BIG BIG NEWS!

I know Christmas is almost here and it's hard to think of anything else, but, I am bursting with excitement and want to give everyone a heads up on things spinning at Guglielmo's Hope for Orphans with our partners, Viant International, Angel's Haven Outreach, and Children's Cultural Connection.

Gary and I have lots of things in the works but here are just a couple to look out for:

1) We are planning a host program for disabled orphans from Ukraine and Africa (Liberia), along with my regular Summer Ukraine Orphan Host Program. We are hoping to include a specialty camp in Aspen with our long time friends, Challenge Aspen. This is in the works and there is too much to write about so just look for more information to come next month.

2) Look for upcoming news about our upcoming event at Guglielmo Winery this spring. It will be an amazing fundraiser and that include online auctions for trips to Aspen and much much more! You won't believe the things we have planned and the people who are on board with us and our mission.

3) Our orphans coming on the Christmas Host Program will be here on the 20th. We can't wait for you to meet them. I am hiding in my house so I don't get sick anymore before they get here.

All very exciting and life changing for God's Little Angels and EVERYONE involved.

As always, we need sponsors, host families, and lots of help. If you want to join the committee or help, please email guglielmoshope@gmail.com or call my cell. 408-710-8902 to get on the Google Group. Look up Guglielmo's Hope for Orphans on Facebook and LIKE our page to stay informed!

Ginger

Day 2 - still editing and adding so don't read yet.

I didn't sleep well obviously from jet lag, but got up and had a nice shower and got ready. I brought my blow dryer I had bought in Italy 7 years ago. Finally able to use it again. Remember, the plugs are different. Serg picked me up along with my translator, Roma. We loaded up all the donation and presents I bought and off we went. I first got a nice tour of Kiev and visited all the historic sites and SDA. There is a lot of traffic in Kiev.

We then stopped at a Shell gas station for coffee. All the gas stations and like most places in Europe, they have espresso machines and make great lattes.

Our 200 miles translates to 6 hours to our first orphanage. There are no major freeways in Ukraine and the roads to our first orphanage were brutal. Two lanes, lots of passing, cow crossings and many times the GPS would go off the grid so Serg would have to stop to check the map. It was nice to go through all the small towns and see woman churning the milk in their front yards, and the way the Ukraine people live in the small town and villages. The older woman wear scarfs on their heads and most people dress very nice. Even the guys at the gas station wear sweaters and slacks. Young girls all wear nice dresses and skirts and of course, very high heels. People would stare at us when we drove through but I finally figured out it was the car we were driving. Ilona has an American car and I guess that is unusual in Ukraine. I would say at least 25% of the cars are the little Russian made old USSR cars. They must run well because there are a lot of them. I want one :0).

Many towns seemed like ghost towns with old USSR buildings with no windows and empty houses. The trees and many shrubs are just like ones you see in California so many times it was like being at home...except for all the bouncing I did from the pot holes and rocky roads. I remember when Serg first got to California the first thing he mentioned to Gary in the car was how nice the roads were.

Serg now nicknamed me "Japanese tourist" because I took pictures of everything. He actually got mad at me for wearing my seat belt. Um, too bad so sad! He is a crack up and a "live wire". He is definitely the best with getting a person through Ukraine on a short trip. He does not mess around and just goes! We would turn up the music and I got to listen to all kinds of Russian hip hop and rap ;0).  Roma told me it was a good thing I didn't understand the words. Either that or they would sit up front and speak Russian while I took it all in. I would interrupt every once in a while to get my 30 minute conversations or history lessons from Roma.

Roma is the nicest guy ever. Very mild mannered and explains everything. I got a nice Ukrainian education lesson as he pointed out everything. He speaks Russian, Ukrainian and perfect English. He also spent a lot of time telling me about adoptions in Ukraine as he is Ilona's main guy to work with families 'in country". He is a book of knowledge and has a great reputation among officials in Ukraine. I think he has pretty much seen and done it all. I learned so much from him. I recommend him 100% to any family looking for a facilitator there. Especially if you are facing a difficult adoption.

So we arrived at our first town tired and stiff. I was completely intimidated at first. Serg went over and talked with a group of men then came back and got Roma while I stayed by the car. They then waved me over and we proceeded to the director's office in one of the old buildings. The floors are in really bad shape with tiles missing and warped floors. They were had workers doing repairs. The director was gone but the assistant director was there. Everyone in the office just looked at us with distrust until Serg told them we were with Viant. All of a sudden they all smiled and the AD was as sweet as pie. The grounds were well maintained and beautiful.

She took us outside and introduced us to a group of girls. I talked with them and asked them questions. I asked the AD why just five and she said they were the "true orphans". Not sure what that meant but I assume the ones who can be adopted now. They were beautiful girls and I wanted to take them ALL home.

The AD took us into another building that was amazing but totally in disrepair. It as a palace built by a Noblemen who built many palaces all over Ukraine during the 1800's. I walked in and a 16 year old boy stopped us and asked if he could please go to America. :0(. Ugh. She then took me into the room full of boys under 6 getting ready for nap time. The room was amazing with high ceilings and pained in Disney them. I cried when I saw the boys and wanted to load them all in the car and take them home with me.

She then took us down to eat lunch with the kids. I had to wash my hands first, of course. The have a row of sinks so many kids can wash at one time. We had an amazing meal. Borsh

We then went out and got a tour of the grounds. Soccer is like football in Ukraine and they had an amazing field. All the boys want to be famous soccer players. They also had a very cool work out area for the public and kids. We all had to try out the machines. It was very nice. The girls stayed with us on the tour. They are so sweet and beautiful.

They had a horse and wagon, which is another thing you see all over Ukraine, and a tractor. Lots of maintenance people and care takers.

1st day going to Ukraine

Ok, I always try to psyche myself up that the plane ride to Europe. Ugh! It is not fun. Thank God after 6 hours my body went on auto shut off. I had a one hour delay total and it was fine. The people I traveled with were very nice and some families. No problems at all.

At Ukraine immigration they are very cool and no hassle. Again, no problems. I was greeted by Ilona and Sergey with an amazing bouquet of flowers. We then went and had coffee and talked for a couple hours. As you already know, me and my husband adore Serg but Ilona is just wonderful. I absolutely LOVE her. She is sweet and amazing and you can see it when she talks, a wife and mother. She is a very intelligent woman who you can see does hosting from the heart. She knows what she is doing and I have a huge amount of respect for her. We talked and talked and it was great catching up with her. I can’t say enough about her.

Serg went and got me groceries and then they took me to my cute little apartment. By this time Serg was getting antsy because Ilona and I would not stop talking :0). Here are some photos of the apartment. It was clean, nice, and just perfect. Serg showed me the password for the internet but I had issues with it so I am writing in Word and will move it over to blog when I can connect. Oh they also gave me a phone and I buy these little cards and just add money as needed. The cards are called "Life" and they are sold everywhere.

I got my list of orphanages. I am now up to eight…maybe nine. Serg shakes his head…lol.

So all is good on my first days. Off to the orphanages tomorrow. The first one is 200 miles away so until then. …

Leaving for Ukraine in 3 Days

So it's almost here. Ukraine is three days away. I got my itinerary from my coordinator and am excited to tell everyone that I will be visiting 2 orphanages a day totalling 6. We do have many children available to host this winter on our list but I will have at least 50 more by the 11th. Ages for hosting is 6 - 15 years old.

I will be adding children to the list every day while I am in Ukraine. If you want to view the list please fill out an information sheet to access a password or I will send you a link. This helps us protect the privacy of the children and keeps their photos off the Internet. http://www.wix.com/hostukraine/ccc#!hosting-photolisting

Please be sure to follow my trip right here on this blog. I will write as often as possible and share beautiful photos of the people and country.

Blessings,
Ginger

Come to the Taste of Morgan Hill this weekend

This weekend we will be at the Taste of Morgan Hill. Please stop by our booth and say hi.

http://www.morganhill.org/taste-morgan-hill

Information to host

Information to Host


The cost to host is approximately $2500 and covers many costs including plane tickets, passports, visas, insurance, and a portion of the chaperone who must travel with the children.

A mini home study and fingerprints are required to host. Please contact me for more information or go to our website at :http://www.wix.com/hostukraine/ccc#!hosting-photolisting

The children will arrive mid December and stay for 3 weeks. The exact dates are approximate.

We travel to Ukraine October 3rd and will be coming back with many more photos and available children. We will continue to add until then so please check back often.

I'm going to Ukraine!

Dear Friends and Family,

I will soon be off to Ukraine to meet our coodinator and make arrangments for Children's Cultural Connections's Winter Host Program. We booked the tickets today and will head over the first week of October. We will be bringing clothes, jackets, and toys to donate to orphanages for a humanitarian mission during our trip. If you can help please email me and we can arrange for pick up or shipping instructions.

Hosting is a wonderful opportunity to welcome an orphaned child into your home between two and six weeks. The purpose of the hosting program is to give orphans a cultural experience as well as for families and the child being hosted to learn more about one another. This program has proven to be life changing for families and brings hope and happiness to the children.

We are also still looking for donations to sponsor children. Any amount will help as the cost per child is $2500. This includes all the coordination in Ukraine, paperwork, airline tickets, visas, passports, and much much more. It's a lot of work that holds many rewards.

We have many families who are ready to host so if you are interested in bringing an orphan child into your home for the holidays please let me know so we can add you to our list and send you the requirements to host. Photos and bios of the children will be ready by October 11th. Children will arrive the middle of December and leave the beginging of January. Exact dates will be determined in November.

Donations can be delivered to the address below and checks can be made out to Children's Cultural Connection. All donations are 100% tax deductable. Look for news on our fall fundraiser and please think of friends and family who may be interested in this program or donating to the cause.

Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive. We are very excited to help these beautiful babies.

Please tag yourself to share this on your facebook to spread the news.
Blessings,

--
Donations to:
Guglielmo's Hope for Orphans
1480 E. Main Ave.
Morgan Hill, CA  95037

Getting ready for our September trip

I am in the process of making plans for a trip to Ukaine with Cara from Children's Cultural Connection. We are trying to get tickets for the end of September. We will travel by train and car visiting 5 to 6 orphanages, many in remote areas of Ukraine.  The trip will be expensive but it will allow us to meet the children we will bring for the host program this Christmas. Meeting the children will help us talk to potential host parents about the children. It is a lot easier for the families to decide on which child they want to host when they know more about them and see if they are a fit for their family lifestyle.

The host program is a life changing experience for orphaned children. They get to stay with a family and receive love and attention they do not get in orphanages. It is also a chance for families who wish to adopt an opportunity to get to know older children who have less of a chance of being adopted. It is not a requirement to adopt as it gives the children a chance to see a different life and culture and give them hope for their future.
It is proven that these children go home changed and happy.

I am super excited to go. I know it's going to be wonderful to meet the children but heart wrenching at the same time.