Gloves and Socks for China

Story by Apryl Hoot

Adopting Ged was one of the bigger surprises we have ever had. I saw his picture on CWA's website, and all of a sudden it seemed I was picked up from the states, set down in Wuhan, and back in the US. He was as stunned to see me, as I was to be there. I remember coloring my hair the lightest blonde it had ever been so he would see someone else who at least had the same color hair. The first night in the hotel he cried and kept pointing to his photo album and to the door. My limited Mandarin and his nonexistent English did not prevent his message from coming through loud and clear. As limited as his world was to that point, the orphanage was still home to him, and I was a stranger. After the first night it was better. We got around, and he loved the mike on the tour bus. He did some karaoke style singing and kept us all in stitches. (Ged is a bit of the class clown according to his teacher, but he still gets the work done.) He loved watching what I think was every Jackie Chan movie ever made and imitated his moves when we walked down the street. Slowly his world was expanding, and he was seeing places and doing things that were totally new. One day a few months ago, Ged gave me a great big hug and smiled; it was one of my best days ever. There always seems to be that defining moment...

Ged is in fourth grade at Woodburn Elementary. They have really been good about accommodating his visual needs. His grasp of the language keeps getting better. In this year’s state wide testing results, he was above the average state scores in every category; not bad for a kid who is legally blind and has only been here for four years. He had enough self-confidence to run for student council, and though he did not make it, he felt pretty good about his efforts. This fall he even tried his hand at playing goalie on his soccer team.

I had a chance to speak with the guidance counselor at his school in late October about a project I envisioned. A friend made me aware of the need for gloves and socks at an orphanage in China, and I asked her if the school could possibly take on this project. The student council loved the idea. Every kid who brought in gloves or socks could run around school all day in their stocking feet on the last day of the project, and then they would have a sock hop in the gym. This is a small rural community, and with the difficult economic times, I did not expect such good results. The kids collected about 138 pairs of socks and 138 pairs of gloves, which I mailed to China. Ged assisted in the collection and is included in the picture with the student council. The project was so successful that there is talk of making it an annual event. (We only needed 40 sets for each child to have a pair of gloves and socks.) It was just a simple project that did not cost much, and most everyone could participate, but the enthusiasm of the kids was contagious. Seeing pictures of the kids they helped on the other side of the world with the socks they collected proved how a little thing can mean so much, and it made the world a bit smaller.
 

CWA Launches Hope Project: Ethiopia

There are over 140 million orphans in the world today. These children wake up day after day without a mother’s love, a father’s protection, with little hope for their future. Christian World Adoption’s mission is to bring HOPE to children who silently suffer loneliness, poverty, and disease. Christian World has worked hard for over a decade to help orphans through international adoption and humanitarian aid.

Last fall, Christian World Adoption started the Hope Project to help place older and special needs children from China with adoptive families. We know how much more effective we can accomplish our mission if we can provide adoptive parents with more information about children. Thus, the Hope Project website began to provide not only the children's biographical information, but photos and video clips as well. We are thankful for the success that God has given us in finding forever families for many children.

In addition to older and special needs children from China, we have now expanded the Hope Project to include children from Ethiopia. You can visit our web site and see their photos, read about their sweet personalities, and view video of some of the waiting children. Now, with the launch of our Hope Project Ethiopia, we will be gathering information on additional children and adding their details, photos and video to this site. Please continue to check back often for precious new faces.

We look forward in helping many more children find hope—the hope of a family, the hope of a brighter future, the hope that comes from God. Would you take a moment to look at these precious children, say a prayer for them, and tell others about these children of Hope? Hope Project website »
 

Construction Begins at Acacia Village

We have started construction of the Children's Home at Acacia Village! Eleven contractors submitted bids and were subjected to a rigorous process before one was chosen. Now that the necessary permits have been secured, site preparation at Acacia Village has begun. We will include updates and information on the progress of this construction in future eNews editions.

So far, over $640,000 has been raised for Acacia Village -- but we still need to raise an additional $3 million to complete the project. Please continue to pray for the children of Ethiopia and that God will provide resources to build Acacia Village. To learn more about Acacia Village, please visit the website.

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Want to help build forever families? Become a CWA Adoption Advisor

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.

Myths About Adoption

MYTH 1: All Adoptions Are Expensive
Costs vary by agency and may be related to how the agency is funded, where their children come from, and what services they provide to birth parents and adoptive families. Adoptions of healthy infants in the United States and of children from abroad typically cost between $5,000 and $25,000, and could possibly be higher in some circumstances. The adoption of a child waiting in foster care can be virtually without cost if the family works directly with a public social services agency. In fact, many public agencies provide adoption subsidies for children who are waiting for a family. (Subsidies are discussed later in this book.) If the family works through a private adoption agency, the costs are likely to be higher, but rarely as high as they would be for adopting an infant. Finally, some private agencies may adjust their fees based on family income or other criteria.

MYTH 2: Prospective Adoptive Families Must Be "Rich"
Many people with modest incomes adopt every year. Adoption professionals who make decisions about placing children generally are more concerned about the family's financial stability and how well they manage the financial resources they do have than about the actual income.

MYTH 3: Families Must Own Their Home
Families who rent homes or live in apartments adopt children all the time.

MYTH 4: Adoptive Parents Must Be Married Without Children
Single people, couples without children, and families who already have children by birth or by prior adoption can adopt. However, many private agencies and many foreign countries have specific requirements for the marital status, age, number of children, or religion of people who adopt their children.

MYTH 5: Adoptive Families Must Pay For Everything
There are a variety of resources for financial assistance to help families cover some of the costs of adoption. For example: Many agencies charge fees on a sliding scale. Adoption subsidies are available for many children adopted from foster care. Increasing numbers of employers are offering adoption benefits to their employees. Congress passed legislation providing tax credits for families who adopt. This legislation became effective in January 1997.

MYTH 6: Legal Fees Are High
Legal fees usually are a small portion of the adoption costs, except for independent adoptions handled by an attorney. The legal fees may be included in the agency's fees or may be an additional cost to the adopting family.

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Reprinted from The National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) website. NEFE is the only private, nonprofit, national foundation wholly dedicated to improving the financial well-being of all Americans.

Related Link
CWA has a webpage full of financial aid resources. More »