Greetings from San Antonio!
March has definitely "come in like a lion" here in South Texas…we've had some of the coldest, windiest days on record during the past two weeks, though we don't mind too much since the long, hot summer is just ahead…
With Spring Break starting next week for many teachers and students, we know many of you might have travel plans in the weeks to come. Please remember to keep us apprised of your travel plans and fax, e-mail, or telephone with contact numbers and ways to get in touch while you're away from home.
Congratulations!
There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of those is roots, the other wings. --Hodding Carter
February was a record-setting month for A.S.A., with a total of TEN placements! We're thrilled to congratulate the following families and join them in welcoming their new arrivals!!
Marcelo and Ruthanne………Juliana
Danny and Anna……………..Mika
John and Gail…………………Nikolas John
Jean and Isabelle……………. Pia Alma Victoire
Donald and Margie………….Alexander James
Timothy and Jane……………Sam Englehardt
Don and Kim…………………Jack Leipham
Victoria and Joseph………….Anthony Eleazar
Tom and Pamela……………..Harrison Martin
Bob and Sandra………………Regina May
Meet our Staff…
In the ninth part of our series introducing
A.S.A. staff members, I'd like to introduce Janice Sanchez…
Hello! My name is Janice Sanchez…I have been with A.S.A. International
since the International department was relocated here to our home office
last Spring. I am an Executive Administrative Assistant to Linda Zuflacht,
A.S.A.'s Executive Director. I have been happily married to a wonderful
man, Rick, for twenty-one years. We have been blessed with three precious
children: Rick, Jr. - 19, Crystal - 18, and Candice - 16, whom we deeply
love and cherish.
My job, in a nutshell, is to assist families in all phases of their international
adoptions through Eastern Europe. As you can imagine, it is such a rewarding
experience. I have the pleasure of taking part in the joyous occasion of
joining families with beautiful children in need of a loving family. Although
the paperwork can be a little horrendous at times, the end result is what
this is all about. Our ultimate goal is to make your experience one of complete
joy and happiness.
One thing that we often hear from parents after bringing their child(ren) home, is how blessed they are, and, although this is true, we also know that it is the child(ren) who have also been blessed, as they have received the ultimate gift: a loving family. I look forward to the opportunity to work with you in the near future…
One Family's Story
Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold --Judith Olney
We would love to share our adoption journey with those who are waiting for their own bundle-of-joy. To be honest, and not to discourage anyone, the entire process was never a hard journey; we feel we experienced a textbook-style adoption. We truly feel A.S.A. was instrumental in helping us to achieve a positive adoption experience because they kept us updated and answered all of our questions as promptly as possible.
After 13 years of trying to have a child of our own, we knew the plan of adoption was what God had intended for us, for our first child. We extensively researched the many adoption options and agencies before applying with A.S.A. late September, 2000. We had our Home Study interview December 8, 2000 and were matched with a very special, young birth mother on April 9, 2001. On June 16, 2001, our beautiful daughter, Victoria Alexandra, was born. We took her home on June 17, 2001, Father's Day - what a special gift! On December 20, 2001, our Final Adoption Court Decree was issued; this was our perfect Christmas gift! - Jeannie and Ron
The Heart of the Matter
In closing, I wanted to share with you a short article that a family member passed along to me recently….it was an insert in her church bulletin…I really enjoyed it, hope you do, too.
"Counting the Cost"
The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child, birth to 18, and came up with a $160,140 price tag for a middle income family - and that doesn't even touch college tuition. For those with kids, that figure leads to wild fantasies about all the money we could have banked if not for our kids. For others, that number might confirm the decision to remain childless. But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.44 a day! Just over a dollar an hour. Still, you might think the best financial advice says don't have children if you want to be "rich". It is just the opposite.
What do you get for your $160,140?
Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
Glimpses of God every day.
Giggles under the covers every night.
Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
A hand to hold, usually covered with jam.
A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sand castles, and
someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how
your stocks performed that day.
For $160,140 you never have to grow up. You get to finger-paint, carve pumpkins,
play hide-and-seek, catch lightning bugs, and never stop believing in Santa
Claus.
You have an excuse to keep reading the Adventures of Pooh, watching Saturday
morning cartoons, going to Disney movies, and wishing on stars.
You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator- magnets
and collect spray-painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set
in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.
For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your
buck. You get to be a hero just for retrieiving a Frisbee off the garage
roof, taking the training wheels off the bike, and removing a splinter,
filling in the wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching
a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream.
You get a front row seat to history to witness the first step, first word,
first bra, first date, and first time behind the wheel.
You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree,
and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren.
You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications,
and human sexuality that no college can match.
In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there with God. You have all the
power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a
broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them
without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the
cost.
Warm Regards,
Denise Garibay, M.A.
Director of Social Services