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. These two are an unstoppable pair, and the progress we have seen John make has been tremendous.

John is now six years old. Since John’s special need keeps him from attending school, all of his days are spent with his grandpa. This awesome twosome keep busy by taking long walks to help improve John’s strength and walking skills, while also spending time studying math and Chinese characters.

John’s monthly reports give the impression that he is a happy-go-lucky kind of child who complains little, works very hard at everything, and smiles often. As it turns out, he is all of these things and more. Our Fuyang foster care coordinator volunteer, Vicki Hossack, was delighted to have the opportunity to meet John this past fall. Vicki was impressed and proud of this young man and remembers this about her visit with him:

I met John last October on a trip to China to visit some of our foster care children. We talked with John’s foster grandpa about his progress as John listened in intently. John was so pleased to have the opportunity to show us how well he is now walking. He grinned from ear to ear as he walked down the corridor of his home and back! John also brought us practice sheets that he and his grandpa work on together to show us the progress he is making with his math and Chinese symbols. This adorable boy is so proud of his work and accomplishments that it absolutely warms your heart.

John has the most wonderful personality and his smile is radiant, even as he sits on the sidelines watching the other children run and play. He is very obedient and never complains.

John has hopes that if he works hard, some day he will be able to climb mountains and trees. With his disposition and determination, we would not be surprised!  We would love to see what John can accomplish in life given the opportunity to attend school and get additional therapy. While the love and care of a family could give him these opportunities, we think the opportunity for a family to be privileged to have a son like John is just as great.

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.

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

She likes to take him outside to walk in their vegetable garden, and she loves telling our local manager what a thoughtful and sweet little boy he is. We are such huge supporters of foster care for orphaned children as we believe every child deserves to grow up in a family setting versus growing up in an institution. We would like to thank all of the wonderful supporters who help with this important program. You are giving a foundation of love that will last a lifetime.

We are thrilled to introduce Isaiah, a sweet child who recently joined our Shunyi foster care program. Isaiah is almost two years old and has a repaired cleft lip and palate. He lives with his foster brothers, all of whom are older than him. Isaiah is surprisingly independent for his age and tries to keep up with his older brothers.

Although he is small, Isaiah is brave and likes to be involved in everything going on around him. In the mornings Isaiah joins his foster brothers for class, even though he is a little too young to fully understand what is happening. He takes a power nap in the afternoons and then likes to spend the rest of the day outside, where he plays on the playground with his family or goes for walks in the neighborhood. He also likes to play games and watch movies.

Isaiah’s foster mother says that his favorite activity is eating! He eats different types of meat, accompanied by stir-fried vegetables. Isaiah especially loves to eat any and all kinds of snacks. He has an easy-going personality and gets along remarkably well with his new brothers. Isaiah will even share his most prized snacks with them!

Isaiah is a very happy little boy who has settled comfortably into his new home. We look forward to watching him flourish in this loving environment. If you would like to make a difference in Isaiah’s life, please consider sponsoring his foster care placement. Your donation of $35 per month will make a profound impact on this young boy’s life, and you will receive monthly updates and photos showing his growth.

Now known as Mark, the little boy we knew as “Willy” is thriving in his adoptive home. Shortly after this family returned home with their two newly adopted sons, they took the time to e-mail Love Without Boundaries and let us know how  the little boy we had helped care for in foster care, “Willy”, was doing. Mark’s new parents report that he has been singing, talking, learning English, coloring, and of course having some struggles too.  But amongst all those words were the most important words, words from his parents’ hearts:  ”He is a joy!”

How thankful we can be for the children and families united through adoption. All we can say in response is, “What a joy!”

Autumn has arrived in Qiandongnan with cooler and milder days. The children are doing well and are providing a little slice of heaven to their foster families. Many of the foster families have expressed concern regarding the need for warm clothes, coats, and shoes for the children. Lente, a sweet one-year-old, is one of the beautiful children in Qiandongnan foster care. We would like to be able to provide a coat and warm clothing for her and the other foster children this winter. We would welcome your donation in any amount to help Lente and the other Qiandongnan foster care children stay warm.

A dream is a wish your heart makes. ~ Cinderella

Many girls dream about feeling like princesses for at least a day, just like these beauties in our Lu’An foster care program! Our foster care team from the U.K. and U.S. are in China right now visiting children in Anhui and Shanxi Provinces and were thrilled with all of the heartfelt hugs they received from these lovely girls.

It is our dream that these princesses will have every opportunity in life to make their very own dreams comes true!

This sweet sibling pair really enjoy school. Kevin was thrilled to meet his classmates, and he is doing very well academically and socially. Chelsea is learning more and more each day. She is using her expanding vocabulary to speak in sentences now…and she does like to talk!

Our wish is that Kevin and Chelsea can continue to progress and succeed in school, but they need your help. We need sponsors for their education. Your sponsorship of $20 per month will let you celebrate their achievements and be a part of their success as you receive quarterly updates and photos. Thank you for considering to help these two foster siblings!

Regular readers of LWB Community may know four-year-old Julian from Loudi foster care. Our China foster care manager wrote the loveliest comment on this month’s report:

Julian desires to be loved and paid attention to by others. While I talked with his foster mom he hugged my back, touched my hair or patted my head from time to time. He became cheerful and clapped his hands when I turned my head to him. When I went back to the conversation he patted me again. He is such a special little boy. If only he could find an adoptive family full of love.

We have done so many features on Julian and feel that he is the embodiment of love.  He is just waiting to bring joy and affection to a family of his own!

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.

Lenore Jean is a precious six-month-old baby in one of our newer foster care programs in Guizhou. Looking at her chubby cheeks and sweet smile, one would never know that she has a serious heart defect. Originally the diagnosis was VSD, which is a relatively simple surgery as far as heart defects go. But upon further examination and testing, the results showed something much more serious, and doctors believe the sooner she can have the surgery the better the outcome will be.

Lenore Jean enjoys the love and watchful eye of her foster mother, and, because of her good care she is gaining weight and growing. While in the hospital for the new heart echo, she was described as active and energetic! But the doctors in Shanghai feel that her heart defect is causing her to develop pulmonary hypertension, and the surgery she needs should be done sooner rather than later. A heart catheterization is required first to determine the development of her pulmonary artery, and then the best surgery plan for her will be determined. The funding required for her more complex heart defect, plus the heart catheterization, is nearly $10,000.

Lenore Jean’s health is at risk with the winter months coming, and it is imperative that her heart cath be done soon so she can have her surgery before the cold winter months set in. Your donation in any amount toward her medical care will be greatly appreciated!