So, What's Really Going on Here?

When we tell someone (family, friends, colleagues, classmates, etc.) that we are planning on hosting an orphan next summer, questions almost always follow.  What do you mean by "hosting an orphan"?  Where is the orphan from?  How old is he/she?  Is he/she actually living with you?  How long are you hosting?  Why do orphans need hosting?  We've started to expect these questions, so we also want to answer those questions here in case you're reading this and aren't able to catch up with us regularly because you're somewhere far away like California, Alaska, or Australia (there's at least one of you in those example locations! =) )  

Question #1 (What do you mean by "hosting an orphan"?) is a great place to start, not only because it's the first question, but because answering that question will answer other questions in the process.  Hosting is pretty much what it sounds like; this summer an orphan (or if we raise enough funds, a sibling group) from either Latvia, Russia, or Ukraine will stay in our home for 4-5 weeks, typically the last week in June through the end of July.  While they're here we will take them to a local doctor and dentist (and optometrist if necessary) to receive care that would not be readily available to them in their home country.  We will also provide for all of their basic needs, including food, clothes, hygiene products, etc.  Additionally, our goal is to be able to purchase items (coats, scarves, etc.) that the orphan(s) can take home with them. 

So that's the basic gist of what we'll be doing.  Now, some of you may be thinking, "Hey guys, isn't this unfair to the kid(s)?  I mean, you're taking them out of the orphanages, shipping them off to America where they'll get this great experience, and then send them right back to where they came from!  Couldn't some people consider that torture?"  The short answer is, "Yes, that could be torture."  In fact, that was one of our concerns when we first heard about the program.  However, answering another question will hopefully explain why it isn't so in this case.  That question is, "Why do orphans need hosting in the first place?"  As we mentioned in the previous post, many orphanages in Eastern Europe close for a period of time during the summer and around Christmas.  What we didn't mention was where the orphans go while the orphanages close.  At these times, the children are sent away to camp.  What's the big deal about this?  Unfortunately, "camp" for these children does not equate to days filled with making arts and crafts, swimming in a pool/lake/river/ocean, or singing songs by the campfire.  For a child living in an Eastern European orphanage, "camp" means days filled with work, and often times, abuse.  Once we learned about this reality, the "torture" of going to the US when the orphanages close didn't seem so bad after all.  In fact, our mind shifted from "this is something we might want to do" to "this is something we're definitely going to do!" 

Hopefully this cleared up some questions that you may have had.  If you still have questions, we'd be glad to answer them.  Just leave a comment below (it can even be anonymous) and we'll either send you an answer back or work it into a future post.  In the mean time, don't forget to check out New Horizons for Children.

If you'd like to donate and support us in our goal of raising $4,000 go here and click on the donate button (don't forget to indicate that the funds are for King and Casey Jones so that your donation makes it to us).    We are grateful for all financial support as well as prayers and encouragement.  Thank you!