Meet the Team Leader: David Stanghellini
My name is David Stanghellini. I live in White Plains, New York with my wife, Heather, and my three beautiful daughters, Rina, Nuala, and Anna who came into our family through the blessing of adoption. I am a registered nurse practicing in home/community care as a staff educator. I also am a clinical adjunct instructor for a local college.
As a Christian, I believe that I have a vocation and calling to many roles: husband, father, nurse, educator, friend – just to name a few. Primary (and inclusive) of these roles is my calling to be a faithful witness of Christ. As a witness, I am called to be an active part of living and spreading the gospel message through my life and actions. I have been privileged to be a nurse where service and compassion are the bedrocks of my profession. In addition, I strive to witness my faith though service to my church and my community. I have been involved in mission trips to Rural Appalachia to assist in home building; I have helped to feed the homeless on the streets of New York City; I have also been involved in relief efforts to areas hardest hit during Hurricane Sandy.
One area of service that has been close to my heart is that to the orphans of China. I have been fortunate to travel to China on three separate occasions to adopt my three daughters. During those times I was impressed by the beauty of the country, the richness of its culture, and the welcome of its people. Sadly, I was also concerned by the stark poverty and challenge that country faces in caring for its most vulnerable population- orphaned and abandoned children.
My wife and I have been blessed to welcome three daughters. Two of our daughters came to us with special needs. Some of these needs have been corrected or mitigated. Some, however, were the product of institutionalization, lack of resources, and continue to affect their further development.
Because of my experiences with adoption in China, I believe that I am called at this point in my life to serve Him by traveling to China and sharing myself and the gifts and talents I have been given. I believe that to be able to share knowledge, service, resources, action, and even a warm, gentle touch can serve, even in some small way, the mission to which we are all called as Christians – to love God with all our hearts, minds, and strength.
Our team will be leaving for China for this missions trip in October 2014. If you are interested in joining us and the work we will be doing, I encourage you to go ahead and apply today!