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.

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.

We have such exciting news about four-year-old Benjie, one of our recent blog “stars.”  When we last reported on Benjie (“Remember Bashful Benjie?”), we had learned more about his special need and discovered that he had a significant hearing impairment. While this is definitely an obstacle, especially one for a child with disabled fingers who may not be able to learn sign language as easily as others, we felt that we had to try to get Benjie into an educational environment. Now Benjie is a new student at our Believe in Me Jinjiang School and is doing so well!

Benjie’s teachers report that he likes to build with blocks, do morning exercises…and play ball. Go for it, Benjie!

Benjie is still on the shared list waiting for his family to find him. In the meantime, it looks like he will be having a ball in school!

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.

What they noticed about Benjie was that he has multiple special needs. In addition to a disability of his hands, it turns out that Benjie does in fact have a significant hearing impairment. This explains more about why he was not talking much when we blogged about him. While it is great to know that he has a more detailed diagnosis, it also adds another layer of difficulty in the care that he can receive from the orphanage or that LWB can provide for him. Unfortunately sign language is not known by the orphanage staff.  Given the disability of his fingers, additional treatment might also be helpful for him to gain greater mobility.  When it comes to these areas, options in China are limited for Benjie at this time.  More one-on-one time would truly aid his developmental skills, and of course good quality one-on-one time can be difficult to provide when there are many children in need.

LWB often encounters children who we realize simply need more than we are able to provide. This could be true for any child who is living in foster care or an orphanage. There is always a dream and an urge to provide more, especially when our organization’s goal is to improve the lives of children in need. With Benjie, we know that even if LWB can meet his additional needs, it still is not likely to be enough to give him the quality of life he deserves.

This is why we choose to advocate. Certainly we advocate for any child in a LWB program because we would love for every child to have a permanent family. However, Benjie is one that is waiting now who could really use some extra medical and educational care…the type of care that a committed family with the right resources could provide.  We invite you to join us in advocating for Benjie in an effort to find his family.

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.

I don’t mean to be bashful, but I was.  – Willie Mays

Like Willie Mays, four-year-old Benjie is quite a bashful boy.  According to the nannies at the Jinjiang orphanage where he lives, he is pleasant but prefers to play alone.  So far, Benjie doesn’t speak although he is not believed to be deaf or mute.  Although he is getting good care at the orphanage, we feel that a shy boy like Benjie could absolutely blossom with a family of his own to bring him out of his shell.

In 2009, Benjie had surgery to correct his right limb and has recovered quite well.  He also has an absent left thumb and right thumb and index finger syndactyly, which means that these fingers are fused together.  However, Benjie can use his hands to do most things . When he needs to pick up something, he usually uses his little finger and the third finger to do it.  With bigger toys like his stuffed penguin, he seems to have no problems at all!

Benjie is a very picky eater. Even at age four, he prefers formula and rice cereal. When his nanny tries to put some food in his mouth, he spits it out right away.  Our LWB staff is currently looking into this to see how we can help with this issue.

Please help us spread the word about little Benjie. He really needs a family to help him shine!

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 a student in LWB’s Believe in Me Jinjiang school, Teddy works hard and is improving all the time. The best thing about school for him is that he looks forward to it. He enjoys going to school and above all enjoys seeing the other children and getting time to play with toys. Teddy likes nothing more than to happily run, jump, and play outdoors….often while he’s pretending to be an animal of one kind or another!

When playtime is over, however, he has no trouble focusing on tasks, as you can see here. He is certainly working intently with these marbles.

We are all so proud of Teddy as he opens up more and more every day. It is such a joy to watch him grow and change before our eyes. He is just waiting to be chosen by a family of his own. Can you imagine the happy roar this Teddy bear will make when that day finally comes?

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.

Hi, I am Dalton and I’m three and a half years old!

I enjoy spending my days playing with toys, dancing, and singing. Going to school (at LWB’s Believe in Me — Jinjiang school) is also an important part of my day. At school I can introduce myself to others using my first and last name, and I get to exercise and play with other children.  I know my colors and am learning to follow directions well.

When you first meet me, I might cry a little because I am not familiar with you.  But once we get comfortable, you will see how lively and fun I am!

Dalton, is in Jinjiang, Fujian and he is waiting to be matched through the Waiting Child Program.   In 2007, Dalton had surgery in Shanghai on his back and also for hydrocephalus.  He experienced a very good recovery.  As you can see from the photos. he is a happy and active little boy who is just waiting to bring some fun 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.

In 2004, when I first had the opportunity to work in a Chinese orphanage, there was one little girl who captured my heart. I was amazed by the fact that I could be caring for 200 babies and yet have one that stood out as so special and dear to my heart. Leaving her after eight days of serving in her orphanage was one of the most difficult things I’ve done. And so when the time for my next trip to serve in another orphanage came, I told myself I would not fall in love with one child in particular. Much as I tried, another little girl stole my heart. Now when I work in the orphanages, I know that it’s inevitable – there will always be one or two children that I will form a special bond with – one or two children whose faces are forever etched on my mind and heart and whom daily remain in my prayers. On my most recent trip to China in May 2010, Scott was one of two of the over 500 children I encountered that captured my heart.

What a sweet boy! I call him Scotty. As I write this, descriptive words fly through my head which depict his personality: inquisitive, content, sensitive, calm, happy, hardworking, determined, focused, gentle and resilient. Earlier this year, Scotty began participating in Believe In Me, the LWB-established preschool in his orphanage in Jinjiang. Despite his special needs, he does wonderfully in class and interacting with the other students and teachers. Scotty’s little hands are deformed, but he has a persevering attitude and does well with coloring and stacking blocks.

Like many children, Scotty has a repaired cleft. One afternoon, our team brought the school kids a supply of new books with words in both English and Chinese. For nearly two hours, our team sat with the children and read to them despite the fact that we don’t speak Chinese and the kids don’t understand English. I spent this time with Scotty. I had a basic ABC book with a picture and word for each letter. I went through the book once saying “A-Apple; B-Ball; C-Cow…” Scotty sat quietly beside me, observing the book intently. After completing the letters, I started at the beginning again: “A-Apple” and then I heard the tiniest little voice say “Apple” in perfect English pronunciation. I was shocked! It was coming from Scotty – a little boy who has only heard Chinese his whole life. And so page by page we went “B-Ball, C-Cow, D-Dog…” all the way to “Z-Zebra” with Scotty pronouncing each word clearly after me, a huge feat for a little cleft-affected guy growing up in an orphanage.

Every day, Scotty is in my thoughts and prayers, and I long to hear that he has been matched with a special family of his very own. This amazing boy has so much to contribute to a family and is such a sweetheart. I know because he stole a piece of my heart!

Heather Williams is the director of Hope’s Heart Orphan Foundation.

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.

Matthew is a 10-year-old boy at our Jinjiang Believe In Me School. He knows everything fashionable, such as the latest cartoon image and newest songs. His special need is listed as mental delay, but this boy is lively and clever.

Matthew has always had a hard time sitting still in the classroom. The dedicated and caring teachers at Jinjiang have accommodated him with freedoms to explore and keep busy. He enjoys puzzles and music, and especially loves jammin’ on the new electronic keyboard in the classroom. In the photo above, he is really working hard on his artistic masterpiece.

Matthew is in need of a $20 per month sponsorship to continue in the wonderful Believe In Me — Jinjiang program which understands his needs so well. Please visit his sponsor page if you can help!

Hannah just celebrated her 8th birthday. Instead of getting presents, she asked her friends to bring pennies to her birthday party. Yes, pennies that she could donate to her orphanage in China through Love Without Boundaries. Some of her friends were very creative with this request. One friend, for example, made Hannah a nice birthday basket with ribbons filled with pennies.

Sixty-one rolls of pennies, two rolls of nickels, four rolls of dimes, and one roll of quarters later, Hannah had $93.00 to donate to Love Without Boundaries. Despite this success, Hannah was disappointed because her goal was to reach $100! Hannah’s mother told her that, in addition to her friends, it was now time for Hannah to give too. She ran up to her room, found her wallet, and counted out $7 of the money that she had been saving. “There, we have enough” she happily said! Her mother was so proud of her that she told Hannah that she’d donate too. So, mother and daughter split the $7 difference. The $100 donation came in to Love Without Boundaries in early June and is currently helping to educate the children of Jinjiang orphanage.

In addition to improving her math skills, Hannah has taught us all that even pennies can make a big difference!

Andrew Gurthet is the Associate Director of LWB’s Orphanage Assistance program. He and his wife have one daughter from Qianjiang.