Addis Ababa, Ethiopia—What an amazing day today! Just back from our first day in Addis where a group of Holt board members and donors are visiting our newest adoption and child welfare program. A day filled with many highs and a few lows.
Highs began in the morning with our visit to the Holt child care center in Addis Ababa. Some of the children greeted us, walking down the front stairs and handing each of us a fresh cut rose. They were all dressed up in their best outfits and all appeared remarkably healthy.
So many great things are happening here at Holt’s programs in Ethiopia. The Holt care center is just over a year in operation and now is the temporary home to some thirty or so children. Most of the children have been matched with adoptive families who will soon travel here to receive their new family members.
The low was listening to Dr. Fikru, Holt’s country director, explain and describe the dire situation of so many other children at our transition center in the south. This is the center where abandoned and orphaned children are brought for care… sounds like there are tremendous needs and very little resource to meet those needs currently. We’ll visit that area in a few days, and I’ll send an update.
When Juan Ocampo attended Winter Jam Christian concert recently, he realized that God was directing him toward sponsoring a child. The following is Juan’s account of that event:
I can’t say that I am very familiar with today’s top Christian artists, but I was familiar enough with a few, and thank God that He is able to use the music and the artists to do His work. I have to say that I was moved by the mass of youth praising the Lord and having fun in their faith. It was a full house of over 10,000 people, and 1,800 souls were saved that night.
Holt International is an organization that helps “give orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children safe and nurturing environments in which to develop,” and they were one of the organizations and sponsors involved with the tour. My wife and I attended the concert to enjoy the celebration of our faith, but after the Holt International story and testimonies of former orphans, we looked at each other with certainty of what the Lord was calling us to do. God had touched my wife and I to sponsor a child.
We headed to the crowded table where Holt International staff and all the pamphlets of needy children were. On our way to the table, my wife and I were praying for God’s direction Read the rest of this entry »
One day in Seoul, Korea, a newborn baby boy was found in the garbage and taken to Holt in the hopes that his life could be saved. He was soon adopted and raised in Michigan by his parents along with his sister, who is also adopted from Korea. Over 40 years later, this same boy, now a grown man, lives a healthy and happy life of service to others.
Kim Deardorff has a profound adoption story and exceptional talent for music. He is a self-taught pianist, composer and recording artist. His musical skills have afforded him the opportunity to travel the world, working for Fortune 500 companies such as Walt Disney, The Discovery Channel, The Kennedy Space Center, Universal Studios and many others. But Kim considers his most recent opportunity to be the most meaningful. He is currently touring with the Christian music group, NewSong, sharing his adoption story from center stage at the largest Christian music event of the year, Winter Jam—for the purpose of raising up new sponsors for children in Holt’s care. The 2009 Winter Jam concerts feature NewSong and many other Christian artists. Read the rest of this entry »
