his wife.
My next-door neighbor (and good friend) called to ask if I’d like to come over,
just so I wouldn’t be alone during such an awful and confusing time. My
neighbor had recently given birth to a son. He was less than a month old, and
I held him in my arms as his parents and I watched TV. The whole time I held
him, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I wanted to be a mother and to
hold a child of my own. I will never forget how I felt on that day. The horror,
the dread, the fear. And, as impossible as it may seem, I also felt hope and a
love of life as I looked at this baby’s sweet face.
That baby was Eric, the little boy in the picture. Just a little over two years
after 911, my husband and I flew to China to receive our oldest daughter,
Maurianna. Eric and Maurianna have been strawberry picking together now
for three years. And joining them for the past two years is our youngest
daughter, Summer. They are all best buds.
—by Sue Kowalski/ Cream Ridge, N.J.
30 Summer 2007
family tree
sponsorship
Henry, 6, and Tess Ryder, 2, both from
Korea—Brick, N.J.
Allyson Peake, 3, China—Virginia Beach, Va.
Emerson Gray, 16 months, China—Baltimore, Md.
Send your photos to
Family Tree!
Mail original color prints to:
Holt International magazine
P.O. Box 2880 Eugene, OR 97402
or upload digital photos at
holtinternational.org/submissions
Caleb Hillin, 2½, Korea—Grand Island, Neb.
Matthew and Beth (McIntyre) Fannon, 21,
Korea—Johnson, City, Tenn.
Max Foley, 5, Vietnam—Alexandria, Va.
Newlyweds Natalie (Lawrence) ,
21, Korea, and Joshua Anderson—
Fayetteville, Ark.
Mimi Stark, 1½, China—Eugene, Ore.
Mother Ok-joo Lee and
Jacqueline Goslay, 1, Korea—
Albuquerque, N.M.
David, (Vietnam), and Rose Riethmiller with
sons Maxwell, 3, and Samuel, 1—Sylvania, Ohio
www.holtinternational.org 31
Far left: Adopted from
Romania when she was
almost 7, Isadora Klein
is now 15. • Center:
Isadora and her brother
Andrew express joy in
being part of a family.
• Left: Izidora as she
appeared at age 4 as a
waiting child in Holt’s Hi
Families magazine.
Romanian Rhapsody: Our Journey of Faith
When the Lord placed the desire in our hearts to adopt a
4-year-old girl, thus began a journey of faith to find her.
We already had five biological children—three sons and two
daughters aged 6 to 18 years. Our quiver was full, and it was
almost embarrassing that we were pursuing adoption. We
discovered it wasn’t about us, but rather God’s grace to a little
girl named Izidora.
After what seemed the longest two years and three months
of our lives, her daddy and oldest sister traveled to Romania
to pick her up. At this time she was just three months shy
of 7 years old. She was the size of an American 4-year-old
and wore a 4T dress. The miraculous thing is she fit into our
family like a glove. Once she arrived, the memory of all the
waiting just faded away.
We had some fear about adopting. Sometimes with our large
family we felt that we were barely keeping our heads above
water with all the different wants and needs. Could we really
add another child? We found her in the “Waiting Child” section of Holt’s November 1996 magazine. We knew immediately she was the one.
Has it been work? Absolutely, without a doubt. Perhaps this
is why it has taken me so long to write this. Raising any child,
biological or adopted, is a labor of love.
When we read about Izidora our fears faded away, and we
were filled with faith! Speech delayed? We had already done
that! Heart murmur? We had done that, too! Introverted with
developmental delay, needing social interaction and stimulation? In our home there was always something going on with
home schooling, 4-H, church and so on. Our silly nickname
we called ourselves was “The Quiet Kleins,” because there
never seemed to be a quiet moment. Izidora would not lack
for social interaction and stimulation.
Post Of fice Box 2880
Eugene OR 974 02
Change Service Requested
Has it been worth it? Absolutely, without a doubt. Ruth
Isadora has been an incredible blessing. We are a changed
family, and changed for the better. We have a richer understanding of the unconditional love that Jesus has for us, as he
“adopts” us into His family by grace through faith.
A recent photo, taken on Easter Sunday with her brother
Andrew, expresses the joy of being a part of a loving family.
We are thankful that Holt International Children’s Services is
dedicated to carrying out God’s plan for every child to have a
permanent, loving family. Dora is a gift from God to us.
—Bonnie Klein, Colfax, California
Nonprofit Org
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Eugene OR
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