Adoption Videos

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

What is Sponsoring a Kolfe Boy?

Child Sponsorship
Orphaned children have very few, if any, personal possessions, but their relationship with you is one thing they can consider their own. You play a significant part in restoring trust and bringing hope. A Children’s HopeChest sponsor is a caring person who wishes to commit monthly support and ongoing encouragement to one child for the duration of his or her time in an orphanage or carepoint. (In some cases, sponsorship can extend through a child's time in vocational school or college.) Sponsors not only offer financial support but also relational support through friendship, prayer, letter writing, and perhaps an occasional visit. Individual sponsors can give their sponsorship contribution in monthly ($34), bimonthly ($68), quarterly ($102), semi-annually ($204) and yearly ($408) increments. Your payment schedule will be set up according to the first gift received.

Reminder statements are sent out according to the payment schedule mentioned above. You will receive this statement at the end of the month. Sponsorship payments may be made by check or online through credit card and EFT contributions.

Prayer
Become actively engaged in caring for orphans by defending, protecting, and advocating for them. We ask that each sponsor pray on an ongoing basis for the health, encouragement, safety, and spiritual growth of one’s sponsored child.

Communication
Communication flows to and from sponsors and children by two means: first, by letters to and from sponsors and their children, and second, by regular newsletters, updates, and reports from HopeChest.

We encourage sponsors to write letters both through email and by regular mail. Each time an orphaned child hears from their sponsor, they know that someone half a world away cares for them. This also encourages them to write back. However, it is important to not place unrealistic expectations on your sponsored child. The reality of our work is that we work with at-risk children. They often do not have the necessary skills to handle even the simplest emotional or physical tasks. It is our hope that through loving, caring, prayerful sponsors, our staff will be able to make breakthroughs in these challenges and help each child gain skills for life and healthy relationships.

Through your consistent prayer and communication, we hope that they will experience encouragement and healing from the challenges they have faced. Writing letters is a major part of this effort.

Travel
Sponsorship provides opportunities to impact a whole community – the children, their caregivers, the families of the caregivers, and the community where the orphanage or carepoint is located. The sponsoring organization is asked to send a team of five or more travelers every 12 to 18 months to visit the orphanage or carepoint. Sponsors will have the opportunity to make contacts, assess needs, fulfill Children's HopeChest programs, and initiate programs unique to that orphanage. Life-long friendships are formed on these trips. These relationships can literally save the lives of children who are at-risk.

The cost of trips is divided into two categories. Travelers are responsible to arrange for their own flights, in consultation with HopeChest staff and after approval of your trip. The second category is the land package, which includes all in-country ground transportation, lodging, meals, translator fees and expenses, staff services, administration, and incidentals.

Transitional Programs
Most orphaned children find that the day they leave the orphanage is the most critical of their lives. The goal of our various transitional programs is to help them develop the character, integrity and skills to live an independent life and to become leaders in their communities and avoid the risks they would otherwise face from alcohol, drugs, crime, and sexual relationships. Through vocational training, counselors and social workers, as well as a support community, older orphaned children can continue the path toward education, career, family, and faith in young adulthood.

Special Projects
Special projects address the additional needs at an orphanage or carepoint that are outside the scope of child sponsorship, prayer, letters, and travel. For example, by building kitchens and wells, or hiring social workers and tutors, the sponsor can know that the whole needs of a child are being met.

To begin sponsorship, email kolfesponsor@gmail.com.

Our Fitness Story

Happy Holidays

David, Maya, and I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas.  May God bless each of you!

 

We did it!

We finally got a babysitter for Maya last night.  We decided we needed a date night.  My co-worker's daughter came over and watched Maya while Dave and I had a wonderful dinner at a local favorite called the VIP room.  It must have been ages since we tasted such delicious food.  We also were able to have an adult conversation for more than 2 minutes.  Woo Hoo!  After dinner we finished up our Christmas shopping.  It was a good night and a little break never hurts.

 

Theresa

Maya's 9th month check-up

We saw Dr. Lydia yesterday for Maya's 9th month check-up.  Maya currently weights 19 lb 10 oz and is 28 inches long which are both in the 50th percentile.  I was concerned that Maya was gaining too much weight too quickly but the doctor ensured me that she is very healthy.  Maya didn't have any shots yesterday as she already had them taken care of when we arrived home from Ethiopia.

 

Maya is currently sleeping but is coughing quite a bit.  I guess it is always something with her now that she is in daycare

 

Theresa

Update on the move

Well we are still getting settled in our new home.  Maya's room is about finished and is looking very cute.  We think Maya will really like her room and be able to grow with it.  We also have the dining room put together and the kitchen is almost there.  We are having the house painted and the kitchen was just painted yesterday and today.  The living room is the next to be painted.  It will be nice to be able to unpack all the boxes and be able to relax in the evenings versus work. 

 

Again pictures will be posted as soon as our desktop has been unpacked.  Stay tuned...

 

On a different note, we have Maya's baptism scheduled for December 30th.  Some family is able to make it which means so much to us.  If any of you are in town and would like to attend, please let us know.  We would be happy to have you be apart of her special day. 

 

Time for bed...take care everyone and again, stay warm.

 

Theresa

We've Moved!!!

Hello everyone...we have been very busy these past few days.  We finally sold our house and officially moved into our new home.  Although it has been stressful and we have boxes everywhere, we are very happy to be in our new house and neighborhood.  We have already met our next door neighbors who of course love Maya already.  Since our house was cold last night due to the door being open for 6 hours straight due to the movers, our neighbors insisted we feed Maya at their place.  It is a nice feeling to get along with your neighbors.

 

Good friends of ours drove into town tonight to give us a helping hand this weekend.  Dave and John will be busy ripping out our master bedroom carpet.  I will be busy unpacking and cleaning.  We hired a painter to paint most of the house (it needed it badly) so we will have to continue to work around him.  It makes the unpacking part a bit challenging.  Right now we are getting our Directv set-up and it taking forever!  It will be so nice to be able to watch some television and relax.

 

I plan to post some pictures of our new house soon.  It is going to be fun to re-decorate especially Maya's room. 

 

Take care everyone and stay warm.  It is very cold here in Fargo.

Theresa

Kolfe Boys Available for Sponsorship

View Full Album

Maya and Santa

We visited Santa today.  Here are a few pictures.

What does sponsorship do?

Your financial commitment of $34/month provides for the most basic needs of children in the community. HopeChest will assist in providing food, water, access to basic medical care, education and discipleship. While $34 cannot meet all the needs of a child suffering through extreme poverty, it does provide significant help.

In our community-to-community model, all funds are "pooled" together so that if one child does not have a sponsor, they will still have these needs met. Your contribution of $34 a month will go towards providing food, clothing, and access to medical care, as well education and discipleship.