Since 1998, families in the U.S. have adopted an average of 2,576 children per year from Guatemala. In Cape Girardeau, eight families have adopted nine children -- seven girls and two boys -- from the Latin American country.

Most of the families said they adopted from outside the U.S. for spiritual, humanitarian and cultural reasons. Danette Neikirk and her husband, Joel, adopted a girl from the country. Chantelle Becking and her husband, Eric, also adopted a Guatemalan girl.

Both the Beckings and the Neikirks said they each spent between $25,000 and $30,000 on adopting their child.

After five years of marriage in 2002, Chantelle Becking went to Uganda, Kenya and South Africa to visit and help humanitarian organizations. She said the lack of clean water, the AIDS crisis and the number of orphans she met while visiting those countries made her think international adoption could be a way to benefit the life of another person.

"I figured I could love a child no matter if I carried one or not," Becking said. "We're not changing the world. But we're changing the world for one kid."

In 2006, the Beckings became qualified to adopt after attending an international adoption information session at La Croix United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. The Beckings also became more comfortable with international adoption after talking with another Cape Girardeau family who had already adopted from Guatemala.

Eric Becking said he was inspired to adopt internationally because he thought a child from a Third World county would have a healthier life in America.

KIT DOYLE ~ kdoyle@semissourian.com Eric Becking helped his daughter Bianca navigate the stairs Thursday morning, August 21, 2008, in their Cape Girardeau home.

Before adopting, he watched a video Chantelle had made while visiting Uganda. He said he saw children retrieve drinking water from an algae-covered lake. He said he couldn't sit back and not do anything after seeing children go without clean water.

"There's more to life than the American dream," Eric Becking said. "It's not about marriage, kids and a car. We have a lot in America. It's crazy. It feels good when you help someone."

Becking said he thought about adopting from Guatemala because it represented Latin America, a culture he often thought happily about because the people within it placed a high value on close family relations.

Joel and Danette Neikirk said they wanted to have a third child after raising two biological sons, Alex and Jared. The couple said up to the time they thought about international adoption they had felt blessed by God, because they had a healthy family. They said they wanted to extend the favor they had received from God to another person. They were so happy after the adoption they named their child after the feelings they had for her, Katelyn Joy.

KIT DOYLE ~ kdoyle@semissourian.com Bianca Becking listened to her father Eric Thursday morning, August 21, 2008, while taking a break from playing with boxes. Bianca, almost two, still remembers aspects of Guatemala, where they adopted her, such as cheering when a goal is scored in soccer.

Joel Neikirk said the world already had a lot of orphans, and instead of bringing another child into the world, they would take care of one from a Third World country. Neikirk said he had always wanted to adopt because he had been adopted.

Neikirk said he hopes Katelyn Joy's Guatemalan background will give his two sons a cultural awareness in life. Next year, he said he's going to take Alex and Jared to Guatemala and help provide humanitarian aid like building wells.

"I hope they can learn there's more to life than, 'I want, I want,'" he said.

The adoption of Bianca has made the Beckings more culturally aware, Eric said.

KIT DOYLE ~ kdoyle@semissourian.com Chantelle Becking tells her daughter Bianca not to drink too much water Aug. 21 at their Cape Girardeau home. Bianca, almost 2, is teething and slobbers quite a bit after drinking too much water, Becking said.

"It opens up the family to more giving," he said.

The couple is in the process of adopting a child from Ethiopia.

The adoption has motivated Chantelle Becking to help educate people in Cape Girardeau about adoption. With another mother, who adopted a child from Guatemala, she began the group Room For One More. The group was formed to help inform people about what they can do to help orphans in the world. It has been meeting sporadically over the last six months.

Chantelle Becking said people need to adopt more because there are too many orphans in the world.

"People need to step up," she said.