Monday, May 21, 2012
Thanks Dr. Watson and OrthoTime!
The other day we received a check in the mail for the girls from Dr. Watson at OrthoTime in American Fork for $250. We really appreciate their help with funds for the girls. Our daughter Sara would tell you that they have performed magic on her teeth! Thanks again OrthoTime! http://www.itsorthotime.com/
Monday, May 14, 2012
Why aren't you helping an American child instead?
That's a question I've gotten a few times now. And I did have to go through some introspection to understand my own choice. My first response is that there is a lot more hope for children in the foster system in America than for children in orphanages in Ukraine when they exit the system. Grown up orphans in Ukraine have a stigma associated with them which makes it hard for them to function normally in society. Hosting a child from Ukraine here in America gives them many opportunities that they otherwise wouldn't have. They learn up to four years worth of English in the five weeks they are here for example. They have the cultural experience of travelling to America. They experience a functional family life. And they learn about God. Possibly, and in the majority of cases, they are adopted by a family that loves them. All of these help them in their life.
I also have a hard time feeling countries' boundaries when I'm thinking about helping other people, especially children. We are all God's children. If I'm going to do something, I want to help the neediest that I am capable of helping.
Then I had a logical thought. The LDS church, among others, sends American missionaries to other countries to preach the gospel and help them in other ways. If the Church feels that it is a good thing to send Americans to help people in other countries instead of keeping them in country to help fellow Americans, then logic would follow that it is just fine for me to help others from outside my own country.
Then there's just the fun and educational part of it. Our family is very excited to meet children from another country. Not only meet them, but live as a family with them for five weeks. What a great cultural experience it will be for all of us. There will be ups and downs. We are prepared for that. We have ups and downs with our visitors that we have from America! We would love to be able to travel to another country to help out, but on our income with so many children it is not feasible. Bringing the children here to help them, while still stretching our financial limits, is a lot more doable.
This experience will increase the life skills of the orphans. It will give us all an educational and cultural experience. And it will be a blessing to all of us.
I also have a hard time feeling countries' boundaries when I'm thinking about helping other people, especially children. We are all God's children. If I'm going to do something, I want to help the neediest that I am capable of helping.
Then I had a logical thought. The LDS church, among others, sends American missionaries to other countries to preach the gospel and help them in other ways. If the Church feels that it is a good thing to send Americans to help people in other countries instead of keeping them in country to help fellow Americans, then logic would follow that it is just fine for me to help others from outside my own country.
Then there's just the fun and educational part of it. Our family is very excited to meet children from another country. Not only meet them, but live as a family with them for five weeks. What a great cultural experience it will be for all of us. There will be ups and downs. We are prepared for that. We have ups and downs with our visitors that we have from America! We would love to be able to travel to another country to help out, but on our income with so many children it is not feasible. Bringing the children here to help them, while still stretching our financial limits, is a lot more doable.
This experience will increase the life skills of the orphans. It will give us all an educational and cultural experience. And it will be a blessing to all of us.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
You've got to read this if you're wondering how hosting affects the children...
If you're wondering, like Jay and I were, how the children fare after being hosted, this excerpt from a blog does a good job at explaining:
"The kids that we bring are coming on a visit, or exchange type program. Their
orphanages close during the holidays and over summer so all kids must go
somewhere. They go other places like Italy, Spain, Holland, other camps in their
own countries (former Soviet training camps for kids) and some go to local
foster families as well. We are one of the “options” as far as the kids are
told, and they are selected to come on our program after being interviewed and
after we talk to their caregivers about behavior, school efforts etc. So,
everyone goes out of the orphanage for the summer and in our case, we are a 5
week program, so they come here and usually return to a camp type place in their
home country or start out at one and come to us from the camp. In Latvia,
children are mostly in foster families as they are trying to close traditional
orphanages, but the foster families are not able to care for them beyond the
monthly low stipend and in many cases, they don’t have indoor plumbing and are
very rural with little access to anything for the children to do outside of
school or off the farm (most are on farms).
Our program shows children what it’s like to be fully and unconditionally loved in a
Christian family. It is an experience that many would never have in their lives.
Even in the foster families, the foster parents are “workers” and do not treat
orphans as their own children. They do this due to culture, poverty and also to
keep up some wall as they know they cannot provide for a permanent situation
even if they so desired. In addition to the ministry aspects of the program, the
kids come and gain a new language. Most learn as much English in 4-5 weeks here
as they would in a good English class in their schools over 4-5 years. Latvia is
a part of the European Union as well and in that, residents are able to move and
work in other EU countries. But Latvian is a language that no other country
speaks or uses, and English is a very common language in all. So, that alone,
would be a good “tool” to give kids now to help them later. However, many of the
children who come are also eligible for adoption and after being hosted, about
65% of the eligible children are adopted into a forever and unconditional loving
Christian family. Besides participating in a program like ours, they have
literally 0-1% chance of ever being considered for adoption through a
traditional process. Latvia doesn’t place children under about age 9 as
available for adoption unless they have medical issues or are part of sibling
sets. And, most families who consider to adopt would not just send a dossier
(family adoption package) to Latvia asking for a preteen or teenager sight
unseen. So, this does offer them a lot of possibilities beyond just a visit to a
nice family in America. Also, most children who are older and have aged out for
adoption who come, are learning enough English they can be considered to return
on a student visa, which Latvia allows if we find
sponsors.
Most families who host do not intend to adopt the child they bring. Most consider it
as helping a poor orphan child and being sacrificial towards that child.
However, in the end, many families do decide they want to adopt or they have
friends through church, neighbors etc who meet the child and decide to adopt.
Nearly all families say they went into it to bless a child and come out of it
feeling like they received the blessing. On the other side, when I talk to
children after they have been fully adopted and live in The US, none of them
state they felt like they were being ripped out of a glorious land and placed
into poverty. It was a trip to remember and they returned “home”. When they were
offered adoption later, since we don’t speak of it on the host program, they
were in most cases, shocked and it took a great deal of thinking to consider it
real and accept it.
So, in the end, if a child who comes on the program has even 10% chance of being helped
through one of these purposes, where they had 0% if they didn’t come; should we
decide not to do this, or to do this for them as much as possible? And, that 10%
is in reality, much greater for each child who participates…more like 99% gain
something important from the program whether it’s Salvation, family, language or
love.
Lastly, it is interesting to consider that the kids don’t have such the expected
“trauma” after having to go back as one would assume. In fact, I have traveled
with some of the groups all the way back home and each program I travel with
them through security to the plane after we depart parents at the airport in
Atlanta. The kids look at this as a vacation. Once they separate from their 4-5
week family, they refocus on friends after we get through security and find
familiarity in them. “They are going home”. It is told to them and explained as
such and being their “homes” are in Latvia and Ukraine, they don’t expect to
stay forever. The things that we see as extreme poverty and necessary things we
have to have in life to live… just aren’t seen that way when it’s what you know
and come to accept as “life and home”. We are “Disney World” and no one expects
to live at Disney World. In fact, there are some kids who go back, are offered
adoption and say no. For Americans, we view it as necessary things we need and
they see it as waste and extreme, greed and ugly wealth at times. After
traveling myself twice a year, to where they live, I tend to feel their
viewpoint at times too. Not having running water in a house doesn’t mean it
isn’t a comfortable home that provides attention and a sense of belonging.
Safety and security of the “known” is there and that is number one on what
humans need in order to consider what things are important. I suppose,
considering where they were prior to the orphanages, streets and foster
families, which is something none of us has had to see or endure, where they are
now is a welcome version of “home”…just not what you and I would think of or
ever consider as sufficient to be home. Consider the show Little House on the
Prairie? They had little and felt like they had everything. These kids are
similar, except they don’t have the “family” and that’s what we aim to offer
them.
So, I hope this helps you to see the benefits far outweigh the negatives and also, the
“craziness” of a new world is something exciting to experience for all of them.
Flying on an airplane is a ride at the amusement park…and in some cases, riding
everywhere in a car instead of going by metro or by foot is something they
really dislike. So, they perceive it much differently from how we see
it.
From the blog http://backyard-blessings.blogspot.com/2012/03/misconceptions.html
"The kids that we bring are coming on a visit, or exchange type program. Their
orphanages close during the holidays and over summer so all kids must go
somewhere. They go other places like Italy, Spain, Holland, other camps in their
own countries (former Soviet training camps for kids) and some go to local
foster families as well. We are one of the “options” as far as the kids are
told, and they are selected to come on our program after being interviewed and
after we talk to their caregivers about behavior, school efforts etc. So,
everyone goes out of the orphanage for the summer and in our case, we are a 5
week program, so they come here and usually return to a camp type place in their
home country or start out at one and come to us from the camp. In Latvia,
children are mostly in foster families as they are trying to close traditional
orphanages, but the foster families are not able to care for them beyond the
monthly low stipend and in many cases, they don’t have indoor plumbing and are
very rural with little access to anything for the children to do outside of
school or off the farm (most are on farms).
Our program shows children what it’s like to be fully and unconditionally loved in a
Christian family. It is an experience that many would never have in their lives.
Even in the foster families, the foster parents are “workers” and do not treat
orphans as their own children. They do this due to culture, poverty and also to
keep up some wall as they know they cannot provide for a permanent situation
even if they so desired. In addition to the ministry aspects of the program, the
kids come and gain a new language. Most learn as much English in 4-5 weeks here
as they would in a good English class in their schools over 4-5 years. Latvia is
a part of the European Union as well and in that, residents are able to move and
work in other EU countries. But Latvian is a language that no other country
speaks or uses, and English is a very common language in all. So, that alone,
would be a good “tool” to give kids now to help them later. However, many of the
children who come are also eligible for adoption and after being hosted, about
65% of the eligible children are adopted into a forever and unconditional loving
Christian family. Besides participating in a program like ours, they have
literally 0-1% chance of ever being considered for adoption through a
traditional process. Latvia doesn’t place children under about age 9 as
available for adoption unless they have medical issues or are part of sibling
sets. And, most families who consider to adopt would not just send a dossier
(family adoption package) to Latvia asking for a preteen or teenager sight
unseen. So, this does offer them a lot of possibilities beyond just a visit to a
nice family in America. Also, most children who are older and have aged out for
adoption who come, are learning enough English they can be considered to return
on a student visa, which Latvia allows if we find
sponsors.
Most families who host do not intend to adopt the child they bring. Most consider it
as helping a poor orphan child and being sacrificial towards that child.
However, in the end, many families do decide they want to adopt or they have
friends through church, neighbors etc who meet the child and decide to adopt.
Nearly all families say they went into it to bless a child and come out of it
feeling like they received the blessing. On the other side, when I talk to
children after they have been fully adopted and live in The US, none of them
state they felt like they were being ripped out of a glorious land and placed
into poverty. It was a trip to remember and they returned “home”. When they were
offered adoption later, since we don’t speak of it on the host program, they
were in most cases, shocked and it took a great deal of thinking to consider it
real and accept it.
So, in the end, if a child who comes on the program has even 10% chance of being helped
through one of these purposes, where they had 0% if they didn’t come; should we
decide not to do this, or to do this for them as much as possible? And, that 10%
is in reality, much greater for each child who participates…more like 99% gain
something important from the program whether it’s Salvation, family, language or
love.
Lastly, it is interesting to consider that the kids don’t have such the expected
“trauma” after having to go back as one would assume. In fact, I have traveled
with some of the groups all the way back home and each program I travel with
them through security to the plane after we depart parents at the airport in
Atlanta. The kids look at this as a vacation. Once they separate from their 4-5
week family, they refocus on friends after we get through security and find
familiarity in them. “They are going home”. It is told to them and explained as
such and being their “homes” are in Latvia and Ukraine, they don’t expect to
stay forever. The things that we see as extreme poverty and necessary things we
have to have in life to live… just aren’t seen that way when it’s what you know
and come to accept as “life and home”. We are “Disney World” and no one expects
to live at Disney World. In fact, there are some kids who go back, are offered
adoption and say no. For Americans, we view it as necessary things we need and
they see it as waste and extreme, greed and ugly wealth at times. After
traveling myself twice a year, to where they live, I tend to feel their
viewpoint at times too. Not having running water in a house doesn’t mean it
isn’t a comfortable home that provides attention and a sense of belonging.
Safety and security of the “known” is there and that is number one on what
humans need in order to consider what things are important. I suppose,
considering where they were prior to the orphanages, streets and foster
families, which is something none of us has had to see or endure, where they are
now is a welcome version of “home”…just not what you and I would think of or
ever consider as sufficient to be home. Consider the show Little House on the
Prairie? They had little and felt like they had everything. These kids are
similar, except they don’t have the “family” and that’s what we aim to offer
them.
So, I hope this helps you to see the benefits far outweigh the negatives and also, the
“craziness” of a new world is something exciting to experience for all of them.
Flying on an airplane is a ride at the amusement park…and in some cases, riding
everywhere in a car instead of going by metro or by foot is something they
really dislike. So, they perceive it much differently from how we see
it.
From the blog http://backyard-blessings.blogspot.com/2012/03/misconceptions.html
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Yard Sale Was a Success...
Yard sale is now over and it was a success...at making us very tired! It did make some money too. Especially the bake sale and hot dogs. We're planning to do another in in a few weeks at Squash Head Park (love that name) in Santaquin on Main Street.
Thanks UCCU!
UCCU (Utah Community Credit Union) has been kind enough to donate $100 to the girls. We appreciate their donation so much. Jay and I have both been members of UCCU since we were children and we still have a personal account there and two business accounts there also. They are great to work with. Thanks UCCU!
Friday, May 4, 2012
Three ways to donate...
For those of you who would like to donate to help get the girls here, there are three ways:
Donate to the Jones Ukraine Fund at UCCU
Mail a check to New Horizons For Children at 3950 Cobb Pkwy, Suite 708, Acworth, GA 30101 and specify Jones Ukraine U23
Donate through our Active.com link at http://www.active.com/donate/summer2012/lubaandana
Imageworks Fundraiser!
We are so thankful to Imageworks Academy in Spanish Fork, Utah. Tuesday, May 15 they will donate what they make that day to the girls. If you want your hair or nails done or a facial, be sure to go there. Even if you can't make it on Tuesday be sure to check them out, they're awesome! http://www.imageworksacad.com/guest-services.php
Thanks so much Imageworks!
Thanks so much Imageworks!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Hurray for All Smiles!
When the girls are here we need to provide dental and eye exams for them. All Smiles Dentistry has offered to donate checkups, xrays and cleanings for the girls when they come. Thank you Dr. Bonny and the staff at All Smiles, we are grateful for your donation. Even before they offered to help the girls we would have highly recommended them. Check them out!
http://www.myallsmilesdentist.com/
https://www.facebook.com/myallsmilesdentist
http://www.myallsmilesdentist.com/
https://www.facebook.com/myallsmilesdentist
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
We start a new adventure...
Through a Christian charity, our family is hosting, for five weeks this summer, these two sisters from the Ukraine. They currently live in an orphanage. A good friend of ours and her family are hosting a young boy from Latvia through the same charity. We became interested and while looking at pictures of children that our friend had posted on her blog we were drawn to two different sets of siblings. One was a shy brother and sister from Latvia living with a foster family and the other were these two sisters living in an orphanage in Ukraine.
We were torn between the two sets of siblings and asked the coordinator for the charity which siblings needed to be hosted more. She immediately said the two sisters needed it, so we committed to bringing them to our family. We are all very excited. Looking at the older girl especially we see an excitement for life which was confirmed by what the coordinator, who has personally met the two sisters, told us about her. She is very eager to learn. Here is the charity's description for them:
Here are smart sisters highly recommended by their director. They helped the team to learn Russian and used a team member's phone to translate. Both showed appropriate affection and patience during the visit. The older sister likes to bike, dance, and swim. Her favorite colors are blue and red. She would like to learn how to speak English and play guitar. The younger sister likes to dance, swim and go to exercise class. Her favorite colors are yellow and green. Her favorite toys are a dog and cat. Both sisters said if they had money, they would like to have a pet fish. Both would like to be hairdressers when they are older. They would love to see mountains in America! The orphanage they are from is considered one with "delayed children" however, our team felt that they were doing very well and when in situations like this, we look for children who have a lack of opportunity as their "delay" issue instead of lack of ability.
Our daughter, Sara, is excited to be big sister to them and take them biking, to the mountains, swimming and more. Our son, John, upon hearing that we will be hosting the siblings from Ukraine, set his favorite online game to Russian and has started learning Russian words with Google Translate!
We are all excited to help the girls experience things that they haven't been able to before, including what a functional family life is like. Hopefully it gives them a model for their future families. We are also excited to learn about them, their culture and their country. From the girls' stated interests we feel that our family is a good fit as we are active and love to camp, bike and swim ourselves!
Maybe something more will come from hosting them. We are open to adoption. We had been concerned about hurting them if we only host and don't adopt, but after talking to the coordinator we realize how much even just hosting helps them.
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