I recently asked you to send me all of your hosting questions. I’m not an expert on hosting by any means, but I’ll answer all of these to the best of my ability and/or share where you can find them on P143 or NHFC’s FAQ page.

Do you need an approved home study to host?
No, each organization does their home visit differently, but you do not need a full homestudy. In our case, we were able to use Gus’s post placement reports in lieu of a home visit. Some organizations require you to have one of their staff visit your home or others require a social worker. I think it varies based on the organization and/or how far you are from their volunteers. But, I do not know of any that require the full homestudy. If you do have a recent homestudy and/or post placement report, you can usually use those instead of the home visit. There will also be other paperwork, such as background checks, etc. [Addressed on P143’s FAQ page.]

Do you have to have an entire empty bedroom to host?
No. It does have to be a room shared with only host siblings of the same sex and the child has to have their own bed. [Addressed on P143’s FAQ page.]

What are the fees/costs involved for the hosting family?
It varies, but seems to be around $2700-3000 for the hosting fees. There may be a few other costs, such as travel to the airport to pick up your host child. You will also need clothing and a few other items for your host child, as well as an eye exam and dental exam and cleaning. However, these can often be donated and the host programs offer some advice on how to go about that. [Addressed on P143’s FAQ page.]

What ages of children are in need of host families?
It varies from country to country. I have a friend who is hosting a 4yo. Typically, I hear of 6-18 year olds. Most of the children are from about 10-18. 

Do host families need to be considering adoption in order to host?
No, the family does not need to be adoption-minded. In fact, not all children are available for adoption. Some programs will not allow a host-only family to host an adoptable child multiple times, as this makes it harder for them to find an adoption-minded family and also bonded with another family. [Addressed on P143’s FAQ page and NHFC’s FAQ page.]

Are the children who come available for adoption?
No, not all of the children are available for adoption. Some are too old to be adopted and others are simply unavailable for any number of reasons. The hosting organizations can usually let you know if a child is adoptable, but they do not guarantee this information. [Addressed on P143’s FAQ page and NHFC’s FAQ page.]

Is the main objective of the hosting program to give older orphans a better chance at finding families and adjusting to family life? If no, what is the primary objective?
Partly. There are a few different objectives and each program lists slightly different visions. They are along the lines of finding children families, showing orphans love, and teaching them about God. [Addressed on P143’s FAQ page.] I also really like the answer shared on NHFC’s FAQ page for “Isn’t it cruel to send them back?”. It addresses the purposes of hosting beyond finding a child a family.

How long is the host program? (How many weeks or months does the child stay in the host family?)
Again, this varies based on the program and country. Big L’s program is one of the longest at 9.5 weeks. Some programs are just a few weeks long, especially the winter programs. [Addressed on P143’s FAQ page and NHFC’s FAQ page.]

Are all the children who participate in the hosting program orphaned children?
All of them are living in an orphanage or foster family setting, but not all of them may be true orphans, who have lost both parents. Some may have one or both parents alive, but unable to care for them.

What countries participate in the hosting program?
Many countries participate in the hosting program and I haven’t researched them all. A few that come to mind are Latvia, Ukraine, China, Uganda, Nicaragua, Colombia, and the Philippines.

How are the children screened to come?
I think this answer probably varies a lot from host program to host program and country to country. My understanding for NHFC and P143 is that the orphanage director recommends children who they feel would be suitable for hosting. Then, the hosting program’s team interviews the children. [Addressed on P143’s FAQ page.]

Do you consider adopting Big L?
Yes, she’s a wonderful kid. However, adoption is not a topic to be taken lightly, so we’re praying and considering if she’ll become a permanent member of our family.

Here is a list of hosting programs I have heard of; however, I cannot personally vouch for most of these.

• Project One Forty Three (who we are hosting Big L with) – Latvia, Ukraine and China
• New Horizons for Families (who we were originally hosting with) – Latvia, Ukraine, China and the Philippines
• Frontier Horizon – Ukraine & Nicaragua
• Children’s Cultural Connection – Ukraine & Uganda
• Kidsave – Latvia, Colombia  & the Philippines

I’ve had many people ask, “how are things really going?”

Truthfully, things are going well. The two hardest parts of hosting are the language barrier and trying to entertain an extra child over the summer.

So, the language barrier. For the most part, we don’t struggle to explain significant things. The program provides a translator, as well as the chaperone, and we could call either one with questions or for translations.  But, Big L wants to know what we are saying. At first, she would yell “WHATA?!” somewhat obnoxiously, when she wanted to know what we were saying. Now, mostly she mostly trusts us to translate what needs to be translated. She seems to understand what I translate into her language for her, but when she translates something for me, it can take several tries to get a translation that makes sense. If I have no context for what she is saying, it is very frustrating, especially for her. I cannot imagine spending an entire summer with, and growing close to people without being able to communicate well.

That being said, Big L has a huge desire to learn English. She spent some time doing a program called Mango Languages, free through our local library. It is a Russian English as a Second Language course. Russian is not her primary language, but she knows enough of it to understand the course. She learned quite a bit, but still rarely uses it in practice. Just last night, we called her chaperone. Her chaperone asked how her English was, and when I told her that she was shy to use it, the chaperone encouraged Big L to try more. I hope that she will. I believe she has a lot of potential to learn English this summer, but she does need to try. However, I also understand her hesitation to speak in a new language that everyone around her speaks fluently.

So, the second challenge. Trying to entertain an extra child over the summer. Summer entertainment is a big challenge for all of my kids. There is just so much time to occupy. Big L can be very clingy when she is bored, but she is getting better. So far, she has read the entire Jesus Storybook Bible in her native language, made both string and loom bracelets, done an online English course, bike riding, gone swimming countless times, play lots of Uno and Go Fish, and more. I picked up a few books in her native language, and she is doing some reading. I also have a scrapbook for her, so once I have some time to get it started, I’ll hand that over to her and hopefully she will enjoy making some pages.

[reading the entire Jesus Storybook Bible in 2 days.]

These are both such little frustrations in the bigger, awesome picture. Things are going really well here, honestly. Big L is a great kid and we’re happy to have her around.

Questions about hosting? Sure, we’re only 2.5 weeks in, but I’m happy to answer what I can! Leave a comment!

I was feeling a bit tired and whiny when I wrote yesterday’s post. Today was a lot better day and yesterday didn’t seem quite so bad after some rest. 🙂

My mom taught Big L how to play Solitaire with real cards and it was a hit. She is figuring it out.

My mom took Reed and the Ls swimming this afternoon while I worked. Also a hit.

At dinner time, Big L started grabbing knives and pushing us out of the way to help with dinner. Peeling and smashing garlic, sauteing onions, and any other task she could help with. Without being asked and she did a very good job. I watched her carefully pour rice from one bowl to another, spilling less than I would have. She is a natural in the kitchen.

Today was my niece’s birthday, so we went over to my sister’s house after dinner for a tea party.

My ladies.

Yes, Lena is really drinking tea. Out of a real tea cup. It was a classy party.

So, the super loved shirt. I had to make a bunch of returns to Old Navy yesterday. I brought Big L in, to get her a pair of flip flops. I was a bit nervous about taking a preteen into a clothing store. But, I told her if she saw something she liked to tell me. No, she shook her head. I held a cute shirt up to her, she shook her head and pointed to the price tag. I pointed to the sale price and she shook her head more adamantly. So I said, “if you don’t pick something, I will!” I found the largest, camouflage coat and held it up to her. We both laughed hysterically. And, then we walked through the store, “picking out” different, ridiculous clothes for each other. It was so fun, the kind of thing you’d do with a good friend. I snuck that shirt under my arm when she wasn’t looking. “Super Loved”. Definitely one of the things I want her to know.

She and my nephew, who is her age, are really silly together. Neither one of them wants their picture taken, so they try to take each others’ pictures.

Ninja firefighters. You should recognize the one on the left. And a sneaky shot I took of my nephew.

Tonight’s chain link she opened was “L is supported by people who love her.” This one really struck a cord with her and I saw her face change as she read it. Instead of her usual silly demeanor, she looked at me with that emotional sort of smile, just a few degrees away from happy tears, and I just nodded before she wrapped her arms around me. She proudly showed my mom and my mom repeated it back to her, too.

This girl really gives life her all. She has the bravery to cross the ocean. She has the sass and spunk to be silly in a house of people she has known for less than a week. And she loves everyone around her so recklessly. Each of my children already adore her and she has found ways to connect with all of them. She cuddles with Lena and does her hair. She chases and wrestles with Reed. And she picks Gus up and tickles him. I think she’s pretty incredible.