Unlock a Lost Heart

These four kiddos have mere days to find host families for this summer before the matching deadline their orphanage director set for us expires! Orphanages close down for the summer and if kids aren't hosted they need to go "somewhere". She told our interview team that unless they've been chosen by March 4th, she won't allow them to come as then it will be too late for her to make other plans for them!

Could you host one of these cuties this summer?? For more information please contact your regional coordinator! 

Let's get these four summer host families! Want to help? Please share this post and help spread the word!!

Love The Least of These

What is orphan hosting? 

Check out our new summer promo video to find out!  

There's even a handsome Latvian you may all recognize around the 2:08 minute mark!

We at New Horizons would LOVE it if you'd share this video with your friends and family! Post it on your blogs, your facebook pages and spam all your friends email boxes! Help us spread the word and find host families for more amazing kiddos!! 

If you'd like to view the kids we're offering for summer hosting you can do so here.

It's Snowtime

Brennan has been begging to go to the snow pretty much since he could talk, which if you've had the pleasure of knowing him since birth was EXTREMELY early, think full sentences by 1 1/2! He's kind of an excessive talker, but I digress. He's nearly 5 now and other than our annual trip to a "Snow Day" which is so NOT real snow, the kids hadn't ever had the opportunity to play in the snow. We've also been talking about a weekend away with our college roommates and their kids for quite some time! Last weekend we did both! Two birds, one stone!

I think I've mentioned before that my college roommate Jenn was dating Peter's roommate Ryan and they are the reason we met. After college they got married and now have 4 adorable kiddos that our kids happen to LOVE playing with. Unfortunately we live just far enough apart that their time together is generally limited to attending each other's birthday parties. So awhile back Jenn and I started talking about an annual weekend away together! We found a free weekend and Jenn tracked down a cabin to rent in Lake Arrowhead and just like that our first annual joint family vacay was planned!!

Though I've now lived in Southern California longer than I lived up North, this was my first ever trip to the snow down South! For a girl who grew up skiing in Tahoe it was pretty pitiful!!! We'd had a heat wave all week, 70 degree weather in February does not led itself to snowcapped mountain tops! By the time the weekend arrived there was more dirt to be seen in Arrowhead than snow! But seeing as how this was my kids first trip to the snow they didn't know what they were missing!

Here's our weekend in pictures! 

 

 It may not have been wise, but all 6 kiddos slept in one room! The boys took the two bunk beds...

 

and the girlies slept in their sleeping bags on the floor. It goes without saying that little sleeping took place and someone, I'm not naming any names, but she's cute and she's mine, had a ROUGH day the following day!

 

Our first snowy outing was "tubing", thankfully they make their own snow which compensated for the warm weather which had melted the real snow elsewhere! These three were R.E.A.D.Y.

 

This was the first patch of snow they saw and they immediately started making snow angels. 

All six kiddos after some tubing fun! Age 4, 4, 6, 3, 2, 3! Kaelyn had had ENOUGH! 

 My attempts at getting a cute pic of the two of them in the snow were in vain, she was beyond tired from her first slumber party and it was already hours past her normal nap time, I decided to document it anyways!

 

*sigh* Less than two weeks until he turns 5! How did time pass so fast?

 

Perhaps my favorite photo of the entire weekend! 

And because tubing wasn't enough fun for one day we hit up the ice rink a few hours later! Skating got mixed reviews, our prefectionist (Brennan) wasn't a huge fan, but the little one LOVED it, probably because I did ALL the work! 

The girlies, Noelle (the only Donnelly girl) was born just a few weeks before Kaelyn, we couldn't have planned it any better if we'd tried! 

On day two we headed into "The Village" at Lake Arrowhead.

We checked out the water, fed some ducks, 

and rode some rides!

The Donnelly's headed home after lunch but we'd promised Brennan we'd attempt to find a place with enough snow to use the sleds we'd borrowed and lugged up the mountain with us! Thankfully there was one vacant lot with loads of shade cover that was still "mostly" covered with the cold white stuff he so desired!

Bren was in heaven! Dreams do come true buddy!

See what I mean? There was quite a bit of dirt (and a rusty pipe) showing, but we braved this steep run anyways! 

He played for HOURS, long after I'd retired with Kaelyn to the car so she could take a nap! 

LOVE my two snow bunnies!!

We had a blast and can't wait to go again soon!!

Ripples of Hope

Host families often get asked "Why do you host? What difference can you possibly make in such a short period of time?" A friend of mine is in Eastern Europe this month finalizing the adoption of the boy she hosted last summer! She's spent a great deal of time with kids who have previously been hosted and shared some of the benefits hosting has had in their lives! So if you've ever found yourself asking those hosting related questions check this blog post out!

Ripple of Hope

Calling All EDGARS "Fans"

Did you fall in love with this sweet boy after reading the loving and desperate pleas of his winter host mom??

Well here's your chance to help get him home!! His family is doing a "Virtual Valentine" fundraiser this week and seeking donations of just $5! You can read all about it here! $5!! I think that's something we can ALL do!

Do You Believe in Rescue?

I'm sure to some of you it seems that now that I've started advocating for orphans that there are frequent posts asking for financial support.

Some of you have probably tuned my posts out and closed your eyes to the needs of these kids so you won't have to be a part of the solution.

Today I stumbled upon a blog post written by an adoptive family of four kids, two from Ukraine and two from right here in the United States addressing the questions many adoptive families face...

 

“If people can’t afford what it costs to adopt, they shouldn’t adopt,” or even worse…rather horribly said to a friend of mine, “How come when YOU hear from God, it costs ME money?”

 

My favorite quote from her post was from someone who gave "extravagantly" (as in above and beyond what he could probably afford). He said...

 

 

"I believe in rescue.

I have to believe in rescue.

I never thought to ask the question why.

I never thought to ask for a financial statement.

I was being asked to help redeem a life.

I love freeing a heart.

I believe adoptive parents are the heroes.

I love extravagance."

 

 

Isn't that beautiful? I invite you to read her post in it's entirety, it's a great read and may change your outlook on those fundraising for hosting fees or adoption! Because let's be honest, they're not asking for money for you to pay for their tropical vacation, they are literally asking you to help them SAVE a life! By giving, even if only a small amount you can be a part of a child's redemption story!

 

To read the full post click here this is part 1 of 2, can't wait for the rest!!!

 

 

 

It's Go Time

It's February 1st, the first official day of our "matching period" for summer hosting!! If you're interested in learning more about the kids we're offering use this link to access our photolisting. You never know, one of them might be the PERFECT fit for your family!!

For now here's a preview...

Rinalds

Rinalds says computers is his favorite class, but all of school is okay. He was very happy during the interview, and stayed with us as we toured the orphanage. He likes fries, meat (all with ketchup) and salad, even for breakfast, lunch AND dinner. He plays forward on the city soccer team, and wants to be a pro soccer player when he grows up. If he had money to buy a friend a gift, he would buy a limousine. As Director, he would grant more holidays from school. He likes to play in the snow, play any kids of ball, and with friends.

 "S"

"S" is a CUTIE and very friendly! His big question... "If I am chosen, will they take me to the zoo to see a lion?!" He loves all his classes and enjoys puzzles, soccer, kid's music, and singing. When he grows up, he'd like to be a shepherd! "S" needs a calm laid back family who is not overly active and can give him lots of affection and encouragement. He prefers younger siblings.

Rihards

Not only is Rihards super cute, he speaks full English sentences! He is so calm and focused with very good eye contact! He likes soccer and basketball, swimming and biking too. He says he likes music, but the type he listens to depends on the type of mood he is in ☺ If he had 100 Lats, he would buy his foster mom a gift first, then himself a bike. His favorite animal is the dolphin and he likes dogs and cats.

Melanta, Lauris, Edvins, Andrejs and Daniela

Melanta, Lauris, Edvins, Andrejs and Daniela (descending age order) are being raised in two separate, but loving, homes (by relatives). All were age appropriate and on target with their actions and interactions during the interview.

Liana

Liana lives in a transition home and speaks some English. She heard our "hosting rules" and agreed that without rules, things would be too crazy so she understands she will be living with a family's rules. She was just "lovely" and a pleasure to talk to. Liana needs an active family. She likes fast food, but not meat and fish. Liana tells us she won't even sing in the shower, so please don't ask her to sing. She used to do gymnastics, but has played quite a few sports besides. She joked around with us and Inga (the director) during the interview and would be great for any family looking to enrich her life experiences.

Laura

Laura is host only, and was devastated to learn she was too old for adoption. She rebounded and then asked questions about visiting for the summer, and American schools. She excels in math, taking math courses for extra credit, and the arts! What an interesting combination! She works with textiles, and has her artwork in a calendar (see picture). Laura wants to live a healthy lifestyle. She is poised, fluent in English, and cooked dinner for our interview team. Call your coordinator now - Laura will be a gem in any family this summer!

Vjaceslavs and Marina

Vjaceslavs and Marina both like to read. Slavik just finished reading a book about a snow queen. If he had superpowers he would be strong, and help everyone. He also wished to be a good soccer player, live in America and have lots of friends. He likes to eat pizza, and is only afraid of poisonous snakes. Slavik also does ballroom dance. Marina does not like snakes or spiders, but loves dolls and princesses. She likes giraffes, and cake, and of course music. Slavik says Marina is a good sister because she helps him color. Marina simply says Slavik is a good brother.

"M"

How can you resist this face?! "M" easily gets along with anyone and has a big, big smile! Need we say more?? In the interview, he sang the team a song and played cards with the team. Everyone loves him. He says if he had some money, he would buy a plane ticket to fly somewhere far, far away! He'd like to be a handyman and fix things when he grows up. He likes basketball and swimming and enjoys being outdoors. When asked his favorite foods, he said, "EVERYTHING!" "M" will bring joy to any family :-)

"V"

"V" is a cute kid with very good eye contact and a sweet smile that he flashes freely. He sometimes travels with the soccer team as a team manager. He would really like to learn track and field athletics. He isn't afraid of much except... maybe snakes :-) V's 3 wishes are to be with family, to be the American president, and to have loyal friends with good character who are there for him even when times are tough. "V" is a very helpful boy and really hopes for the opportunity to be with a family this summer!

"O"

"O" really hopes to come to America! He did his best to speak English whenever he could during the interview. His best friend says he is honest, friendly, and helpful. "O" says if he could be orphanage director for the day, he would bring more clothes for the kids and serve more sweet foods! If he was the president, he would fix the money crisis, support old people and poor people, and repair the roads. He likes basketball and ping pong. He likes all cats and dogs, and his favorite colors are green and red. We hope you will love Sasha as much as we did!

Sergeijs and Olesja

Sergeijs and Olesja are siblings who really like school. He likes Home Ec best and she likes Visual Arts. They speak both Russian and Latvian and he likes to draw cars and make them through woodworking and she likes to make things out of paper like in Origami. She likes to sing and dance the Latvian National Dance while he does Hip Hop. She likes ski and play a game that sounds like volleyball, but they catch and throw the ball back and forth across the net and is very popular in Latvia. He is a true sportsman and plays, volleyball, running, discus, and floorball which is similar to our version of field hockey and soccer. They both like big, friendly dogs and TV. She plays with the cars however and he likes to go work walks in the neighborhood and visit with friends. He says she likes to play a lot but then she said she doesn't play a lot... they were very cute in their interaction together. She says he is a good big brother because he protects her. If she could give him any gift, it would be a cell phone and if he could give her any, it would be a real car! While Olesja said she really doesn't want to be in a family with other children, we think a small family will work. However, he said he preferred being the oldest and other children would be OK.

"S"

"S" is a favorite of our interview team. He is also a favorite of all his school teachers! He loves to cook and likes to help around the house. He is also very good with kids. He sang Silent Night for our interview team and has performed in both singing and dancing at his previous school. He says if he had some money, he would buy earrings, rings, and flowers for his orphanage director. He would also buy a phone to be able to call his teachers and food for stray hungry dogs. He has a very giving and kind spirit. "S" is an older boy which are often last to be chosen or left unchosen, but "S" would be an amazing blessing to a willing family. He is a treasure! He lives in an orphanage where children are behind in school. Many of them had little opportunity earlier in life to attend school so we felt that many of the delays were due to a lack of opportunity rather than a lack of ability. However, it could be a little of bit of both.



What do you think? Would any of these kids be a good fit with your family? If you'd like more information on hosting a child you can contact your regional coordinator here or you can fill out our pre-application and your coordinator will contact you!

So excited to see what God is going to do this summer!!