"Branching Out" in a big way!

This past summer a friend from my Mom's group hosted an orphan from Latvia and it was a life changing experience not only for the boy who stayed with them, but also for her entire family. I closely followed her blog (maljianfamily.blogspot.com) and was inspired by her story and the huge impact that her family was able to have in Dzintars’ life in the few weeks that he was here.

The organization that they partnered with is called New Horizons for Children (www.newhorizonsforchildren.org) and they offer the opportunity to host children from orphanages in Latvia and Ukraine at two points during the year: summer and winter break for four to five weeks at a time. The purpose of the program is to expose these kids to what life is like in a family, to help them learn some life skills, to have some fun, but most imporantly to provide them with unconditional love, a sense of self-worth, and hope for a better future.

No matter what our situation is here in the United States, we are ridiculously blessed in many ways. One question that has come up repeatedly for Greg and I in the past few years is "how can we take what we have been given and use it to be a blessing to others?" I never would have dreamed that action would come in the form of hosting, and yet after much consideration and some obviously answered prayer, we feel that God has opened the door for us to apply for the hosting program this winter.

If you click on the “meet Nastya” tab at the top of this page, you can read more about the little girl who we hope will be coming to spend the holidays with us.

There is a lot more that I want to share with you about this wonderful organization, about our decision to host, and especially about our time with Nastya while she is here. I hope you will continue reading this blog and join us on our journey as we prepare for her arrival and welcome this beautiful little girl into our family and our hearts this winter!