They are now home. Forever.

The ‘Pennsylvania Five’

As I sit here and reflect on 2017, I can’t help but think of the 126 children that we, Madison Adoption Associates, brought home to their forever.  126 lives changed, not to mention the hundreds more impacted in the families they joined.  So many faces come to mind as I envision a referral picture, followed by a ˜Family Day’ picture, and then the pictures I love the most the Home picture.  Of these 126 souls, while they are all on my heart, five in particular from this year stand out.  The ˜Pennsylvania Five.’  Remember them?  The five brave souls who left all they knew, and traveled around the world to Pennsylvania to spend four weeks during summer 2016 with host families.  You may remember them as Jasper, Brett, Joel, Shane, and Jennifer their advocacy names.  And you may remember when we had to say goodbye to them.  They left a hole in the hearts of many, especially their host families.  And those families continued to stand by them as we advocated, guided forever families through paperwork, and waited for the day they would come back.

The children with their host families

They are now home.  Forever.  Thanks to five brave, loving, compassionate host families.  Families who stepped out into the unknown, and chose to stand in the gap for each of these children.  Families who knew it would be hard to love, and to say goodbye, but who did so anyway.  Families who took these children in, and cared for them as one of their own.  The love shared over those four weeks that summer was remarkable, and frankly, it was what brought these children home this year.  For good.  ˜Thank you’ to the host families doesn’t begin to cover it¦.but it will have to do for now.

‘Jasper’ (on the left) – now HOME

‘Brett’ (bottom left) – now HOME

‘Shane’ – now HOME

‘Joel’ and Jennifer’ – now HOME, and now siblings!

Interested in hosting a waiting child?  We will be welcoming host children from Colombia and the Philippines in Summer 2018, and need host families in PA, MD, NJ, IL, and MO to step forward and stand in the gap.  Visit our website for more information, or email sarah@madisonadoption.org.