Adopting a Waiting Child

by Brett Foley

My wife Cheryl and I adopted our sons, Alexander and Benjamin, from South Korea, and in 2006 we decided to adopt through Holt International’s China program.

Cheryl had wanted to adopt a daughter from China since at least 2004, and she had an ally in our daughter, Leah, who had been praying for a little sister for quite some time. They finally got me on board, and we got started on the long road of adoption again. When we received and scanned over the big red book that explained Holt’s China adoption process we were a little overwhelmed. Adopting from China looked a lot more difficult than adopting from Korea.

We started in the standard China program but also decided to be in the Waiting Child program simultaneously. It proved to be a good choice. If we had only been in the standard program, we would still be waiting (possibly years) longer for just a child referral. So our road wasn’t as long as it might have been.

We traveled to China to receive Jenna in 2007 when she was 3 years old. Born with a cleft palate and large birthmark on the right side of her face and neck, Jenna had been abandoned in Shennong Park when she was 1 month old. The cleft palate had already been surgically repaired in China before we received her. Read the rest of this entry »

The China Child of Promise program matches prospective adoptive parents with children who have minor and correctable needs ranging from: missing or extra digits, cleft lip/palate, club feet, and minor heart conditions.

The children in the program do not have life-long health or learning disabilities, and their ‘special need’ can often be corrected with surgery, if it hasn’t been corrected already.

Parents are able to decide which medical needs they feel are within their capacity to care for by filling out a minor/correctable conditions checklist.

Joining this program does not exclude you from the standard waiting process; it simply expands your options and gives you the chance to be matched with a child much quicker!

The following is a story about a little boy named Daniel, a China Child of Promise, who had a minor case of clubfeet. He just recently came home to his permanent family….learn more about Holt’s Child China of Promise program

by Michele Mazzio

Adoption was something that my husband and I talked about many years ago, particularly after we lost our son, Brendan, to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) in 2001. After a long grief process we started to explore and research domestic and international adoption. We discussed the programs and met with various people who had adopted internationally.

As a teenage girl I dreamed of having a little girl from China, and my husband was open to this, as well. After a little over a year of paperwork and wait time, we adopted our daughter, Emma from the Province of Guangdong in 2005. After so many years of empty hearts and arms we held our healthy 15-month old little girl. We were so excited and thrilled to have been blessed by this gift.

Emma is now an amazing 5-year-old girl who loves to hula-hoop, do gymnastics, play the piano and just enjoy life every day. As her pre-K teacher tells her: “You are the sunshine in my classroom.” She has certainly been my sunshine and warms my heart every day. Emma has taught us so much more about love and life and the importance of family. She has even taught me how to parent a child after the loss of another.

My husband and I decided that we wanted to take another journey back to China and adopt another little girl. We completed our paperwork and submitted our dossier to China in 2006. At the time we knew that the wait would be longer than before but not that the wait time would get extended each month that went by.

One day I was reading an article about Holt’s China Child of Promise Program and about little boys who need families too. When I think about adoption from China, I only naturally think about the little girls. I had never thought about adopting a boy from China. Read the rest of this entry »

Some foster parenting programs in China are in danger of closing

by John Aeby, Director of Communications, with Tony Nolan, special guest speaker at Winter Jam 2009 and dedicated advocate for Holt International. Tony recently adopted a daughter from China and visited Holt-supported foster care programs in that country.

“As I witnessed the love that Mrs. Lee, one of Holt’s devoted foster mothers, showed to the babies in her care,” said Tony Nolan recently, “I thought about how God has a great love for every child in need….”

Tony isn’t the first person to be overwhelmed by the devotion and sacrificial love of Holt foster parents. Their selfless love nurtures homeless children while Holt completes the adoption processing for permanent families. When that processing is done, the foster parents release these children to their new adoptive families. Despite the tears, emptiness and loss that foster parents may feel at the end of that process, most are willing to take in yet another child.

However, in China recently, some foster care programs are in jeopardy due to the tightening world economy. Many of these foster programs were initiated and developed by Holt: Holt’s expertise in this field provided the training for foster parents as well as social work and medical staff. In some cases Holt turned over the maintenance funding for these programs to other agencies, so that Holt could develop foster programs in other areas.

Now, some of those agencies are no longer able to continue their funding. But Holt cannot allow these children to be brought back into the orphanages. Holt is stepping out on faith to raise the necessary funds to keep these children with the only families they have known—their foster families.

“Without foster families like the Lees…” said Tony, “these children don’t stand a chance. With the help that [Holt donors] provide, foster parents can take such good care of the children. It truly is something to celebrate.”

“The caregivers and foster families are providing tremendous care, but they can’t do it on their own. We will do all that we can to help these children and to tell people to help.”

Donate to help keep children in China with their foster families…

A family is completed through the China Child of Promise program

by Kim Esser

My husband and I went to an informational meeting on adoption in our hometown in 2006. We have three wonderful kids but were open to adding to the family through adoption. After the meeting we immediately started in on the paperwork.

As the one-year anniversary of our log-in date approached we saw the wait time increase triple fold. What were we to do? Stay in the process? Drop out? Switch to special needs?

In the end, we decided to go the China Child of Promise route. My husband and I filled out a minor/correctable needs checklist and then compared our lists, deciding on needs that we thought we could handle. We filed the paperwork in late August 2008 and three weeks later we had our referral! She was a beautiful little girl, about to turn one that week, and she was missing some fingers on her left hand…that was it!

We immediately said, “Yes! This is our child!” and started the process to bring Seren SuPing home. It seemed like everything then took the long route but in reality we were on our way to China in February 2009 to bring home our girl!

Seren SuPing has added so much joy to our family,and we can’t imagine life without her. If you are a family trying to decide if the Child of Promise program is right for you, take that leap of faith. In reality, you are the ones in control because you decide what “special needs” you are open to. There was never any pressure from Holt, and they never tried to persuade us into needs that we weren’t open to.

Holt wants you to feel comfortable with what you decide upon and only wants what is best for the children. I look at our new daughter and can’t imagine not having her. She fits our family perfectly and has made us all appreciate what we have and what we do as a family.

Learn More about the China Child of Promise option…..

View the Minor/Correctable Conditions Checklist

A simple idea changes the life of a little girl

The Nolan family’s journey in China continues (see entry directly below) as they tour the Nanchang Social Center.  The following is Brian Campbell’s account of their experience.

by Brian Campbell, Holt Creative Productions Manager

The Nolans and I traveled to the Nanchang Social Center where Holt has several programs, including the baby care unit and foster care programs. When we arrived at the center Lisa Xu, a member of Holt’s China staff, had just started the tour when a little girl came darting by our feet. Lisa giggled as the energetic little girl leapt into a caregiver’s open arms.

“I have to tell you a story about this little girl”, said Lisa. “Qui* was born with no feet. As she got older and tried to walk, she experienced great pain unless she was on the padded mat or floor.”

As Lisa continued her story, the little girl began dashing about once again. The Nolans started to play with her and observed that she indeed had no feet at the end of her busy little legs.

“As Qui was getting ready to transition into Holt’s foster care program,” Lisa continued, “a caregiver decided to make Qui some little shoes. She made them out of a ball that she cut in half. The little cups have cloth straps that are strapped around her lower legs to keep the cups in place. Ever since Qui received her shoes, she has been so busy running around that she is difficult to catch up with sometimes.”

We watched Qui take small steps back and forth to manage her balance as she chatted to the Nolans and snacked on the candy they brought.

“Was this part of the caregiver’s responsibilities?” asked Tony.

“No.” Lisa replied. “The caregiver just had an idea of a way to make this little girl’s life easier and made these shoes in her off time.”

“I am amazed at how much passion Holt staff has for these children, and how they demonstrate that passion in little and big ways,” said Tony. “To have someone at Nanchang who would have the creativity, desire and motivation to do something above and beyond the call of duty is just awesome!”

Read more about the Nolan family’s trip to China on Tammy Nolan’s blog

Tony Nolan, special guest speaker at Winter Jam 2009 and dedicated advocate for Holt International’s work, is currently in China with his wife, Tammy, to receive the newest member of their family, Joy. On this trip, the Nolans visited a Holt-supported foster family in Nanchang.

The following post from Brian Campbell recounts Tony’s experience at the home, and how a foster mother’s devotion dramatically changed the life of a child in her care.

By Brian Campbell, Holt Creative Productions Manager

“This is one of the hottest days on record in Nanchang,” Lisa Xu, a social worker on Holt’s China staff, tells me. The Nolan family takes this in stride as we board the van to visit a foster home. We hike the flights of stairs to the 6th floor. Sweating and panting, we arrived at the modest apartment occupied by the Lee family. Tony brought his whole family and with the social workers and myself, it was difficult to squeeze the 12 of us into the foster family’s small (by U.S. standards) 2-room apartment.

The Lees care for two foster children: Ling and Ruo*. When Ling, who was about 2 months old at the time, came to live with the Lees, little was known about her medical history, outside of the normal medical exam she received when she was first admitted.

As Mrs. Lee interacted and played with the children, she noticed that Ling exhibited behaviors that didn’t seem normal. Mrs. Lee researched ailments with similar symptoms, and during Ling’s next check-up with a Nanchang social worker, she pointed out that Ling showed signs of hearing difficulties.

The social worker scheduled a hearing examination that later confirmed Mrs. Lee’s suspicion. Although it is difficult to know how severe Ling’s hearing loss will be, because of the attentive care and actions taken by Mrs. Lee, and her love and concern for this child, Ling will receive the treatment and attention she needs. Mrs. Lee will also be better equipped to care for her.

Tony was quite moved as he listened to this story and held Ruo.

“What can you say?” he starts. Read the rest of this entry »

An adoptive dad reflects on having two beautiful children

by: Terry R. Cassreino

With Father’s Day fast approaching, my children are on my mind more than usual. Our family is in the process of moving to southeast Louisiana after I accepted a job and began work there in May. Our children stayed home with my wife, helping prepare our house for sale and packing for the move.

Being a father came late for me, just like my marriage. Both have been a huge blessing. Pam and I met in 1997 when I was 36; we married in 1999. When it became obvious we weren’t going to have a child naturally, we chose to adopt, hooked up with Holt International and the rest, to use a trite phrase, is history. We brought our daughter, Camryn, home from China in 2006.

A few years later Camryn sat in my lap and begged me to talk about the upcoming China trip my wife and I were taking to bring home our second child, Matthew. Her excitement had been building for months, ever since Pam and I learned that we were matched with a little boy through Holt’s China Child of Promise program.

“Tell me about my baby brother,” Camryn said as she smiled and laughed. “Talk to me about Matthew. Is he going to be big? Is he still a baby? Can I play with him?”

Hearing Camryn’s excitement didn’t surprise me at all. We had been talking to her about Matthew for weeks to help her prepare for his arrival and ease the transition to having a second child as a member of our family.

Matthew has been home since December. For me, nothing is more touching than watching Camryn sit on the floor of her bedroom, open a book, point to the pictures and create a story for her brother as if she’s reading the words on the pages. Matthew usually sits quiet and attentive, listening to every word.

Our lives have seen the typical challenges of most parents: making sure our children eat right, trying to choose the right day care and treating the typical childhood illnesses and colds. We also do other things, such as ensuring Camryn and Matthew know and learn about their Chinese culture. And we are helping Matthew correct his clubfoot, which hasn’t been that much of a problem at all. Read the rest of this entry »

A couple with three daughters adopts a girl through the China Child of Promise program

by: SueAnn Rand

I got “the itch” shortly after my husband and I decided for sure that we were not having any more children. We were so very blessed to have three healthy, beautiful daughters.  What more could we ask for? I had the itch, nonetheless, and after discussing our many options, adoption seemed to call to us.

Our decision to adopt another girl was not even a decision really, though we would have been happy with a boy if we had one anywhere along the way, that was not the path chosen for us. Girls are just what we know and do best. We had many friends who had adopted from China and heard about the great need of forever families for girls. What a great life experience for our very lucky daughters and a wonderful opportunity for us to grow as a family while reaching out to a little girl halfway around the world.

A friend of a friend had adopted three children from China through Holt, and that was all we needed to hear, Holt was our choice. After starting the paper chase in April 2007, our dossier was logged in with China in June. After a few months, we were very discouraged to hear of the increasing wait times for adoption within China.

We had heard a little about the China Child of Promise option but didn’t really think it was right for us – quite frankly it scared me! After exploring it a little and learning that we were in control of the types of special needs we were willing to consider, we decided to fill out the minor/correctable needs conditions list.

By the time we were finished researching the different conditions, it seemed we hadn’t really selected many that we were ok with, but we finally submitted our list to Holt in December. I’ve always believed things work out the way they are supposed to, and I knew our perfect fate was waiting. Read the rest of this entry »

CEO, Kim Brown observes the loving and attentive caregivers at Nanchang

by Kim Brown

When I bent over a crib at the Nanchang Orphanage baby unit recently and found a cute, sparkly-eyed baby looking back at me curiously, I couldn’t help smiling.  It’s very satisfying to feel good about where a child is and the quality of care they’re getting. The baby unit had eighteen infants that day with eight or so caregivers. Wearing fresh clean smocks, they went about the constant but unhurried business of making sure each baby was: rocked, fed, cleaned up or just talked to. You seldom see any of these caregivers without a baby in her arms.

It’s fun work I’m sure, but there is an earnestness about the baby unit, too. Several of the babies have a cleft lip and palate, and their care requires a combination of skill, vigilance and attention to detail. Watching the caregivers, it’s easy to see the personal investment these women are making into the lives of the children. That personal investment is something that you can’t just pay for. It’s all about finding people who truly love children. Read the rest of this entry »

Jennifer and Jonathan are united with their daughter through the China Child of Promise option

By:  Ashli Courtright, Managing Editor

“After growing increasingly tired and discouraged by the wait time of a Chinese adoption, my husband and I decided to research Holt’s China Child of Promise option,” says Jennifer.

Just two months after switching from the standard China adoption process to the China Child of Promise program, Jonathan and Jennifer were matched with Kira, who’s minor, correctable need will be considered cured after one surgery.

Jonathan and Jennifer are just one of many families who have chosen to expand their options and adopt through Holt’s China Child of Promise Program.

This program matches prospective adoptive parents with children who have minor and correctable needs ranging from: missing or extra digits, cleft lip/palate, club feet, and minor heart conditions.

The children in the China Child of Promise Program do not have any identified life-long health or learning disabilities, and their ‘special need’ can often be corrected with surgery, if it hasn’t been corrected already. It is still strongly suggested, however, that the child material be thoroughly reviewed by a medical professional who has experience in reviewing international child reports.

“After the surgery and a few follow-up appointments, Kira’s health issue will be considered cured, and she will only require a yearly check-up to monitor,” says Jennifer. “Her life expectancy will be normal, and there are no restrictions on her diet, activities, or abilities.” Read the rest of this entry »