A letter from a host, now adoptive, father¦
To anyone who is considering hosting,
Our family had always had a heart for adoption, as Christians we are not just called but commanded to support the orphan, but we did not feel like we could possibly adopt ourselves. Hosting seemed like a way to make an impact in a child’s life and support the
adoption process at the same time. We had fears such as what are we going to do with this child the whole time, what if they don’t like our biological children, what if they don’t like us..? The best part of hosting for us was when we came to the 2nd Saturday picnic and we overheard our host child telling one of his friends from the orphanage that we were his mom and dad (in Chinese of course). We did not understand the majority of the conversation, but we definitely clued on Baba and Mama when he pointed to us! The most challenging part was that there were times when he would get upset, he did not understand all that was going on and because of the language barrier we sometimes felt helpless. The day that we had to take him back to the airport was by far the worst, when it finally dawned on him that he was going on the plane with “them” and not home with “us”. We all cried and were afraid that he could not possibly understand that we were not giving up on him, that we were coming to get him as soon as we possibly could
In closing I would say to anyone who is thinking about this step, follow your heart, because if it is right and being led by God, it will lead you to do the right thing. There are absolutely some tough times during that short stay with your family, but the rewarding times so outweigh the hard ones. The impact that you make on this child will absolutely 
affect the entire course of their future and who knows, quite possibly yours. And as a Christian, just realize that regardless of what county this child comes from, the time in your home, might just be the one and only opportunity they ever have to hear the name of Christ. I can confidently say that if you are faithful to follow God’s leading in this endeavor, He will be faithful to bless it in ways that are beyond your comprehension.
Sincerely,
Erech
Madison Adoption Associates offers orphan hosting programs in Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. We are excited to bring children from the Philippines and Colombia this summer! Please contact Sarah at sarah@madisonadoption.org, or visit our website for more information.