Family Forum / Parenting / Adoption / April 2007

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Woman sings in praise of her kids, and of adoption
By John Sonderegger
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/26/2007

When I meet a young couple who are actively involved in spreading the
word about Christianity, I'm always struck by their sincerity and
passion.

Guy and Kiersten Venezia have organized an adoption celebration as
part of the 2nd Annual St. Louis Christian Family Expo, which will be
from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday at the St. Charles Convention Center.
The adoption celebration begins at 3:30 p.m.

So how and why did this couple from Foristell get so involved in such
a cause?

Well, for starters, they adopted a daughter from China about eight
years ago.

Kiersten writes and performs Christian contemporary music, with a
little help from her friends - especially Karen Michel and Heather
Greene.

On her CD, "Good Promises," she sings two songs that tell her story.
The first, "Who You'll Be," is about a mother carrying a baby, with
lyrics that go: "You are my child, and you'll be your own, yet a part
of me. My heart's in awe at this miracle of life. I can only close my
eyes and dream of who you'll be."

The song is about her son, Guy, 13, who goes to Christian High School
in O'Fallon.

Then Kiersten sings "Child of Mine," and this is almost an anthem for
adoptive parents. It goes, "You weren't born of my body, but you grew
in my heart. From the first day you took breath, oh sweet child of
mine. Do you know that we're coming?"

Her daughter, Serena, 8, was adopted when she was about 4 months old.
She is a second-grader at Living Word Christian School in St. Peters.

Kiersten Venezia will sing her songs in a concert about 5 p.m.
Saturday at the Christian Family Expo. Adoptive parents are encouraged
to bring their children as there will be resources for families,
including cultural entertainment, free family photos, samples of
international cuisine, crafts and more. The event is free and open to
the public.

Before they adopted Serena, the Venezias saw a video from Hope
International and they learned about the need of children worldwide,
especially in China, where orphanages are filled with baby girls.
Parents keep the boys because they can work in the fields, said Guy
Venezia, a local obstetrician.

When they got Serena, she quickly became their own and was part of
their family.

"I rarely even think of her as adopted," Guy said. "My love for her is
no different than my love for our son."

Kiersten said it has been wonderful talking to her daughter about her
heritage, and she said she has caught herself telling her daughter
"there are starving children in China, eat your dinner."

"When I heard that as a kid," her husband said, "I never thought it
would have so much meaning to us now."

Kiersten Rose met Guy Venezia when he was in medical school. Her
family had moved to Foristell from St. John when she was a child.

"My parents were sort of like hippies and they wanted to live off the
land," she said. "And my Dad was a drummer in a band."

So Kiersten became interested in music at an early age.

After Kiersten and Guy, who grew up in Webster Groves, were married
they got involved in a Christian church during a rough patch the
couple was going through. "God saved us from ourselves and from each
other," Kiersten said.

After they adopted Serena, Kiersten began singing and composing
contemporary Christian music.

There will be eight adoption agencies, both domestic and
international, on hand at Saturday's event. More than 140 Christian
businesses, ministries, churches and non-profit agencies will be
featured.

Guy Venezia, who works at both Progress West Hospital in O'Fallon and
St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake Saint Louis, said the event is
designed "to bring the Christian community together and to increase
adoption awareness and what makes these children special."

If you attend the event, you'll note that the parents who adopt these
children are special, too.