Amy Weinkauf and her family share in the experiences of Holt-Korea adoptees traveling to Korea for the first time
By Amy Weinkauf
It is the end of day seven, and I understand that I have an interesting position on this Holt Heritage Tour. I don’t have any adoptees to immerse in Korean culture, or to go over files with at the Holt office in Seoul, or to rejoice with in meeting a foster mother for the first time, or to prepare to reunite with a birth family. Yet, in my own life, the mission of Holt has profoundly impacted me.
I have a beautiful sister-in-law, Emily, who was adopted from Korea when she was a toddler. She is the younger sister I never had. She is smart, talented, funny, and wise. She is a great mother, sister, wife, and friend. My life would not be the same without her.
I also have a dear friend, whom I call my “sistah.” Kim and I are on our third trip with Holt. We first met not quite three years ago on a gift team trip to Korea. Our husbands traveled with us then, and we had an instant bond. We quickly discovered that we have the same quirky sense of humor. At a deeper level we found that we share a desire to see the story and legacy of Holt carried to the next generation. This has bonded us for a lifetime. It has made us a family in a way only made possible through adoption.
I am here again in Korea with my husband Jeff, my son Jordan, and my daughter Emma. And we are having a fabulous trip of a lifetime with our adopted family, the Hansons. Our hope and desire is to share the stories of the adoptees and their families as they experience, some for the first time, Korean culture.
We’ve eaten all kinds of Korean food, even ones that Holt Program Director for Korea Paul Kim won’t try. We’ve walked the paths of kings and queens in the Secret Garden, and sipped water that supposedly adds years to a person’s life. We’ve hugged. We’ve cried. Some have given comfort to unwed mothers as they contemplate their decision to keep or relinquish their unborn child for adoption. Some have been reunited with foster mothers and shared pictures with them of the years since they’ve been with their “forever family.” Others have come full circle and have been reunited with their birth families, while some continue the search to find their roots, and hold on to the hope given by every new clue.
Yes, the story of Holt continues on, and the legacy of Holt moves to the next generation. I’ve witnessed it in Paul Kim as he moves between western and Asian cultures in an effort to fully serve the adoptees and their families.
During our second full day we met up at the Holt offices for file readings and foster mother meetings. Paul gently prepared the adoptees for the day. He reminds the families of the Holt story, and of Harry Holt’s belief that every child, who arrived at Ilsan into their care, needed to know that someone loved them. Paul tells the adoptees: “Seeing you year after year is proof of the power of love and what it can do in the life of a child.”
Oh yes, the story and legacy of Holt International Children’s Services lives on. What a privilege it is to witness it first hand. We are only half way through! What’s going to happen during the second half of the trip?
