Last summer, my husband and I were very blessed to host a 7 year old girl from Taiwan. We heard of the opportunity about a month before the kids were due to come out and there still were not enough homes to host them. We thought this would be an excellent opportunity to bless an orphan, but as our 2 week hosting time marched on, I realized that we were the ones being blessed by this precious guest in our home. When she first came to us, she was very shy and unsure. Of course, it must be very scary to be so young and in a country unfamiliar to yourself. She would cry a little at times during the first two days and would ask for her chaperone, but then an amazing transformation started to take place. As we showered her with love and encouragement, this scared and unsure little girl started to transform into a confident and joyful little thing. We had planned a 4-day trip to Disneyland with my parents and my sister's family before we knew we were hosting. We ended up just bringing her along, which turned out to be the greatest thing for her. It was an excellent way to bond with her. She would want to try different rides, but would be nervous about some of the faster or higher rides. She still wanted to try, and it ended up being an excellent way to earn her trust and bond with her. I would do simple things like hold her hand and give her reassuring smiles to help her get through the rides. Afterwards, she would flash this confident smile as if she had conquered another fear. The days we spent at home were great as well. She would volunteer to help set the table and water the plants. She would test the rules upon occasion, but as she found that the rules were the rules (never with a stern face, but a smile), she would acquiesce and move on. I saw her start to give hugs to my husband by the end of the trip, which was amazing because she was very unsure of men at the beginning. She loved bedtime, with stories and more hugs. She was such a natural fit for our family. She seemed to fill a hole that I hadn't even realized was there. We decided to adopt her and are currently almost through our adoption process. We should be able to bring her home around September. I am completely blown away by how those 2 weeks have changed our lives. I never would have guessed it at the onset. Of course, not all of the families that hosted that summer ended up adopting, but I have to think that if those children end up being adopted in the US that they will be so much better prepared and less anxious about moving to a new country from having the experience of living with a US family those 2 weeks. We were blessed beyond measure by the experience and would definitely encourage other families to step out of their comfort zones and host a child as well. Prepare to be blessed beyond measure!
