Selected

" It makes no difference how someone enters a family, by birth or adoption. When souls are meant to be together, there is no stopping it. I am convinced of this. " my friend exclaimed to me. Divine providence. Afterwards she declared she had been adopted as an infant. No accident, no random kids with random families. Selected.
Hopeful, our host kids both expressed a strong desire to return to us for Christmas hosting. "I zdiez Merry Christmas?", Alexander would ask, while Tina stated " I Christmas here! I Christmas with you! "
How can we deny their hearts' desire? I cannot bear the idea , the thought of Alexander and Tina on the streets. Alone. Cold . Hungry. Prowlers on the lookout.
 Yes,their country is filled with hundreds of thousands of orphans. Many in desperate need of a loving home. As one family, we are able to add only a few children to our family.

Often  kids with  physical and/or mental disabilities are viewed as special needs and far more difficult to adopt out. In my mind it takes a very special, loving family to adopt these kids. God calls everyone to various missions.  To the majority of adoptive parents only children aged five and under are desirable.Hence the long waiting lists of two plus years for the precious babies.

Shocking as it may seem, human trafficking is currently thriving. After graduation,at age 16 or 17, many young girls and boys in Ukraine fall into the hands of profit-seeking predators. Tempting them with false promises, these men lure the teen kids into prostitution, nationally and internationally. In the USA the number of sex slaves is one of the highest but unknown. Re-usable resources it is called. The term slaves is correct, these kids are owned and forced into prostitution. Sometimes they are sold to others for a few hundred dollars each.
Other orphans end up on the streets and live underground without a thing.
Typically, orphans in Ukraine attend a trading school after graduation, with appalling housing,drug and alcohol abuse, lack of food, clothes and hygiene. Their schooling is incomplete, not at all to be compared to USA highschool graduation, think tenth grade or so. Consequently many are compelled to work during the day and attend evening school and unable to pursue a college education . Fifteen percent commits suicide within two years of graduation, a shocking percentage(70%) of boys turns into hardened criminals.  Graduation conjures up positive images for many people. For these teenage kids it is like a terrible dream, only REAL.
Before you will be finished reading this sentence an orphan will have "aged out" of an orphanage, leaving the only world they have known for years, sometimes their entire lifetime,behind. They are literally put out on the streets with not much more than the clothes on their backs. 31 August was graduation day across Eastern Europe. 
Are kids over five, over ten, special needs? Yes,they are "too old". Nobody wants to adopt them. Nobody knows about them. Nobody cares.
In the adoption arena they are labeled special needs. Their needs are real and they are URGENT. 
How can we sit back and do nothing? 
It is possible to adopt these kids before they "age out" of the orphanage and offer them a better future, a home, a loving family.
Thanks to hosting organizations such as Children's Cultural Connection, some of these kids are hosted in the USA, and consequently often adopted into wonderful , nurturing families. 

Our hosting kids fall into this category. Yes they are both beautiful, fun, kind, good- hearted and smart.Still, they remain special needs.  A small window of opportunity is still open for them.
Christmas hosting is on the horizon. Hosting fees are due soon enough . Fundraisers on the menu for us this time around.
Tina and Alexander asked to be with us for Christmas.
If you would like to contribute to their return please view our puzzle fundraiser with instructions. Or if you would like to donate with a check , please send to  : Hosting funds c/o Saryon
                                                                               PO Box 903
                                                                               Mt. Shasta , CA 96067
The hosting deposit is due September 15th.,the remainder of $ 4300 in mid October.
For information about our local raffle please contact me at : ailita@sbcglobal.
 We are so grateful for everyone's support and love for our kids.