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The Harlan Family
A Ukraine Adoption Story
Our story begins in 2001 when we began trying to have children. We were unsuccessful trying on our own, so we began seeing a fertility specialist. There were several rounds of pills and shots with no success. EC (my husband) was adopted, and we had always wanted to adopt, but thinking about it and doing it are two different things.
We began researching adoption agencies in the summer of 2007. Christian World Adoption was very impressive, and we submitted our application in September 2007. All the paperwork seemed very daunting, and it did take me several months to complete everything. EC is a farmer in west Texas, and it is very hard for him to be gone during certain times of the year. This means that we were trying to plan our trip around his schedule, which caused us delays.
After what seemed like eternity, we received our appointment and travel date in January 2009. We would be leaving February 20 for Kiev, Ukraine. This was the longest month of waiting and the most stressful. We were unsure of what and how much to pack. It was winter in Ukraine and still winter here, but winters there are much harsher than in west Texas. I was preparing for the worst, but Ludmilla assured us that you could buy whatever you needed there, and she was right. We saw many American brands with Ukrainian labels.
The flight was long, boring but filled with much anticipation. A representative of CWA met us at the airport, and he took us to meet our facilitator in Kiev. Then we went to the market to exchange money, buy food, and then on to our apartment. It was very nice and very comfortable. All we wanted to do was sleep.
The next day was Sunday, and we took a walking tour of the city. Kiev is beautiful with so much history. We toured the Lavra, a monastery, Independence Square and several other monuments. Monday was our appointment day, so we turned in early but couldn’t sleep for the excitement... Read More »
CWA Mom Wins Contest
 She was working as a pediatric cardiac nurse in a Boston hospital. He was finishing his training as a heart surgeon at the same hospital. They fell in love, got married, moved to the Valley and talked of starting a family. But after a year of trying to get pregnant, they were forced to acknowledge the fact that it might not ever happen for them. So they started talking adoption.
Keri deGuzman of Paradise Valley talks through this background chronology matter-of-factly, with no trace of sadness. Her life these days is full of joy, full of children, full of purpose. She and her husband, Brian, who is now on the cardiac surgical staff at St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center in Phoenix, decided to build their family through adoption. They did their research, looking into both domestic and overseas options before choosing to adopt a child from Ethiopia. The agency they chose was Christian World Adoption Agency (cwa.org), one of the largest international adoption agencies in the U.S.
“We liked the way the system was set up,” Keri says. The Ethiopian government works vigorously to prevent child trafficking and the organizations that nurture orphaned children and place them for adoption are “so impressive,” she says. “The children receive lots of care and love. They are healthy and well-fed.”
When they flew to Ethiopia to bring home their daughter Jesmina (now 2½), it was love at first sight. “When they placed her in my arms it was like she was always ours,” she says. The deGuzmans settled into life as a family of three and immediately started planning to adopt another Ethiopian child.
Soon after, in the lake region of Awasa, a tiny child was wrapped in cloths and placed in a protected place off the street, near a stream of running water. He was not abandoned so much as set free by a loving but desperate mother who hoped her son would find a new home with adults who were better able to provide for him than she was. No one knows exactly how long he was there before a woman walking back from the water heard him rustling about. She took him to the police station and the child, named Musse (which is pronounced “mooSAY” and means “Moses” in the native language) was placed in the very same orphanage where the deGuzmans found Jesmina.
The orphanage broadcast Musse’s story to supporters as part of a fundraising effort to build a new facility. The deGuzmans were already on a waiting list for a child, but it wasn’t until they traveled to Ethiopia to meet their new son that they realized he was the same miracle child they’d read about.
Poverty and disease have left many children in Ethiopia without families. CWA places more than 200 of these children--infants, toddlers and children up to age 13--with families each year, but many more remain without homes. The deGuzmans plan to adopt two more children to complete their family, says Keri, who always dreamed of being a mom. Her own journey to motherhood has brought an unexpected but welcome sense of purpose and urgency as she’s gotten involved in fundraising and outreach for CWA. She has made it her mission to tell others of the great need for families for the thousands of other beautiful, resilient but homeless children of Ethiopia.
 When she submitted her application for our cover mom contest, she signed it, “Joyfully Yours.” The joy she’s found building her family emanates from this radiant young mom whose two small children may never fully grasp the profound implications of their place in her life.
Story by Karen Barr. This article appeared in the May 2009 issue of Raising Arizona Kids Magazine. Reprinted with permission from Raising Arizona Kids mMagazine (www.raisingarizonakids.com). |
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Hope Project Update
 Over 20 children have already been chosen for adoption through CWA's Hope Project in the first month. What a delight to find forever families for these precious children! CWA has been asked by the China Center for Adoption Affairs to help place these waiting children with loving families, and we hope to be adding information on additional children over the next few months. We also have waiting children from Ethiopia, and information for all Hope Project children is available on our web site. To find out more about this exciting adoption opportunity, please visit the Hope Project Inquiry Form »
CWA Family Picnic
 Saturday, July 18
Taylor Ranch, NC
Register today for the CWA Family Picnic. Bring the whole family for a day of fun, food and visiting with adoptive families. Reduced prices for larger families! More »
CWA and CWF on facebook and YouTube
 
CWA and CWF are now on facebook. Become a fan of these via your facebook page. You will receive regular updates, news about CWA families, and have the opportunity to join in discussions with other CWA parents. On the CWF page you can keep up with our projects and see construction photos of Acacia Village. On YouTube you can watch various videos related to our agency and adoption programs. Come see us on the web!
CWA Adoption Advisors Announcement
Are you passionate about adoption? Need to earn some extra money? CWA is looking for parents who have completed at least one adoption through CWA to lead monthly seminars. CWA Adoption Advisors are good communicators who help other families learn about international adoption through CWA. CWA provides training, support and compensation for Adoption Advisors. If you are interested in becoming a CWA Adoption Advisor, then please email a brief description of yourself to Jenny Dickinson.
Watch the new CWA video:
What Does Love Make You Do?
CWA-Amazon Online Bookstore
Christian World has just opened an online bookstore for your convenience. We have 'stocked' the CWA-aStore with dozens of books about international adoption, and many other adoption-related resources. And when you shop here for adoption resources, CWA will receive up to 15% on purchases made, which will be used to help more children through adoption and humanitarian aid. Go to aStore »
Wanted: Older Children Stories
 Would your older child like to write their story for an upcoming eNews or Newsletter? We would like to hear from older children about themselves: where they go to school, their hobbies, talents, a little about their families, and their adoption story, all in their own words. If your child would be interested, then please email Jenny Dickinson, CWA's Outreach Coordinator.
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