On June 15 we set out for three weeks on our annual trip to China.  We were enormously successful in meeting many goals that we had for this trip.   All of this was only possible due to the incredible generosity of our donors.

Thanks to our donors we carried with us many donations which enabled us to create specialized donation bags for 8 different orphanages in the region we would be working.  We carried specialized formula, medications, vitamins, bottles for children with cleft palate, and special needs equipment. We also carried photos of children adopted from each of these orphanages, which the staff all loved seeing.  Our hope was to bring hope and encouragement to those amazing caregivers who are doing the daily, hard work of caring for children with special needs.

Also, thanks to our donors, we were able to take a shopping trip to donate needed items to an organization which places orphans into loving foster homes.   Due to this generosity, many families caring for orphans with special needs in their homes will have carriers, rocking chairs, and infant seats to help those having difficulty sleeping.

 

We met with a local believer who heard our mission and generously donated toys from his toy company to be distributed to several needier orphanages.

Our teaching session focused on two much needed subjects: trust and relationship based healing for children and premature infant care, presented by a pediatric OT and pediatric PT.  The idea of relationship based healing is a new concept, and is one that we will continue to reinforce.  We believe strongly that each child is deserving of love and nurturing, regardless of the level of special needs.  

We were able to form partnerships with two different local registered charities serving families with children with thalassemia.  These organizations are working hard to provide the necessary education and support to families who at times lose hope.  We discussed having a huge outreach, perhaps later this year, to the 300+ families in this one area who have children with thalassemia (some of them who are unable to receive ongoing transfusion care due to several barriers).  We will also assist with providing financial support to the neediest of families to help obtain regular transfusion care and chelation.

We met our sweet baby Matthew and have successfully moved him to a province where he is now hospitalized and has the chance at HOPE for stabilization of his condition in preparation for adoption.  Matthew was given Pregestimil formula and aquaDEKs to help his condition, thanks to our very generous donors.  We are actively seeking a willing family who will take the leap of faith to make him a son and give him a chance at life.

We were able to meet other children needing additional support.  Our amazing PT was able to share her NICU skills to help caregivers be able to feed precious Timothy, a baby boy born prematurely.  His bright eyes melted all of our hearts and we are hopeful that he will thrive and someday become a cherished son.

We met beautiful Esterlyn, a baby with hydrocephalus which may be due to a brain abscess.  This gentle soul also stole our hearts with her courage as she fights on despite difficulty with local resources to manage her care.  We are working tirelessly to move her to Shanghai and give her a chance at hope.

We met an extraordinary young mom who is raising her daughter who was born with Down Syndrome.  This amazing mom is facing enormous pressure from her village to abandon her daughter.  We spent hours giving her ideas and emotional support to encourage her to continue raising her baby girl.  Meeting this courageous mother renewed our spirits towards orphan prevention not only for children born with a treatable illness, but also for those born with a lifelong condition.  We are hopeful that we can continue to support her through the long haul so that she can experience the joy of her child,  just the way she is.

And finally, we tried our best to love on all of those who were placed in our paths.  We tried our best to share the joy of Him.  We tried our best to be hands and feet to those in need.  Thank you to all of you who made this possible.  We are completely unable to fully express our deepest gratitude, but hope the photos will help.

Knowing hope, one life at a time