Month: July 2018

Oh Stover.  Where do I even begin?  Honestly, his formal referral does not paint the best picture of him.  Frankly, we weren’t sure that bringing him on a hosting trip was the best idea after reading it.  But, our friends who know him well assured us that he would be OK.  Fast forward until now, and boy were they right!  I had the absolute pleasure of spending the afternoon with Stover today.  Sweet doesn’t even begin to describe this boy.  I visited his host home to see how he is doing, and check in with the host family.  When I asked about his positives, I couldn’t keep up with writing them all down.  And, when I asked about his negatives, his host Mom was hard pressed to come up with any.  You see, this boy is everything.  First, he is a helper.  He INSISTS on helping his host Mom at the grocery store he wants to check things off the list, carry all the bags, and when asked if he wants to pick anything out, the answer is always, œNo gracias.  Second, he is filled with empathy.  On a hike, his host brother fell down, and the first at his side was Stover to make sure he was OK.  On another occasion, Stover may have butted in front of his host sister in line for the slide.  Upon realizing this upset her, Stover made sure to apologize and allow her to go in front of him.  The list goes on and on.  There are daily examples of his grace, compassion, and all around huge heart.

He is all smiles.  All the time.  Flexible.  Adaptable.  Loving.  Caring.  Helpful.  Brave.  And ultimately, he is desperate to be part of a family.

Stover is 9 years old and is available for adoption from Colombia through Madison Adoption Associates.  He is here in the US on a hosting trip through August 14.  For more information about this sweet boy, please email sarah@madisonadoption.org or complete our Prospective Adoptive Parent form.

Thirty.  30.  I’ll say it again¦.THIRTY.  30 children woke up, packed their back-packs, and embarked on the biggest trip of their lives.  Though well prepared, they were nonetheless flying into so many unknowns.  Three flights, and over 3,000 miles later, they arrived.  Into our arms.  With smiles on their faces, and hope and excitement in their eyes.

We have been entrusted with these 30 precious souls for the next three weeks.  To pour love into them, to nurture them, and to show them what it means to be a part of a family.  The magnitude of what we have agreed to do, and more so, what our host families have committed to do, is not lost on any of us.  We will dedicate every single day of the next 20 days to these children.  We will introduce them to you all, and share about their personalities.  More importantly, our host families will give them some of the best days of their lives.  And that does not mean extravagant trips to Disney World, or dinners at fancy restaurants.  No, it means dinner together as a family, playing board games, going for walks, and getting tucked in every night with a kiss on the forehead.

So we invite you all to join us as we get to know these precious children.  We invite you to also share about them with those you know.  Because we vow to do everything in our power so that the next time they come to the U.S. will be forever.

The children are here through our Hosting Program.  For more information on our hosting program, or adoption, please visit our website, or email sarah@madisonadoption.org.