1. family and parenting
2. children

Children's Hope
International
www.ChildrensHope.net
www.ChildrensHope.net
Spring 2007
15 th
How it All Began
The First Adoptions
National Reunion
All-American Family
R
HOMES,
H E A LT H
AND
HOPE
FOR
CHILDREN
IN
NEED
Luis, 8, Ana Maria, 5 ½, and Jeison, 3 ½, came home to Kentucky from Colombia in February.
These siblings, with the big happy smiles, were adopted by Jose and Megan Huerta.
Contents
Family Stories
4 My Mother
Children's Hope News
_ China
3 Dwyatt's Desk
by YaLi Wahlstrom
10
6 2007 Reunion Picnic
The First Adoptions _ China
7 Letters from Orphans
by Jennifer Newcomb
8 How it All Began
12 Green Light Go _ Russia
15 years of Children’s Hope
Adopting a Child with Special Needs
16 All American Family _ Vietnam
14 Humanitarian Aid
2006 Year-End Report
by Shar Moser
18 New Arrivals
12
On the Cover
2007 marks the 15th year Children’s Hope has found
loving homes for orphans who desperately need the
love of a family- nearly 6000 children since 1992.
Read about how it all began on page 8.
-2-
16
www.ChildrensHope.net
Children's Hope International
Spring 2007
DWYATT’S DESK
15
Eyes of Hope
Fifteen Years of Giving
Homes, Health and Hope
Out of the cold night of hopeless abandonment into the warm
security and strong arms of love. This is the unspoken meaning of
adoption. Children who have no parents to tuck them into bed and look
at them with the eyes of love are lost beyond any words to describe.
When I first saw the children living in Chinese orphanages in the early
90’s I was struck with the realization that they had no light in their eyes.
Their eyes looked dead and I realized that it was the light of hope that
was missing. They had turned their longing in upon themselves – with
no way of even knowing that something called love existed.
And then!!...when I saw those same children swallowed up by the
billowing, surrounding love of their adoptive parents who spoke without
words into the longing emptiness to say, “You are now and forever
loved and family”, I saw the lights come on in their eyes! In a few days
they were almost unrecognizable from the lonely and forsaken child
that had sat sad and forlorn in the orphanage! Their beauty blossomed
and their lives began.
As long as there are children without parents to love them, we will be
their voice—and their eyes to look for the parents they will never have
if we don’t. That has been our mission and our passion for 15 years –
and forward.
Somewhere a child sits and waits…
1992- China opens up to international adoption. While moving from
Beijing to Tulsa, Dwyatt Gantt, along with Melody Zhang in China,
finalizes 14 adoptions.
1993 - Gantt moves to St. Louis, Missouri, and Zhang immigrates to the
United States to help continue and expand adoptions of Chinese
orphans to American families. Due to a Chinese moratorium, only
20 adoptions were completed.
1994 - Out of a St. Louis apartment office, adoptions triple to 66.
1995- Additional staff is hired and moved into a building in Overland,
Missouri, that would be Children’s Hope International home office
for ten years. 240 Chinese orphans are united with their families.
1996 - Added several branch offices across the United States. Also added
a Russian adoption program. Total international adoptions: 304.
1997 - The Cascade Adoption Agency in Portland becomes a part of
Children’s Hope. New programs for India, Guatemala and Vietnam
are developed. Adoptions for the year: 349.
1998 - Some changes in China’s adoption procedures drop adoptions to 220.
1999 - Adoptions edge back up to 257 as the Chinese opens up again and
new international programs pick up steam.
2000 - Children’s Hope International is one of the first agencies accredited in
Russia. More staff is added to handle 389 adoptions.
2001 - New branches are added in four cities as the staff grows to 71 in the
United States and internationally. Colombia is a new country.
Children’s Hope Foundation launched to handle humanitarian projects.
513 adoptions were completed.
2002 - The number of adoptions this year totals 689 with over $1.7 million
going to orphan and humanitarian needs in all six Children’s Hope
countries.
2003 - While 718 children were placed with loving families, the groundwork
was laid for a new program in Kazakhstan that opened January 1, 2004.
2004 - With 443 adoptions from China and 230 Adoptions from Russia,
Children’s Hope found homes for 816 children in 2004.
2005 - The St. Louis home office moved to a new larger building five miles
west in St. Louis county. For the year, 744 children were placed in
loving homes. Nearly 500 of those adoptions were from China.
2006 - New Orphan Sponsorship Program launches on
www.ChildrensHope.net while finding homes for 715 orphans.
Dwyatt Gantt
Children's Hope International
Executive Director
www.ChildrensHope.net
Children's Hope International
Spring 2007
China 3,612
Russia 1,351
Orphans Adopted Colombia 206
1992-2006 Vietnam 188
Kazakhstan 30
India 188 (closed Aug 2005)
Guatemala 385 (closed Feb 2003)
Nepal 15 (closed Jan 2005)
-3-
My Mother
FAMILY STORY
By YaLi Wahlstrom
Father and Mother are the greatest and the most holy career in the world. The children who
have a father and mother must be the happiest children in the world. No matter if they are
poor or rich, the parents are always ready, giving all their love to their children, no matter
whether the children are their own or adopted.
I have a great mother. She adopted my sister, my brother and me from China. Even though
three of the children are not her biological children, she gives all her love to these three
Chinese children.
My mother is very beautiful. She has brown hair, and bright meaningful eyes. She has a big
high nose. She is very tall and slim. My mother takes very good care of me in everyday. I
have been eating Chinese food since I came to America because my mother worries I am not
used to the food here. The Chinese food my mother makes is very tasty.
At night, I feel scared, so my mother sleeps with me. Whatever I want, my mother always
buys them for me. Sometimes I feel I am asking too much, it is not right. But my mother
always understands and comforts me all the time. When I saw some white hairs coming out
from my mother’s beautiful hair, I felt very sad because she works too hard for us. So in the
daily life, I wish I could do something to make my mother happy and try my best to help her.
I am fully grateful to my mother. Here in America, I can really enjoy Mother’s love, which I
have never had in my life.
I love my mother and love her big heart.
After being in the United States for about a month, YaLi
was asked by her teacher in Madison, Wisconsin, to
write an essay on “The most important person in your
life”. Her essay was translated from Chinese to English.
-4-
CHILDREN’S HOPE NEWS
CHANGES
in China’s Adopting Parent Qualifications
New Regulations will Limit the Number of People Who Adopt from China
In
a move to lessen the number of families adopting from China,
the China Center for Adoption Affairs implemented new tighter
qualifications for potential adoptive parents. Under these new rules,
anyone who is either single, over 50-years-old or who has been
married for less than two years will no longer meet qualifications to
adopt from China.
The CCAA held a meeting in Beijing on December 18, 2006 with
all international adoption agencies to layout the requirement
changes. All adoption paperwork submitted to China after May 1,
2007 must meet the new standards.
“We are sad for the people who had their hearts set on adopting
from China…yet no longer qualify,” said Ann Tollefson, Children’s
Hope China Program Director. “The good news is Children’s Hope
does have options (other countries that will accept them) for many of
these people.”
Stating that China will accept “only healthy adults”, the CCAA will
no longer take applications from individuals with a Body Mass Index
over 40, anyone who is being treated for depression, a serious
disability or any ailment that will shorten a parent’s life span.
“The priority criteria are meant to protect children’s interests and
shorten the waiting time for more qualified applicants,” said Xing
Kaimin, CCAA Director.
Xing added that there are twice as many dossiers to adopt from
China as there are orphans available for adoption. With the new
requirements, the CCAA hopes to lessen the number of applicants
so that the wait time to adopt will eventually become shorter than
the current 15 months.
In Children’s Hope’s 15 years, we have seen numerous changes
in procedures from all the countries we serve. This is the case with
China. Not too long ago a parent had to be at least 35-years-old to
adopt. In the mid-1990s, anyone adopting for a second time had to
be open to adopting a child with special needs. The wait time from
when the adoption paperwork is submitted to China to when a
referral is received has fluctuated greatly over the years less than
six months to more than 18-months.
Meanwhile Director Xing stressed what we know from history:
“The guidelines are temporary and might be revised.”
Blanketed in Love
While 13-month-old Zhengwei was fighting for her life with third degree burns in a Boston hospital, members of
Girl Scout Troop 725 of Palos Park, Illinois, were learning to crochet. As each girl completed a little woolen square, they were
receiving a valuable lesson that went far beyond yarn and fancy stitches. All these little squares were to come together to make a
soft colorful blanket for that terribly burned girl from China.
On December 31, Children’s Hope arranged to have Zhengwei and her mother flown from Shandong Province, China, to Shriners
Burn Hospital in Boston. Last summer Zhengwei fell off her mother’s bike into a pot of boiled noodles. The burns were so severe
that her neck and chest fused together. With no facilities in China capable of treating the injuries properly, Children’s Hope asked for
help from Shriners. The hospital’s
world class medical care would be free to
Zhengwei’s family; Children’s Hope just had
to get her there.
There will be months and months of surgery
and recovery time for Zhengwei. But with
loving support from people like the girls of
Scout Troop 725 and the many volunteers
from the Chinese Christian Churches of
Greater Boston, Zhengwei and her mother
will not be alone as they work through this
difficult separation from friends and family
back home.
Zhengwei’s mother comforts her shortly after a recent surgery in Boston.
( L-R) Madeline Husar, Natalie Cianci and Claire Husar helping to crochet
a blanket for the badly burned baby.
-5-
Orphan Ministry
Children’s Hope Church Outreach Tool Chest
The new Children’s Hope Church Packet will enable you to present Adoption
Awareness, Orphan Care, and Orphan Sponsorship to your church or
community group.
The packet we will mail to you contains a CD with a power-point presentation
detailing the worldwide orphan tragedy, talking points with scriptural
references on orphan care and a bulletin insert. Also included is an emotional
3-minute DVD that grabs the heart of the viewer by proclaiming a call to
action, You Can Bring Hope to an Orphan.
Bring ORPHAN MINISTRIES into your church or community group:
Michelle Wehde Howdeshell
[email protected]
314-812-1746
Reserve Your Table
July 14
National Reunion Picnic
Registration Deadline June 20
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Registration Form
Parent’s Name
Address
Phone
Email
National Reunion Picnic- July 14
10:30 am to 3:30 pm
St. Louis, MO
The Indoor Arena at Queeny Park
___________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
Guests Attending
name:
Children: Name
Age
Country
_________________________ ___
_________
_________________________ ___
_________
_________________________ ___
_________
_________________________ ___
_________
________________________________
________________________________
Lunch is $8.00 per person (adults & children). Please send check and registration form to:
Children’s Hope, Attn: Picnic, 11780 Borman Dr., St. Louis, MO 63146 www.childrenshopeint.org/reunion/reunion07.htm
You
Can Bring Hope to an Orphan
“ I am very glad to know that I have got a
sponsor. I think that from now on I will be
happier and it will be easier to overcome all
the difficulties with you. I won’t let you down.
I will try my best. I swear! ”
Jyothi from India holds her
drawing high so sponsor
Aimee Skornik of Mesa, AZ,
will see her talented work in
her own hands.
Part of a letter written to Dawn Milazzo of Titusville, NJ, by Olga, the
Kazakhstan girl she sponsors on a monthly basis through the Children’s
Hope Orphan Sponsorship program.
www.ChildrensHope.net
Thanks to Lisa Ferguson of Troy, MO, her sponsored child
and three other happy, determined boys in China can now
ride to school on their own bike.
Browse photos and profiles online to find your match—an orphan
from one of five countries, waiting for the love and attention he or she
so desperately needs. Sponsor an orphan today and change a life
forever.
Thuy Nguyen, Children’s Hope Director in Vietnam,
helping Yen Nhi write a letter to her sponsor.
How It All Began
The Children’s Hope Story is a Story of God’s Love for Orphans
Orphans who had no hope, now have hope.
Orphans who dreamed of a home, now have a home.
Orphans who prayed for a mommy and daddy,
now are tucked in with a kiss, every night.
It all started in China
in the 1980s, Dwyatt Gantt, Children’s Hope Executive Director and
Founder, started the organization, University Language Services. While
living part time in China, he was recruiting American and Canadian teachers to teach English in Chinese universities. In less than a decade, Dwyatt
had placed over 700 teachers.
Once in China, some of these new teachers started visiting neighborhood
orphanages. Their hearts were torn to do something. Several asked the
orphanage staff if they could take some of the more sickly children home,
for a night or a weekend, in order to give them better nutrition or medical
attention. Eventually the teachers wanted to take it a step further and
adopt the children they had already made a part of their families.
This gave Dwyatt his first look into the desperate needs of thousands of
orphans in Chinese orphanages. A one child policy coupled with poverty
and a centuries-old male preference culture, left many Chinese baby girls
shivering to survive in cold, poorly staffed child welfare homes.
Melody Zhang and Dwyatt Gantt
in 2006 at the Children’s Hope
Center in Beijing.
“It’s a win-win situation. An
orphan who desperately needs a
home gets a home and a home
that aches for a child, gets a child
to love.” Dwyatt Gantt
“We are totally blessed that God
would use us to save this many
children.” Melody Zhang
“Those valiant teachers who visited the orphanages were responding out
of the need they saw,” Dwyatt said. “All they were trying to do is save
the children. The result is that they ended up adopting.”
In 1989, Gantt met a young Chinese journalist with the Foreign Expert
Bureau, Zhang Wen (Melody), who was working for his group on this
particular day as a translator during a trip to the Great Wall.
“I was fascinated by them…so loving and dedicated to China. It uplifted
me being around them,” Melody said.
Melody was so taken by the University Language Services teachers’ love
for the people of China, she soon was writing an article featuring Dwyatt
for a national magazine. It was titled, “I Have a Chinese Heart”.
By end of 1991, China was preparing to begin adoptions to foreigners
outside of China. On New Year’s Day 1992, Dwyatt rode his bike ten miles
to the United States Embassy in Beijing simply to find non-profit organizations dealing with children. He had envisioned volunteering his assistance
to one of these groups to help orphans get adopted into loving homes in
America.
“My desire was to just volunteer to help…but the phone started ringing
and it hasn’t stopped since,” Dwyatt said.
-8-
www.ChildrensHope.net
Children's Hope International
Spring 2007
1993
1993
While back in the States, Dwyatt contacted Melody to assist in finding
orphanages that would agree to work with him in adopting orphans into
American families. It was not until Melody met Dwyatt that she even
became aware that there were orphanages in China. She had believed
there was no need for orphanages since all people in China were taken
care of equally by the government.
“I started contacting local orphanages. There was no norm…no one
knew what was involved,” Melody recalls about the early days of international adoption from China in 1992.
She called her aunt in Changshu (Jiangsu Province), asking her about
orphanages in her area. To Melody’s surprise, her aunt was good friends
with the director of an orphanage right in the neighborhood. In June
1992, Melody flew down to her aunt’s to visit her first an orphanage.
Only a few weeks after Melody’s initial visit, three orphans were assigned
to those families from the orphanage in Changshu, on August 8, 1992. One of
those families, the Ortners from Florida, were already booked on a
business/tourist trip to China for August, so Dwyatt contacted the agency to
get the other two families ready to fly to Beijing in order to meet up with the
Ortners. It was a tight deadline. The families didn’t even receive the referral
photos until they were boarding their international flight in California.
“God’s grace was on us…there was no road (adoption procedures), we just
had to make the road,” Dwyatt said. “But China was not a mystery to me so I
wasn’t worried.”
Melody greeted the families as they got off their plane and then escorted them
onto a flight down to Shanghai. The next day they traveled to Changshu and
checked into a hotel right across the street from the orphanage.
If it wasn’t for the
prayer and faith for their
mission, Children’s
In the first 20-by-20-foot room she walked into,
Hope could have
Melody saw crib after crib bordering the room.
There were two children per crib with a
very easily folded
bamboo mat and no sheet. The children were
rocking back and forth. All looked malnourished
in that second year.
and mosquito bitten.
“When I went in I got a shock. It was dark…
hot…and smelled so bad,” Melody said.
“It looked like a refugee camp. They were
so pale they didn’t look like normal children.”
“I said to the director, ‘We will try to find homes for the children’,” Melody
said. “They trusted us with their children.”
A little 8-month-old girl with a huge diaper made from a man’s old
trousers stretched out her hand toward Melody, twirling it like a helicopter. Melody picked her up to hold her. This would be the very first baby to
be adopted through Children’s Hope — Lian Ortner.
Back in the States, Dwyatt had finalized a working relationship with an
established adoption agency. Calling his new organization China’s
Children, Dwyatt was quickly given three couples who would be the
“pioneer families” for adoptions from China.
“I was pretty sure it would all happen. I was so
naïve,” Melody said regarding her lack of
apprehension about families flying to China
to adopt when there was no official adoption
procedure yet established by the country.
That first year, 14 Chinese orphans were
adopted into American homes through China’s
Children. The early part of 1993, another 20
adoptions were completed. China then put a
stop to adoptions in order to carefully adjust
procedures. With 40 families waiting and more
calling everyday, Dwyatt used the down time to ask Melody to assist him
back in the United States.
She rented an apartment above his in St. Louis, Missouri. They worked out
of the office in Dwyatt’s small living room equipped with a $29 desk from WalMart, a fax machine and laptop computer.
If it wasn’t for the prayer and faith for their mission, China’s Children could
have very easily folded in that second year. Fortunately, the Chinese government got the adoption process re-organized and operating efficiently. Within a
few months the moratorium was lifted and children were coming home again
by May 1994. That year 66 orphans were adopted into new loving homes.
Continued on page 17 >>
www.ChildrensHope.net
Children's Hope International
Spring 2007
-9 -
15 th
First Adoptions
China may have opened their doors to
the seat in front of us and just stared at it the
whole way on the plane.”
adoption in April of 1992, but three Children’s
Hope families already had hearts wide open.
For the Ortner’s, the Quinn’s, and the Yohey’s
— the first Children’s Hope families — they
were pioneers in what is now commonly known
as the journey of love to China.
In Florida, Judy and Peter Ortner were
researching international adoption with little
materializing. In Colorado, Patty and Ed Quinn
were suffering through the tail-end of eight
years of disappointments in fertility treatments.
In Pennsylvania, Brenda and Roger Yohey
sought the dream of a large, loving family. All
three families were referred to Dwyatt Gantt
and Melody Zhang of emerging China’s
Children, an organization later known as
Children’s Hope International.
“It was quite unusual for all of us,” says Peter
Ortner. “But we said, ‘Let’s go for it. Let’s be
one of the first. And then it was just a few
months.”
The Ortner’s planned to tour their future child’s
homeland, allowing Peter to schedule corporate speaking engagements throughout Asia
and India. When they received a cable requesting their adoption travel in less than two weeks,
the family only deviated from their current
plans.
The Quinn’s were not quite as prepared. Downtrodden with previous tribulations, Patty had
not yet completed their immigration approval.
You can’t travel without it! After finding a
government worker with a huge heart, what
typically takes forty days to process arrived in
hand the day before the family was ready to
travel. The adoption was on!
Up north, the Yohey’s received a call at 1 a.m.,
during Chinese business hours. China was
seeking additional income and career
-10 -
When they landed, the Ortner’s joined the
other two families to embark on their adoption
journey. At their first hotel in Shanghai, Melody
Zhang—as their complete one person stafflaunched into the group itinerary, reviewing
every detail from week one through week four.
intentions from Brenda so Melody was unsure
the family should travel. They received the
verdict the next morning while still bravely en
route. “Everything will be fine!” Melody
reassured, and the family continued to their
next stop, one scare behind them.
In San Francisco, the Quinn’s and the Yohey’s
met. Just as they boarded their connecting flight
to Shanghai, they were handed a color fax—for
the first time they saw their little girls. Noted
above the referral photos were the families’ last
names, distinguishing each of the Changshu
Welfare House roommates set to return to the
States only three weeks later.
“We were pretty sure she was a girl, but we
didn’t know what age. I had to bring two to three
different sizes of diapers and different clothes,
Jenna Yohey
because we were prepared for anything from
birth to a year,” says Patty.
“Until then we only knew they were to be healthy
little girls,” says Brenda.
When the Quinn’s saw the picture it was
overwhelming. “My husband who is not really
emotional—he looked at it and, realizing it was
In Changshu, the families experienced a
personal touch. They visited Melody’s aunt’s
house one evening and when travel needed to
be rerouted a friend of Melody’s drove them
personally to their destinations.
“We are so close. We all consider ourselves cousins.
Even though we are spread all over the country,
we get together still once or twice a year.”
way powerful, said, ‘Put it away! Don’t get it
wrinkled!’” Patty laughs. “I don’t think he could
absorb it. A minute later he said, “Let me see it
again!” Finally, we propped it up on the back of
Lian Ortner
www.ChildrensHope.net
“We already had reservations to come back
home and were pushing the limits of employment, being gone for nearly three weeks. We
were all, ‘Oh, my gosh! We have to be back
home!’ I’ll never forget the look on Melody’s
face! She just said, ‘Oh, okay!’ and made it
happen,” Patty recalls.
Sarah Quinn
Children's Hope International
Spring 2007
At the orphanage, paperwork that now is done
long before travel, needed to be completed.
“We didn’t realize there was more to do!” says
Brenda. When all was ready, the orphanage
director personally flew to Beijing to receive
approval for the three adoptions. Because the
staff was fearful of bonding taking place prior to
approval, the families were only now able to
meet their children after five long days in
country.
“The aunties brought the girls from the orphanage for lunch...and then took them back again!”
Patty remembers laughing. “It was gut wrenching. It was terrible. We hardly got to hold them.”
www.ChildrensHope.net
15 th
“The mothers were all sort of a mess,” Brenda
says, adding that her bonding occurred immediately. “Melody tried to tell us that was good
and maybe the orphanage director and staff
wanted to see what our reaction was.”
Over dinner the Yohey’s asked for a birth date
and, finally, they all learned the age of their
babies. Two days later they were able to see
their girls a second time and were never made
to part again. The orphanage staff continued to
meet formally and socially with the families,
inviting them several times to dine at their
dining hall.
“It was kind of new to everyone in general in
1992,” says Peter.
The American families may have been on new
turf (literally and metaphorically), but so was
the Chinese government. When the families
traveled to Hong Kong by train, a U.S.
embassy official escorted them so that he too
could glean a better understanding of the
process.
Traveling alone to Guangzhou, the city of the
American embassy and consulate, the families
learned they had one last hurdle: their
children’s medical testing. “We couldn’t find the
medical office! We needed the testing to give
the consulate, to get the visa. That was a little
difficult, but we...you know!” laughs Brenda.
the Ortner’s and the Quinn’s returned to China
with their girls to visit the country and their
firstborns’ orphanage. A banquet was thrown in
their honor. Caregivers ran out with baby
photos in hand, hugging the children they once
knew, now grown into beautiful young women.
Even the orphanage director, now in retirement,
joined to celebrate the families. It is clear, the
staff in China had nothing to worry about; these
families were built on lasting love.
Dwyatt and Melody forged a special bond with
these first families as well. The Ortner’s flew
Melody to the States with their new frequent
flyer miles.
“I miss her,” says Patty. “She’s like a sister to
me. While we were in China, she was our
lifeline; we’d never traveled before.” Peter
echoes, “We are one big family now!”
Reflecting on Melody and Dwyatt, Brenda
sighs, “They are, oh my gosh, from heaven.
They are both very special.” Patty continues,
“They are such incredible spirits, so driven by
what they do. They have incredible hearts and
are great role models. We are very fortunate
that our path led us to them.”
Their children feel the same way.
“It was exciting! It was great! We learned so
much from the process,” Patty says.
After their ground breaking adoption, the three
pioneer families brought home baby girls,
Sarah, Lian, and Jenna. Years later the Quinn’s
and the Ortner’s returned again, adopting
Emily and Catherine respectively.
To this day, the families keep in touch meeting
once or twice a year. In the summer of 2005,
Children's Hope International
Spring 2007
At the orphanage in Changshu, Children’s Hope’s
first families hold their daughters close. (L-R) Judy
Ortner with Lian, Roger and Brenda Yohey with
Jenna, and Ed and Patty Quinn with Sarah,
orphanage staff.
- 11-
Find out what your love is capable of __
As a single prospective mother, Heidi took all
this into consideration. Although it would mean
additional personal attention, the more minor
special needs Heidi felt she can handle.
W
hen Hans Denis Graser was born, he was
delivered with fluid in his lungs. Doctors in
Russia diagnosed pneumonia and administered the appropriate antibiotic treatment. The
drug’s effective dose was to be given over a
period of time gradually, but in error the drug’s
full dose was given all at once. In little Hans,
the resulting action caused nerve deafness.
As is the custom for orphans in his region,
Hans stayed in a baby hospital his first year,
completely deaf and unable to hear. Ninetynine percent of his life was spent in his crib
and the little boy was given one diaper change
a day. Upon graduation from the baby
hospital, Hans moved to a “baby house”
where he was unlikely to be adopted. His
caretakers labeled him severely deaf and
developmentally delayed.
“I’ve always thought Special Needs strictly
meant mentally and physically handicapped
kids,” says Heidi Graser, new mom to
adorable “Jack” a.k.a. Hans Denis Graser.
“When I found out Russia considers deafness,
cleft lip and cleft palate, burns, and things of
that nature as special needs, I thought, ‘Those
are not special needs! Those are fixable,
workable maladies.’”
By to
Cory
Barron—
Children
’s Hope
She applied
Children’s
Hope
International
on December 1, 2005, choosing her country,
region, age range, and the special needs she
was open to. Her main goal—to find the one
child with the slimmest chances of finding a
home. She told her adoption coordinator, “I’m
very well traveled. Send me where people
don’t want to go because it is too far away.”
She had the place—Vladivostok, nine hours by
plane from Moscow.
“I was prepared for Jack to be stone cold deaf.
I had to get into that mental state before I
traveled on that first trip.” What if it was more
than she could handle? Would it matter if he
could never hear her? What if the orphanage
did not disclose his entire medical history and
his development delay was due to another
cause?
Heidi had never known anyone with a hearing
impairment. Filled with doubt she consulted her
adoption coordinator, family and friends.
Talking through it got Heidi through it.
Within the region she selected, he was the
only child under 3 years of age afflicted with
any of the special needs she was open to.
“We’d set up a pro and con list. He might just
need hearing aids or implants, and we can
always use sign language. We always had one
or two positives to knock out the negatives.”
For Russia, you travel twice: once to see the
child and verify your decision to adopt; the
second, to attend court and finalize the
process. Heidi began her first trip on April 13.
Before leaving she took every single day,
thinking, “Do I go or not go.”
Heidi explains, “You have to wrap your mind
around it. My sister is pregnant right now, high
risk. And I realized I could’ve given birth to a
child with a hearing impairment or a child with
a cleft lip. Would I love them any less? No, of
course not, he or she would still be my child.”
“It wasn’t so much, ‘Is he right for me?’ but ‘Am
I right for him?’” Although she hoped it would
not be necessary, knowing she had options
was a great relief; if she and Jack were not a
match, she could always return to the States
and await another referral.
In her first couple of days in Moscow, Heidi
was overwhelmed with how to communicate
with Jack. When he looked in her eyes and she
in his, she saw there was no need to worry.
By the time Jack came home, Heidi had
studied sign language. Jack picked up many
words within their first month together. At first
he stumbled down the stretch of her hallway,
but now Jack runs giggling. After three months
at home, he has been fitted for hearing aids in
both ears.
Are you and your family
ready for a child with special needs?
On the third day, after holding him emotionally
at arms length, Heidi fell under Jack’s spell.
Five months later she returned and took him
home as her son.
“It’s so much easier than I ever thought it
would be. That I was scared to even go meet
him...seems silly now. It was the fear of the
unknown.”
Now Heidi knows the unspeakable joy a child
can bring. Tears well up in her eyes when she
speaks of how Jack loves her. Communication
is no problem. “He talks to me; he tells me
what he wants. We communicate with looking
in each other’s eyes, giving hugs, with kisses
and pointing.
“Seeing a smile on his face is the best action
without words. That’s how he says, ‘You’re
mine.’”
Developmentally, Jack caught up quickly when
given personal attention. Although his
caregivers in Russia meant well, they never
knew his potential. Jack is already developmentally on track with other kids his age.
Heidi’s pediatrician referred her to a multitude
of resources for a child with special needs
including home care, special tutors, First
Steps, and Parents as Teachers. Jack now
attends the St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf
and sees professionals in audiology and ENT.
“When they put the hearing aids in I wasn’t
expecting him to hear anything. Snapping
fingers, water—every little bit that he can hear
is like a miracle to me.”
These aids work in preparation for the
cochlear implants he will receive by April or
May of 2007, the all important surgery which
will effectively replace the nerve that was
damaged upon his birth. Amazingly, Jack’s
surgery is covered 100% by Heidi’s insurance
and her employer is covering all deductibles.
Jack will have the opportunity to be everything
he is meant to be.
“I’m looking forward to the day when Jack calls
me ‘Momma’, but when that kid comes running
across the room to give me a kiss, holding
both sides of my face—that is better than any
“Momma” word ever. We share a bond that is
unbreakable.”
Deciding to adopt a child with special needs requires special
consideration. Do you have these qualities?
Commitment: You have a genuine desire to help a child develop at his/her own pace. You have
a long term perspective and always expect the unexpected. Your job is flexible to the necessity
of hospital visits and care.
Flexibility: You are a strong person. You deal with frustration patiently and have a good sense of
humor. Your resilience will aid you in the inevitable trials of the first months, while the child tests
your love. Often these children have had important people in their life let them down.
Empathy: You are able to view people for what they can accomplish, not what they can’t. You
realize your child is made unique by their special need.
Resourcefulness: You are prepared to be your child’s advocate. You are not hesitant about
researching outside resources and seeking professional help if need arises.
Financially Responsible: You are prepared with the financial resources necessary and have
ensured your medical insurance, especially if self-paid, covers your adoptive child.
He taps me on my shoulder as I’m nodding off to sleep,
and he comes up close to my face, gives me a kiss, and
just smiles and goes back to sleep. The fact that he’s deaf
is no part of that. That’s just my son giving his mom a kiss.
--Heidi on Jack
--List compiled by Children’s Hope Social Work staff
SPONSORSHIP TEAM
Humanitarian Aid: 2006 Annual Report
TOTAL DONATIONS IN 2006: $1,522,661…
THIS IS A 75.1% INCREASE FROM 2005.
Dear Friends of Children’s Hope,
Across the globe, roughly one in every five children aged 12-17, and one in every six children aged 6-11 are orphans.** Meanwhile, millions more
children are at imminent risk of becoming orphans, due to poverty, violence, and the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS. Yes, the statistics are sobering…but in
2006, you offered HOPE!
You gave to multiple medical, educational, and social projects in eight different countries.
You sponsored children, providing not only financial assistance, but emotional support through the relationships that have formed.
You spread the word about Children’s Hope programs, increasing awareness of the grim reality of orphanhood and offering practical ways to
transform lives.
In the words of Winston Churchill, “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.” From all of us at Children’s Hope,
thank you – your gifts have made a true impact on the lives of our world’s children.
With sincere appreciation,
Yuriy Kudinov, Director of Humanitarian Aid/Orphan Sponsorship Program
**Statistics from UNICEF’s The State of the World’s Children 2007
Fundraising
Administration
4.6%
1.2%
Total Expenses for 2006
Program
Expenses
94.2%
Children’s Hope International is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity and all contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
Children’s Hope has been recognized for financial and organizational accountability through accreditation from the Council on Accreditation (COA) and
the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).
-14 -
www.ChildrensHope.net
Children's Hope International
Spring 2007
SPONSORSHIP TEAM
Orphan Sponsorship Takes Wing!
On June 30th, Children’s Hope launched a new program aimed at helping those orphaned or impoverished children with little or no chance of being
adopted. To date, 212 children have been sponsored, from five different countries (China, India, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Vietnam). An additional 507
children have been entered into the system and are available for sponsorship on our website. The relationships these children are building with their
sponsors provide them with a new sense of hope, love, and support. Depending on their ages and needs, those enrolled in the program receive such
assistance as new clothes, medical care, nutritious food, educational support, and/or holiday gifts.
China
• Completed 684 surgeries for orphans and for children living in poverty, including 446 procedures to repair congenital
heart defects and 158 cleft lip and palate procedures.
• Started a counseling program for children orphaned by AIDS in Henan province.
Colombia
• Sponsored young birthmothers at the Rosa Virginia Maternity Home.
• Funded repairs and structural improvements at the Children’s Vision International orphanage.
Ethiopia
• Constructed one floor of the new Hope Community Services orphanage. The first four children moved into their new
home in December.
Guatemala
• Supplied school scholarships for junior and senior high students whose families live in the Guatemala City Dump.
India
• Opened a new elementary school, where approximately 300 children receive free education.
• Constructed fresh water wells for 30 different villages in the poverty-stricken region of Kakinada.
Kazakhstan
• Renovated orphanages by painting, repairing roofs, installing drainpipes, and fixing windows and doors.
Russia
• Developed and hosted a unique summer camp experience that allowed children from 10 orphanages in Tomsk and
Kemerovo to live side-by-side with their non-orphaned peers.
• Provided professional training for older orphans at the Safronovo orphanage in Smolensk. The teenagers learned
skills that will enable them to get jobs in agriculture when it comes time for them to leave the orphanage.
Vietnam
• Provided funds to pay for physical therapists to work with developmentally-challenged orphans.
• Held holidays parties for children in multiple orphanages, providing a special day of celebration that they will
remember for many months to come.
For a more listings and financial reports of humanitarian aid projects, visit http://orphan.childrenshope.net & http://finance.childrenshope.net
1138
www.ChildrensHope.net
Children's Hope International
Spring 2007
-15 -
Jason, 13,
David, 7,
Josh, 15,
Jonathan, 5,
Abby, 10,
Greg, Joanna, 2,
Shar, Eddie, 9
Completing the All-American Family
By Shar Moser
The Father of the fatherless planted the idea of adoption in my heart way
back when I was single. Not so with my husband Greg. I prayed that if
adoption was God’s plan for us, He would have to change Greg’s heart.
At my urging, we did start the process for a domestic adoption when our third
child, Abby, was still an infant. It ended abruptly when I found out I was
expecting our forth, Eddie. Then came number five, David, and soon six,
Jonathan. I just thought adoption must not be in God’s plan for us after all. So
I stopped praying about it. (Josh is #1 and Jason #2)
_ Illinois
So our adventure to bring our new daughter home began. Since we
already had six biological children, we found out we could not adopt
from China. Over the next several months we were being led to Vietnam
and Children’s Hope International.
In September 2002, our agency application was approved and we
began preparing our reams of home study paper work. Shortly after, in
January 2003, Vietnam closed to international adoptions. A new law
passed in Vietnam putting a moratorium on all adoptions,
including ours. Almost two years later, as we waited
for the governments of the United States and
Vietnam to sign an agreement on a
restructured adoption process, we were
presented with the possibility of adopting a
“waiting child”. During the last year of the
moratorium, Vietnam decided to allow Children’s
Hope to find homes for several special needs children.
“Our adoption
was now on hold.
We had to wait for the
moratorium to
officially lift. ”
But while at a church potluck, when Jonathan was
10-months-old, our dinner time discussion was
on adoption. On the way home I mentioned to
Greg that more church couples should be
adopting children who need a home. He
responded, “Yes…I can see adopting a little girl
from China.”
WOW! I had not expected that answer at all. In fact, I was not even thinking
of us—six children is a pretty full quiver. But I could feel this HUGE grin on
my face even though I was feeling quite overwhelmed at the very idea.
A few weeks later I asked Greg if he was serious about adoption.
“Yes,” was his reply.
“When?” I asked.
“Right now. We’re not getting any younger.”
-16 -
We saw the picture of a beautiful 5-month-old girl born in a hospital but
left by her birth mother. We cannot imagine how hard that must have
been for the mom to leave her baby, but we will be forever grateful to her
for not aborting, as is often done. After much prayer we knew beyond
any doubt that this little girl, born of another mother in Vietnam, was to
be our daughter.
So now we had our precious daughter, we named Joanna, waiting for
www.ChildrensHope.net
Children's Hope International
Spring 2007
FAMILY STORY
us in the Tam Binh Province in Southern Vietnam. We thought surely
we would bring her home in early 2005. But the U.S. government
would only allow a few of these special adoptions to finalize. Our
adoption was now on hold. We had to wait for the moratorium to
officially lift.
In May 2005, Joanna’s first birthday passed. We had hoped maybe
we could get her home before Christmas, but Christmas came and
went with no Joanna. In the summer, the agreement on adoption
was finally signed by both the U.S. and Vietnam. The Vietnam
government then started to re-license adoption agencies to start in
2006. We were hoping this would allow us to have Joanna home by
her second birthday.
But her second birthday arrived and I was losing hope. May 2006
became a very difficult time for me, as I continued to watch from a
distance our daughter grow from infant to toddler. During a study of
the Book of Daniel, I was reminded that God has everything under
control.
daughter. The poor little sad girl didn’t know
what was happening to her. By the end of our
stay in Vietnam, she was smiling and playing
with our three oldest sons who traveled with
us. Since then, Joanna has adjusted amazingly well. Abby is in her glory with her new
baby sister. Joanna sleeps in a crib in Abby’s
room, so that Abby can get her up and dress
her most mornings. The boys adore her as
well.
Though it took her about four months to warm
up to Greg, she loves her daddy now, and will
tell him, “Daddy, kiss me!”
Jonathan, 5, and Joanna
on the wagon trail
Joanna brings us such joy. We cannot imagine
life without her.
Am I ever glad we waited.
Sure enough, even before May was over, May 29, we received THE
CALL! After months of waiting, we were suddenly in the “rush like
crazy” stage to get ready to fly to Vietnam by early June.
In a little over a week, we were in Ho Chi Minh City holding our
In 2006:
Children’s Hope found homes
for 60 of the total 163 orphans from Vietnam
who were adopted into American families.
<< Continued from page 9
How It All Began 15
The next year, Dwyatt bought a small office building in Overland, Missouri, so that he could add staff. The year would bring 240 adoptions from China. By
1996, China’s Children became Children’s Hope International when Dwyatt—along with his new Nashville branch director Brenda Barker—traveled to
Russia to explore starting an adoption program from that country.
The course was now set for Children’s Hope. Wherever there was an orphan in need with a government that would cooperate within international ethical
standards for adoption, Children’s Hope was going to help. Humanitarian aid projects were expanded to all the countries Children’s Hope serves: providing
food and medicine to orphanages, building playgrounds, sponsoring career training and providing for over 1,600 surgeries to orphans and children of poor
families. Through the new Children’s Hope Orphan Sponsorship program, an individual can now sponsor an orphan to guarantee that child an education,
fresh water, and modern medical treatment, but most of all, the sponsor will give that orphan a loving relationship they so desperately long for.
The dedicated Children’s Hope staff, now 200 worldwide, continues to work hard to unite children with their forever families and ease the burden of those
who still wait. Over 6,000 orphans have been adopted through Children’s Hope and thousands more have received Hope from its efforts.
“If we really love, then we work to end the suffering. This is a higher call…the depth of our moral responsibility,” says Melody Zhang.
www.ChildrensHope.net
Children's Hope International
Spring 2007
-17 -
New Arrivals From
CHINA
November 2006
Parents' Names
Child's Name
Borrego, Donald & Martha
Bowen, Edward & Christi
Brown, Kenneth & April
Buel, Tabb & Kay
Byrne, David &Therese
Cooksey, Jason & Peggy
Graham, Gregory & Maas, Maryann
Hanson, Ronald & Melanie
Sheahan, John & Bridget
Smith, Paul & Ernst-Smith, Karen
Westermeier, John & Laura
Wood, Spencer & Collins, Tina
Stanley, Matthew & Manette
Reed, William & Carol
Rauch, Andrew &Vicki
Hollowell, Terry & Jill
Vishnesky, Daniel & Brandy
Drake, William & Andrea
O’Hara, Anne
Cange, Francis & Patricia
Scheffer, Mark & Patricia
Spoehr, Philip & Kamilla
Anderson, John & Caterina
Blanchford, Arthur & Tanya
Caron, Timothy & Christine
Freed, Dale & Karen
Glover, Timothy & Corinne
Kunde, Scott & Kim
Medici, Michael & Gonzales, Lisa
Norris, Stephen & Elizabeth
Patrick, Joshua & Jennifer
Revennaugh, Jason & Lorraine
Ross, Andrew & Gray, Margaret
Siegler, Randy & Carol
Smith, Stephen & Waters-Smith, Lori
Guangxi
Lilly
Guangdong
Kate
Guangdong
Chloe
Guangdong
Nicole
Guangdong
Lydia
Guangdong
Estelle
Guangdong
Marjorie
Guangdong
MeiLing
Guangdong
Fiona
Guangdong
Madeline
Guangdong
Grace
Guangdong
Madison
Shaanxi
Chynna
Shaanxi
Emily
Hunan
Sausha
Inner Mongolia
Tyler
Zhejiang
Isabelle
HeiLongjiang
Judson
Jiangsu
Caroline
Guangxi
Emily
Inner Mongolia
Kayden
Guangdong
Amanda
Jiangxi
Olive
Jiangxi
Kayli
Jiangxi
Mia
Jiangxi
Delaney
Jiangxi
Sabrina
Jadyn & Jenna (twins) Jiangxi
Jiangxi
Isabella
Jiangxi
Amelia
Jiangxi
Jenevieve
Jiangxi
Madison
Jiangxi
Stella
Jiangxi
Emma
Jiangxi
Teah
CHINA
Child's Name
Outland, Christopher & Ginger
Palmer, Sean & Jennifer
Townsley, Lindel & Soon Mee
Korb, David & Cathryn
Matthew, Christopher & Laurie
James, Hayse & Jacqueline
Benson, Steven & Betsy
Rhine, James & Jacqueline
Beaudoin, Marc & Christen
Gatlin, Alan & Tonya
Hughes, Brad & Kimberly
Crabtree, Christopher & Yvette
Ella
Abbi
Rebekah
Jacob
Cole
Quinn
Corenne
Ava
Hailey
Baylen
Lillian
Gracie
Province
Anhui
Fujian
Fujian
Henan
Henan
Hunan
Jiangxi
Jiangxi
Shaanxi
Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Hunan
CHINA
December 2006
State
Parents' Names
NM
TN
TX
KS
TN
MO
IL
ND
NY
FL
IL
OH
KS
IA
OH
LA
IL
GA
IL
IL
WA
IL
OR
MI
CA
MD
NC
AZ
CA
MO
WI
OH
NY
MO
OR
Bradshaw, Edward & Gina
Deck, Christopher & Scolaro,
Melissa
Dunaway, David & Mitzi
Farmer, Donald & Gina
Folster, Corey & Christina
Fowlkes, William & Ashley
Gin, Michael & Kara
Griffin, Mark & Patricia
Hall, Daniel & Siekman-Hall, Stacey
Hughes, Cole & Lauri
Langlois, David & Tapphorn, Janelle
Leck, David & Murray, Patricia
Morley, Robert & Rebecca
Swirski, Richard & Catherine
Villaluz, Jason & Ng, Cynthia
Blaylock, Russell & Dedra
Burruss, George & Sharon
Cook, Mike & Carrie
Parkin, Rodney & Kirsten
Plendl, Richard & Kristen
December 2006
Parents' Names
-18 -
Province
Asia, Eastern Europe, South America
State
TN
OR
PRC
AZ
AZ
MS
AR
MO
NH
MI
MO
KS
Child's Name
Powell, Thomas & Kelley
Rintoul, James & Brooke
Siegel, Brian & Jodie
Smith, Timothy & Kathleen
Ungar, Charles & Janet
Eden
Twins – AnMei
& JiaLi
Bryleigh
Maci
Clancy
Hannah
Lily
Bridget
Eva
Amelia
Joy
Alayna
Ella
Jasmine
Kate
Emma
Corinne
Madalyn
Mia
Twins – Hope
& Stella
Chloe
Annalee
Julia
Kathleen
Keira
Jiangxi
Jiangxi
KY
MO
Jiangxi
Jiangxi
Jiangxi
Jiangxi
Jiangxi
Jiangxi
Jiangxi
Jiangxi
Jiangxi
Jiangxi
Jiangxi
Jiangxi
Jiangxi
Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong
AL
IL
WA
KY
AZ
TN
OH
OR
AZ
KS
FL
FL
NJ
AZ
IL
AZ
TN
IL
Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong
MO
MO
CA
WI
CA
January 2006
CHINA
Parents' Names
Child's Name
King, James Jr. & Laura
Goodman, Roger & Cindy
Markham, Patrick & Sherry
Meldrum-Green, David & Sally
Aten, David & Janelle
Roberson, Kristopher & Cara
Parham, Randy & Jacqueline
Van Kirk, Richard & Aracely
Evans, Scott & Kimberly
Berggren, Richard & Kristin
Billingsley, Kenneth & Eileen
Bowser, Noel & Samantha
Hallenberg, Peggy
Pace, Victor & Angela
Patrick, Brian & Tina
Rian
Evan
Elizabeth
Deiah
Connor
Elizabeth
Emily
Estrella
Meilee
Emma
Malia
Marlo
Sydney
Rebecca
Katelyn
www.ChildrensHope.net
Province State
Children's Hope International
Province State
Henan
Henan
Fujian
Jiangsu
Jiangsu
Guangxi
Guangdong
Xinjiang
Jiangxi
Anhui
Anhui
Anhui
Anhui
Anhui
Anhui
MI
TN
IL
FL
NM
FL
MO
MO
MI
CA
VA
AZ
MO
MO
KS
Spring 2007
COLOMBIA
December 2006
November 2006
VIETNAM
Parents' Names
Child's Name
Province
State
Parents' Names
Child's Name
Howell, Kevin & Makisha
Bourbour, Feraidoon & Pam
Weston, Daniel & Tina
Karabell, David & Maria
Jordi
Valentina
John Dean
Joshua
Bogotá
Huila
Risaralda
Valle
NC
MN
MO
NJ
Dao, Khai & Riccio, Roberta
Hudson, Jennifer & Scott
Friedrich, Allison & Kenny
Meitz, Hubert & Werner, Lisa
Gerretsen, Alyssa
Bain, John & Quynh
Shane
Joseph
Kennison
Eliana
Dominic Jean-Hai
Aidan
November 2006
RUSSIA
Parents' Names
Child's Name
Berger, Alan & Julie
Cramer, Bruce & Susan
Diffey, Lynda
Fuqua, John & Michelle
Gray, Larry & Dimple
Lauderback, George & Tina
Kaliningrad
Victoriya Kate
Nikita Bruce, Maxim Bruce Novosibirsk
Moscow
Milena Marie Anastasiya
Novosibirsk
Aleena Grace
Tver
Colton Dean Sergey
Pskov
Dustin Riley, Dillon Connor,
Daelyn Keeley
Kaliningrad
William Victor Otis
Vladivostok
Sergey Alexander
Tver
William Sergei
Nigh, Cathlynn
Sullivan, Jon & Katharine
Toeppe, William & Myra
RUSSIA
Province
State
TX
MN
MO
TN
TN
TN
IL
FL
GA
Sams, Chris & Becky
Province, Susan & Bryan
Herman, Natalie
Shoemaker, Jennifer
Garrett, Regina
Pavey, Roger & Camie
Hohn, Tim & Ransley, Lynda
Cooper
Anna
Benjamin
Kate
Gabriella
Alyssa My Duyen
Tuyet
Province
HCMC
HCMC
HCMC
HCMC
HCMC
HCMC
HCMC
State
MO
IL
NJ
TX
TN
IA
WA
January 2007
Child's Name
Nichols, David & Tabitha
Milarck, George & Lisa
Brosius, Ray & Jean-Marie
Struckhoff, Lisa
Renbarger, Rodney &
Cortese, Amy
Krecko, Linda
Sheriff, Kelcie
Ross, Robin
Lange, Kim
Liam
Tommy
Meghan
Anna
Jai
VL
HCMC
HCMC
HCMC
HCMC
DE
FL
GA
MO
OR
Jason
Sara
Eva
Hannah
HCMC
KG
KG
KG
FL
WA
AR
CA
LA
MD
FL
TN
TN
NJ
Natalia Claudine
Kemerovo
CA
RUSSIA
January 2007
INDIA
Child's Name
Parents' Names
Vladivostok
Tver
Astrakhan
Tver
Vladivostok
Kaliningrad
Russell, Dennis & Jennifer
Paden, Roger & Lynne
Plum, Samuel &Treva
Smith, Ryan & Andrea
Wilton, Ronald & Carolyn
Parents' Names
State
Madison Maria
Vitaly Archipov
Alexander Jaxson
Tatiana Wren
Aaron Alexander
Mychal Andrei
Benjamin Andrew
Owen Iverin
Maksim James,
Nikolai Timothy
Natalia Noelle
Tatiana Elizabeth
Dimitri Alexander
Ana Michaela
Ronald Gennady
December 2006
VIETNAM
Province
Carroll, Taylor & Andrea
Christ, Matthew & Kimberly
Key, Darren & Rachel
McRee, Robert & Melba
Miller, Russell & Anita
Schumacher, Michael &
Rosemary
Logan, Mark & Kelly
Durey, Lonnie & Susan
French, Patrick & Jennifer
Morrisey, Tim & Kellie
PA
IL
MO
AZ
IL
DC
VIETNAM
Child's Name
Child's Name
HCMC
HCMC
HCMC
HCMC
HCMC
HCMC
State
December 2006
Parents' Names
Parents' Names
Province
Province
TN
KS
IL
MO
NY
December 2006
Parents' Names
Child's Name
City
State
Hellander, Ida
Aarushi Hellander
Delhi
IL
Parents' Names
Lyle, Barbara
Child's Name
www.ChildrensHope.net
Children's Hope International
Shiwani Lyle
State
State
Kaliningrad OH
Astrakhan TN
Tver IL
Astrakhan
Vladivostok
Vladivostok
Astrakhan
Tver
Province
January 2006
City State
Delhi NV
Spring 2007
KAZAKHSTAN
Parents' Names
November 2006
Child's Name
Province
State
Tatyana
Nett, Randy & Michelle
Ian
Edwards, James & Monica
Reichman, Jay & Worley, Jane Benjamin
Shymkent
Karakastek
Karakastek
Parents' Names
Child's Name
December 2006
Province State
Payne, Vilia
Vineyard, Scott & Lara
George
Leigh
Karakastek
Karakastek
WY
IN
NH
TX
AZ
January 2007
Parents' Names
Child's Name
Frazier, Lance & Monique
Sabir, Tahir & Shafeen
Max
Ayan
Province
State
Shymkent
Taldykorgan
UT
NY
-19 -
Melody Zhang, Editor-in-Chief
Cory Barron, Editor:
[email protected]
Jennifer Newcomb, Assistant Editor:
[email protected]
Jeff Gao, Graphic Design
11780 Borman Drive
St. Louis, MO 63146
(888) 899-2349
www.ChildrensHope.net
© 2007 No replication
without consent of Children’s Hope
Two-year-old Liliana sure enjoys the December sun of Hawaii while vacationing with her parents!
Amy and Michael Koptke of California adopted Liliana from China in 2005.
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