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
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