Wendy, A Girl with Attitude

Wendy is a bright girl with attitude. Her pictures show a confident girl, not afraid to pose for the camera at any opportunity. She has short hair, and her nannies say she refuses to have long hair. At the age of 5 she went to a foster family and learned to write Chinese characters and do addition and subtraction. She is a persistent little girl. Her pictures show a popular little girl, surrounded by many friends. She was even comfortable posting close with Sandra for a picture.

Scotty and Quinn

Scotty and Quinn are very good friends. They hold each other’s hands and play together. You can spot them giggling and whispering. They even look alike. If you are thinking about adopting two at the same time, let us know.

Sherry and Lin, Sweet Friends

Sherry and Lin are like sister and brother. Lin is a deaf child. Sherry understands him and helps translate simple sign language to Lin. When Lin was waiting to be interviewed, Sherry walked in, put the lei on Lin and pulled him close to her. She is like an older sister taking care of her younger brother.

They Are Waiting For You

Every day Fei, Sandra and I talk about these children and wonder how we can present these kids so that you can see what we see in them? How can we show you what they have shown us to open our hearts to them and work so hard to find them families? Well, as you can see, we haven't figured that out yet, but we keep trying! It breaks our hearts daily that there are so many children who are not being considered for adoption. How can we give these kids the chance at families of their own, if we can't adequately present who they really are? How can we do this without pictures? Well, I ask you this....wouldn't you want this kind of fun and spirit in your home and family? Families that we know that we never would have thought would have considered an older child are coming forward and doing so--this is great! But where are the families who will consider the boys? Where are the families that will consider the kids who may age out of the chance at adoption? Where are the families who have adopted older children successfully and want to share their stories? These kids are waiting for you.....

JANE....This precious child must have a family!

I know that I've mentioned Jane before as well, but I continue to be quite shocked that no one is reviewing her file. This girl caught my attention right away as I looked through pictures of the event. She is a clever girl--she put her Hawaiian lei on her head, wearing it as a crown. She put the markers on her fingertips and posed for a picture, like a girl with an olive on each finger:-) She is successful at sports in school, especially short distance running and has neat handwriting, according to her teachers. She likes to help take care of younger children, as well as children with disabilities. Is there a family out there who would make Jane their own and give her some siblings? Please contact me right away! Jane is almost 12 years old and would be a wonderful addition to the right family.

-Marci: marcisk@asiadopt.org

You Can Help, Too!

A few of our clients are reaching out to their communities about these children. Several families have taken the opportunity to spread the word about these kiddos by talking to their Church members about this unique program and the kids awaiting their families. If you're following this blog, or even just dropping in for a peek, you, too can reach out and help spread the word about these children. We have so many children waiting to find their families--we need all of your help to reach far and wide to find the family who is right for each child. If you believe in the red thread, please help us find those connections. This weekend, talk to 10 people or more about these children. Or, pick one child that you especially feel a connection to, and make it your mission to find a family for that child. If you need tips on how to do this, feel free to contact me. You can help change lives and help fulfill dreams!
-Marci

NATE

Nate is a five-year-old boy who loves to sing and enjoys performing. He has good tempo. He was given a cute nickname and is delighted to give hugs when asked. He is a little shy but has a big heart and is well liked by his teachers and classmates. He helps the children with disabilities to put on their coats and shoes. His limp does not stop him from doing anything. He participates in a Half The Sky educational program and is doing well.

Didn’t he draw a lovely picture of a colorful fish? Nate could be seen during the Hope Journey program with his buddy, Scotty, as well as cuddling with Sandra in a picture or two. Please help us find Nate's forever family!

Michael

Michael is a nine-year-old boy with hand and feet deformities. He is the epitome of a young man who is both totally cool and sweet in the same moment. He is from the Shenzhen orphange in Guangdong Province and appears to be a well adjusted boy. He has been living in an extended family-like foster family situation that seems to have encouraged a healthy sense of self without any attitude. I was taken with his ability to be comfortable showing off his moon walk and robot moves for his talent presentation. Clearly he was having fun, seemed unself-conscious and in total command of his body. While his deformities are visible, they didn't detract from his ability to fully engage in all of the activities of the day. Nor did it detract from his winsome personality.

-Sandra

Check out the smiley faces on his apple trees in the picture he drew:-) Could Michael be the child you've been waiting for to complete your family? Contact Marci for more pictures and details: marcisk@asiadopt.org

Michael

View ASIA's Waiting Children Here:

ASIA maintains a password-protected website with pictures and information about our waiting children. You can view our Hope Journey and other waiting children here: http://www.asiadopt.org/waiting-children/current-waiting-children
Who knows, you may find the child that's meant to be yours!

If you do not have the password, please email the following information to Marci (marcisk@asiadopt.org ) and she will gladly share it with you. Then if you wish to see a child's complete file, just let Marci know:

Name:

Mailing Address:

City/State/Zip:

Phone Number:

E-Mail Address:


Your ages:

Are you married? If so, what was the date of your marriage?

Have you or your spouse been divorced? If so, how many times?

Annual Income:

Do your net assets reach $80,000 or more?

What are you and your spouse’s highest levels of education?

Do you or your spouse have a criminal record?

What are you and your spouse’s BMI: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/adult_BMI/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.htm

Do you or your spouse have any health conditions?

Number of children in your home:
How long have you had them?

Do you have a home study completed or in process?

Is your dossier in another country?
If so, why do you want to view ASIA’s waiting children?

How did you hear about ASIA?

State that you “agree” or “disagree” to the following statement:

“I recognize that ASIA regards the information about children in its Waiting Child program to be private and confidential. If I am granted access to this information, I agree that I will only use this information personally in my own quest to adopt a child with special needs. I will not give the password and access information to anyone. I will not share or disseminate (including cut and paste) any of the information contained on the site.”

The Strength of One

One of the most memorable conversations I had on this trip was with a 19 year old girl who spent her whole life in Guangzhou SWI.

For a long time, she thought that life was hopeless. Her best friend was adopted around 11 yrs old. “They separated us, she was the only person I trusted, I relied on, and the only person in the whole world I cared about…My world turned upside down, I had nothing.” After her best friend left, she stopped talking, stopped smiling and her life stopped right there. It took her years to recover. She put all of her energy into her school. Now she is going to go to college and she reconnects with her best friend in the US. They talk to each other often via Skype. Each of them has their own life. But the bond they had never went away.

I asked her “Since you have lived there for 19 years, you must have very close relationships with the caregivers?” “Not really. They do take care of us when we are young. But we become very independent at an early age.” The life in the orphanage was hard. She used to take care of the older mean girls too. “The older girls always took advantage of me. I had to wash their clothes, get hot water for them, do their laundry and share my allowance with them.” Until director Xu came on board. Then life changed. They used to share a room with 12 people with only one fan in the hot summer days; now only 4 people in the room and they have air conditioning. “Director Xu always takes his time to talk to us. He asks us how’s school and life? He encourages us to talk to him whenever we feel like talking. He is such a great man!”

We gave her a ride and dropped her at the bus station. Watching her walking away, her short and pretty frame appeared stronger than ever. What she has been through made her a strong person, stronger than anybody I have ever known.
--Fei

These kids are survivors. Their life has made them strong. Think of what potential they could have if given the chance to thrive with the love and resources a family can provide.

Where is Shirley's Family?

I know I've written about Shirley twice already, but I have to do it again. I have to believe there is a family out there for this sweet girl. Look at the picture she drew of herself with caucasian parents:

She knows this may be her last chance to find a family because of her age. Shirley is so sweet and mature that she is able to be supportive and gracious with her friends who find families while she has not. Shirley is an outstanding student and has won high marks for the last three years in school. She loves reading and spending time in the library. She also plays the flute and enjoys performing. She has been living with a foster family for 2 years, so she knows about family. She respects her elders and helps the younger children. She is well liked and praised by her teachers and foster parents. Certainly there is a family out there looking for a child like Shirley to call their own?

Are you part of an older child adoption listserv? Are you part of a church or other community that might have members interested in adopting? If you are and you would like to help these precious children find homes, please tell everyone you know about these children waiting in China for their families. You just might change the life of one of these children by finding their forever family! Help us spread the word far and wide!

Thank you,

Marci

Heartfelt Plea

I'm writing a heartfelt plea for all of the older children in our Hope Journey Program. While it looks like we have found families for a couple more children, none of the older children in danger of aging out have found families yet. I want to remind you about these five kids. They have so much potential:

George desperately wants a family. He is a sweet boy who has seen his friends get adopted and he enjoys practicing his English. As you can see from his picture, he has quite a lovely idea of what a home and family might be like. Let's help him find a family of his own.









Sherry is a shy girl with a sweet smile and demeanor. Please take a look at what a beautiful picture she drew. This may be her last chance to have a family due to her age.






Julia is intelligent, cute, polite and enthusiastic. She was born in 1996, so will age out of the system if she doesn't find a family to work quickly for her.












Skyler is quite the artist, drawing anime for his artwork. He's talented, speaks English, is 13 and is anxious to have a family. He is eager to succeed in life and with the right family he will:

Gina is a sweet and independent girl who is interested in learning. She is bright and a good student and likes to read, ride bikes and play sports. We have video of her reciting the ABC's in English.

Please help us find homes for these precious children! Even in tough economic times, children still need families. If each of you who views this blog tells 10 people about these children, the word will spread far and wide and perhaps we can find the right families. Thanks for all that you do!
-Marci

Still Waiting...

We are still having trouble finding families for many of the older children. Beautiful Jane, with her quiet poise, still does not have anyone looking at her file. Skyler, Clarke, Julia, Gina, Shirley, George, Gregory, Ruth, Felice and Sherry all don't have anyone considering them for adoption. These are all beautiful children who desperately want families of their own. Please help us continue to spread the word to find these precious children the families they deserve.
Thank you,
Marci

Felice

Felice is a pretty ten year old that the CCAA has determined is healthy. I can only give you my impression, but she did, indeed appear healthy. She also appeared rather quiet and serious and focused. She was attentive to detail as I could see from the art project – it’s a lovely basket of flowers. She liked having her picture taken with me and other kids and adults, although she rarely smiled; I think she may have been shy and a bit overwhelmed by it all.

--Sandra

Gregory

Gregory is an eleven year boy who is considered healthy. It was hard to get to know him because he seemed so shy. He understood the interviewers, but wouldn’t answer except with a shake or nod of the head and an occasional smile. As with the others, he was “into” making his drawing and seemed very engaged in that. Once finished, he sat quietly and watched the others. I didn’t seem him interact much with the other kids, but I’m not sure if he knew the other kids very well. He’s one boy I would have liked to spend more time with, I wanted to know what was behind his gentle and shy smile.

--Sandra

WENDY

Wendy is a pretty ten year old with a repaired cleft palate. She has an especially pretty smile and as she relaxed with us, her face lit up often. She sang a short song for her talent, and did an excellent job. Her voice was on key and, although I don’t speak Chinese, it sounded as if she sang without any effect from her cleft palate. I may be wrong of course! She was friendly and bouncy in the group, a bit more shy when interviewed, but even there she seemed to enjoy herself. I noticed that when she was coloring or writing, she brought her face very close to her work.

--Sandra

I wish you could see all of the adorable pictures she has!

Files Available for Viewing!

There are currently many children's files available for viewing. I'm shocked that little Hannah in her minnie mouse dress does not have anyone looking at her file now that we finally have it. Beautiful 12 year old Jane who is so poised is also not currently being considered by anyone. Clarke, aka Muscle-Man, is also available for review. Quinn, Scotty, Lin, Nate, George, Jillian, Skyler, Julia, Ruth, Archie, Sherry and Beatrice all still need to find their families. These are all wonderful children who stole a piece of our hearts and it's up to us to find them families. If you're interested in any of them, please contact me now to view their files. If you could see their sweet faces, I just know you would jump at the chance!

Now while I have your attention, you may have noticed that Half The Sky is helping us advocate for Lucy. Lucy has an extremely serious heart condition and likely needs a transplant and a family to fight for her and get her the care she needs here in the U.S. If you know that family, please have them contact me. Thank you for following this journey.
-Marci

BOYS

Three of our younger boys need to have more families looking at their files. They are Nate, age 5; Lin, age 6; and Quinn, age 5. I must admit that having raised a son, I’m partial to boys. And when six little guys all about the same age, came bounding into the large, decorated hall looking all agog, my heart skipped a beat – maybe two beats. Darn, if they weren’t all adorable and curious and full of that little boy energy that I so enjoyed when my son was little. The boys seemed to hang out mostly in pairs, or as a gaggle of geese – sticking close together!

Nate has a beautiful smile and charm to go with it. I loved his drawing of a fish; it was colorful and balanced. I felt that his picture said a lot about his personality – sunny and warm. His special need is hip displasia and he seemed little bothered by it – he moved around Just Fine! I noticed that Nate and others with a physical limitation seemed to have no sense of being different or coddled by others.

Lin, who is deaf, is also a beautiful little boy. He was definitely the most introverted of the six youngsters, but that seems reasonable due to his inability to hear. He stayed pretty close to his nanny. His drawing is also interesting in that it is linear and ordered – perhaps like his universe – or is there something else he wanted to communicate? I would love to know what meaning he has conveyed in the drawing.

Quinn, yes, another cutie, was full of energy – but not so much as to be annoying (ok, I admit I’m getting old). His special need is chronic conjunctivitis, and I didn’t notice any inflammation on our day together. He had a lot of fun playing with one of the inflatable parrots – part of our Hawaiian theme and he and Scotty hung out a lot. Quinn’s drawing is a fun one – it could be a caterpillar, or a pig or a monster. We need him to tell us!

Think about any one of these boys – yes, they face some challenges, but they all seemed well adjusted and otherwise healthy. Help us bring them all “home”.

Adopting Older Children

During our visit to China for Hope’s Journey, in addition to spending a day with the children and staff, I had the opportunity to meet two ASIA families in Guangzhou with their newly adopted son and daughter. These were older children – ages 11 and 12. These two youngsters were among the fortunate and their new families felt even more fortunate to add these cool kids to their families. It makes me think of how much all the older kids from Hope’s Journey need a family too. Our oldest kids waiting for families are Clarke, Julia, Gina, Sherry, Skyler and George – all 13; followed by Jane who is 12; Gregory, Ruth and Archie – all 11. Every one of these children seemed motivated and enthusiastic. Sure some were shy, but we only had one day to be together. Julia seemed to be a jaunty sporty girl, while Gina and Sherry seemed more “girlie girls”. They all loved having their pictures taken and had an easy and relaxed way with one another. Clarke was especially outgoing and mature, while Gregory was quiet and shy. I can’t help wondering how their personalities will emerge with a family to call their own. Seeing the difference between the kids in Hope’s Journey compared to the two kids with new families, it was easy to see the new adoptees joy in their new life. Help us make that happen for our Hope’s Journey’s kids – particularly the older ones that are running out of time for a family.

--Sandra

Finally We Have Their Files!

We finally received the files for the 4 children that were added to our program last minute from Shenzhen! Hannah, Michael, Clarke and John now have files available for viewing. Their names always remind me of Peter Pan for some reason....I hope we can rescue them from Neverland so they have a chance to grow up:-) We have a small list of families to begin working through for Hannah, but the others have no requests yet! These are all wonderful children--let's find them the families they deserve. Please contact me for information: marcisk@asiadopt.org

A Note About These Kiddos

I get the same question about these kids from many families...."Does this child want to be adopted?" ALL of these kids expressed their desire to be adopted to Fei. There was only one child who said he didn't want to be adopted and he was too young to understand what it meant. As many of you know, having an older child who actually wants to be adopted can make a big difference in the adjustment process. These children all want and deserve loving families, so please help us find them if you're not the right fit. Not everyone can adopt an older child, but many families can and do so very happily. Please help us find those families!

Thank you for your dedication to these beautiful children.

--Marci

SCOTTY

Scotty was another cutie among cuties!!! Honestly, it was hard to keep the young boys separate in my mind at the beginning. But I sorted them out, and Scotty was full of curiosity about the new situation, and while he explored the room and the activities, he was also obedient and well behaved. He seemed energetic, but in the most positive sense. I’m not sure, but there may have been just a touch of mischief and adventure in his eyes. All good, in my opinion. He’s waiting for YOU.
Sandra

No one is looking at Scotty's file. Please help us spread the word and find his family! They must be out there....