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

Evan was from southern China, from an orphanage who was new to international adoption and whose staff were a bit nervous about handing over one of their babies to us for care, even though they knew he had a very severe heart defect. The director of the orphanage called our team in China many times, making sure our healing home would be a nice place for Evan to live, and wanting reassurance that we would care for him gently.

Evan when he first came into LWB hands

Evan came to live at our Heartbridge healing unit, and he went through a successful first stage heart surgery. He then tolerated us making him look like a pirate when we started patching for his lazy eye. And through it all – he smiled and smiled – and touched the hearts of everyone who met him.

I was last with Evan in March – and we got to cheer him on as he showed off his walking skills by pushing a baby walker across the room. His nanny was so proud of him, and it was very clear that he was so in love with her. I left Beijing knowing that Evan was in a wonderful place, but I also knew that he was on the special needs adoption list – and that he still had not been chosen. All of us were determined to help him find a permanent home, and so many people helped spread the news that he needed a family. I am so sad that he never got to meet his very own mom and dad through adoption. But I know I speak for so many of us that we are honored to have been his family during his short time on this earth. Without a doubt – Evan was loved and cherished, and his achievements were celebrated. I love knowing that his cute photos are on many people’s refrigerators and desks. He didn’t leave this world unknown.

I would like to thank everyone who worked so hard to advocate for him to find a family. I want to thank his supporters and sponsors who funded his heart surgery and his stay at Heartbridge. To everyone who lifted this child up and sent prayers for his well being – I am deeply grateful. Every child’s life is just so important, and beautiful Evan reminds us all that we can never stop working to give these incredible children a chance to be loved. 

Evan – you will be so missed – and you absolutely will not be forgotten.

Amy Eldridge, Executive Director

Our new video encouraging the adoption of boys is now online and also available to view below. Many people don’t realize how many boys are waiting for homes in orphanages around the world. We encourage you to help spread the news that so many great kids would love to be known as someone’s treasured SON.

We were met at the train station by the new director of one of the local orphanages, Director Wang. She is new to the job and told us we were the first foreign team she had met. The orphanage we visited that day has only done seven adoptions since opening five years ago. We really enjoyed meeting their very kind staff, and we told them we hoped we could help increase the number of children who could find families by working together.

After a delicious lunch with Civil Affairs, we went to see the kids. This orphanage has many, many babies with medical needs. Almost every crib had a child who needed help. They had many children with CP as well and really want to learn how to do PT. We told them we could hopefully send some caregivers to Anhui Children’s Hospital for PT training, and they were SO grateful. As soon as we made the offer, they said, “When can we send someone?” I think they just feel overwhelmed at having children they obviously care for but are unable to help.

Some of the children we met included:

An absolutely beautiful eleven-year-old girl in a wheelchair. She is so smart and sweet. They have had her tested locally but cannot find out why she can’t walk. She does have pain when she puts weight on her legs, but everything else is normal. She really needs a tutor as she wants to go to school so badly, but there is no way for her to attend in a wheelchair.

A gorgeous toddler with cleft who loved our balloon animals and was SO active and laughing in her crib. This orphanage has no cleft bottles, and so feeding babies with cleft has been a true struggle. But they WANT to feed the babies, so one of the head aunties felt so terrible when this little girl couldn’t eat that she created her own NG tube. She cut a piece of rubber tubing that she would put down the baby’s throat at each feeding, and she would literally POUR the formula into the tube slowly for her to get calories. She saved this little girl’s life, albeit in a very drastic way.

A little boy who had an unrepaired spinal tumor, but it was low on his back and not broken open. He could walk in his crib holding on to the rails, so we are hopeful he can be chosen for adoption and receive surgery overseas.

This orphanage had several tiny preemies, and so we called one of our team members in Beijing and asked her to immediately send two cases of PreNan formula and a case of cleft bottles. We were all wishing the formula company had overnight delivery!

They had two babies with bilateral clubfeet – and we explained about Ponseti casting. They were very excited to know they could help the kids without making them go through surgery.

One little boy with more severe CP broke our hearts as we were handing our cheerios and crackers to the kids, and he wanted food so badly. However, due to his CP, he can’t swallow correctly and so the aunty said he could not have solid food. He was heartbroken that he couldn’t have the treat, and he just cried and sobbed the whole time we were there. Another little girl that was doing a low moaning cry was a newly abandoned little girl that they estimated was four years old and most likely deaf.  She was so overwhelmed by it all.

I fell in love with a sweet five-month-old who has a huge facial tumor between his eyes. The ayis told me how worried they are about him as it is growing rapidly. Oh this baby was interactive! If you even looked at him he broke into a huge grin, and several times I would go touch his tummy and he would belly laugh. Please pray with me that the tumor can be removed. He is on our website now for urgent sponsorship here.

We were all touched by a teeny tiny little three-year-old that most likely has a genetic syndrome but we weren’t sure what. She had little skinny fingers but the tops of her hands were swollen and puffy. Her feet were flat and puffy as well, and her hands were very creased. There was just something about her that made you want to pick her up and hold her gently.

We then were shown a premature infant boy who also had cleft lip and club foot. He was born last month and left in the cold mountain air – and when the orphanage admitted him he was severely malnourished. If you pinched the skin on his legs, it stayed pinched in a peak as he was so dehydrated. But his eyes tracked Julie wherever she went, and he appeared to be making eye contact with us. He had a very weak cry but it wasn’t inaudible. THANK GOODNESS Julie and Arlene had a cleft bottle with them, and Julie immediately trained the ayi on how to use it and how to squeeze and count. I called our medical director in Guangzhou immediately, and then our Healing Home manager to see if he could go to our home in Fujian. We are all praying that he can survive the journey and get on the path to healing.

After the orphanage visit, they took us to a beautiful local park which surrounded a lake. One of the things that you notice in this region is how very young all the parents are. Many teens are married by 15-16, and so we saw many teenage boys carrying babies on their back in papooses. We created quite a spectacle in the park, as this town rarely has foreigners. Some brave little school boys started following us, daring each other to call out “hello lady!” One little boy followed us all the way to the parking lot, giggling at his bravery, and when I took his photo he totally struck a pose for me. Future politician for sure!!!

All too soon it was time for us to make our journey to the next city, and we said goodbye with many promises that we would begin to help them medically. I would really appreciate your thoughts and prayers for many of the more vulnerable children we met here.

Amy Eldridge, Executive Director

When asked, Director Chen said one of their most urgent needs is for PT assistance. They truly want to help the kids in their care, but they have no therapists on staff. We explained our training program in partnership with Anhui Children’s Hospital, and they were very hopeful that LWB could provide this support so that 1-2 of their caregivers could learn how to help their children with special needs.

We are hoping to set up an LWB foster care program in this region and have identified the first group of children we would like to come into our care. One of the little girls is a new arrival to the orphanage who is deaf. Doesn’t she have the sweetest little face?

This little girl was born without knees. She was walking, however, and we hope that if she enters our program we can arrange for a more detailed exam to know exactly what her orthopedic needs are.

The baby we worried the most about was a little girl with heart disease whose lips were so blue. We were told that she gets short of breath quite frequently, and we are hoping to send her to Shanghai as quickly as possible for surgery. She has been loaded to our sponsorship page for medical care, and if you would like to help with her surgery you can click here.

After a wonderful morning meeting the kids, we were treated to lunch at a Dong minority restaurant with officials from Civil Affairs. It was so much fun as a local singing group came to perform for us. In Dong villages, the young girls are serenaded by the boys playing a three string guitar called a pipa. They choose their husbands according to who sings the most beautifully. The Dong are known for having very clear and pure tone voices, and the music was something we will never forget.

After lunch we drove to a Miao village up a winding, 2-lane mountain road. This was the largest Miao village in the province, with 1200 families. As we stood looking out over the vista, it honestly took our breath away. Without a doubt, Kaili was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. It was like the China you see in picture books, with terraced mountains, waterfalls and streams, and the traditional Chinese wooden houses and bridges. The Miao women all have long beautiful hair that they tie up in buns and decorate with flowers. Their ceremonial costumes are so intricate, with silver necklaces and headdresses, and they hold celebration festivals, filled with singing and dancing, thoughout the year.

The hospitality we were shown on this day was humbling. This region is extremely poor, but the love for the orphaned children we met was enormous. As we waved goodbye and started our long journey north to Tongren, we gave thanks that we had been invited to partner with the people here to impact even more children.

Amy Eldridge, Executive Director

I look at my daughter today on this very special family anniversary, and I see a vibrant preteen who believes she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to. I still can’t believe I was so blessed to be her mom. I am sure that most people who know she is adopted think she is the one whose life changed the most, traveling all the way from China to the U.S. and slowly becoming an American. What they probably don’t realize is how very much her adoption changed MY life as well… changed it completely in fact, in the most wonderful ways. I am so glad that I get to have that wonderful “insider” knowledge that family isn’t about genetics. A friend reminded me this week of the great line from the move “The Blind Side”: Family isn’t who you are born to; it is who has your back. I am so glad to be part of an adoption community that treasures children and rallies in incredible ways to make sure as many kids as possible find homes. And of course Anna’s adoption made my heart open to the needs of orphaned children all over the world. That first step off a train 11 years ago was really the first step toward the establishment of LWB, although I sure didn’t know it back then!

All of us at LWB are so passionate about adoption, and we wish that every orphaned child in our programs could someday find a permanent home. Recently I have been saddened whenever journalists write that adoptions from China now take four to five years, as I believe it causes so many people to not even consider adopting from there. Yes, we all know that the non-special needs program takes that long, but the media shouldn’t ignore the fact that over half of all adoptions last year from China were of children with medical needs. Right now there are almost 2,000 orphaned Chinese children waiting for a family to choose them on the “shared list.” Most of those adoptions can take place within a year of finding your son or daughter. Please help us spread the news that thousands of incredible children are waiting right now in orphanages throughout China – waiting for someone to realize how very precious and special they are. Waiting for someone to see their photo and say, “YOU are the one I’ve been missing in my life!”

Without a doubt… adoption changes EVERYTHING for an orphaned child. There is no greater gift to a child in an orphanage than a permanent family. But today let’s also remember that it changes the lives of us adults as well. How blessed I have been to have my heart grow again and again to parent another amazing child.The simple words of a song from my childhood certainly sum it up best:

“Love is something if you give it away, you’ll end up having more.”

Isn’t MORE LOVE a beautiful thing?   Happy family day, Anna JoLin ZiHan Eldridge. Thank you for changing my life for the better.

Amy Eldridge
Executive Director, Love Without Boundaries

(LWB has several resources to help families learn more about the waiting child path to adoption. Visit www.adoptspecialneeds.org for our educational site about most pediatric medical needs seen on China’s shared list. Visit www.youtube.com/lwbvideos to watch our video, “Adopting the Waiting Child” and to watch videos on specific special needs as well.

“They don’t tell you that the children of the orphanage are all coming home with you. That these kids, with their wan smiles and growling stomachs, are going to follow you across the ocean, move into your house, inhabit your dreams”.

I think Mr. Gammage and I obviously have a lot in common. And I always take comfort in knowing that another person understands that when you adopt YOUR child, there are millions more children going to bed that night in orphanages around the world. In Mr. Gammage’s words:

“They don’t tell you that when summer burns hot and steamy, and you’re picking out a toddler’s matching wardrobe of colorful pants sets and bathing suits, your mind will summon images of children wearing whatever came out of that morning’s laundry—a small boy in a rumpled T-shirt, a thin girl in a washed-out gown, wafting across the concrete carpet of a sun-scorched orphanage. Or that, in winter, as you pull thick blankets up to your child’s chin on a bitter night, you’ll wonder whether the children left behind are warm, as well.”

And yet, it never ceases to amaze me when I meet someone who has adopted overseas who seems to have completely forgotten that their child was not the only one needing a home. There have been far too many occasions when I have asked someone where their daughter was from, only to have the parents say to each other, “can you remember the name of that orphanage where she lived?” or, “Oh gosh….I have no idea, all we cared about was getting her home.” As if none of their child’s beginnings meant anything before they arrived.

November is National Adoption Month, and while I understand completely that not every person touched by adoption has the time to volunteer with support groups or charities, or the funds available to donate to help children who still wait, I do believe there is one thing that every person can find the time to do. I mentioned above that I am a lover of words, and there are five wonderful words that I hope we will all allow ourselves to say out loud at least once in our lives:

“Have you ever considered adoption?”

Absolutely adoption is not for everyone, and absolutely I am not a believer in adopting to “save” a child. Adoption is a lifelong commitment to love and care for a precious human life, and it should never be taken lightly. But I also know that many times I’ve met people who have either closed off their hearts believing they can never have a baby or else who had never even considered adoption because they have biological children. And it wasn’t until they were shown a photo of a child currently waiting for a home or until someone took the time to say those five beautiful words that the initial idea took root, which then grew into a true desire to open their arms to a child needing a home.

So during this month, and into the coming year – if you have been touched by adoption in any way, whether directly or indirectly – I hope you will find it in yourself to step out of your comfort zone and say these five little words at least once to someone you know:

“Have you ever considered adoption?”

My children who came into my life through adoption have brought such blessings that there are no words to adequately describe it. What kind of a person would I be to keep the enormity of those blessings a secret all to myself? I wish everyone could know the wonderful truth that I’ve learned – that family has so little to do with genetics, but everything to do with love. When my son TJ looks me in the eyes and says, “mommy, I was waiting and waiting for you in the orphanage,” I take his face in my hands and say, “Mommy was waiting for YOU my entire life as well.” Please join with me and spread the news that millions of children around the world are in need of permanent, loving homes. Who knows? You might be the answer to someone’s prayers – the one to plant the seed that allows a family to be formed and another wonderful child to come home.

Amy Eldridge
Love Without Boundaries

Sweet Isaiah – HCHH grad

Neil was all smiles

Eoin won the “Chunky Monkey” award

We have moved two children with Down Syndrome into foster care in Xinxiang, and the orphanage staff told us that they are just amazed at their progress now that they are in a one-on-one setting. We think it is pretty obvious how much Junie loves her mama! Our foster care director encouraged the orphanage to file adoption paperwork on both children, to give them a chance at finding a permanent family.

Junie loves her foster mom, and the feeling is mutual!

Our team had a wonderful time visiting with all the other kids as well.  Lauren, who is always so welcoming to our foster care manager, invited her newfound friends into her home. She is being adopted to the US in just a few weeks, and our team already introduced her to the Silly Bandz craze. As you will see from this photo, Lauren decided Silly Bandz are pretty wonderful to adorn your wrists!

Thank you for the gifts!

Our volunteers were really taken with Daniel. He has been on the shared list for quite some time, with no family choosing him yet. He has severe scoliosis, and really needs to be adopted to get the proper medical treatment. He was SO sociable, talking to everyone and wanting to be right in the action. He loved the ball and racecars our team gave him. We are really hoping that a family will see his photo and want more information on him. He is such a smart and fun little boy, and he hasn’t let his scoliosis stop him in any way. He really needs a family so that he can have the future he deserves!  If you would like more information on Daniel, please contact us at adoptionassistance@lwbmail.com.

I first saw this adorable face in November of 2007 when I visited the Believe In Me school in Shantou. I had walked into a room full of young children who were sitting in little chairs up against the wall awaiting my arrival.

After a few minutes, the children began to sing and dance to a song about cats. They were each wearing a kitty cat “hat.” It was such fun! I could not have stopped smiling even if I had tried.

Most of the children were scared of the pale, blonde lady with curly hair who was at this point totally mesmerized by them. They would see me and then turn to walk the other direction. However, to my delight one little sweetheart not only walked right up to me, but when I knelt down, she gave me a huge hug. My heart melted! Her smile literally lit up the room. She was having so much fun clapping and singing and playing, and she liked me!

I have continued to receive school reports and many more adorable photographs of sweet Shanna these past two years. Now nine years old, she is a very resilient little girl and loved by all who know her.

I was absolutely ecstatic to recently discover she is now on the shared list waiting her forever family to find her and bring her home. If her smile does not capture your heart, I assure you her hugs most definitely will!!! Shanna’s special need involves hypothyroidism; however, she is now on medication and her levels are normal. She is hoping that THIS year is the year she is chosen by a family of her very own.

For more photos and information about Shanna, please contact us at info@lwbmail.com.

Karen McGinty is the BIM Shantou, Guangdong, Coordinator for Love Without Boundaries. She lives in Edmond, OK, with her husband, Keith, and four children: Mason, age 12; Molly, age 10, adopted from Hubei Province; Mia, age 6, adopted from Chongqing; and Matthew, age 5.