Colin's Chance

Two of my favorites on first base!
I LOVE T-ball!

Summer is in full swing here in Springfield.  We’ve enjoyed every minute of our time off of classes and school work!  T-ball continues and I have to admit I’m addicted to it!  It is precious!!  Summer basketball has begun and we are travelling to games several nights a week.  Last weekend we went to Peoria for a tournament.  We were able to enjoy Chick Fil A and Ruby Tuesday while there!  YUM!  We continue to collect items for the Jr. Volunteer program at the APL for Maddie and she begins her weekly shift this week!  Swimming at the Y, visiting the library, participating in the summer reading program, sleeping in, watching TV, and having picnics are all things we’ve enjoyed already!   Camps and Summer Rec classes begin next week and we look forward to those activities as well.  However, the biggest thing we are all looking forward to this summer is hosting a seven year old orphan boy for the month of July.  His name is Colin and he is from China.



Summer basketball

In His Hands Orphan Outreach (IHH) is a ministry supported by Rochester Christian Church.  In His Hands and Madison Adoption Associates have partnered together for the last three years to sponsor a Summer Hosting Program.  The first two years they worked with orphans from the Philippines.  This year they are expanding to include children from two orphanages in China.  The children typically range from ages 5-14.  They study English at their orphanage and then are allowed to participate in the program which allows them to travel to America to experience our culture first hand much like an exchange student would.  They will be able to speak some English, but we are not sure how much.  A group of about 10 orphans come with chaperones to the states and stay in host homes for a month.  Then they return back to their home country.  Those who find their families while visiting here still have to return while the proper paperwork, documentation, and funds are completed.



APL Jr. Volunteer Kick Off Cookout
Only 1/3 of the volunteers came but we had a great time!

While here in the states these young people get to do a lot of fun things we all take for granted like eating out in a restaurant, going boating, going to a baseball game, visiting a zoo, visiting a museum, going to a grocery store, and swimming in a pool.  The children are never told or promised that this is a trip to find them forever families.  They are here for an educational experience.  The wonderful thing though is that while here they get to attend picnics where families who want to adopt can come meet them and get to know them better.  Most importantly though, they can be introduced to Jesus which is something they probably would not be able to do in China.  Religious freedom is something I know I take for granted.  It saddens me to think some of these young people have never heard about Jesus.  We are excited to be able to take Colin to worship at RCC and even a local VBS later in the month.  I look forward to reading Bible stories and praying together at night. 

Here’s what’s really exciting about this program though.  The last two years they have had 100% success rate in helping these young children/teens find forever families. 100%!!! Some host families do end up adopting their host child, and other children are adopted by families who attended the picnics.  As we have learned more about orphans and this program we discovered once a child reaches 5 years of age, their chances of being adopted are less than 5%.  This program is so important.  It provides Colin and other orphans an opportunity to have a forever family.  An opportunity they would not have if they stayed in China or the Philippines.



Picnic Fun!

This spring Brad and I attended the In His Hands Banquet at the local Crowne Plaza hotel.  This was our second year to attend.  Both years this event was well planned and gave us a wealth of information on orphans and some of the exciting things being done by IHH around the globe!  We were honored to get to sit with the band Citizen Way at the head table this year.  It was really cool.  Not many people can say they were passed the butter by the lead singer! J  Anyway….we began to feel like God was leading us to get involved and we began to prayerfully consider participating in the summer orphan hosting program.  After some time we both knew this is something God was calling us to do.  In the weeks that have followed we have gone through the steps necessary to host.  There has been paperwork, fingerprinting, medical forms, and fundraising.  It costs about $2,000 to host an orphan.  That includes expenses associated with paperwork, host training, all travel expenses for Colin within China and his round trip expenses to the U.S., lodging needed for Colin during the trip, medical coverage for Colin while in the U.S. as well as other miscellaneous expenses.  If you would like to help be a part of Colin’s chance at a forever family, please consider helping us with his expenses for this program.  You can donate at our youcaring.com page by clicking on the following link.

 

http://www.youcaring.com/other/colin-s-chance/190225

Some probably think we’re crazy.  I’m okay with that.  We feel called to host Colin, to introduce him to Jesus, and to allow him to experience as many things as possible. We feel called for this next month to love him and allow him to experience what it is like to be a part of a family. We are going to walk in obedience to what God is calling us to do, trust Him, and step out in faith to work out the details.  It’s a very exciting place to be!  I encourage you to partner with us in this amazing experience.  Please pray for our family, pray for Colin, and pray that these wonderful children will find their forever families this summer!