She was 14 months old and was suffering from neglect and malnourishment. Her biological mom loved Georgina enough to see she couldn’t cope and brought her to us. Pastor Cheryl and the church leaders were very concerned for Georgina as she had a protruding forehead and was not speaking at all. They thought she might be brain damaged. Door of Hope gave her lots of love, care and good nutrition. Most important of all, they prayed for her. God led a wonderful couple to adopt Georgina and take her back to their home in the United States of America.

In first grade, Georgina was identified as an academically gifted student. These gifted students are given extra attention and counselling to keep them more fully engaged and able to accelerate beyond their peer group. She achieved high marks during each of her seven years of public school.

She graduated from High School in 2016 and today she is a bright college student with many achievements behind her and more to come.

As gifted as she is academically, her real passion is music. She has been able to play the violin and the piano through private classes. She has also taught herself to play the guitar a little. However, singing is what she has most enjoyed and excelled in. She sings all through the day and night. Sometimes she sings in church. She has sung to audiences ranging in size from a few dozen to several thousand. She spent six years in the world-famous Virginia Children’s Chorus. They taught her not only to perform, but to sight read music. One year, the chorus toured in England and France. Georgina had a solo role in the tour and in England she performed at the Royal Albert Hall with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Her adoptive father wrote to us some years back with these words:

The most precious memory we have is the day I had the privilege of baptizing [Georgina]. We are indeed proud parents watching our “little girl” grow up to love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. I enjoy sharing of her achievements in order to encourage the staff, volunteers, supporters, and children (both current residents and those that have gone to be with their forever families). The children in the Door of Hope are being given love, but they are also being given hope. First of all they receive the Hope of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Through this love from the staff and volunteers in the Baby House and then with their forever families, they are given a place of privilege and an opportunity to grow to their full, God-given potential. Only God knows what type of leaders are being prepared as life paths are changed by the touch of the Door of Hope Children’s Mission.

In July 2016 Georgina made history again by being the first Door of Hope child to return as a volunteer. She spent a few weeks with us helping to love and care for the babies in our homes. We are super proud of you Georgina. You have grown to be a lovely young lady. You shine as a symbol of hope to all abandoned and orphaned children. We pray God continues to do great things in and through you for the glory of His name.

He was sick with severe sunburn and rashes on his skin. He was most likely about 2-3 months old at the time and suffered from tremors as a result of the noisy trucks that would thunder past him on the road side. He was brought to Door of Hope with no name, no age and nothing to identify him.

Thomas was brought to us by his mother. During her pregnancy, she chose Door of Hope as the place she wanted to bring her child after he was born. She said: “If I keep him, I would have no life and neither would he.” She wanted a good home and a future for him.

After many months growing up with us at Door of Hope, God brought forward a pastor and his wonderful family to adopt these precious two boys. They now have another brother, five sisters and two godly, loving parents!

Nathan plays soccer and baseball. He is also a lifeguard. He has plenty of friends and loves church. He loves his forever family deeply. He once told them, “I saw Jesus in you when you adopted me.”

Thomas makes friends easier than most. He is warm and likeable and loves people. He plays American football.

Adoption was never for us, why it would be, we had 2 beautiful children already. But God had a different plan and slowly he started planting the seed of thought into our heads. Through a friend of ours we were introduced to Door of Hope. He told us to plan a visit to the home. And so, after spending a morning with the toddlers at the Berea home, we knew that God had indeed called us to adoption and more specifically adoption from Door of Hope.

So we began what seemed to be a long process and the patient waiting started. With each new child that Door of Hope received we wondered could they be ours. In the spring, as new life begins, a bunch of beautiful little girls began arriving and we just knew our baby girl had been born.

As the months passed by and we spent many hours in preparation for our adoption, Door of Hope was busy raising our beautiful girl. The day finally arrived, we received that call, our little girl was coming home. But our introduction was not to be the joyous occasion that it usually is for a forever family. Instead our introduction was rather traumatic. As I took our daughter from her birth mother, there was a display of 2 mothers love. I loved her so much, even though I hadn’t even met her, and her birth mother, loved her so much, that she had to relinquish her. Rebecca sensed this struggle and started to cry. Once home, when the crying continued I cried to God asking him to give me the strength as I wasn’t sure we were meant for adoption. Once again our God showed us his love and his plan as Rebecca’s cries quickly turned to laughter surrounded by her new forever brother and sister.

Fast forward to today, our house is filled with the blessings of this little girl. She has worked her way into the hearts of our families and friends as well as the community. At almost 2, she is quickly beginning to talk, ‘my mommy, my daddy’, as she introduces us. We are her mother and father, she is our daughter, and we love her with an unconditional love that any parent has for a child, that same love that God demonstrates towards us.

Over the past 15 months we have been back to Door of Hope on numerous occasions. Rebecca celebrated her 1st birthday amongst the aunties and babies of Baby House 3. Our way of thanking them for the love and care shown towards her in those first 7 months. We will continue to support Door of Hope in everything they do and make as many people as possible aware of the wonderful work being done. God’s glory shines in the lives of those little babes and we can only sit back and wait to see what wonderful plans God has for each and every one of them.

Andrew, Kerryn, Matthew & Nicole – forever family to Rebecca