Bergen is one year old and has some very complicated heart defects. He was brought to the Anhui Healing Home in February in hopes that relief from the cold, harsh Anhui winter would help him to gain strength and increase his appetite. Unfortunately surgery is not an option for Bergen in China. Our goal is to keep him as healthy as possible as he waits for a family of his very own, who can give him the best medical options available. Read more.
Diego and Hada are two of the six children in our Tongren foster care program who are in need of sponsors to provide nutritious cereal for them. Diego, seen below checking out a box of cereal, wakes up bright and early and asks his foster mother to wake up! His foster father works away from their home but calls frequently to check on them. Diego loves to hear the sound of his foster father’s voice on the phone when he calls. Diego has a good appetite and also likes to eat rice, noodles, and meat. The cereal program is a wonderful way to supplement his diet, ensuring that he receives the best nutrition we can give him.
Read more.
Recently I read a blog where the parents of a child adopted from one of our programs made some derogatory comments about the child’s appearance and behavior in their first days together. As I read through the blog, it made me quite sad. I don’t think they wrote such critical things purposely, but it was clear that they weren’t taking the time to see life through the child’s eyes instead of their own.
It made me think that perhaps I should write up a few articles over the next month about setting realistic expectations during adoption. I hope these can be practical blogs that address some very common daily issues such as standards of cleanliness. Read more.
Love Without Boundaries was invited to visit Duyun, Guizhou in March. This beautiful area in southeast Guizhou is home to the Buyi ethnic minority group, whose villages are almost always located near rivers and whose homes are traditionally made of stone. This region of China is famous for the Libo wilderness area and is filled with rivers, waterfalls, and forest covered mountains.
Read more.
The next part of our recent trip to China was to Guizhou Province, which is home to several minority groups, including the Dong, Miao, and Yi. As we reported last year, the Dong people live primarily in eastern Guizhou and are renowned for their beautiful songs about both nature and love. Their songs are very important to their courtship rituals, which always involve music. In early relationships the young men and women sing traditional songs, but as the relationship deepens, they will begin singing spontaneously to each other. We were blessed to be able to listen to several traditional Dong songs on our first evening in Guizhou.
The next morning we visited the new Qiandongnan orphanage facility, which opened earlier this year. This is truly a massive facility, with space to someday hold over 1,000 children. Read more.
Little Ricki came to our attention in June 2011. She had been born prematurely and needed extra care and as a result, was moved to our Anhui Healing Home. Initially Ricki was described as very quiet, and our healing home staff reported that she had difficulty keeping her food down and was quite weak.
After a few months of careful feeding, Ricki had gained much needed strength and weight and was now described as an energetic little girl who loved to smile. By early September, Ricki was a lively, chubby little girl, and plans were made to place her in foster care. Read more.
These rosy cheeks tell a story of cheer, happiness, and warmth!
Seamus, previously featured on our blog in “Seamus’ Smile,” is keeping toasty through this Hunan winter all bundled in his two sweaters, a thick coat, a pair of sweater pants, a pair of over trousers, socks, and cotton shoes. As warm as he must be, he seems happy as ever! Read more.
This past weekend I was honored to be able to speak in San Francisco at the Northern California FCC event for Chinese New Year. It was wonderful to meet Consul General Gao Zhansheng and to see his obvious love for the children who had been adopted from China. I also was overjoyed to meet several kids who are “LWB graduates.”
Many of you might remember “Sophie” – the beautiful little girl helped by our medical program and featured on our blog. Her mom hit so many roadblocks on the path to adopting her but never gave up as she knew they were meant to be together. Read more.
It may be cold in Fuyang, but David is staying warm! David also warms up those around him with his bright smile and happy disposition. Over the last few months, he has made incredible progress in school. His teachers say that he has made great strides with his language skills and is ready to tackle reading and writing. Read more.
There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still. ~ Franklin Delano Roosevelt
With the help of his foster grandpa, John has mastered the art of going forward. John formed an immediate connection with his foster grandpa when he joined our Fuyang foster care program at age five. At the time, little John was recovering from spinal surgery and had experienced quite a bit of trauma (see his previous blog, “The Land of Counterpane…and Beyond”). Learning to walk again required braces on his legs, which he still wears and may wear forever. Together John and his grandpa navigated through his recovery and continue to improve his mobility, not letting obstacles like big shoes or uncomfortable leg braces hold them back. Read more.
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