A local adoption agency is trying to recruit families for the summer.

 The ultimate goal is for the family to adopt a child from the Philippines.               

Vanessa, 16, is enjoying time with her family, which she joined one year ago when Amy and Chad Martin adopted her from the Philippines.

"God was like, ‘This is what you're doing. You are doing this. This what I’m calling you to,’” Amy Martin said.

Amy Martin met Vanessa during a trip with her church to an orphanage and immediately thought of her own daughter.

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"I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, like she's just like my kid,’ and essentially is not able to be adopted because of her age,” Amy Martin said.

Vanessa was 15, and in the Philippines, once a child reaches age 16, they age out of the adoption process.

The Martins contacted Christian Adoption Services in Matthews. Now,  a year later, Vanessa has two brothers and a sister.

"I was excited, happy, nervous -- at all the same time,” Vanessa said.

"I love sharing a room with her. She’s a really good roommate,” said sister Lizzy Martin.

 Jenica Cannella, who works for the adoption agency, said the Martins are a model family.

"We’ve really enjoyed seeing Vanessa come into their family and really have a seamless transition,” Cannella said.

Cannella said the agency is now recruiting families for a summer hosting program. Seven children,  ages 9 to 14, will come to the United States for one month in June.

“They have a chance to get to know them, they come over for a month, they spend time in their family, and then they can decide if they want to pursue the adoption of that child,” Cannella said.

Cannella said the issue is that, unfortunately, this age group is not in demand.

"It's very difficult to find families that are looking to adopt that older child because a lot of families want to adopt the baby, or they want as young as possible,” Cannella said.

The Martins hope people will open their homes and their hearts   to give a child like Vanessa a family.

"It's just about being a family and loving someone. We don't have anything special, we don't have any special parent training or anything that regular parents don't have,” Amy Martin said.

The deadline to apply for the program is Feb. 1, then they start the home study process.

For information on the summer hosting program, click here for the Christian Adoption Services in Matthews.