CEO Note
We're still seeing a lot of progress in our Ethiopia Program. Families are traveling on a regular basis and our new “Waiting Child” program has been helping many older and special needs children find families. We recognize, however, that there has been a lot of transitioning with this program in the last year: We have had a change in family coordinators, a change in in-country directors and a change in our transition home in Addis. Although these changes have been good things, I know that transitions can be a frustrating thing for prospective adoptive parents and I want to apologize for frustrations you may have to have dealt with. The system we have in place now is a really good one and I’m glad that we’re continuing to see more and more applicants to this program. We plan to continue to improve this program and welcome your feedback on how we can best serve you and other families.
Many of you have heard or seen that some adopting agencies have been going out of business. Just last week I heard about the agency “Los Ninos” that is shutting down after decades of adoption service. We wanted to share with you that our agency has strong financial footing thanks to our Board of Directors not allowing a budget with a deficit and most importantly due to the hard working staff at America World that work above and beyond their expectations in service to families. I am grateful to God for His guidance to our agency!
I am interested in knowing if families would be interested in hosting older orphan children for a couple weeks in their home. If so, what factors are most important to you: Where the child is from? The age of the child? The “adoptability” of the child? Other factors? Your input will be helpful to us. Please email info@awaa.org with the phrase “Hosting Program – Feedback” in the subject line.
I have recently returned from a Board of Directors meeting of the Christian Alliance for Orphans. I would like to invite individuals and churches interested in orphan care/adoption to join our Summit meeting in Dallas on April 30th & May 1st. This should be a great conference and I’ve found that the most useful times at these conferences are the in-between times where individuals and organizations can connect. For more information about the Summit meeting in Dallas, please visit www.christianalliancefororphans.org/summit.
As I’m writing this today, we’re experiencing a large snowfall! Many of our staff are working from home today due to the snow. It’s rare that it snows in March in this area, but it’s a nice reminder to us during the end of the winter season that we aren’t in control. This morning I am reminded of King David’s proclamation: “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7). Thanks be to God for forgiving our sins and for His mercy to us every day.
— Brian Luwis, CEO