I first met Miao in April, 2006 when my Dad and I were given permission to visit  my daughter’s orphanage in China.  The orphanage had been closed to any Westerners visiting and past offers of assistance had been politely refused.  When we visited, we were in the baby room holding and playing with babies in cribs when our guide was pulled over to look at this little toddler.  Her color was very blue, and she was quiet, very quiet.  The next thing I knew, he was looking at medical files (I could tell because he was reviewing an EKG strip) and whipping out a second cell phone.  He was speaking in English, which should caused me to think that something was up, but I was busy making sure my daughter’s visit was a good experience so I didn’t focus much on his call.  On our way to lunch, our guide told me that they “would let us take her”.  What?   Oh, he forgot to mention that he worked with Love Without Boundaries, and the orphanage was certain the little girl would not survive without help, so they were going to allow LWB to arrange heart surgery for her.  He had been on the phone in the orphanage, very late at night with someone from the Medical Team in the US, gaining approval to arrange for her life-saving heart surgery.  Wow!  Well, that was the moment I then became involved with LWB.

Miao went from blue to an adorable pink shortly after the critical surgery.  Unfortunately, during my next visit (this time as an LWB volunteer), we found her to be yellow.  Yes, yellow.  Apparently she had a blocked bile duct so, arrangements were quickly made for another medical procedure.  Miao went from yellow to pink very quickly this time at the hospital.  This was the trip  where we also convinced the orphanage administration to try foster care through LWB – and so that was another great moment.

I missed Miao on my last visit to China this summer.  We were running out to a field trip with 25 students from her orphanage school,  and then working on the sponsor crafts in the late afternoon.  I made plans to meet with her the next day, but then I learned she was ill.  Gravely ill – and it had come on so suddenly that the orphanage wasn’t sure she would survive.  LWB’s medical team whisked her off to the hospital, and then she was sent to Heartbridge to remain until her family could adopt her.  While in the care of LWB, the photos showed she gained weight and, once again, had a much healthier color to her.  Miao really thrived at Heartbridge, and I celebrated when I learned that her family was finally traveling to China to adopt her.

Miao at Heartbridge

I am overjoyed for this beautiful little girl, but also for the many volunteers and staff who found their way to LWB to make it possible to help these children so in need.  You know, I still think about the fact that I insisted on one thing on our trip in 2006 and honestly, only one thing.  It was our guide.  I had learned about him from a fellow adoptive parent who used this man’s services for a film project he was doing.   I wanted someone I could really trust in-province so I asked our tour agency to arrange him as our guide.  Initially they resisted saying they used to use his services but didn’t any longer.  Then they said the dates would not work.  Then he could not meet us at the airport on the day we had planned.  So, we paid extra, changed the dates, and caught a shuttle to the hotel, but we had Zhang Ming on our trip.  I had heard of LWB but had no idea he was with them and that he could do what needed to be done so quickly for the kids.  I feel God had a plan for Miao and used us as his instruments to deliver the plan.  The door was opened through our trip.  If it hadn’t been us, it would have been someone-  but I am blessed to think that He did use us just a bit.  And thanks to everyone who believed in LWB’s work by donating and volunteering, MANY children have been helped in this large orphanage  through medical, education, foster care, healing homes, nutrition, and orphanage assistance.  So much still to be done but it all started with Miao. And that is a definite WOW!

~ Sandy Hartman, LWB Education Volunteer

This month our manager gave her a new doll. Yasmin was very pleased with the doll and immediately began to “care” for her. She said she was very pretty and loved that her eyes were able to open and shut. Yasmin was happy and eager to share her toy with her foster sister.

Yasmin has made great progress over the past year. She has started attending the local kindergarten and now seems much more focused in her daily routine. Yasmin needs an additional sponsor at $35 per month to help fund her foster care placement. Sponsors will receive monthly monthly update and photos of this lively, cute girl. Please consider sponsoring Yasmin and sharing with us as we watch her continue to develop with the love and under the watchful eye of her foster family.

Sponsor Yasmin in foster care

In 2008 we adopted a little girl from China and were active at that time on the chat room for our agency. One of the moms on there always posted older kiddos in need of families and one of the children she posted was Aiden. He was 8 years old with achondroplasia dwarfism. I saw his picture and thought he was adorable! Since we weren’t adopting again, I prayed for him and went on with my life.

“Adorable Aiden”

The following spring, “Aiden” came back to my mind and hit me hard! I felt a little panicked about him and the urge to know if he had a family yet. I contacted my friend Karin again to see if she knew if he had a family. She jumped into action, and the emails flew back and forth for several days. I finally got the word…no family had chosen him.   I instantly started crying thinking of this sweet boy with no future and prayed hard.   I knew getting my husband on board for an adoption again was going to be tough. I broached the subject, and we prayed about it for a few days.  Finally, hubby said YES!!  Wooohooo!!  Although our boys were a little reluctant to add another sibling, once they heard about his dwarfism they were on board.   We haven’t looked back since and moved forward to adopt the little boy we would name JD.

We were so eager to get JD home, but reality was scary.  Would he accept us?  Would we accept him?,  Although achondroplasia is the most common type of dwarfism with little health risks, we wondered if we would be able to handle it or afford any problems that might occur.

Gotcha Day

In May 2011, we finally went to China to get JD. I traveled with my mom and my 16 year old son, and we all fell in love with JD the second he walked into the room.  He bonded so quickly with my older son and his grandma; however, he was more reserved with me.  I knew it would come and was right….he’s now a mama’s boy!   We were able to skype home to talk with his dad, other brother and new little sister, and it made our homecoming so much easier as he already “knew” them.   He had a few meltdowns while in China and also once we came home, but he was able to be consoled and kept that smile on his face. I do believe his size allowed the bonding process to happen more quickly as we needed to carry him at times.  At those times he hugged and kissed us freely (and vice versa).

JD’s transition to our family was remarkably smooth and easy.  He has really bonded and attached to us all and has made his spot in the family known. He is always smiling and asking many questions. JD and his younger sister do fight…quite a lot really, but then most siblings do!  He loves to play games, paint and color, play legos, ride his bike, and skateboard.

We have been to many medical specialists, and JD is a healthy, happy nine-year-old boy!  We have been involved with our local LPA (Little People of America) and have made many friends. JD is lucky to know other kids like him (with average parents) and also to have adults that are little people to be great role models for him. He is struggling a bit in school academically, and the school feels he should be farther along than he is.  However, he still goes eagerly each day and can’t wait to see friends and teachers.

For us, dwarfism has been easy! Our experience with an older child was great. We would recommend both and have no regrets. JD is part of our family for life, and we are proud to be his forever mom and forever dad.

~Steve and Liz Freeby

In February 2011, I was provided with the amazing opportunity to go to Jinjiang and help train LWB Believe In Me teachers in speech and language skills.  One of the highlights of the trip was meeting Jesse. Jesse is a little guy with an infectious belly laugh (which you can see in the video below) and amazing smile. He also has both albinism and a cleft lip/palate.  Each condition on their own can be scary and together may seem daunting.  But don’t be afraid. If this is your little boy, know that neither of these conditions are related to each other and both are very manageable.

Albinism affects skin, hair, and vision.  Jesse has pure white hair and light blue eyes.  This is referred to as oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) and basically means that he has no pigment.  In people with OCA, there is typically some degree of light sensitivity, helped with sunglasses when outside.  Glasses also help, and there are many services and devices available as well.  People with albinism are successful as doctors, attorneys, models, teachers, contractors, actors, occupational therapists, and just about anything they dream of becoming. Albinism does not affect intelligence.  Check out www.albinsim.org if you want to do more research, or contact LWB to get  in touch with me.  I personally have adopted two children with albinism.

Laughing with Jesse

(Please note that you will be unable to view the video if you are reading the blog in email format; if you click directly through to the blog, the video should show up there).

When we met, Jesse was very engaging and made great eye contact at a close distance.  He was curious like any other toddler and thoroughly inspected my jewelry, hair, teeth, and clothes.  The second day we visited, he popped his head up the second he heard my voice!  As far as his cleft is concerned, he had an excellent lip repair in China.  He does still have an open palate that will need to be corrected when he is adopted.  However, this has not had a negative impact on his eating!  He also was babbling when we visited last year, and I am certain that he is talking by now!

Jesse and Chris

I recently learned that Jesse will be starting school at the Believe In Me Jinjiang School.  This will be a wonderful opportunity for him to learn and interact with his friends.  However, what Jesse needs so much more than school, a repaired palate, sunglasses, sunscreen, a hat…is a family. A family to love him.  To listen to that amazing belly laugh.  To help him grow into a man.   To help him get the palate repair and the glasses, but mostly to love him.  Is Jesse your son? I have been known to say that if someone in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area adopts him, I will provide free babysitting!  This little guy deserves a chance to grow, learn, and be loved.

~Chris Kramer, Speech and Language Specialist

Susie, the manager at the Believe in Me Jinjiang school, recently sent us this video of Jesse…in action!

She said that he is always smiling. Susie and the staff at the Believe In Me Jinjiang School are really looking forward to having him begin school there after Chinese New Year!

Love Without Boundaries proudly advocates for adoption but is not an adoption agency. We invite you to contact adoptionassistance@lwbmail.com with questions about a child we have featured and encourage you to contact your local adoption agency for more information about China’s Waiting Child Program.

Chinese New Year, which begins on January 23rd this year, is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. Families clean their homes to sweep away bad luck, decorate windows and doors with red colored couplets, feast with family members on the eve of Chinese New Year, and end the night with firecrackers. Early on New Year’s Day children like Ben and Lance will don new outfits and receive money in red paper envelopes. But there are many children in China without families to celebrate with them. This year, to honor those children, Love Without Boundaries is running a special Red Envelope Campaign for the children in our Believe in Me Huainan School. Won’t you join us in giving a New Year’s gift to an orphan?

Our Believe in Me schools were designed to provide the joy of education to children in orphanages who would otherwise be unable to attend school. While the children delight in learning and expanding their horizons in these schools, the sad reality is that many of the children are hungry. This orphanage is a rural facility with very meager resources. LWB has made a commitment to these children to help them with better nutrition.

The “Older Child Nutrition Program” is designed to provide kids aged 2-16 with much needed protein, which they rarely get. There are 75 students in our Believe in Me Huainan School. For less than $1 a snack, the children receive a fresh or dried protein snack, as well as fruit and milk. It may sound like a bargain, but over the course of a month this expense comes close to $1,000!

We would like to ask for your assistance to help us continue providing essential nutrition to these wonderful children (who seem pretty pleased with their snacks in the above photo!) We are asking all our supporters to give the gift of a red envelope to an orphan in China this Chinese New Year. Simply put $1 in an envelope and mail it to:

LWB
Red Envelope Campaign
PO Box 25016
Oklahoma City, OK 73125

Please include your name and email address with your donation if you would like to receive a tax receipt letter. If you prefer, you are welcome to make your online donation here.

Millie wants to remind everyone that the number 8 is considered the luckiest number. If you are feeling particularly lucky, an $8 check would go even further in filling a tummy!

The young man who possesses this brilliant smile is Charlie, and 2012 is starting out as an eventful year for him. He has started attending school in LWB’s Education program (and we couldn’t be happier to have him) and has also had his adoption paperwork filed! Since Charlie is almost 12 years old, his chance to be adopted is unfortunately limited by time.

Charlie with Yvonne

Yvonne, LWB’s China Education Director, recently met Charlie and couldn’t wait to tell us how much he impressed her.  Aside from reiterating how cute Charlie is (which is quite plain to see), Yvonne told us that Charlie is eager to learn.  He answered all of her questions fluently and correctly. She even talked to him about adoption, and he specifically told her that he wanted to have a mom and a dad. Once she heard this, she knew that it was important for us to find out if his file had made it to the waiting children list…and we are delighted to announce that it has!   Charlie’s special needs are that he has missing toes and paralysis of his left arm.

We hope that by getting the word out, Charlie will be matched with a family and 2012 will turn out to be one of the most eventful years of his life! Could this charming young man end up making 2012 one of your family’s most eventful years as well?

Love Without Boundaries proudly advocates for adoption but is not an adoption agency. We invite you to contact adoptionassistance@lwbmail.com with questions about a child we have featured and encourage you to contact your local adoption agency for more information about China’s Waiting Child Program.

It wasn’t long before Joy was doing much more than coloring and crafts; this sweet girl was soaring in her school work… learning math and practicing writing! We are so proud of Joy’s success and how she has overcome so much in her young life. Without our Believe in Me schools, many of our children would never have the experiences or opportunities to attend any type of school. We are grateful for our teachers and China staff who work to change these children’s lives. Joy’s teachers never gave up on her but stuck by her side as she made “slow and steady” progress.

Joy is in need of sponsors for her schooling. You can help this lovely girl continue to progress with your sponsorship of $20 per month. Sponsors will receive quarterly updates and photos. We look forward to watching Joy continue to work toward her potential.

Please meet our sparkling, smart, delightful Sammy! Sammy is a very bright little nine-year-old boy at our Believe in Me Jinjiang School, who is also on the shared list. Many of us who know and love Sammy are thrilled to think that there is a family somewhere who will be blessed to have him as a member. This dear boy is as clever as can be and has such a bright future ahead of him. He is speaking, singing, dancing, running, beginning to memorize and read, and is working hard to learn and grow in school. His kind heart and very funny sense of humor endear him to everyone.

There is not a person who has met Sammy who doesn’t walk away forever changed about the way they think of someone with Down Syndrome. He is one of those children for whom the word “charm” was coined…and we mean charm in the best sense of that word. He is engaging, delightful, sweet, thoughtful, and filled with a goodness that draws people to him. Add to that a very capable and able mind, and there you have our Sammy!

In class at school, Sammy is attentive and diligent in his work. One of the most social little guys in school, he is sure to participate in all of the activities, especially if it involves playing with his friends. He loves to play and is making much progress in learning through the play-based teaching that his teacher uses. He can label colors, shapes, and counts up to 10. This amazing, high-functioning boy soaks up every minute of learning when he is in school. The staff is amazed with how smart he is, and we are sure that he is teaching them as much as they are teaching him. There are no limits to this silly boy’s potential.

Sammy charms our socks off. We can’t wait to hear about how he will charm some lucky family waiting just for him!

Love Without Boundaries proudly advocates for adoption but is not an adoption agency. We invite you to contact adoptionassistance@lwbmail.com with questions about a child we have featured and encourage you to contact your local adoption agency for more information about China’s Waiting Child Program.

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.  He is beloved by his classmates and teachers alike.  Now he just needs a family to love him!  What a gift to have a son like Joseph.

Joseph has an explorer’s heart!  When the teachers in his Believe in Me Jinjiang School taught the children a science unit on insects, Joseph was keen to get outside and collect specimens, examine them under the magnifying glass, and compare and contrast the different entymological finds.  He is naturally curious and a quick study.  Eager and engaged, he loves school and learning.

Joseph needs a family to see in him what we have all observed for years: a bright, very capable, incredibly lovable and loving, kindhearted boy.   We believe he will make a wonderful son and brother.  Could this special guy be your child?  How lucky you will be!  There is a myriad of people who know him well and are cheering for Joseph.  We can’t wait to celebrate his family.

~Sara Silburn, Believe in Me Jinjiang coordinator

Love Without Boundaries proudly advocates for adoption but is not an adoption agency. We invite you to contact adoptionassistance@lwbmail.com with questions about a child we have featured and encourage you to contact your local adoption agency for more information about China’s Waiting Child Program.