Giving Back!

Aaron and Nichole Marshall share how Village to Village Intl. helped their family bring home their son, Zurich:

"Village to Village Intl. has been such a blessing to our family in our adoption journey to help bring home our precious Ethiopian son, Zurich Abraham Marshall. Village to Village Intl. has such a heart for adoption and helping orphans all over the world. We were amazed at how God truly provided the funds for our adoption. Family, friends, and people we didn't even know donated generously to help us bring our son home... We have been extremely blessed by Village to Village Intl. and we want to give back, so we have signed up to automatically give each month to other adoptive families. Please join us in this incredible movement of helping orphans around the world."

Thank you Marshall's for giving back!!! 

She's Still Eatin' Pandas

She is an unashamed city girl.  Although her first few years of life were in Iowa, Chicago is now home to our 12 year-old daughter, Jadyn.  When her city classmates learned that she lived in Iowa they assumed she knew how to milk a cow, laso a horse, drive a tractor, and lip-sync to popular country songs.  But they were wrong.  This little Iowan had her sights set on a far-away land - China!   Floral silk fabrics, bamboo plants, and panda birthday cakes. 

As parents, we pass along many things to our children.  However, Jadyn's obsession for China wasn't passed down but was sprouting from within.  It was mysteriously growing on us, a curiosity for a foreign land that had captivated our little girl for years.  Plane tickets were purchased and father and daughter set out.  The Great Wall, The Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square and New Day Foster Home filled the itinerary.  Each place created memories, but the little round faces at New Day made the top of her China story.  China became more than a place with amazing historical sites and culture.  Each child at New Day has a medical need, some requiring surgery, but this doesn't deflate them of life.  Rather it fanned fresh air into the life of this pre-teen.  When she returned we hooked the camera up to the TV and listened for hours as she spoke of Claire, Nicole, Vincent...sharing detailed stories about each child at New Day.  Philip, Joshua, Landon...she loves them all!  They were China to her!

Her send-off party before she headed to the airport.

When Jadyn heard that Village to Village Intl. was headed back to New Day in the Spring of 2013 she pleaded to join her dad's side and help lead the team.  Never underestimate the power of a child!  Jadyn's love for the children in China has infected our family and we hope it sparks a curiosity in you too.  Follow the children at New Day Foster Home here.  And join Village to Village Intl. in providing formula for the children with medical needs.  We want to deliver cases of formula this coming Spring.  Dates are being finazlied for our trip and Jadyn would love for you to join her.   

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All Faces Have A Story!

Toes clenching the balance beam.  Fingers stretching for the wall.  Necks reaching, leading bodies across the finish line.  Emotions captured in young eyes.  Tears of relief and tears of disappointment.  I love the Olympics!  The dedication and discipline.  The highs and lows.  And most of all the stories.  I love the stories!  The athletes become people.  The people have names.  The names have faces.  And the faces have a story!

Gabby Douglas and Michael Phelps have become more than athletes to many people.  Their stories have been broadcasted around the world and they are known for more than just their accomplishments.  Bob Costas is called a sportscaster, but I think he's a wonderful storyteller.  Great achievements catch the attention of journalists and TV personnel.  With their skill they captivate our hearts by sharing stories.   But these stories started before the gold medal was placed around their neck.  Their stories started before the Olympic trials and their stories will continue long after the TV endorsements end.  But in our generation, we have connected to Gabby and Michael and are proud to know their stories.   

There are many wonderful stories out there.  But some stories will never be broadcasted for television.   Little Philip, living in China, may never win a gold medal in diving for his country, but his determination rivals that of an Olympian as he defies the doctors that said he'd never walk.  Helen and Hulagerish may not be well-known like their countryman, Bekele, who will hopefully win a medal for Ethiopia this year, but their faces shine a charming story.  We hope that one day they will be educated and able to read for themselves of their country's hero, Bekele.  These stories are yet to be written.  Many unfinished paragraphs and chapters.  We invite you to be a part of these stories! Because these little people have faces.  And their little faces have a story.  And we love stories!  Because They Matter!

Dr. Terry Waggoner visited Helen and Hulagerish in Ethiopia.