The third day of our trip found us waking up in a Buyi minority village in Kaiyung County. 95% of Buyi people live in Guizhou, usually in river valleys. As you can see from the photos, they favor two and three story houses, made of both stone and wood, and walking through the village was a very peaceful experience.
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The trip from Kaili to Weng’An took approximately 2.5 hours. Weng’An is part of the Qiannan Buyi and Miao prefecture, and has a population of just 400,000 which is of course quite small for China. This mountainous region is the source of the Wuyang River, which has carved out beautiful canyons throughout Eastern Guizhou. Farmers here grow corn and rice, and the industry of the town is coal and phosphate mining. We were told that all of the children in the orphanage are “true orphans,” meaning their parents had died. In fact, just days before our arrival a coal mine had flooded, trapping 41 miners underground. Two sisters had come into the orphanage just weeks before, when their parents had passed away. Read more.
Our first full day in China was spent in Qiandongnan, in the southeastern part of Guizhou province. This was my third visit to this mountainous region, and I always love coming here because the foster families in our program are just fantastic. As I’ve mentioned in past blogs, Qiandongnan is a Miao and Dong minority prefecture.
One of the first kids we met was Cecilia, seen above, who was leaving for her adoption day just a few hours after we arrived. Read more.
When I was a little girl, I remember seeing the passport of my friend’s father, and as I turned each page and saw the entry and exit stamps from different countries, I thought inside how wonderful it would be to someday have a little blue book of my own. I didn’t get that first passport until I was 35, when I adopted my first child from China, but I still remember the excitement I felt when the immigration officer firmly put his red stamp in it. I still feel that same excitement every time I land in China – and by the time you read this, I will probably be standing in the immigration line yet again.
Each time I make a trip to check on the children in our programs, I of course reflect back on previous journeys. I always have the same prayer leading up to departure: that any child who truly needs our help will somehow cross my path. Read more.
Yong and his foster siblings have had fun celebrating the Chinese New Year in Guizhou. We are waiting for government officials to return to work on Monday so that his passport application can continue and the final permissions can be given for his care.
Yong’s foster family sent this cute photo of him holding his foster sister’s hand, and we knew you would love to see it as much as we did. Read more.
Over the last two years, LWB has done more and more work in rural Guizhou Province. A recent project provided new coats for the children at the Weng’An orphanage. We are so happy that we were able to give the children coats to help them keep warm this winter.
Some LWB staff will be visiting these children at the Weng’An orphanage in April. There are only 19 children: one baby and 18 older children. The orphanage is in a small mountain town and has not received outside assistance before. We are starting a special project to buy new bicycles for the children in the orphanage, as it is a long walk to and from school each day. Read more.
Five-year-old Yong entered orphanage care in Guizhou in 2011 one month before his fourth birthday. When he was found, he had a large facial tumor, and the staff at the orphanage wanted to get him the help he needed. They took Yong to hospitals in Guizhou, Yunnan, and even Shanghai – but they were told the mass was just too complex. Three months ago, his tumor began growing rapidly and started to impact his ability to swallow and chew. Knowing that there was a real possibility that the tumor could soon close off Yong’s airway, LWB was asked if there was any way he could get medical treatment overseas. Read more.
One of the first things expectant parents often do is begin thinking about a nursery and how to decorate and furnish it. A beautiful room complete with changing table, toys, and a beautiful crib may be waiting for that precious baby when he or she arrives.
Of course newly arrived children at an orphanage don’t get met with this same scenario. Read more.
We loved this photo of baby Jana from LWB’s Guizhou Foster Care Program so much that we used it for our LWB holiday card!
Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing. ~ Mother Teresa
From the first time we saw Jonathan, we knew there was something special about him: his smile. When he arrived at LWB’s True Children’s Healing Home (TCHH) in Fujian from his home orphanage in Guizhou Province, Jonathan weighed only 4.6 kg. (10.1 lbs.) and was very tiny and weak. Read more.
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