Advocate for Orphans

Upcoming Hosting Programs

2009-10-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

OUR MISSION: Advocate for Orphans International seeks to express God's care toward Ukraine orphans by coordinating two to three week "American Culture Camps" for under-privileged Ukrainian children. Most of the children are able to be adopted and many will meet families who will want to share their love and lives as permanent family members. Our program will provide the beginning of that adventure!

Please check back for information on our next "Hands of Hope" programs.

If you are interested in having a Ukraine orphan hosting program in your town, please contact us!

Click this link to register and receive email updates of all our upcoming Ukraine hosting programs.

Hands of Hope

2009-10-10T23:34:00.000-07:00

Since 2002, Advocate for Orphans has sponsored numerous programs which have matched over 181 Russian and Ukraine orphans with adoptive families! If you are interested in having a 'Hands of Hope' program come to your area, please contact Advocate for Orphans.

The following areas have successfully hosted 'Hands of Hope' programs:

San Francisco Bay Area
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Denver, Colorado
Raleigh, North Carolina
Tyrone, Pennsylvania

Click here for more information.

An Introduction for Prospective Host Families

2009-10-10T17:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome! You are already on your own adoption adventure if you have asked to be part of one of our hosting programs! Advocate for Orphans International is here to serve you as “tour guides” along the way. Your hosting experience holds opportunities for both wonderful lifelong memories and the potential for frustrating breakdowns along the way. I remember a story Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family tells about a safari trip he took with his son, Ryan. On a jaunt in the bush driving with their guide they were coming to a fork in the road and it wasn’t clear which way would take them to their destination. Ryan, then in his teens, offered to run up ahead and scope out the situation. Their guide wisely advised against it – “sometimes there are animals hiding in the tall grass”. When they reached the fork in the road they spied a full-grown lion lying in the grass by the side of the road! As we put on our safari hats together and head into this adventure, there are many ways that the Advocate for Orphans International organization can help you avoid the “animals hiding in the tall grass”.
The process of hosting an international orphan is more an art than a science. There are cultural nuances and regulatory processes that can cause well intentioned but inexperienced organizations to stumble. Advocate for Orphans International is committed to provide seasoned guidance for our established programs and shrewd wisdom applied to our new and developing programs. The Advocate for Orphans International team is ready to assist you and handle any questions you may have about our adventure together. Please feel free to contact us at any time. We are here to serve you as guides for your family’s hosting adventure!

Who We Are - Advocate for Orphans

2009-10-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

Contacts for Advocate for Orphans:

Executive Director - David Avilla
(408) 569-4044 email
David leads the Advocate for Orphans International team, facilitating all facets of hosting programs. He is the father of two grown sons and the adoptive father of five Russian siblings ages 14-22.

Administrative Director - Kerry Avilla
(408) 848-4044 email
Kerry is the wife of David Avilla and handles many of the administrative tasks, including dossier support, for Advocate for Orphans International when she's not busy working as a recovery audit records analyst or homeschooling her 14-17 year old students.

2009-10-10T10:33:00.000-07:00

Advocate for Orphans International hopes that you find these sites helpful. Caring for the needs of orphans encompasses a broader ministry opportunity than any one person or organization can meet. There is, in reality, something for everyone to participate in. The possibilities are limitless!

How you can help...

2009-10-03T20:42:00.000-07:00

In order to make the San Francisco South Bay Area program a success, we need your help! Please consider if you have the time, talent or resources to serve in any of the following ways:

Host families
Adoptive families
Field trip coordinators
Day camp workers
Marketing/media volunteers
Fundraising
Transportation
Host one of the orphanage workers who travel with the children
Snack foods
Translators
Financial support
Corporate sponsorships
Craft supplies/instruction
Photography/videography
Church liason

Contact Advocate for Orphans, now! We cannot do this work alone.

The Adventure of a Lifetime, with Consequences for Eternity!

2008-10-11T21:31:00.000-07:00

International Adoption is an Adventure! The excitement of visiting a distant land is combined with the Eternal Consequences that adoption causes in the lives of all those involved. This website is a celebration of our Adventure presented so you can share our experience. We encourage you to enjoy our site and join in our celebration of "The Adventure of a Lifetime, With Consequences for Eternity!"

In August of 1996, when we saw the poloraid of two-year old Lise and decided to begin the paperwork to adopt her, we were like many couples considering adoption. Fertility treatment costs were beginning to escalate as we sought to build our family. We realized that experiencing family was more important to us than conceiving and birthing our own children, so we opted for the sure bet of adopting, plus we could get a head start of a couple years in the process! Our plans were to adopt a toddler girl, then maybe add a second daughter a year or two later. It was a great plan and fit in with our two-bedroom condo and fiscally conservative lifestyle.

Then we got "The Call". A month before traveling to Russia to adopt Lise, the adoption agency phoned to tell us they just discovered Lise had three older sisters and a brother, also in orphanages! We thought and prayed about it and realized there was nothing materially or relationally that we could give Lise that would outweigh growing up with her biological siblings. At that point the adventure became "The Adventure"! In October 1997, 4-year old brother Vanya joined our family.

We returned two years later to America with Lise's three sisters to become part of our family. Now, in addition to my "on their own" bio sons Dane and Nathan, the David Avilla family includes Lise, Vanya, Toma, Sveta and Elena.

The History of Adoption - Wikipedia

2008-07-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoption

They Just Fell Through the Cracks

2008-06-30T21:01:00.000-07:00

by Kerry Hasenbalg

The date was April 18, 1993 and the place was Taroko Gorge, Taiwan. Taroko Gorge is a gaping rift in the eastern mountains, with sheer marble cliffs, jagged rock and deep gorges rising up from a river bed far below. A group of college student visiting Taiwan on a study abroad program were hiking the breathtaking gorges. One the the students in that program was me. And I can vividly recall being in awe of God's creative landscape. But my time of awe was abruptly quenched when a group of students came looking for us to tell us that we had to return to the ship immediately because two of the boys in our program had gone off hiking and had fallen into the gorge. And one of them had been found, but one of them was still missing, and we were stunned because he was one of us.

Our university ship eventually left port without him and we continued to receive word that he had still not been found. We were told that this young man was the son of someone apparently very important. His family had great wealth and they were not sparing one dime to search for him and, hopefully, rescue him - helicopters, round-the-clock search parties for a very, very long time. And life seemed to stop on the ship as we just waited for news. Conversations were totally consumed with talk of this lost boy. Many tears had been shed and we all wanted to do something, but we could do nothing but wait and pray. You see, he was one of us and it could have been any one of us that day.

We were keenly aware that this lost boy was somebody's son, alright - the son of Gordon Crawford. His name was Brett Russell Crawford. According to the LA Weekly, Gordon Crawford, and I quote, "is the guy who once upon a time placed a big bet on what were the blue chip entertainment stocks and made gazillions for a lot of people, including himself. As those show biz firms morphed into big media, Crawford assumed even more power when his investment position became huger by default. None of that is to say that Gordy isn't a great guy. People love him. Besides, it's hard to say a harsh word about someone who in 1993 suffered such a huge personal tragedy as the death of his 21 year old son, Brett, during a hiking accident in Taiwan while enrolled in the semester at sea program. Crawford has told his friends, "I would give up all the money I've ever made to spend one hour with him.""

Brett's name, his face, and his story we'll always remember, because he was one of us. And, yet, for so many sons and daughters who have fallen through the cracks of the earth - lost and in distress and barely hanging on and in desperate need of rescue - no one searches, no one comes, no money is sent, no one prays, no one mourns, and no one even remembers them, and they are as real as Brett. Even though we've seen them - their pained faces; their hurting bodies. We've heard stories about the scars to their fragile souls - on the streets; on TV. We've witnessed them in our own neighborhoods - we've even been in their homes; in the places that they live. And sometimes we remember their plight - we think about it, briefly, and yet we just seem to forget. Why? Because they're not our own children, they're not the children of somebody we know, and they're not the children of someone we deem important. If they were a celebrity's child, you better believe we'd be all about it - reading about it - wanting to know what happened. You see, they're nobody's children, really. They are the fatherless. They're just orphans.

Spend time talking to child welfare professionals about children who are repeatedly abused and neglected in state run foster systems... orphanages... the ones who died on the streets... and you'll hear them say, "They just fell through the cracks." A wise woman, for whom I used to work on Capitol Hill, when she was speaking to a group of these professionals she said, "These children don't fall through cracks, they fall through fingers." That day she was talking in the context of government workers, but God did not entrust them to governments. God Almighty, the One who calls Himself the Father of the fatherless, entrusted them to us. These fingers through which they've fallen are our own.

Exerpt from a speech made at the 2007 "Adoption & Orphan Care Summit III." Follow the link to hear this compelling speech in it's entirety.
http://http1.christianvideochannel.com/cvc/shaohannahshope/kerrysummit.mp3

Used with permission of the author.

http://kerryhasenbalg.typepad.com/

Adoption 3:16

2008-05-31T21:26:00.000-07:00

http://adoption316.wordpress.com/

Striving to minister God’s Truth to parents of internationally adopted older children. II Timothy 3:16-17

This blog was created for the purpose of helping parents who have adopted older children, from a biblical perspective.

Article from Gilroy Today (May/June 2008)

2008-05-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

"On a quiet Gilroy street, in a nice neighborhood, sits a home where extraordinary things are happening. David and Kerry Avilla not only adopted five siblings from Russia but are making a difference in the lives of many more orphaned children.

Married in 1992 David and Kerry were enjoying the beneefits of the Silicon Valley boom with good jobs, great love between them and a desire for children. Biology had other plans, so in 1996 they found the perfect adoptable two-year-old in Russia. As plans progressed, David and Kerry discovered from their Russian adoption agency that their soon-to-be-adopted child had four older siblings. The course was clear. They would just adopt all of them. By March of 1999, all had arrived in the U.S. and the Avilla's plus five moved from a cramped San Jose condo to a larger house in Gilroy. Part of the impact of this venture is that each adoption costs between $20,000-$25,000. Refinancing their home and their deep faith got them through the many trips to Russia, endless paperwork, bureaucracy, culture shock and expense.

But adopting five orphaned children was not enough for David and Kerry. They decided to take on yet another challenge. After seeing the unbelievable poverty and adoption needs in Eastern Europe, David decided to find a way to get more children adopted. By 2002, the Silicon Valley boom went bust for David as he was laid off from his job. Kerry had already taken on the task of homeschooling the five siblings. David had been asked to do a number of speaking engagements on adopting in Europe which led to the formation of a local agency, based on an entrepreneurial business model, to help in the adoption process. David, Kerry, and other committed individuals worked tirelessly to refine and expand the agency.

Today, the agency has completed 151 adoptions, with another 32 being processed - for a total of 183 orphans matched to adoptive families. For the Avilla's plus five household, it is an endless stream of activities, sports, work, gymnastics, and schoolwork.

The success of "Advocate for Orphans International" for the Avilla's has come a significant financial loss, but extraordinary personal and spiritual gain. They are a deeply religious couple who understand that all might not share their faith-based goals. Nonetheless, they believe in the adoption process and are willing to share their enthusiasm and commitment with whoever will listen. In addition to their strong Christian beliefs they adhere to a "Psychology of Purpose" mind-set and feel it mainstream enough to appeal to everyone. David and Kerry know they cannot help every orphan in the whole world but they can save many - one at a time.

For more information on "Advocate for Orphans International," a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, go to http://www.advocatefororphans.org/ or call David directly at 408-848-4044.

Gilroy and the world is a better place thanks to the Avilla's and "Advocate for Orphans International."

Gilroy Today, a bi-monthly publication for and about the community of Gilroy. Email: info@gilroytoday.com.

Cry of the Orphan

2008-05-27T12:02:00.001-07:00

http://www.cryoftheorphan.org/

The Cry of the Orphan campaign represents a group of Christian organizations and churches that are joining voices to make caring for every orphan a reality.

Be a part of God's movement to show fatherless and waiting children His love. Learn More about why this matters, and become part of God's plan to care for orphans through one of the avenues shown here.

Christian Alliance for Orphans

2008-05-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

http://www.christianalliancefororphans.org/index.php

The Christian Alliance for Orphans is a group of Christian organizations and churches that are joining voices to make caring for every orphan a reality.

Be a part of God's movement to show fatherless and waiting children his love. Learn more about why this matters, and become part of God's plan to care for orphans through one of the avenues shown here.

Shaohannah's Hope

2008-05-27T11:53:00.001-07:00

http://members.shaohannahshope.org/

Our Mission:

To care for orphans by engaging the church and helping Christian families reduce the financial barrier to adoption.

We are dedicated to helping prospective adoptive parents overcome the financial barriers associated with adoption. We accomplish this by awarding financial grants to qualified families already in the process of adopting. The size of the grant awarded is determined by several factors, the most important being need.

Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption (FRUA)

2008-05-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

http://frua.org/chat_main.html

Chat board, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan
and other FSU & eastern european countries

Eastern European Adoption Coalition (EEAC)

2008-05-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

http://www.eeadopt.org/

Mailing Lists - Many lists for FSU/CIS/EE adoption - Russia, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Romania, Single Parents, Special Needs, etc.

Kingdom Kids

2008-05-27T11:13:00.001-07:00

http://www.kingdomkidsadoption.org/

Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministries exists to impact eternity by encouraging the body of Christ to embrace adoption and foster parenting and support adoptive and foster families.

~Encouraging families to consider adoption and foster parenting.

~Educating the community of believers about adoption and foster parenting issues.

~Equipping families to finance adoption through fundraising grants.

~Encouraging, educating and equipping adoptive and foster families though conferences, support groups and networking.

Help One Child

2008-05-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

http://www.helponechild.org/resources/

Help One Child offers support groups in Los Altos, CA and Morgan Hill, CA for foster and adoptive parents, domestic or international.

Morgan Hill - 1st Tuesday of each month from 6:30-8:30pm at Morgan Hill Bible Church on Monterey Rd.in building one, behind the main building. For questions or to reserve childcare, you may call Maylin Lema at 847-7544.

Our focus is on educating parents about attachment, preventing and minimizing attachment issues.

Biblical Grounds to Respond to This Opportunity to Care for Orphans

2008-05-25T15:14:00.001-07:00

We are all presented with needs of those around us: our own families, extended families, neighbors, church-sponsored needs, and outward to our communities and other charitable endeavors. Our task is to be good stewards with our resources and contribute with wisdom and prayerful consideration. I am convinced that what I am presenting you with here is a valid need. I encourage you to consider the following scriptures and thoughts and then respond according to your ability to contribute, whether through our project or another similar effort serving orphans.

GOD IS GOOD

For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. - Psalms 100:5

Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes. - Psalm 119:68

The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. - Psalm 145:9

IN HIS GOODNESS, GOD CARES FOR THE FATHERLESS

…thou art the helper of the fatherless. - Psalm 10:14

A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. - Psalm 68:5

The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down. - Psalm 146:9

WHEN WE REPRESENT GOD'S REPUTATION, HE BLESSES US

Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. -Psalm 37:3

Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. - Amos 5:14

The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh. - Proverbs 11:17

Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. - Ephesians 6:8

But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile. - Romans 2:10

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. - 2 Corinthians 5:10

WHAT IS OUR PART? (Actions and Heart Attitude)

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. - Hebrews 13:16

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. - James 1:27

Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. -Proverbs 3:27

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? - 1 John 3:17 (NIV)

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. - Galatians 6:10

HOW DOES GOD HELP US TO DO GOOD?

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. - 2 Corinthians 9:8

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. - Philippians 2:13

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:10

Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work. - 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. - Romans 12:21

THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN (Luke 10:25-37 NIV)

On one occasion and expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher", he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"What is written in the law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

He answered: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself".

"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two sliver coins, and gave then to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

GUARANTEED SUCCESS!

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. - Hebrews 13:20-21

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. - John 15:16

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. - 1 John 5:14

And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. - 1 John 5:15

"But we knew nothing about this..."

2008-05-25T15:01:00.001-07:00

In Ukraine, children age out of the orphanage system at the age of 16. (Picture your 16 year old or someone that you know who is 16.) In a fight for their survival, 60% of the girls will end up in prostitution; 70% of the boys will end up in a life of crime; and 10% will commit suicide before they reach age 18. Their futures deserve more options. Knowing this, what responsibility do we have to do something about it?

"Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?" (Proverbs 24:11-12)

"They will also answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'" (Matthew 25:44-45)

An interview with George Bailey of "It's a Wonderful Life."

2008-05-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

This article is written to provide some encouragement for families who have adopted orphans and found their lives changing in unexpected ways. Sometimes our plans get changed as we live life! Our idyllic family dreams are impacted by an adopted child with unexpected needs, developmental delays, and bonding issues. I thought of George Bailey from the classic 40’s movie “It’s A Wonderful Life” and what he might have to say to adoptive families. This is a fanciful “interview with George Bailey”!...

INTERVIEWER: I caught up with George a couple weeks ago at his office on the main street in scenic Bedford Falls. When I arrived, he greeted me warmly and waved me into his office with his long hand wagging at the end of his wrist and an invitation to take a seat. We jumped right into our interview….

INTERVIEWER: How long have you been at the Bailey Building and Loan now?

GEORGE: “Way longer than I had planned!”

(He leaned back in his wooden swivel-chair and put his feet up on the desk and smiled with raised eyebrows.)

INTERVIEWER: How did that happen?

GEORGE: “That’s a long story.”

INTERVIEWER: I remember you speak in the movie a couple times about your dreams to travel the world and build things.

(George jumped to his feet, stretched out his neck and enthusiastically recited the lines with his arms beating the air.)

GEORGE: “I’m going to see the world. Italy, Greece, the Parthenon, the Coliseum. I know what I’m going to do tomorrow and next week and next year. I’m going to build things. I’m gonna build air fields... skyscrapers... bridges a mile long...Oh, yaw, ...and lasso the moon for Mary, too!”

(We laughed together as he sat back in his chair.)

INTERVIEWER: So, how did you come to change your dreams?

GEORGE: “Well, that’s just the thing. I didn’t set down and make up my mind that I didn’t want to do those things. I really believed I’d be happy and fulfilled if I could travel and build things."

INTERVIEWER: So how is it that after all these years you are still at the Building and Loan?

GEORGE: “Oh, gosh, I guess a lot of little choices along the way.”

(His gaze drifted away and he seemed to focus outside the window on a point far away.)

INTERVIEWER: There certainly were a number of times in the movie where you had a choice. You didn’t have to take over the Building and Loan when your father passed away – that delayed your plans for school. And your brother had agreed to take your place at the Building and Loan when he graduated – you let him take the other job with his father-in-law’s company as a researcher. And then, when there was a panic among the account holders at the Building and Loan, you took your own honeymoon money and paid it out to the people to keep the Building and Loan open. George, why did you do these things? What caused you to forsake your own dreams?

GEORGE: “Well, I never did give up my dream, but other things that came up were more important than what I wanted!"

INTERVIEWER: What was more important than your dreams?

(I leaned forward to hear his explanation. As he spoke, he began getting worked up about the situation he was retelling.)

GEORGE: “Well, for one thing, old Mr. Potter had a lot of this town under his thumb and he was taking advantage of honest, hardworking people. If he had his way, he’d own everything in town and everyone would serve him. (George was on his feet by now.) As for my brother, I just couldn’t deny my own kin the opportunity that opened up for him."

INTERVIEWER: You seem pretty passionate about justice for the oppressed and doing the right thing!

GEORGE: “Well, I didn’t set out on no mission. (He leaned across the desk in a seeming effort to make his point.) These things just came up and one thing lead to another and here I am, still running the Building and Loan.”

(George straightened up and his scowl was replaced by whimsical look that came across his face.)

INTERVIEWER: It seems that every time you were faced with a choice in the movie, something caused you to deny your own dream to help someone else. So, how did it turn out for you?

GEORGE: (He turned and put his chin in his hand, thinking for a moment…) “Well…okay! (He lifted his head and his eyebrows were up again.) After I met Clarence and he showed me what could have happened, why, I saw things differently. It seems to me that all the little choices I had made all added up to a wonderful life after all!”

INTERVIEWER: Is there anything else that you’d like to say to the families?

GEORGE: “Well, you know I’m no preacher. All I can say is that I’m a pretty happy man the way things turned out. I may never get to do much traveling or build any bridges like I had planned. But I’m building something here in Bedford Falls that has turned out to be very dear to me: a family and a community of people I care about.”

INTERVIEWER: Thanks for your thoughts, George! I’ll see you again next year around Christmas time!

How's your investment portfolio doing?

2008-05-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

The concept of having resources set aside for future use is common. Friends discuss investment tips at parties. Some people form clubs where they pool their money together. Getting the best return on your investment is an acceptable topic of conversation, even among strangers.

But what if wise management and good stewardship of resources didn't end up just with the instruments of commerce, like money and stocks and certificates of deposit? Bruce Wilkinson, in his best-selling book "A Life God Rewards" offers a perspective of investing for the future that also includes spending our energies and efforts in endeavors that have eternal value based on God's standards.

Groups of passionate volunteers and team members have made just that kind of eternal investment in the lives of Russian and Ukrainian orphans that have visited the U.S. through Advocate for Orphans Internation (formerly known as Adoption Adventure). The return on their investment won't be measured in dollars, but will be in the eternal effects on the lives of children and the families who adopt them.

If you were to visit on a typical day our day camps where the children meet each weekday for two weeks, you would see the same kinds of activities going on as in most Sunday school classes or summer YMCA programs - crafts, music, games, free play and field trips. But the difference is this - the objective of the entire Advocate for Orphans team of leaders and volunteer staff is to extend God's care toward these children by creating an opportunity for each one to meet their forever family.

The stakes in this game are incredibly high. Every year thousands of Russian and Ukrainian orphans reach the age of 16, aging out of the orphanage system, and are released into the streets. The statistics show a staggering saga of misery for these kids - at the end of the first year, half of them are either incarcerated, in prostitution, or deceased. The effort to create an alternative opportunity for these orphans by matching them with families impacts their entire reality by changing their living environment, improving their health and vitality, and receiving the love and guidance from parents that will affect the course of their entire lives! Truly there are eternal matters at stake here! There is a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and beauty to be rescued!

The battle to fight is against the ravages of being unloved and lonely in this world. The Bible says that "God sets the lonely in families" and that "God is a father to the fatherless." There is a battle going on in the cosmic level to disconnect children from the love and nurture of a family and sever them from the blessings God wants for them. The adventure to live comes from our volunteering to join the battle and then observing with our own eyes how God overcomes circumstances and hurdles to accomplish His objective to reach these children with His effective care through us! And the beauty to rescue is the innocence of childhood that rests in each of the children who participates in one of our programs.

When people volunteer freely to participate in this cosmic battle the forms take on unassuming and small proportions. At our day camps you will witness mothers bringing snacks, high-schoolers guiding the play times, and helpers cleaning up the crumbs on the tables and floor at the end of each day. There will be a photographer giving his or her time to provide flattering photos of the children. There will be families driving the children to and from the day camp and providing meals and clothing for them. There will be translators who will form a vital communication link between the families and the children who are being considered for adoption. All of these people will be contributing in simple ways, but they will have a profound effect when combined together with the other members of the Advocate for Orphans team.

The effect of our programs is that on average well over 80% of our visiting children have families step forward to begin the process of adopting them. Since 2002 we have participated in matching 184 children with families. And, of those 184 children... well, 151 are already home!

So, how's your investment portfolio doing?

Testimonies from our families

2008-05-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

This is a place for our families to share the stories of the miracles surrounding their adoptions. Please share yours.

Adoption Adventure Network offers families a chance to host Russian orphans

2004-05-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

Almaden Times Weekly
The Number One Source of Community News Serving San Jose's Almaden Valley

May 27, 2004

Adoption Adventure Network offers families a chance to host Russian orphans
By Miranda Schultz, Staff Writer

Almaden residents Chuck and Joanne Bedekovich are exploring the possibility of adoption, and they were recently given a unique opportunity to experience a houseful of children for three weeks through the Adoption Adventure Network.

The childless couple hosted three Russian orphans in their home, courtesy of a program that the Adoption Adventure Network puts together twice a year.

The program enables families interested in adoption to experience firsthand what it is like to adopt children. The program works with Russian orphanages and at the end of the three weeks, the host families have the option to adopt the children.

“It was a wonderful experience. The children were absolutely wonderful. So full of life, they were just really good kids. It was so much fun to watch them experience things in America,” says Joanne.

Throughout the three-week “American Culture” vacation, the Adoption Adventure Network supplies a day camp for the children to make it easy on the host families. At the day camp, they learn English skills and create arts and crafts. The Adoption Adventure also provides around-the-clock translation services because the children speak Russian. The funds for this experience are provided through donations and fees collected from families when a child is adopted. Even with the language barrier, Joanne says picture books are provided and many different people are available to call to aid with translation. “It really isn’t difficult at all.”

Russia is second only to China in its number of orphans. The Adoption Adventure Network provides this unique experience, which can count for the first visit out of two if the host family decides to adopt.

David Avilla, the executive director of the Adoption Adventure Network, says that sometimes the concerns of our domestic adoption agencies hinder the adoption process and make it more difficult for families to adopt.

”In Russia, the children have a really grim future,” said Avilla. “I don’t want to minimize American orphans at all. For a family to adopt a child from Russia, they’re really ransoming a child from a hopeless future.”

According to Avilla, half of the orphans in Russia become orphans because both parents are deceased. A quarter of them are from single women and the other quarter is from abuse and neglect. The number of orphans in Russia is approaching two million, and has nearly doubled in the past five years. A third of all of the orphans in the world are in Russia.

Avilla says they focus on Russia because that is the only country that allows children to come to America for extended visits. About 93 percent of the Russian children who participate end up getting adopted by their host families. The children are not told that adoption is an option.

“The children are the weakest in society, when it’s a life or death struggle, they suffer,” says Avilla, who has adopted five Russian children ages 9, 11, 12, 13, and 17.

Chuck and Joanne have lived in Almaden for just a year. The described the visit as “a very warm and loving experience. My husband and I aren’t able to have children, and the uniqueness with this program is that with most adoption agencies, you don’t get the opportunity to see how a child will work for you in your home. We would definitely do it again and would encourage anyone thinking about starting a family or extending their family to think about this option.”

The youthful visitors that blessed Chuck and Joanne with this unique and enlightening experience were Artem, 11; Victoria, 10; and Vladimir, 7. Joanne said she and her husband enjoyed watching the children and learning their personalities, also watching their reaction to American culture.

“Living in the orphanage, they are cared for by many people. They don’t get much one-on-one attention and are very much on a schedule and very regimented,” she says. While visiting the Bedekovich’s, the children were very good at completing their chores, such as making their bed and setting the table.

When and if the families decide to adopt, The Adoption Adventure helps with the mounds of paperwork. The process can be lengthy, as with any adoption, and the average cost of adopting a child from Russia is $28,000. About 60 percent of the amount arises from the necessary filing of paperwork and translation costs.

First, a certified social worker will visit and interview the interested couple to complete a home study process. The social worker determines if the home environment will be adequate for a child.

Since the childrens’ three-week stays count as one visit out of a necessary two, the prospective parents must make a two-week trip to Russia to undergo extensive interviews by a Russian judge.

Hosting children through the Adoption Adventure Network doesn’t cost much money. The funds for the experience are provided through donations and fees collected from families when a child is adopted. According to Joanne, “You’re only responsible for making sure the children are fed and that they get to day camp,” she says. “They don’t eat much really, they’re like little birds!”

Avilla hopes to expand this nonprofit 501 C-3 company in hopes to help more children live happier lives.

“Adopting one or a few of these children offers eternal consequences. They’re having their futures changed from hopelessness to hopefulness,” says Avilla.

KBAY/KFRC Interview

2004-03-07T15:28:00.000-08:00

http://www.adoptionadventure.com/DownloadDocs/KBAY_Interview-3-7-04.wma

13 minutes, (3.2MB)

(audio only, Windows Media, will launch Windows Media Player)

San Jose Mercury News

2003-12-24T15:31:00.000-08:00

http://www.adoptionadventure.com/Press/Anackers.htm

Article on the front page of the Christmas Eve edition of the San Jose Mercury News about the five adopted siblings of the Anacker family.

KRON TV 4 News Clip

2003-01-10T15:26:00.000-08:00

http://www.advocatefororphans.org/video/KRON_TV_clip_and_intro.wmv

3 minutes, 11 seconds (10.8MB)

These files are Windows Media files and will play with Windows Media Player. Depending on the speed of your connections to the Internet, it may take a moment to download the file to our computer. If you have a modem connection, see note below.

Suggestion for modem users: For better viewing results, first save the video file to your own computer. Right mouse click on one of the video links above here, select "Save Target As", save the file to a location on your computer, then allow the file to completely download. After completion, run the file locally - the results will be a much smoother video picture.

Winter Program Video Collage

2003-01-01T15:32:00.000-08:00

http://www.advocatefororphans.org/video/winter_video_collage.wmv

Scenes for the day camp with music.

These files are Windows Media files and will play with Windows Media Player. Depending on the speed of your connections to the Internet, it may take a moment to download the file to our computer. If you have a modem connection, see note below.

Suggestion for modem users: For better viewing results, first save the video file to your own computer. Right mouse click on one of the video links above here, select "Save Target As", save the file to a location on your computer, then allow the file to completely download. After completion, run the file locally - the results will be a much smoother video picture.

NBC TV Channel 11 News Clip

2002-12-30T15:29:00.000-08:00

http://www.advocatefororphans.org/video/NBC_TV_clip_and_intro1.wmv

2 minutes, 27 seconds (8.2MB)

These files are Windows Media files and will play with Windows Media Player. Depending on the speed of your connections to the Internet, it may take a moment to download the file to our computer. If you have a modem connection, see note below.

Suggestion for modem users: For better viewing results, first save the video file to your own computer. Right mouse click on one of the video links above here, select "Save Target As", save the file to a location on your computer, then allow the file to completely download. After completion, run the file locally - the results will be a much smoother video picture.