LWB Community

Joseph’s Heart of Gold

Sports and cartoons, friends and fun.  Does that sound like a typical eight-year-old boy?  It describes Joseph perfectly.  From ball sports to agility on the playground, his teachers report he is quite the athlete.  Joseph is also a true friend and is quick to stick up for his classmates if one of them is being teased or picked on.  He has what some would call a “heart of gold” and is filled with courage and valor.  These traits serve him well as both a student and a friend.

Joseph is the blessed recipient of that very special extra chromosome that gives him what we call “Down Syndrome.”  His special need only makes him the lovable guy that he is.  Joseph is very verbal, incredibly high functioning, and has a future filled with possibility once he has the opportunities that a family would provide for him.  Read more.

An Adoption Story: Taking the Plunge

LWB has many programs in Anhui province.  Through the years, we have come to know a number of lovely older children from Anhui who have been waiting so long for their chance to find a family. We have featured several of them in the past few months, such as Brianna, Michelle and Wendy – all students in our Believe in Me Huainan school in Anhui.

Maryn was once a student at the same Believe in Me school in Anhui and was good friends with all of these girls.  She had the good fortune to be adopted and has been home with her family for two and a half years.  When her family learned that Maryn’s friends had the same chance as she did to have families of their own, they decided to share a bit of their story to encourage folks to consider these lovely Anhui girls and older children in general.   They have likened their exhilarating experience to “taking the plunge.” Read more.

Wendy’s Strength

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have. ~ Unknown

The Chinese symbol for “strength” can mean many different things:  inner emotional strength, mental strength and will, or physical strength. We’d like to introduce you to a girl who embodies strength in all areas of her life.

Wendy is a young girl in our Believe in Me Huainan school who is determined to grow stronger physically as well as academically.   Wendy was excited for the challenge of starting public school this fall and is making progress there. Read more.

Luminous Lauren

We could not be more impressed and proud of Lauren! Lauren, who always seems to be smiling, has been featured twice on our blog as our Featured Child of the Week and in “A Look At Lauren,” is continuing to advance in her studies with her tutor. Over the months we have known Lauren, she has come out of her shell more each day and is sharing her unique personality. She seems to glow in each and every photo we see! She has been practicing her addition and subtraction, working on her art projects, and continuing to learn Chinese characters of sun, moon, fire, earth, water, sky, and mountain.  While she’s been busy with her tutor, she also awaits news that a family would like to adopt her. Read more.

An Adoption Story: Ali and Her Dad

Ruby was a much loved student in our Believe in Me Huainan School, and we were excited to see her on the shared list available for adoption. We featured her in the blog “Our Precious Ruby Seeks a Family” and again in “Ruby: A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes.” We knew she was dreaming of a family of her own and even wondered if she was dreaming of her “Prince Charming.” Well, it looks like she has found him! Ruby is now known as Ali, and it brings us great pleasure to bring you the story of her adoption as told by her father.

Read more.

Amber: LWB’s Featured Child of the Week

We are honored to introduce you to Amber, a wonderful and brave student in our Believe in Me Huainan School. This precious young girl was very nervous and quiet when she first entered the school; the teachers said that she would not speak, didn’t like to play with the other children, and didn’t seem to enjoy any of the games or activities.

Read more.

Counting Down Our Top Ten Photos of 2011: Homework With Friends

One of our favorite times of each year is when we get to vote for LWB’s Top Ten Photos.  Literally thousands of photos come to us each year from our various programs, we never tire of seeing the faces of the children who inspire us. At this special time of year, we want to inspire you — and warm your hearts — by seeing the photos our supporters have chosen as LWB’s Top Ten Photos of 2011!

Coming in at #10:  Homework with Friends

When LWB first learned of JD, his family was barely getting by. He was born with cleft lip and lived the first ten years of his life with it unrepaired. He had been taken in by a kind-hearted man who raised him as his son, but sadly this man passed away. Read more.

Benjie’s Having a Ball in School!

Hey guys, check it out…I’m finally at school! ~Benjie

We have such exciting news about four-year-old Benjie, one of our recent blog “stars.”  When we last reported on Benjie (“Remember Bashful Benjie?”), we had learned more about his special need and discovered that he had a significant hearing impairment. While this is definitely an obstacle, especially one for a child with disabled fingers who may not be able to learn sign language as easily as others, we felt that we had to try to get Benjie into an educational environment. Now Benjie is a new student at our Believe in Me Jinjiang School and is doing so well!
Read more.

Giving Thanks for Our China Team

Did you ever wonder how LWB, whose volunteers are mostly in countries outside of China, is able to accomplish what we do with the children IN China? Well, we could never do it without our amazing China team! LWB has 9 directors, 33 managers, 28 healing homes staff members and 19 education staff members, without whose help our mission would be impossible.

Members of our China team live in cities all over China and do not often have an opportunity to meet each other. That’s why we loved this photo of Victoria and Yvonne.
Read more.

Giving Thanks for Independence

This month we heard a great report on Tim, our future dentist, whom you may remember has just recently started in a college dental program after receiving his vocational certificate in dentistry this past summer. At first Tim was having a hard time being away from the orphanage and his friends. We asked our China manager to check on Tim frequently to be certain that he had someone encouraging him and showing him that people cared and were there for him.

This month we heard that Tim is starting to get used to his new life and is making new friends!
Read more.