Sweet Carly is a lovely five-year-old girl in the Believe in Me Jingzhou School. You may remember her from her introduction in March 2010 in the blog post “A Day in the Life at Believe in Me Jingzhou,” when Carly was the newest student in school. This precious young girl has cerebal palsy, but she doesn’t let that slow her down! She loves spending her days in school, where she plays with many fun, tactile educational tools such as the knobbed cylinders and triangle boxes. She spends lots of time reading picture story books and loves participating in arts and crafts. While Carly is shy around the teachers, she is a chatterbox with her friends. We have been told by our China manager that she is a smart little girl.

Carly loves to practice walking with the aid of her walker. She is said to get around very well and is independent in many of her life skills. Since her legs are not very strong, Carly does require some help with potty time and getting dressed; however, she is very good at walking (with her walker) and eating independently.

Carly also loves the time she gets to spend at recess each day and especially enjoys the slides and swings! Can you imagine the fun she could have at a local park with her forever family? That opportunity can be hers and yours as she is on the shared list, waiting for her family to come forward to adopt her.

While reading Carly’s reports, we were excited to see that Carly has a sweet “best friend” in Tommy. Tommy knows something about waiting for his family as he has been on the shared list for awhile and is still waiting for his family to find him. Carly and Tommy love to play with toys and sing nursery rhymes together during their quiet time before bed. We can just picture the two of them sitting on the floor at the end of the day reciting nursery rhymes and helping each other with missed words and incorrect tones. So sweet!

Tommy is a handsome seven-year-old, who, like Carly, has cerebal palsy (CP). Tommy also has epilepsy, but we are told that both his CP and epilepsy appear to be mild. This cute young boy is said to be quite outgoing, lively, and active. When Tommy was five, he had a successful tendon release surgery which is very common for children with CP. Now Tommy has found a new love in morning exercises and is able to complete them all. He also discovered that, after many years of being unable, he now loves to RUN!

Handsome Tommy is a popular boy on our blog, having been featured in numerous posts, including “Fun in the Sun with Tommy”, “Tenacious Tommy,” and “Tommy Boy.” Several of Tommy’s friends have been adopted, and he understands that they now have forever families…something that he really wants too! Our China program manager told us that Tommy is working extra hard in school so he can be ready when his forever family comes to adopt him. He hopes to master his Chinese pinyin soon and excels at writing Chinese characters. He is also excited about learning some basic addition.

We hope that you will share the news about these two best friends waiting for families together. Hopefully they will both be with their forever families soon!

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.

Some children are naturally nurturing and attract younger children to them.  When she was a student in our Believe in Me Changde School, twelve-year-old Kathryn was one of these nurturing types. Missy, LWB’s former education director, was fortunate enough to meet Kathryn in November 2007  and was impressed by the way she cared for the younger children. Ever since, Missy has affectionately referred to Kathryn as “The Little Mother.” She recalls how Kathryn not only took care of these younger children but was almost always bouncing two little ones on her knee whenever she sat down. Each time Kathryn sat down, it seemed she had children crawling onto her lap with curiosity and love.

While Missy was visiting the Changde SWI, she was able to sit down and complete an art project with Kathryn. It was difficult for Missy to get one-on-one time with her since the younger children did not want to leave her alone long enough to let her have some time to herself. However, in the end she created a unique piece of art.

Kathryn’s special need is postoperative glossal lymphangioma.  She was in LWB’s Believe in Me Changde School from 2007 to 2008 where she confidently completed her school work and also helped with chores. She got along well with other children and enjoyed a variety of activities. In 2009 Kathryn started in public school, and now we have just learned that her adoption paperwork was filed.  She is ready to be matched with a family!

“There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in.” ~ Deepak Chopra

A new door with the possibility for a new future has opened for Kathryn, who will be 13 later this year. Kathryn is eligible for adoption until she turns 14 –just about one more year. We hope that this year is when her future can truly begin — with a family who can allow Kathryn to not only act as a mother but to be mothered herself!

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.

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!

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.

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.

Ten-year- old 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.”

Maryn (in the blue dress) with her BIM friends

It was a normal day in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, Peoples Republic of China, in August of 2009, and, by normal, I mean hot and humid.  It was anything but a normal day for my husband and me because we were in China!  We were there having come together as a new family of three with our daughter who had heard, just days before, the name by which she would come to be known over the coming days, weeks, months and now years, Maryn.  She had reached the advanced age of eight years the day before we met on August 3, 2009, and now we were family.

On that hot day, the hotel pool not only looked inviting, but we were ready to take the advice of other adoptive parents who recommended getting into the pool with our child because it would foster attachment as she would be forced to rely on us and cling to us for survival.  The only problem was our daughter hadn’t talked to the same people we’d talked to about attachment, and she didn’t have the same appreciation for the cooling relief of a large swimming pool two strangers were beckoning her to enjoy.  She wanted nothing to do with the pool and maintained her distance on the lounge chair, sweaty but safe.

Three short weeks later we were at home doing well in our new life as a family.  Labor Day was upon us and pools would be closing after that weekend.  We knew swimming lessons were in Maryn’s future, but how would we make that happen?  In the days leading up to the weekend, I used my language skills to inform Maryn that we were going to Cousin Jenny’s house to swim.  Soon after we arrived, we walked to the neighborhood pool.  I stopped to put our bags on the chairs and turned to see Maryn heading down the steps into the shallow end without hesitation.

Fear not.  This isn’t a story about water safety or how quickly a child can get into a pool when your back is turned.  The pool is merely a metaphor for older child adoption. Maryn was never in danger as she stepped into that pool and the truth is neither were we.  We knew all along that we wanted to adopt an older child and had time to prepare, but there were many times we felt overwhelmed by the possibilities.  Just as when you are standing with your toes on the edge looking into the pool below, when considering older child adoption you may find yourself filled with apprehension and questions before deciding to jump in.  Will we be in over our heads?  Will the lifesaver be there if we need help?  What will it feel like if we take the plunge?

When our dream came true and we walked into Maryn’s life, we found that what we were least prepared for was the joy.  I can tell you this:  the deep end is very deep in our pool of love.  Maryn is a delight.  She is sunshine and happiness, a love bug, a smiley, happy girl.  She is a shining star.  She is our daughter.

Having a child by any means requires a leap of faith.  Building our family through older child adoption is the greatest thing we have ever done.  We are a blessed family.  Perhaps an “older” child all of about 8, 10, 12 or 13 years will be just the right blessing for your family, too.  Take the plunge.  We know you will find it so much more than just refreshing.

~ Rebecca and Tom, Maryn’s proud parents

Michelle, Wendy, and many other incredible older children are waiting.  Have you considered taking the plunge? If so, please contact our Adoption Assistance Team at adoptionassistance@lwbmail.com if you have any questions about any children we have featured on our blog.

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.

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.  She is meeting her goals one at a time, improving in self control and participation in class.   She enjoys math and gets along well with other children.  Additionally she participates in special events like the jump rope competition. Her teachers have noticed her strength and diligence.

Strength is part of who Wendy is today, and as she challenges herself, is likely to become something by which she defines herself.

The Chinese character for “strength”

Wendy is 12 years old and is waiting for a permanent family. If would like to learn more about Wendy, please contact our adoption advocacy volunteers at adoptionassistance@lwbmail.com. We welcome your assistance in our efforts to help Wendy become part of a permanent family before she ages out of the adoption program.

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.

As I stood in the back of a cold, dark operating room waiting for a surgeon to use my product, I received an email from my wife. We had just returned from China after adopting a very happy little five-year-old boy and I was feeling pretty blessed that the process of incorporating an “older” child into our already large family was going much more smoothly than I had expected, especially since he didn’t speak a bit of English.

The email I received from my wife said little, but the picture included spoke a thousand words. There, staring up at me from my phone, was a beautiful eleven-year-old girl in China who needed a family. In that instant I knew this girl was to be a part of our family. However, in the next few minutes, hours, and days I wrestled with so many things. We had just returned from China and I really did not expect that we would be returning, especially not within the next year. We had just had such a successful adoption with an older child. Were we pressing our luck to adopt an even older child? And it’s one thing to bring a five-year-old to the US who doesn’t speak any English, but an eleven-year-old? As I logically thought through all the reasons we shouldn’t adopt her, I continued to come back to the picture of a smiling girl looking up at me from the picture I had saved to my phone’s home screen. Whatever the issues we would have to deal with, I knew that Ali was destined to join our family, and she was more than worth whatever the challenges were that we would have to endure.

We have now been home for several weeks, and all the concerns that I had about adopting an older child are distant memories. I can’t imagine our family without Ali’s infectious smile and the joy that she has brought to all our lives. Our large family has had a great time learning Chinese as she patiently teaches us words and then laughs at us when we are so far off the mark. And I continue to be surprised how she picks up a little bit more English every day. Of all the things to learn early, she quickly learned how to call the dog!

Our short time together hasn’t been without some challenges, and I am realistic that the future may hold even more. But in many ways we feel like she has always been here, a permanent part of our family, and a child that we are proud to call our own. As I write this today, I am thinking of all the fathers out there who might be struggling with some of the same issues that I struggled with. I am so thankful that I didn’t let logic stop me from experiencing one of the biggest blessings in my life – the adoption of my wonderful new daughter. And I continue to think of all of the older orphaned children who are waiting for a family of their own – and hope that many more fathers will find it in their hearts to say “yes” to a child in need.

~Cameron Bernadsky, Ali’s dad

We love knowing that Ali is going to get her chance at “happily ever after”! If you are a father with similar questions about adoption who would benefit from talking them through with another dad, please feel free to send an email to info@lwbmail.com and we will forward it to Cameron.

Once a week the class will do a “life skills” lesson, where they typically learn to cook some basic Chinese food. Even when it was time for these lessons, Amber would not participate and never wanted to try the different food… until the day the class prepared dumplings! On this particular day, Amber actually cried because she had no idea what the dumplings were, and this new food made her scared and nervous. However the kind, gentle teachers convinced this precious and shy girl to try the dumplings… and she liked them!!

After this experience Amber had more trust in her wonderful teachers. From that day forward she joined in on the class activities, she began to walk to the classroom independently each morning (instead of having to be coaxed to go), and she is starting to be more social. Amber will now tell her teachers “thank you,” and she has found a best friend in another precious young girl in the school!

We are so proud of Amber and of her amazing teachers. How exciting to see the life-changing and amazing effects this school is having on these children. If you would like to make a difference in the life of a child at our Believe in Me Huainan School, there are many who still need sponsorship. Your donation of $20 per month will have a lasting and profound impact on a child’s life.