From Tiffany Williams, China Program Manager

We have exciting news to share for our China adoption and orphan care program.  All God’s Children International has been assigned our first orphanage through the CCCWA’s one to one orphanage program! We will continue to work with the shared list of referrals as before, but this partnership will allow us to help better care for orphans in a tangible way in China and help better the lives of the children in this specific orphanage. We also look forward to placing children from this orphanage. The orphanage is the Xiamen orphanage in the Fujian province and is right across the water from Taiwan.

I will be traveling to China in early July and also look forward to visiting with New Day, Bethel, and the CCCWA in Beijing. It is my understanding that the Xiamen orphanage has not done many adoptions. I am going in to evaluate the orphanage and help determine how to help with paperwork to make the children available for adoption. I believe there are children up to age 18 there, but they are un-adoptable after 14, so I will also need to help find ways to help improve the lives of the older kids. It is my understanding that many times the reason why kids are not adoptable is due to paperwork, as the country does not require all orphans to be put up for adoption.

As you know, the database only has about 2000 kids on it that are special needs, and that is only a small fraction of the orphans in China. At this time, I do not know how many of the Xiamen kids there are,but it is my understanding that more of their kids will be put on our individual list. Some of the kids on our website are currently residing there. AGCI hopes to also send a team of volunteers to this orphanage to help in the next year. If you are interested in helping with this please let me know. I will be sharing the needs of this orphanage with you when I return home. Most orphanages are looking for teams to help with medical evaluations of children or needed repairs around the orphanage.

We look forward to advocating for the orphans at Xiamen, and working with the officials there to help provide for the children’s needs.

Well the time has come and the team has been sent off to begin the long journey home. I already miss each of them so much, their lively spirits, their laughter, their willingness to serve do whatever is needed. Truly, such an incredible group of servants I was blessed to spend 10 days with. We had a wonderful finish to our trip, getting the chance to shop at a local market and then celebrating Easter weekend with the city and people of Addis.  On Saturday night we had the chance to go to cultural dinner and enjoy traditional Ethiopian dance and cuisine. So good!! We also enjoyed Was, a staff member at Hannah’s Hope, and his mad dance skills which he shared with the audience that night. And yes…..we did get that on video!

All God’s Children International has had the unique opportunity to join over 2,000 other church leaders and adoption, orphanage care, and foster care professionals and advocates together at Christian Alliance for Orphan’s Summit 9. The event, held May 2nd and 3rd in Nasvhille, TN, and recently called “the burgeoning Christian orphan care movement” by Christianity Today, serves to inspire, equip and connect through a global initative to advocate for orphan care.   

In addition to participating in workshops, AGCI’s Ohio/Kentucky Regional Director, Mary Tyler, will facilitate a workshop called “Say Yes to Special Needs.” The workshop provides prospective adoptive families with information and resources helpful in determining their preparedness to adopt an older child or child with special needs.

View the Presentation

Mary, with the help of a panel of adoptive parents and adoption and medical professionals, discusses medical information about special needs, education opportunities and resources, attachment issues and concerns, children’s learned behaviors, and experiences children have had in foster/orphanage care. Mary will also walk participants through a transition plan, which assists adoptive families in identifying supports to have in place prior to bringing a child into their home.

View Common Special Needs Facts & Tips

View “Say Yes to Special Needs” Resources

After 3 solid days of travel, the team finally arrived in Gambella town. The drive alone from the airport was a clear indication this would be a very different experience than being in Addis. Dirt roads all the way into town and driving at a crazy speed-very exciting! The first day we settled in, took stock of our donations, had some delicious national Ethiopian cuisine at the hotel and then had a small break in the afternoon. Everything in Gambella, businesses, people, animals, etc. all take a break from 11 am – 3 pm everyday due to the heat. It’s incredibly hot, but the team is so great about everything even with this discomfort. In the afternoon we had the chance to walk around the town and walk down to the Baro River where the whole community gathers to wash clothes, wash their cars, wash their animals and wash themselves. It is quite the scene. We had such an amazing time walking around with the staff of Brothers and Sisters orphanage and seeing what life in Gambella is all about.

Then came our first day of real work.  We were ready to sweat!  After buying paint, the team was really excited to transform a few rooms at the home. We have a short work time each day to accomplish the painting because of the heat, but the team had a great attitude about the task before them.

While very hot, the team has been loving their time in Gambella. Everyone is going through about 5-7 liters of water a piece, a day and feeling fine. The painting at Brothers and Sisters really came together as the team worked on murals with an underwater theme. We thought it fitting with the Baro river so close by. Turned out great!  It’s full of fish, crabs, bubbles and a guitar-yep a guitar, compliments of a social worker with Brothers and Sisters. Not sure how that fits in, but it sure did make for a good laugh!

The team spent a few more days on painting projects. Touching up the paint and cleaning the walls of the outside areas of the home and one of the larger bedrooms were all at the top of our list. It’s been all hands on deck, but we’ve made light work of it.

Our last few days we will work with Bethel church. The church desperately needs a fence around their building so the kids remain safe from the public road and as they play out in the yard while church is going on. The team also was recruited to do a program or service for the congregation before we leave. Ryan’s music skills really have come in hand!

Prayers are appreciated of course, but all is well and we are doing great here in Gambella. It’s been a really powerful trip thus far for all including myself.

Peace,

Kiersten

All God’s Children International is sponsoring two upcoming events in the southeast in May, and I would love to have you join us.  Both events will be casual times to renew old friendships and meet new friends who share in the mission to solve the orphan crisis and help every child experience the loving care they deserve.

AGCI Tennessee Families and Friends/Orphan Summit Dinner – Thursday, May 2^nd 

AGCI is holding a no-host dinner at Bucca di Beppo Italian Restaurant in Franklin, Tennessee on Thursday, May 2^nd from 5 pm to 7 pm.

• We look forward to welcoming families, friends, and supporters from across the country for this special evening.
• I will be there with Frank Betzer, AGCI’s Director of Orphan Care and Development.
• We will need to let the restaurant know how many will be attending, so please RSVP for this dinner by Monday, April 29^th. Dinner will be $17 for adults; ½ price for children 10 and under and complimentary for children 3 and under.
• For those who are attending Orphan Summit on May 2^nd and 3^rd, the restaurant is located within a few minutes of the event location and we will make sure you are served and able to return in time for the evening session.

AGCI Georgia Picnic – Saturday, May 4^th

Join us on Saturday, May 4^th from 11am to 3pm for an AGCI Picnic in Marietta, Georgia.

• This picnic is for everyone – adoptive families, mission trip participants, sponsors, friends and future adoptive families.
• I am looking forward to meeting many of our older adoptees who are planning to attend this picnic. It’s wonderful to see their passion to help orphans, as many are pursuing careers and projects that focus on children in need.  But you don’t have to be an adoptee to attend!
• It will be a special day to connect with others who share our passion for orphans.  Please RSVP for the picnic.
• We have a reserved site for the picnic at Laurel Park in Marietta (20 miles north of Atlanta).

AGCI will provide the meat and drinks; we hope you will bring an item to share. Families with last names starting with:

A-H: please bring a dessert
I-O:  please bring a salad
P-Z: please bring rolls, breads or chips.

I know schedules are busy and time is precious, but I encourage you to take the time to attend one of these events. You will be encouraged by those you meet, and your presence will be a blessing to others. I hope to meet you there!

God Bless,
Hollen

Hollen Frazier | Executive Director
All God’s Children International

All God’s Children International has expanded our home study and post-adoption reporting services.  We are now providing these services to families who will be completing an adoption through another placement agency. We provide international and domestic home study services and post-adoption reports in Oregon, Washington, Ohio, Michigan, and Kentucky.

The home study is a required part of any adoption, both domestic and international. The studies are completed by licensed social workers, and include interviews, a home visit, paperwork, and a variety of assessments.  The social worker will write and compile the final home study report, which becomes an important document throughout the adoption process.

For those seeking home study services only, we have a special application available at http://www.allgodschildren.org/adoption/home-study-services.

It is a sad time in the world of international adoption.  Russia has closed to adoption for political reasons, other countries have closed to adoption in order to implement Hague standards, yet never reopened. A major adoption agency announced last week their closure due to bankruptcy. Another one this week notified their families that they had lost their Hague accreditation and could no longer serve them.

We are deeply saddened by these announcements for so many reasons. Sad for the politicians who put their interests above the lives of children; sad for our colleagues in adoption who will not be able to continue their passion to serve vulnerable children; and sad for the families trying to adopt who have now experienced another roadblock in their journey to grow their family.  But most importantly our hearts break for the orphans all of these closures impact.

An estimated 10 million orphans are living in institutions. Over 2 million children are orphaned in Africa alone, mainly due to the AIDS crisis. And in the all orphan statistics you read, the true number is unknown because so many children are never counted. But the impact of closures, bankruptcies, and adoption slowdowns can best be seen in the life of one child.

There’s an orphan lying in a crib today in a government orphanage whose life was changed due to these events. If her adoption had been completed, she would have been welcomed into a loving family who would cherish her. But instead of ballet lessons, school plays, family gatherings, graduation, marriage and creating her own loving family, she faces an uncertain future – lack of brain development, the potential of being a victim of child trafficking, prostitution, and most importantly never feeling loved. Our heart breaks for her today.

Through our faith, we are confident that God has a plan for these children. The words of Jesus resonate for all of us, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:18)  But we also know His work is often done through our hands. Our prayer is that many will rise up in these dark days for the world’s orphans, and reach out for them through your prayers, political advocacy, and financial support.

One way you can become involved is by signing the petition that ‘The Step Forward for Orphans March’ will deliver to Congress and the President to advocate for a more supportive government toward International Adoption. We’re hoping for 1 million signatures Please add your voice for the orphans — Sign at http://www.allgodschildren.org/stuck