Empowered to Connect Live Simulcast

We are so excited to be hosting the live simulcast of this year's Empowered to Connect Conference on April 10-11.  

The Empowered to Connect Conference is a two-day conference for adoptive and foster parents, ministry leaders, and professionals designed to help them connect with children from hard places in order to help them heal and become all that God desires for them to be.

The simulcast will be held at Oak Creek Community Church in Mishawaka, IN.  The doors will open at 9:30am each day with the simulcast starting promptly at 10:00am.  We will have coffee and light refreshments available.  The conference will end at 6:00pm each day.  There will be a lunch break from 1:00-2:30 both days and we encourage you to grab lunch with someone else from the conference.

Continuing Education/Training Credits

The conference has pre-approval for 11 credits from the National Association of Social Workers for continuing education credits.  Training credits for foster parents is available as well, but you will need to get approval from your agency.  

The cost for the conference is only $22.  Click on the button bellow to register for this amazing conference!

2015 Dodgeball Tournament

This year our dodgeball tournament will be on March 28th.  It will be held at the Elkhart Youth and Community Center, which is located at 200 E Jackson Blvd. in Elkhart, IN.  Click here to view the flyer.

If you are interested in playing, putting your own team together, or if you have any questions you can email Matt at matt@villagetovillageintl.com.

Will we have a repeat champion?

Why Do We Underestimate Children?

Being a father of five, you would think I would get used to kids amazing me by their thoughts and actions. But this week I was amazed at the generosity of 2 young people.

First, by a nine-year-old girl named Paisley.  Paisley celebrated her birthday on December 31st.  Just like any little girl, Paisley had a birthday party but instead of asking her friends and family to bring presents, she asked them to bring donations for Oasis.  You may wonder why a nine-year-old would even care about something like Oasis.  Paisley's mom found herself in foster care and when she aged out of the system she was not prepared.  She was young, pregnant, and had no place to go.  Many nights she stayed at shelters and in church basements.  Her mom was so excited to hear that something like Oasis was coming to this area.  Paisley was able to raise $228 at her birthday party!

Paisley (in yellow) w/ her family, and V2V board members: Rebecca Johnson, & Matt and Stacey Borst

The second situation was a response from our monthly newsletter that went out Monday (1/26) morning.  I received an email from my son, Tait, a 13 year old young man, telling me that he is going to put a dodgeball team together for our dodgeball tournament coming up on March 28th.  Even though he is too young to play, he is willing to ask 10 adults that he knows to play on his team.  He also left $50 cash on my desk and told me that it was a donation for Oasis.  I asked him why he was doing that and he told me that he wants to help people who are in need.  I guess that is a pretty simple answer to something that I, as an adult, sometimes make too difficult. 

Tait with two of his sisters

Today, our teachers are Paisley and Tait.  Neither of them have much, but they did what they could do.  They did their part.  What is your part?  For me, it is a shift in my thinking.  I need to STOP thinking about what I can't do and start thinking about what I CAN do. 

The Anonymous Donor

In the words of Jesus...

"When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure—‘play-actors’ I call them—treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that’s all they get. When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out." Matthew 6:2-4 (MSG)

It has been amazing to watch this happen and to see many of the families on our site be the benefactor of such amazing and humble people who just want to help and do it quietly and unobtrusively.  

Kim Mol was one of the recipients of an anonymous gift at the end of 2014.  Here is what she had to say about Village to Village Intl. 

"When I was first told about Village to Village International, by a fellow church member, I never imagined the impact it would have on me...not only financially, but spiritually as well. I was grateful for an opportunity to help offset some of my adoption expenses but never fathomed that my $10,000 goal would actually be met. I was just hopeful that enough money might be raised to cover the cost of airfare to Ethiopia. But God knew my needs were greater and He provided in the most amazing way! In addition to the generosity of family of friends, a significant donation was made to my account by an anonymous donor...on THREE separate occasions! Each act of generosity was an answer to prayer when it was needed most. This whole experience has had such an impact on my faith...confirmation that God is orchestrating every detail of this adoption. I am beyond grateful for each individual who has allowed God to work through them & am humbled to receive such an abundance of blessings!"

From Indiana to Thailand

The Waggoner family recently finalized the adoption of their little boy, Ty.  They did a great job documenting their journey and we would love to share it with you all.

I have a story... from Lifetime Photography on Vimeo.

This second video is a great video that will give you a little idea on what traveling for an adoption is like.  Check it out.

Thailand trailer from Aaron Waggoner on Vimeo.

Congratulations again, and thanks for sharing your journey with us.

Birthday With A Purpose

Corinne, the birthday girl, is a Village to Village board member

Nearly 26 years old and eager to find creative ways to help support Village to Village Intl. and its many critical causes, I thought why not use my birthday as a way to bring people together in support of this organization. In August, while running a 5K with Stacey Borst we began discussing the needs among foster children. Supporting families who participate in foster care is one way that Village to Village Intl. has started to reach its local community. As Stacey and I spurred each other on to keep running the race we also found ourselves talking about how children in foster care often do not have personal luggage. Coincidentally, my mom and I had been talking about this same need just a few days prior. Their lack of and need for luggage is extremely ironic and heartbreaking to me.

I had heard of a local sewing studio that had opened up near where I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After learning more about the store and what it can offer I thought this could be the perfect venue and resource for making bags for children who are in the foster care system. With my birthday right around the corner I began talking with my mom about this idea. She offered to underwrite the evening so that my friends and I could make these bags for children who often find their selves traveling from one place to the next, and who deeply need to feel a sense of belonging. My desire for doing this was to provide these children with something that they can call their own. It is a small contribution and won’t satisfy the desperation of their situations, but I pray these bags serve as a reminder that Christ loves each one of them and has called them to be His, amidst the ever changing world we live. 

The finished product.  Thank you ladies for your time and gifts.

Did You Know?

Sometimes numbers can be overwhelming, and sometimes they can be motivating.  I am sharing these numbers with the hopes of these numbers becoming faces, the faces becoming names, and the names becoming the children we are loving.

The following is taken from a study done by Barna Research Group:

Here is what is true of kids who age out of foster care by the time they turn 26 years old.  The top numbers are those who have aged out of foster care and the bottom numbers are those from the general population.

Those who have a high school education or less:
Those who age out: 60%
General population: 28%

Those who have a 4 year degree or more:
Those who age out: 4%
General population: 36%

Those who are employed:
Those who age out: 46%
General population: 80%

Those who cannot pay rent:
Those who age out: 28%
General population: 6%

Women who receive food stamps:
Those who age out: 68%
General population: 7%

Men who have been incarcerated:
Those who age out: 64%
General population: 9%

The cost of us not being involved is huge.  How can you be involved in your community?