The man in this photo is Vincent Rosini, aka Vinny. Vinny is the director of Frontier Horizon, a Virginia Beach, Va based humanitarian organization which brings kids from Ukraine and Nicaragua to America on what are commonly referred to as "hosting" trips.
This is how we met our girls, and dozens of other families throughout the country have hosted kids they eventually adopted as well. Our first hosting experience occured Christmas 2005, when we first met Galya and Nastya, and decided to adopt them at the end of that 2 1/2 week trip.
Summer hosting opportunties are almost always longer, and last year we were able to be together with our girls for 2 1/2 months! To my knowledge, no other organization has this arrangement. I don't know how Vinny pulled this off, but it proved to be an incredible blessing for our family, as we got a taste of what it's like to be a family of five.
A straight talking New Yorker, Vinny makes a strong impression to say the least. He is a professing Christian, but unlike most Christians you run in to. If you don't want an honest answer, don't ask him. He will tell you exactly what he thinks and quite often it is not what you want to hear (again, he's a New Yorker). Fiftysomething I'd guess, he's never married and I'm told he doesn't intend to. I've heard he drives around in a old car, and rents a modest apartment in Virginia Beach. He has dedicated his life to the Lord's service, working with the world's most neglected children.
He earned a PHD at Regent University, where he regularly lectures grad students on his theology of mercy ministry and I'm told his lectures are characteristically blunt and provocative.
On the issue of adoption, Vinny makes clear that not all of these kids are well suited for adoption and he strongly urges some families not to adopt particular children in favor of sponsoring them through college in Ukraine. This comes as quite a shock to some families, especially those who feel that it is God's will for them to adopt the child they are hosting.
Hosting through FH, or similar organizations is not perfect and in fact is quite controversial. Critics point to cases where kids came to America, had a great time, expected to be adopted, and for some reason, were not. I know of one heartbreaking story where a boy was hosted twice by a family, learned he was not going to be adopted, and soon thereafter ran away from the oprhanage.
Some host families who do go onto adopt have a very rocky road, and Vinny pulls no punches in describing these situations. It's a gamble. You never know how these kids will react once they attempt to transition into a totally different world, complete with rules and expectations to follow those rules. I've heard of some terribly painful stories.
But I know of many more positive outcomes, and I pray that we will be in that category.
You can read more about the hosting and adoption experience on the FH website: www.frontierhorizon.org Look for the link to the New York times feature article, which quotes Vinny and a FH family.
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