A Child Waits Foundation
Adoption Grants & Adoption Loans
International and Domestic Adoption
Family Stories
International Adoption 2011
In 2011 we awarded grants to help 87 children to be adopted from 17 different countries. Some of their wonderful pictures and adoption experiences are recounted below in the family's own words.
Hugo & Maria - Colombia
It has been a crazy 2.5 months since we arrived in the US - getting the kids in school, vaccinated, all the doctor, dental and orthodontist appointments, twice-weekly tutoring, etc., and there seems to be no end to it. Additionally, Hugo started on the high school soccer team his first day of school, and Maria started ballet the first of January. You can imagine that as a single mom the logistics has been mind boggling. I was waiting to get a picture of all of us, which I did when my other two came home from college for Christmas vacation.
Cynthia, the gift that you made to our family has really meant a lot. During a time when I have had many many emotional, legal and logistical issues to deal with (on a daily basis), I have been able to sleep a bit easier at night knowing that I don't have to worry quite so much about our finances. You know first hand what it is to get a child up and running with everything once you arrive back in the states. A Child Waits' help meant that while we were still in Colombia and I was taking care of all of the embassy, physician and airline costs, I was able to concentrate on the tasks at hand rather than worry about how I was going to pay for clothes, bikes, etc. once we got home.
Lots of changes and adjustments at home. But the kids are very resilient and I believe stand a very good chance of creating quality lives for themselves here. Their first report cards just arrived; my daughter got a 3.50 and my son a 3.20 GPA. The best news though was that all their teachers praised them for their efforts. They have adapted well to school and ask lots of questions about college. My son's goal is to be a professional soccer player (although he has started asking about careers in math as a backup!), and my daughter wants to be a lawyer. A short-term goal for both of them is to start to learn French next year (since they expect to be fully bilingual in Spanish and English by next September!).
I have something very beautiful to share with you: both kids have told me that they one day want to adopt children. A bit of confirmation that maybe I did the right thing?
Cynthia, this is the most challenging undertaking of my life. Your gift helped take the edge of some of the rough spots, and I can't thank you enough for that.
Sincerely, Julei
Kaleb - China
Dear A Child Waits Team,
We just returned home with our sweetheart boy, Kaleb, last Friday and wanted to say Thank You so much for your part in his God story!
We had a wonderful trip to and from China . Kaleb knew us from the moment he ran into the room in Guangzhou to greet us with great big hugs screaming “Momma, Baba”!!! He’s been that way ever since, as you can tell from his pictures, with smiles and lots of “I love you’s” in Chinese and English. He’s coming along very quickly with his English skills and simply enjoying his forever family.
Thank you so much again for choosing to be a part of what God did to bring Kaleb home! We will be forever grateful!!
Much love, Anita & Mark, Kaylin and Kaleb!
Liana- Armenia
In April of 2010 I was matched to this beautiful little girl, from a baby home in Gyumri, Armenia. My heart soared- this was my daughter! All my dreams were coming true! It was a long and hard wait to bring her home but I was finally able to do so in March of 2011. She was 14 months old.
Liana has a mild special need- she has hyperphenylalaninemia. This means that we have to limit her protein intake and monitor her blood levels about every two weeks. But she is healthy and thriving! She is now 2 1/2 years old and is a real chatterbox. She is fearless and wants to do everything that bigger kids can do. She especially loves animals, playing outside, swimming, riding swings, and HORSES HORSES HORSES!
Liana's adoption was full of delays and then unexpected happy leaps forward. I was permitted to bring her home a few months earlier than anticipated. Because of this I needed financial assistance with the final portion of the costs. We were very worried about her baby home's ability to manage her special diet as she grew older and started to eat regular food. I learned about A Child Waits Foundation and applied for help. They offered us both a grant and low interest loan so that Liana's adoption could be completed and she could stay healthy and come home forever.
Thank you so very much to all the wonderful individuals at A Child Waits Foundation!
Your important work helps so many families and children, You make dreams come true! We will keep you in our hearts always.
Karis - Russia
THANK YOU for helping us complete our adoption; we're doing great!
Karis was definitely meant for our family, and we are just amazed at how well she is transitioning. We truly couldn't have done it though without you and A Child Waits Foundation.
Abby - China
We wanted to thank you again for our adoption grant and to give you an update on our daughter.
Abby is doing great. she loves to sing, color and play at the park, and wins everyone over wherever we go with her personality. She is into everything and can throw a true two year old fit, but we love her so much and she is a perfect addition to our family.
Thank you so much for the part you played to bring her to us! We can never thank you enough!
Shabri - India
I just wanted to you know how well Shabri is doing . . . She is learning at an amazing rate and is embracing life to the fullest every day she is enthusiastic and excited to do EVERYTHING!!! Her life has changed so much in the past 9 weeks.
Thanks for all your hard work in bringing these children home.
Update:
I continue to be grateful to you all for the wonderful grant my family received to bring Shabri home. I returned from India on April 6 after an unexpected 2 week stay in country. There was no possible way for me to complete this adoption without your assistance. Thank you for supporting me through the arduous several months as the Indian courts lengthened the process, resulting in a full adoption under the Juvenile Justice Act, That same process delayed our homecoming as the US Embassy struggled to complete the visa paperwork under this new system. I never would have made it without your help!
As for Shabri, during our 2 1/2 weeks together she has learned the entire alphabet, both to recite and to write, can count to 70 and recognizes and writes the numerals, and has learned an amazing amount of English. Shabri is a vivacious child who has embraced every new experience with great enthusiasm. It's difficult to imagine how her world has changed from those 3 bare rooms above the hospital. During the first week, she had motion sickness within a few minutes of riding in the car--- she has since developed the proprioception to not only ride in the car, but to run, swing and jump. She observes everything, and tries very hard to imitate appropriate social norms. What a tragedy it would have been to have left this little girl in the orphanage. Thank you again for your generosity, thank you for believing in our family, and thank you for giving Shabri the gift of an unlimited future.
Piper - China
We have been home for a week now and she is doing FANTASTIC! We could not be happier with her progress and how she is fitting into our family. The language barrier is probably our biggest hurdle but the i-phone apps we use are helping tremendously. We are getting more and more smiles out of her each day. She is so sweet natured but extremely shy. Maddie, our little one, has taken such a liking to her...she just adores her and doesn't care one bit that Piper cannot understand her!
I just wanted you to know how VERY much we appreciate the Foundation's assistance to get us there and get her home - it was the EXACT amount we needed almost to the penny! We couldn't have done it without you! I am still overwhelmed and humbled that we were so generously awarded the grant/loan combo. We will forever more be grateful!
Mandy - China
We've been home with our new daughter for 4 months now. It has truly been an amazing journey. We went prepared for anything! For a worst-case scenario in every area. What we received is a child who is amazing. (Aren't they all?!)
Mandy had been raised most of her life in a foster family who lived in a rural setting. She attended the area school. She is very intelligent and up to grade level in her knowledge. Her year or two of English expanded very quickly once we adopted her. Within about 6 weeks of being home, our social worker asked us about her fluency. She was already so fluent - speaking, reading, and writing - that I was sure no school would put her in their ESL program. Now that school has started, we know she would do fine completely mainstreamed. We homeschool her right now and she will begin attending a one day a week program for homeschoolers that our school district offers. She makes friends easily and quickly and loves to be around people. She was raised to be respectful and obedient and helpful. She continues to be all of that. There is not one area that we have had any problems with since we adopted her. She has truly been a blessing to each of us - and we know that will only grow the longer she is with us.
There is nothing she can't do. We constantly forget that her vision is affected in anyway. She loves hiking in the mountains with her dad and sisters and is very excited about learning to ski this winter. This girl is tough and resilient, but sweet and desiring to please and fit in. But, she is still very much her own person. She talks constantly, is very dramatic, and hides nothing! That is a blessing for sure. There is never any guesswork to what she needs or is feeling. She has shared so much with us about her past life and we are thankful that she had the childhood that she did for so long.
We cannot thank you enough for blessing us with a grant just before we traveled to get her. It was a huge help and made all of the last minute needs possible. You have helped us with our last two adoptions and we will always be fulI of gratitude that you trusted us enough to support us as we bring these precious children into our family. Thank you again!