Min-kee came into the care of Ilsan at [...]]]> Since Holt’s beginning, 55 years ago, many children with special needs at the Ilsan Center in Korea have gone home to wonderful permanent families.  Today, we ask for your help on behalf of one resident, Min-kee,  a spirited and sweet 6-year-old waiting for a family of his own.

Min-kee came into the care of Ilsan at 16 months of age.  Upon arrival, he had a large ASD of the heart, but has since had this surgically closed.  His current, suspected diagnosis is Noonan syndrome.  Min-kee can feed and dress himself, uses the bathroom with little help and receives speech, art and music therapy.  “Min-kee is so charming and has come so far,” says Molly Holt, Holt Korea director. “The housemothers and the residents here just love him.”

Access to medical treatment and the loving encouragement of a permanent family will make a huge difference in Min-kee’s life.  This Thanksgiving,  post his story on your Facebook, blog and other social networking sites.  Min-kee needs a special family.  He has waited for six years and we know there is one out there, waiting just for him.  Help us bring them together!

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The Following is a letter from Melinda Dionne.  Melinda volunteered at Ilsan for 4 months alongside Molly Holt.  She describes Min-kee as “the cutest little guy ever!”….

by Melinda Dionne

During my time at Ilsan Town, I had the privilege of living among the residents for four months. And one of those residents was 6-year-old Min-Kee.

Min-Kee is a bright little boy that is both charming and independent. There are several little boys around the age of six who live at Ilsan, and they all play and live together. Min-Kee is a very social little boy, and often will take the lead among his peers.

Min-Kee can be shy at first with adults, but once he opens up to you he is engaging. He didn’t care that I didn’t speak Korean, regardless he would ask me questions; and I would do my best to answer them. He’s an inquisitive and spirited little boy.

While I was there, Min-Kee attended regular school daily, and rode the bus with the other children from the neighborhood. After school his schedule was much like any typical American kindergartner, naptime and then a snack and then playing with the other little boys until dinner. I would often see him after school with the little clan of Ilsan boys riding their bikes around the grounds or at the park on the slide or swings.

Min-Kee enjoys singing in the international, “Voices of the Soul” choir, and even has his own moment in the spotlight. During every concert, he takes the place of the conductor and leads the entire choir in a song to the delight of the audience. He takes the attention in stride, and seems unfettered when meeting all kinds of dignitaries in Korea.

This precious little boy loves to eat! He especially has a love for ice cream. Molly always said, “when you don’t have a mother, food is definitely a comfort for these residents.” With that said, I always kept a supply of cookies, chips and crackers in my backpack to hand out when appropriate. One day I had some gum, and gave a piece to Min-Kee. He popped it in his mouth and with a bow and a smile thanked me in Korean.

I pray that someday Min-Kee will get the forever family that he needs. He’s a beautiful boy with so much potential. His energetic spirit, happy disposition and enthusiasm for participation gives me hope there’s a family willing to give him the life he deserves to have.

Watch Min-kee lead the “Voices of the Soul” choir in a song performed for Korean dignitaries….(wait for his bow at the end!)

Help Min-kee, the Waiting Child of the Week, go viral! Forward this to friends and family. Share every week at church or a community group. And repost to your own blog, Facebook page and company site. With the simple press of a button, you can change Min-kee’s life forever!

Want more information on Min-kee?….contact Holt’s Waiting Child program

by Jake Krob

Parents who adopt have heard it time and time again. “You are so special!” people say.

“Your child is so lucky,” others remark.

It’s pretty clear after six months with Sonny that he’s the special one…that we’re the lucky ones.

It’s true that how Sonny came into our [...]]]> A 13-year-old boy leaves the loving care of Ilsan

by Jake Krob

Parents who adopt have heard it time and time again. “You are so special!” people say.

“Your child is so lucky,” others remark.

It’s pretty clear after six months with Sonny that he’s the special one…that we’re the lucky ones.

It’s true that how Sonny came into our lives is a bit uncommon. As far as Holt has records, he’s the oldest child with special needs to be adopted.

“You know, you had quite a bit going against you,” our social worker said.

We didn’t take this adoption – and all the “issues” – lightly. But our motives, if that’s what you call them, were grounded in the same reasons most everyone adopts: Every child is a miracle. Every child deserves a loving family.

That’s what led us to Holt in 2003. Eli, now 5 1/2, arrived in Eastern Iowa from Seoul, South Korea, as a six-month-old blessing. We were blessed by birth with the arrival of Ella, now three, in 2006.

And then we met Lee Soo-Hoon (Sonny), through the pages of Holt International magazine. It arrived midday. I’d had a long evening of work as editor of the newspaper we own. Niki, Eli and Ella were in bed when I came home. On the kitchen counter was Hi Families, opened to the Waiting Children pages. Niki stuck a Post-It next to his picture.

“Our new son?” she inquired in writing.

“Yes.” I replied, for her to discover the next morning.

Our faith told us, deep in our souls, that this was right for us. But we knew it wasn’t for us that we were deciding. We spent hours contemplating what would become the first of many decisions we made for our son: Was this the right thing to do for Lee Soo-hoon?

He’d been in the care of Holt since birth. He clearly loved his housemothers. He loved his family at Ilsan. He reveled in activities – from a choir that toured the country, and beyond, to TaeKwon-Do and wrestling.

We knew that if for whatever reason the adoption didn’t work out, he would have a fine life in Korea. After all, he was in the care of Holt. There’s always that shred of doubt with faith, and we won’t deny that here, but miracles along the way cemented our decision for Sonny. It was the right decision to bring him home.

There are people today who still say we took a big leap of faith. Some probably think we’re crazy. But again, we turn to Sonny.

At Sonny’s baptism, Niki’s dad, Randy preached as a Deacon in the Catholic Church. Randy said it best:  “While Sonny’s Faith with a capital ‘F’ – his faith in God – is evolving, he is a perfect model for another faith – with a lower case ‘f’ … a faith in others that we hope someday will extend to his capital ‘F’ Faith in God.

“Think about Sonny’s life and you’ll see what I mean. He’s told time and again about the possibility of being adopted. But months and years go by and nothing happens. Still he has faith, even though he probably doesn’t have a clear understanding of what a “family” means. He just knows all that must be good … because that’s what he’s told … and he has faith in what his care providers tell him.

Then, finally at the age of 13, Sonny is told he’s going to have a home … with a family … a Mom and a Dad and a brother and sister … in the United States. His faith is rewarded, but then came the real show of faith. To be a part of that family experience, to have the love of a Mom and Dad and siblings and extended family. Sonny had to leave everything and everyone he had ever known. He had to leave his culture, his language, his food and much more. But he did … why? Because he had faith.”

Sonny has shown us that faith every day since his arrival in February. The day he went to school for the first time – a school full of English-speaking teenagers. The day he ate his first Midwest meal, including a salad with all the fixings. The day he first went to church. The day Sonny took his first trip to Omaha to visit family.

Are there trying days? You bet. Communication can still be difficult. Sonny’s Down Syndrome makes some tasks difficult for him. Sibling rivalry is a part of our household, just as it is yours. And Sonny is a teenager, with the attitude to come with it.  But at the end of each day, it’s clear: He’s a special son. We’re the lucky ones.

Holt needs volunteers to sign up for this year’s Gift Team trip to Korea. Every December volunteers on Holt’s Korea Gift Team deliver gifts and host celebrations for the children, foster mothers and caregivers at the Ilsan Center and Jeonju Babies’ Home—A tradition that the children [...]]]> brighten the life of a child in Korea this Christmas

Holt needs volunteers to sign up for this year’s Gift Team trip to Korea. Every December volunteers on Holt’s Korea Gift Team deliver gifts and host celebrations for the children, foster mothers and caregivers at the Ilsan Center and Jeonju Babies’ Home—A tradition that the children look forward to every year.

All year long the children, of all ages, make gifts and practice songs and skits as they prepare to entertain for the Gift Team’s arrival.

Members of the Gift Team also get the chance to tour the grounds and cottages of the Ilsan Center, and learn more about the history of Holt’s work in Korea.

If you would like to join the Gift Team to Korea and help bring some holiday cheer to the children in Holt’s care, please contact Ann Marie Pentacost at annmariep@holtinternational.org  for more information and to receive a registration form.

Travel: December 1-8

Registration Deadline: October 4th

Estimated Cost: approx. 2,800-3,330 per person to include airfare, hotel, ground transportation in Korea, most meals.

by Courtney Rader, Holt Adult Adoptee Outreach Director

Is this your first time back to Korea? I don’t know how many times I was asked this question. Technically, the answer is no. I was in the [...]]]> A return to Korea, with the Holt Heritage tour, brings understanding and an unexpected connection

by Courtney Rader, Holt Adult Adoptee Outreach Director

Is this your first time back to Korea? I don’t know how many times I was asked this question. Technically, the answer is no. I was in the airport for a layover to Hong Kong once, but that doesn’t count. I was adopted in 1980, and this was my first time back to Korea.

I tried not to have high expectations. I wanted to share this experience with my husband and the 45 people on the two-week tour. For many this was the first time back to Korea. Smiles and laughter seemed to be a constant theme, however, I saw and experienced many tears. In a country so foreign to me, I felt this connection as if I had never left. I saw myself in so many faces, including the children, but at the same time, I realized that we didn’t have much in common besides being Korean. It felt so weird to see people who look like me everywhere, but to feel so disconnected to them at the same time. Yet, I felt a close connection with the other adoptees on the Tour.

The Heritage Tour took us to Incheon, Seoul, Gyeongju, and Busan. We visited the Korean Folk Village, Changdeok Palace and were invited to a special dinner hosted by the district mayor of the Jongno District. We did our best at making kimbop at the Kyoungbuk University Korean Cultural Program, visited the Jeonju Babies’ Home, the Daejeon Maternity Shelter, and Holt Ilsan Center. We were honored in the Mapo District with a ceremony that granted us honorary citizenship commemorating our visit and reestablished our roots and ties to Korea

My most memorable experience was the host family stay. Where we were guests for one night. You would think the language barrier would be an issue, but it was not. The youngest daughter translated very well and at times I could tell she was nervous and rubbed her face in embarrassment as I complemented her English. Her pronunciation was perfect. Later in the week, we met them for an evening, and in a touching moment our host mother gave me a hug and said in English that she was my “Korean mom”.

There is no way to clearly describe my experience back to Korea. Just like the nod many adoptees give each other, there is a common understanding among those who have experienced their first trip back. It’s a journey I have opened my heart to and have no expectations as to where it may lead. I do know, however, that I have gained a better understanding of my birth country and knowledge of Holt’s services. I have seen how beautiful and proud the Korean people are. I know I will return to Korea and look forward to growing my relationship with a country I once called home.

For information about next summer’s China and Korea Heritage tours, contact Lisle Veach at lislev@holtinternational.org (China tour) or Paul Kim at paulk@holtinternational.org (Korea tour)

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 [...]]]> 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?

By: CEO, Kim Brown

My recent trip to Korea coincided with what would have been Grandma Holt’s 105th birthday. We planned to spend the day with Molly Holt (Harry and Bertha’s daughter) at [...]]]> Kim Brown joins Ilsan Center residents and staff in seeing a longtime resident go to his adoptive family

By: CEO, Kim Brown

My recent trip to Korea coincided with what would have been Grandma Holt’s 105th birthday. We planned to spend the day with Molly Holt (Harry and Bertha’s daughter) at Holt’s Ilsan Center.*

We visited Bertha’s and Harry’s graves–a very moving and emotional time, just as I knew it would be. Ilsan residents, staff from Holt’s Seoul office and some guests participated in a small program at the gravesite, remembeing ‘Grandma’ and how she had so profoundly touched all our lives.

“This is a special day here at Ilsan for another reason besides my mom’s birthday,” said Molly, as we walked back down the 59 steps from the gravesite to her house. “Soo-hoon, a 13-year-old boy who lives here, is going home tomorrow to his adoptive family, and we are having a farewell party for him this afternoon.”

A few minutes later I met Soo-hoon, a handsome, lively young man who smiled his million-dollar smile when he shook my hand. Soo-hoon is something of a celebrity at Ilsan. He is part of the Ilsan choir and ‘conducts’ along with the choir director during performances. He even directs the choir himself during some of the numbers, and is a true star in the eyes of his friends and fans that have watched him over the years.

Soo-hoon was about to join his own family. I thought about the amazing turn his life was about to take in a few short hours.

It was a bittersweet moment. Soo-hoon was going to his adoptive family because Molly and many others in his life had

never given up hope that he could find the right family to cherish and love him. But he was also leavi

ng his friends, and knew that for them the dream of a family was still that–just a dream.

As I watched Soo-hoon play and spend

time with his friends for the last time, I could not help but think about my own journey to my family more than 50 years ago. But I was only a baby and do not remember anything about leaving Korea, as Soo-hoon will.

I also thought of my son and daughter, adopted from Korea, and knew that across the ocean, Soo-hoon’s family anxiously awaited his arrival-an experience I remember vividly as an adoptive parent. When I said goodbye to Soo-hoon, I wished him well and told him I looked forward to seeing him and meeting his family some day.

On the drive back to Seoul, I reflected on the many experiences the day held for me. The memories of Grandma Holt, the inspiration of seeing what Molly faithfully does every day for children at Ilsan, the precious children who live there, and the wonderful opportunity to witness Soo-hoon getting ready to go home.

It was a day of many blessings. I am happy to know that Soo-hoon finally has a family. It reminded me of how Harry Holt must have felt when he said: “Every child deserves a home of his own.” That was 53 years ago, but it is still as relevant today as it was then, and I promised myself and Grandma Holt that I would do all I can to keep that promise.

* Originally built by the Holts as a temporary care facility for adoptable children, the Ilsan Center became a home and training complex for disabled children. Today, nearly 300 children and residents live and develop life skills at Ilsan, and some are eventually adopted.

by Kim S. Brown, CEO

Ilsan, Korea–A simple service on the hillside overlooking the Holt Ilsan Center seemed a fitting celebration of someone so beloved. Bertha “Grandma” Holt would have celebrated her 105th birthday today.

A handful of friends and Grandma’s daughter, Molly, gathered at the graveside [...]]]> Holt’s CEO attends a service honoring Bertha Holt

by Kim S. Brown, CEO

Ilsan, Korea–A simple service on the hillside overlooking the Holt Ilsan Center seemed a fitting celebration of someone so beloved. Bertha “Grandma” Holt would have celebrated her 105th birthday today.

A handful of friends and Grandma’s daughter, Molly, gathered at the graveside to pay tribute. As the years pass, the memories of Grandma Holt seem to become more vivid, the stories of her person more colorful.

It is impossible for me to think of Grandma Holt as one person. She touched the lives of so many children and families in many different ways. And yet, each one of us senses a very personal connection to this woman. It seems that all of us adopted from overseas or helped to have families of our own have a touch of Grandma within us. To each one of us, she is our Grandma.

We all miss her on this day, but thank God for her love, still felt on this day of remembrance.