Olympic Bound!

LWB would like to send a HUGE thank you to Shenzhen Airlines for their support of orphaned children in China. This airline has chosen 100 children from orphanages around China to attend the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing. We were so excited to learn that five of the kids in our education program in Henan province were chosen for this wonderful opportunity. One of the boys had decided to keep a diary this summer to keep track of what he did. Little did he know when he made that decision that he would have this great adventure to record!


We know all of them are going to have an absolutely amazing time.

Education in Kaifeng

Anatole France, wrote in

The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard,
“The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards.”

Like waves crashing onto the shore of our work with LWB Education students, these words came to mind when reading a report from our newest teachers in Kaifeng, Henan Province. These two teachers have been hired to live and work in the social welfare institute to strengthen children living there as well as foster children that attend local public school. The aim of our program in Kaifeng is to build a bridge between these smart, loveable children and their future.

When our Kaifeng teachers spent several days observing and training with experienced LWB teachers at our Believe In Me School in Changde, Hunan Province they were amazed at the dynamic of learning and teaching. The report that they wrote to us volunteers and to you sponsors and donors is full of the hope and challenge they take back with them to Kaifeng. I cannot summarize better than what they say in their own words.

What follows is a snippet of the report from our Kaifeng teachers. Enjoy what they have learned and will bring to their students, the incredible kids that we support.

Changde learning

Teacher Tang: We try to communicate with them not only language but also soul communication, the eyes are the window of soul…Patience is the basic stone of our work, we cannot be good teachers if you don't have it. The interest to life is more important to studying for the kids especially to some simple daily life independent abilities. We should focus on handcraft work and music classes for they can develop the kids' intelligence.

Teacher Den's: When classes begin, she comes to the key point of what the kids will learn immediately. Most of the time she used the Montessori teaching equipments to teach the kids. She used body language and focused on the explanation of the teaching aids. She used body language again and again together with teaching aids and let the kids do it themselves independently.
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, to the sponsors and donors that have made these opportunities to teach, learn and grow toward a bright future possible.

To learn more about the LWB Education program in Kaifeng and students in need of sponsored learning opportunities please visit: http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/education_kaifeng.cfm

Toys

When I was a young child, I wanted to grow up to be Mrs. Santa Claus. This is because I wanted to have access to Santa’s giant sack containing every kind of toy in the world. I grew out of the Mrs. Claus phase by the time I was 6, but I doubt the excitement over seeing new toys ever really leaves a person.







It occurred to me this morning that I am creating new
Santa Clauses with our Foster Care Managers as they are being sent a variety toys and books, for every age group, to carry around with them when they do their monthly visit.


I can just see the curiosity on the children’s faces wondering what will come out of the sack. And the best part is that every child will get a new toy. But I am getting ahead of myself here on how this all started.

In order to more closely monitor developmental progress in the children, we have revised our foster care report format. The Henan programs were the first to try out the new format on our April reports.

The new report has several sections which include movement, vision & hearing, language, cognitive, and social development. The new format has been useful in determining where the children are developmentally. They also give the foster families ideas for age-appropriate activities to promote development. Each age group has different developmental milestones to check their progress against. The reports vary every other month so that the children have 2 months to work on their progress before they are tested again.

As we know from experience, children who have spent their first months in an institution may be somewhat delayed due to the lack of one-on-one attention that families can provide. We are hopeful that these new reports can more closely monitor the development of our foster children and we can intervene when necessary to get the best care for the kids as early as possible.

Much of a child's development centers on play. We have learned that many of the children do not have toys in the home that help promote their development and learning.


So, we are providing the foster care children age-appropriate toys so that they can be encouraged to develop to the best of their ability.

This will be a learning process for all of us to see if this format will help the children. We are hopeful that it will a the first step on the road to a brighter tomorrow.


Note: please disregard the child eating the book that we sent. This program is still in the trial stages.












For more information about our Foster Care Programs please go to:
http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/foster.cfm

Yuan leaves the hospital

Little Yuan has been discharged from the hospital after her big surgery during the cleft mission. She was given many gifts by the wonderful volunteers in Shanghai, and everyone there was sad to see her go. They all hope they will see her again someday, possibly when she has her second surgery.

We are still waiting on the pathology report on what type of tumor she has. During this week of thanks, we are very grateful for the outpouring of support and love shown to this beautiful little girl. We give thanks for all of the people who have supported our medical program, which allows us to touch the lives of so many children in China who will be in our hearts forever.

Kaifeng Foster Care

While in Kaifeng, we were able to visit all of the foster families. The first night we made home visits, and the parents were so kind to allow us to keep visiting even when it was quite dark as we arrived late from Anhui. As I walked down the dirt alleyways in the village, I thought to myself how fortunate I was to be able to see such snapshots of daily life in China. I always try to remember every detail I can so that I can share it with my own children, as I want them to have the clearest picture possible in their minds of their birthcountry.

In every home we visited, we were met by beaming foster parents who couldn't wait to show off their child. The first mom we visited became a foster parent after hearing about it from her friends who were fostering. They had cared for a little girl for the last two years, and she was recently adopted. I asked if they were going to take another foster child and was told they were not, because the pain of having to say goodbye to her was still too deep. As I was told this, I realized exactly what we are asking our foster parents to do. We are asking them to love a child completely, to care for them as their own child....and then to let them go. What an amazing sacrifice they make when a child is adopted. Like so many things in life....it is a complicated situation, but this was the trip that cemented in my mind that these wonderful parents are making such a sacrifice to their own hearts to say goodbye. They say goodbye hoping that the child they love will have the absolute best life possible. What a gift.

Two of the moms in our program are caring for little boys with Down Syndrome, and both of the boys are thriving in their care. The second mom we visited had her little boy dressed up so cute. He clasped his hands together and bowed to us saying "Xie Xie ayi" when presented with new shoes. His mom was so proud that she had taught him what all the animals say, and we got to hear his impressions of a cat, a cow, a dog and we were also treated to his cute little wiggle dance.

The next morning we visited with all the remaining families. Two years ago, we had written the story of Hercules, an extra tiny little baby with cleft who survived being failure to thrive when the orphanage staff, LWB volunteers, and the Hope Healing Home all came together at Chinese New Year to get him the assistance he needed. I was so excited to be able to see Hercules again, but he was a little less than excited to see me as you can tell from his picture. :-) He was running EVERYWHERE and did not want to take the time to visit with a stranger until he realized that we might have treats. Whether he wanted to see me or not...I was overjoyed to see this baby who had beaten the odds. He will always have an extra special place in my heart.

As we greeted each family, we were able to pass out new shoes and coats to each child, and one little girl looked shyly up at us and said, "I had been dreaming of new shoes." Everywhere we looked there were fat, happy babies with their cheeks hanging over their coats and with smiles from ear to ear or energetic toddlers and children running every which way. What a wonderful day. What a fabulous reminder that foster care can change a child's life in the absolute best way possible. Thank you again to everyone who sponsors a child in this way.

Beautiful girl

I know so many of you remember Gong Lu, the little girl who came to America to receive surgery on a facial tumor, and who had a personality the size of Texas. Gong Lu is now adopted by Dr. Buckmiller, the surgeon who first operated on her, and in just a few days she will be returning to China with her mom as LWB does its fourth medical mission trip in Shanghai.


On our trip to China last week, we left Anhui and headed into the province of Henan, to one of our most favorite orphanages because the staff are so completely committed to the children in their care. In the older children's room, we immediately met Yuan. This little five year old girl had entered the orphanage just one week earlier, and the tumor on her face was the very first thing we all noticed. She actually has two tumors.....one on her forehead and then another on her cheek, affecting just one side of her face, but both grown to a size that has changed her entire appearance. While we might have noticed the tumors first, within seconds we were treated to the beauty of her smile. Soon we were graced with her sweet and gentle personality and I thought to myself that this was a very special child.


We offered Yuan a little cake and she insisted that I have some, too, and then when she noticed that I had empty wrappers in my hand, she called out to me "ayi" and took them from me to throw away. When I pulled her close for a hug, she melted into my arms, and I could feel her tiny hands on the back of my head stroking my hair. She gently pressed her cheek into mine and patted my face, and my heart broke inside thinking of the fact that she had just lost her parents a few days before.



We asked the orphanage to get an immediate MRI, which they had done within 24 hours. Yuan will be traveling to Shanghai next week to meet Dr. Buckmiller to see what can possibly be done for her. She will most likely meet Gong Lu. I hope if she does, Yuan will look into her eyes and recognize what HOPE looks like. It is my daily prayer now that Yuan's story will have the same happy ending as Gong Lu.

Cui's Dream

Sometimes, a young person touches our hearts in a way that changes the whole world. CuiCui is one such person. Many of you might remember her, as she was the oldest patient we had on our 2005 cleft mission in Henan. Even though she was 19, she had never stopped hoping that someday her cleft lip would be repaired. All of us who met her were touched by her gentle spirit and determination. We were also so touched by her family, peasant farmers who had adopted her as a baby and who were so proud of their oldest child. Her father is such a kind man, who told us over and over how important it was for him that his children went to college to break the cycle of poverty in their family.

On the cleft mission in Luoyang, Cui Cui experienced the joy of healing through the generous support of LWB volunteers and donors. The picture above was taken a few months after that trip, when we were able to meet once again with CuiCui and her father, to celebrate her beautiful new look. On that trip, Cui told us how very hard she was studying, in order to be accepted to university. She also thanked us over and over for the help that LWB friends gave to her when they funded her surgery. Cui Cui is in need a little more help..help that will make a positive impact for generations. Cui Cui's own words tell her story better than we can. Her need is posted at the conclusion of her note.

********************

My name is Cui Cui. I was born in 1987. I live in Henan province. In my family there are my father, my mother, my brother ,my sister and I. My parents are almost sixty years old this year. They are illiterate but they are very kind-hearted, simple and honest. They have no jobs. They used to work on the farm. My father has to go outside to do some odd jobs to support my family with the salary of 30 yuan each day. My mother cook the meals for my father and my sister at home each day, sometimes she also picks up the waste to sell to get some money. Last year my brother left off his study from his middle school and works in JiaoZuo city. So far he just can supports himself. My sister is attending the fifth grade of elementary school.

I had lip and palate cleft when I was born and was abandoned by my biological parents. It is my present parents (adoptive parents) who picked me up and gave me the second life. When I was two or three years old my parents and my grandma took me to KaiFeng affiliated hospital to see a doctor. Knowing so much money for the surgery, they chose leaving the hospital. I attended the first grade while I was eight. At the age of 14, I entered our county experiment middle school with high marks. At the age of 17, I couldn't go to the top high school in our county because of several marks. So chose FengQiu high school to continue my study. In 2005 I read the news from the newspaper that LWB would come to LuoYang to do lip & palate cleft surgeries for people without charge. So I went to LuoYang to try my luck I was not sure. I was lucky and the doctors did the surgery for me. And I met and knew some kind people, especially Angela and Amy. They are very very nice. I don't know how to express my thanks to them in words.

If possible I will try my best to pay back the love and sponsor. After the surgery I took part in the entrance examination of 2006. But I didn't get the high marks so I chose to a high school to study another year. 2007 this year I had a good marks and enrolled by Kunming Institute.

I like talking with friends, exchanging what we think about and enjoy the joys and pains in life. I like reading as well. I can find the answers from the books and enjoy the soul inspiration. I also like listening to the songs that encourage you to challenge difficulties because they give me the encouragement to life so that I am confident to life.

Since 2005 I always get the concern and help from LWB, I am so moved by their love I have a dream that I can speak a fluent English so that I can communicate with them fluently and say "Thank You!" to them especially Angela and Amy. I have another dream that when I have the ability in the future I will try best to help those who need help.

Finally please on behalf of my family thank those who are willing to help me and show concern and love to me including LWB. Wish you happy and best regards. Hope LWB is getting better and better.

Cui Cui

*****************************

Cui Cui will study accounting for three years. Her tuition is 4,200 yuan per year Residence fee: 400 yuan/per year Books fee: 300 yuan.
Total expense per year = 4,900 yuan = $653

Those interested in sponsoring Cui Cui's dream of an education should
visit:
http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/SponsorChildDetailEducation.php?ID=96

Sponsors will receive quarterly updates on Cui Cui's progress.

Naughty

Every email that we have received from our facilitators when they have gone to check on a little boy named Feng have said what a naughty boy he is. In China, a child who is very spirited is called naughty and this is often seen as a really good characteristic in a child.

Feng has an arachnoid cyst and Dr. Bao at SCMC put a shunt in to drain the fluid from the cyst. He has had high pressure in his brain and so often had severe headaches. With his surgery done, Feng has been feeling SO much better. So much better in fact, that he has been up to all kinds of tricks.

The last update on him said that he was busy running around the ward. They can't keep him in his bed or keep him still. Last week, he started pulling out his IV. By the end of the week, he was not only pulling out his own IV, but he was also pulling out the IV from the child in the bed next to him!

They have also said that he loves making his surroundings quite messy.

We are sure that his caregiver must be beside herself trying to keep up with him, but we are all smiling on this end over the spirit in this child. What a naughty little boy he is, and how wonderful that he finally feels well enough to get into mischief.

Summer Camps Begin!

We just received a wonderful update from one of our summer camp programs in Henan province. The kids had an incredible time doing fun games, sports, and learning how to set up and work on computers.

Our facilitator sent photos and wrote the following words to the adults who came from Shanghai to put on the camp:

"Just want to share some precious moments of the time you spent here in Kaifeng, I scanned them again and again, every moment is in my mind and will be forever. Thank you so much! You really brought the priceless experience for all the kids!"

Thanks to everyone who has supported our summer camp program for kids. You are definitely allowing some wonderful memories to be made. (click on the photos to see them in larger size)

Helping the next generation

LWB has a foster care program in the Henan province, and the foster moms and dads are so loving and kind to the kids. This is the same program where the foster moms have a good natured competition going to see whose child has the chubbiest cheeks.

One of the little boys in our program, Jian, just wasn't getting as strong as we would like to see, and so the decision was made to move him to an in patient physical therapy program for two months to see if we could get him stronger. However, we needed to find someone to care for him who lived near the PT center. We were praying for someone very kind hearted, and we certainly were given just that. The staff at the PT center told us about a wonderful family who lived close by who would be willing to care for two children who needed intensive therapy. Then they explained that the foster mom had a 25 year old son who was born with cerebral palsy, and she had devoted her life to helping him do everything possible. He now lives on his own quite well, and she wanted to help more children have that same exact chance. So for the next two months, she will be Jian's PT momma, and she will take him to his treatment sessions and encourage him to reach for the stars as well.

Every child in the world deserves to have at least one person in their life who believes in them. We love knowing that little Jian has a kind hearted woman who believes he really can become stronger. There are people all around the world who never get their names in the news or who never even get properly thanked, but who are quietly making a difference. We are so grateful to this wonderful woman for helping Jian know how special he really is. We can't wait to see the progress he makes under her loving care.

Baby Wang

Monday and Tuesday this week was a blur for a little 2 month old baby from Henan named Wang. This baby had a spinal tumor that broke open on Monday morning. Because neurosurgery is so specialized, and because we have a wonderful neurosurgeon in Shanghai, we knew we need to try to get him there immediately. Through the coordinated efforts of many people, Wang was on a flight to Shanghai Monday night.

Arrangements were made to have this child fly on a China Eastern flight from Zhengzhou to Shanghai. Once they were in the air, one of the flight attendants noticed this baby and the caregiver. She thought it was the baby’s grandmother, and she asked the caregiver how her grandson was doing. She noticed that the caregiver was having a hard time understanding her, because of the difference in dialect, so the passengers around her helped to translate for her. From their conversation, the attendant learned that this child was an orphan and was on his way to Shanghai for emergency surgery. The attendant was a new mom herself, and she was so touched by this baby's story. She told the caregiver that she would be happy to help change diapers and give the baby a bottle to help out, but in her heart she still felt like she wanted to do more. So she went into the cockpit and told the pilots about this little boy and his story. One of the pilots, who was also a parent, thought they should all do something to help. He asked the flight crew to donate for baby Wang's surgery, and then he broadcasted over the flight system about this child being on the plane! The pilot asked everyone to send their good wishes to this little boy so that he could have a successful surgery. When the passengers heard this announcement, they started to donate funds as well.

In all, over 2300 rmb was raised on that flight! Isn't that such a wonderful story?

In Shanghai, the wonderful group of LWB volunteers there went into action and put out a plea for assistance for the baby. The nanny and baby Wang were picked up from the airport by private van, checked into the hospital, and then Wang was examined by the ER doctor. This group of volunteers also started a collection of their own for his surgery and were able to completely finish paying for his care.

Tuesday morning, Wang was thoroughly examined by Dr. Bao, the neurosurgeon, and we were told that he was quite severe. His surgery was scheduled for that very afternoon, and we all were so thrilled to get the wonderful news that his surgery was a complete success! The spinal tumor didn’t involve any of his nerves, so he will now be totally healed. In addition, Dr. Bao said that without the wonderful team of people who pulled off the transfer so quickly, he would have been in serious danger. This child received surgery, several provinces away, a little over 24 hours from when we first heard about his emergency. We couldn’t have done this without the wonderful support from his orphanage, our facilitators, the volunteers in Shanghai, and the very giving people who helped along the way. How grateful we are that this child was surrounded by the love and generosity of so many great people.

Please keep this child in your thoughts and prayers as he continues to heal!

Wonderful Henan

LWB currently has four volunteers in China, visiting many provinces to check on our programs and investigate new possibilities. This is part one of their travel blog:

Celebration is in the air! Today is the Lantern Festival, the last day of Chinese New Year. As I sit here, fireworks are exploding across the city. Everyone is dressed up and we have seen families doing all sorts of things together to celebrate this day. They have been flying kites, wandering past the street vendors, and going out to eat. The streets have been filled with balloons, foods, and festivities. How fun it is to be in China today! The firework shows have been spectacular, with a show right below our hotel window.

There are many things to celebrate as we all reflect over the last two days that we have spent in Henan. What a wonderful experience that Lori, Nancy, Tracie and I have been able to share with the people in this province. We have been so warmly welcomed by orphanage and government officials. It has truly warmed my heart to see so many people who care about the beautiful children in their care.

Our visit started out yesterday with a meeting with the Zhengzhou SWI staff. When we arrived, we were brought into a room with the most beautiful toddlers.

These toddlers were seated in a bright room with balloons hanging from the ceiling and there was a feeling of such warmth. As we entered, they welcomed us with clapping and cheering. I was clapping and cheering inside as well, as I knew what a special opportunity we were offered with this invitation to visit this orphanage. We brought with us cakes and yogurt to celebrate the New Year. Each of us enjoyed our time with every one of these children. They loved the bubbles we brought. Not only did they like watching the bubbles, but they also loved blowing them. One little girl even tried to take the bottle away from Nancy to do it all by herself. One of the children that I played with was a beautiful little boy with albinism. I learned that this child has a family waiting for him in Holland. How lucky his family will be! This child is absolutely precious.

After our visit with the toddlers, we headed off to two baby rooms. Each of us loved cuddling and cooing with the babies. I held the most adorable baby and had such a hard time putting her back down. She had the most chubby cheeks and beautiful smile. Another sweet baby that was held by Tracie had an unrepaired cleft lip. This child will be our first medical child we will partner with Zhengzhou SWI to repair. I am so excited to be able to help this child.

Once we were done with visiting the children, we were taken into a conference room to discuss how we can work together. We were able to meet each of the directors and learn how hard they are working to help the children. They are doing their very best to help each of the children in their care. They have 169 children (80 babies), most with special needs. Many of the surrounding orphanages send their children to Zhengzhou SWI because they know that they will get good medical care. We talked about many of the children we saw and how LWB might be able to help. A book that described the accomplishments of the SWI was presented to each of us. I am so excited about the relationship that we have begun.

As soon as we finished a delicious lunch, with much toasting, hosted by the Zhengzhou SWI, we were off to Kaifeng. The trip took a little longer than usual because of the pouring rain. I couldn’t wait to visit with the people that I was able to meet last January. I felt like I was returning to see old friends. The vice director and orphanage doctor were waiting for us to start the foster care visits. Because it had been raining for two days, the director was so thoughtful and bought us all rubber boots. We all had fun walking in the puddles with our new bright boots.

Our first foster care visit was with one of our favorite little girls "J." J is a child who had heart disease, but her heart was repaired by the government sponsored surgery program, the Tomorrow Plan. This little five year old girl just shines with personality. Her cute little voice chatted away as she told us all about her home. Her foster mother got her all dressed up for us, doing her hair, putting on a bright red silk vest, and a beaded hat. J was so excited to open the gift we brought her, including a tutu, wand, and stickers. She immediately added to her outfit and stuck stickers on her hands and forehead. What an absolutely adorable child. What love this child receives from her foster parents! You can just see how proud they are of her and how much they adore her.

We visited a total of 14 foster families. Every child seemed to be so loved and cared for. Each of these families was so welcoming, letting us traipse our muddy boots into their house. None of these families cared at all about their floors, but only about showing us their children.

As we were visiting the last group of foster families, the van we were traveling in tried to turn around at the end of a driveway and became stuck in the mud. At this point it was pouring down rain, and it was getting dark and chilly. It seemed the whole neighborhood came out to help get our van unstuck. They needed to dig, push and pull to finally get it out. Because we had 10 suitcases in the back, they needed to unload them in order to remove the weight from the rear wheels. They carefully piled our suitcases on top of rain coats. We huddled together, under umbrellas, trying to keep our pile from toppling over. The vice director and I laughed about our two unbelievable experiences together – the last time I was in Kaifeng, we spun out of control on a highway in a blizzard, and now this time the van got stuck in mud and a torrential rain.

After we were on way again, the driver brought us to the hotel so that we could clean-up quickly. We also rushed to put gifts together for all of the school children. These beautiful children touched our hearts last year when we visited. We wanted each of these children to have a special Chinese New Year gift and asked them if they could have anything, what would they want? In our bags were four MP3 players, a badminton set, roller blades and safety gear, a baby doll, a pen set and biographies, and backpacks. The kids were so excited to get these special gifts and I will never forget the look on their faces as they looked into their bags. I asked how the children would get music on their MP3 players and learned that the tutor we hired to help them had already downloaded the software on his computer so that we could help them load music. We shared dinner together and we all enjoyed watching each of the children eat. These children were so caring towards one and other, as they dished food on each others plates. I also had to laugh as two of the children left to use the bathroom and returned with the boy trying to shut the door on the girl, running away and giggling. They truly are a family.

At dinner, we heard that we had a very special breakfast with the leader of the civil affairs. He had heard the story of us visiting the families in the rain and getting stuck in the mud. He said that he wanted to meet us all to show his appreciation. This gentleman was so warm and generous, offering his help to us in whatever way we might need him. You could tell how friendly and genuine this man was. During the meal, I decided to tell him how happy I was to meet him. Every one laughed when they told me that I had told him instead that I wished him a promotion! He told me that he was in the highest position that there was, and then laughed. This meal was quite memorable to us all, because not only did we enjoy a wonderful Chinese breakfast, but also such graciousness.

After we said our goodbyes, we were off to the Kaifeng SWI. The orphanage was excited to show us all of the changes they have made. With the help of the wonderful Shanghai LWB club, there was a beautiful new playground and bright murals on the walls of the baby rooms. The baby room was our first visit and once again we were all cooing over the babies. One baby had so much fun “talking” to us, making all sorts of noises. After the baby room, we went to their playroom and passed out Kix cereal and made balloon hats for everyone. Two of the school girls were in the playroom too and soon became quite proficient at pumping up the balloons. In no time, they needed us only to tie the balloons and they were making balloon creations too. I loved their giggles and their pile of their balloon animals they had when we were done. They just laughed and laughed when we popped a balloon, because all of the kids would go say something that sounded like bang. One of the girls tried to twist and hold her ears at the same time. What fun we had!

For lunch, we went to a local restaurant and tried some delicious dishes. We had a window seat and were able to watch all of the holiday festivities. As soon as we were done with lunch, but before we left Kaifeng, we went to a local embroidery store. Kaifeng is famous for their beautiful embroidery. We bought a gorgeous piece for our heart art auction that will be held in May. The vice director and our facilitator did the bargaining, telling the woman about our organization. She too was happy to help us by giving us a good price.

As our plane left Henan, I reflected on all of the beautiful children, our friends old and new, and the partnerships that have been created and are beginning. I just love how we are all working together as a team of people to help these beautiful children.

Karen Maunu

Medical Director