Attention, Attention!

I have wonderful news to report! Chance, Shelby and Lily will all have families! We hope there will be others very soon, but it's a start!



As you all go home for this holiday weekend, please continue to spread the word about the other children that don't yet have families. Mark is really tugging at my heartstrings. He doesn't have any of the problems commonly associated with hydrocephalus--he is such a smart and talented little boy! He is coordinated, intelligent and adorable! I hope that his family is out there and will come forward for him. When hydrocephalus is caught early on, many children live healthy, normal lives. So if you're drawn to Mark, but scared of his special need, ask for his file and take a chance at considering him. You might just be surprised!

Gavin

Put yourself in a room with 35 kids and you are naturally drawn to some more than others. That's why a picture is worth a thousand words and each child has a family that is right for them. So naturally, Eva and I have different takes on some of the kids. So here is Eva's impression of Gavin who has the special need of club feet:

Gavin might look serious at times but when something interests him, he will have the brightest smile on his face and make you happy right away! Gavin is always very concentrated on his task, no matter if he’s drawing, dancing or listening quietly; but once he’s done, he will have a big smile on his face, telling you how much he enjoyed it. He’s very well behaved and played well with all the other kids’ even kids from the other orphanage. He did a “good friend” dance with his best friend during the talent show; it was very sweet.

I got to know him more during the interview. He is a polite kid, always says thank you and is not shy at all. He is very responsive and has lots of ideas, but he was distracted at times. He explored many options before he made up his mind to give me a final answer. He has a very strong will; it was hard to regain his attention when he was focusing on what he chose to do.
-Eva

Group Video

This is a short video from some of the free time we had with the kids to play with them. We gave them beach balls in their goody bags and they had a blast with them! Here you can even see Harold trying to impress the camera with his skills:-) The video also includes Chance, Chrissy, Quentin, Shelby, Sam, Michael, Heather, Shawn, Clive, Lilah and Joel. There may be a couple others in there--it's a bit chaotic:-) It's the kids just being kids!

Enjoy:-)

One of these children could be yours

When I initially looked at just the names, ages and special needs list of the kids we were assigned for our Hope Journey camp, I had the feeling that these kids would be difficult to place. Those names, ages and special needs, I'm afraid, are what most people are still seeing. But when I went to China and met these kids, they were so much more than that! These are happy, capable and adorable kiddos!

I met Mark who has hydrocephalus and is the cutest, smartest and most talented little boy! I just wanted to scoop him up in my arms. He was certainly not affected by his special need, swinging his hips, dancing and spinning to the music.

I also met Jimmy, who is another smart and talented boy with facial paralysis. Sometimes I noticed it, but most of the time he seemed like a regular boy. He is another talented dancer and a close friend of Mark's. He, too, was very confident swinging his hips on stage.

I met Lisa and was amazed that she has cerebral palsy, because she is such a talented, capable and outgoing little girl. It may take her a little longer to learn, but she is determined and that gets her far in life! She was motivated to memorize a poem and recited it by herself for the performance. I watched her throughout the camp and continued to be amazed by her confidence and happy personality. She picked up on things just as quick as all of the other children.

I met Sam who has a limb difference and is a happy, outgoing and confident little boy! He's adorable and affectionate and compensates for his special need quite well. He loves to be held, but is fine walking, too, and participated in the activities with all of the other kids. Sam has a lot of potential and just needs a family to help him reach it.

I met Anna who is a sweet, outgoing little girl who always has a smile on her face and makes the most of every moment. She is reported to have developmental delays, but she is certainly not unintelligent! She is affectionate and fun-loving and gets along very well with all of the other children.

I met Cherry, who is a very smart and sensitive girl and a good artist. Cherry is a proud girl and was in quite a few performances in beautiful costumes. She has lots of friends and I can't tell you how many people I've heard from who have adopted children from Bao an that were good friends with Cherry! It's Cherry's turn--her family must be out there!

I met Peter and it wasn't evident that he was deaf until the interview at the end--he moved to the music quite well! Peter is a magnificent performer and was given a solo in the Lion Dance, which he deserved! He is a happy, confident boy who is very friendly. Peter will go far in his life!

I met Quentin, who was outgoing and sweet from the start! He liked to practice his limited English and never missed an opportunity to pose for a photo. Quentin wants a family, and that was evident just from his actions at the camp. He is also multi-talented and a very smart and sensitive boy. He made up and recited a beautiful poem all about spring. He also played an African drum beautifully.

Harold is a shy boy who played the cucurbit flute beautifully! He participated in all of the activities, but was reserved. His cheeks turned bright red when he was given a big hug by Barack Obama's half brother who was there. He is modest, but I think the right family could draw him out of his shell.

Shawn is an orphanage favorite. All of the nannies enjoy taking him home and giving him lots of attention! His special need doesn't affect his daily life and he is adorable and well loved. He is one of the youngest in our group of kids this time. I had no idea he was any different than any other 3 year old! He's quite responsive and knows his body parts and colors and can follow directions. He had a good time with the beach ball!

It's very difficult for me to put into words the experience we had with these children. We didn't see special needs. We saw normal boys and girls who were great performers and good at having fun! They were well behaved, friendly and it tugs at my heart to know that we haven't found their families yet. Such impressive children could only be more so with the unconditional love of a family with them. That's security that they do not have as orphans in China.

Jiggy Jimmy

Jimmy is a cute little boy who is full of enthusiasm! He loves to dance and is quite good at it! He and Mark are close buddies and the two were in several performances together with their adorable little smiles. Susan and I both had to refrain from scooping them up! Jimmy didn't seem at all affected by his special need and there were many times where it wasn't even noticeable. He seemed to enjoy every moment of his performances, as well as the group activities. Jimmy's favorite subjects are drawing and dance, which make sense because he is very talented at both. He also seems to be a very confident young boy. It's hard to put into words, but Jimmy had something about him that just drew my attention to him right away. Many of the boys around his age seemed to blend in and it was hard to remember their names, but I learned Jimmy's right away! He made great eye contact and seemed very friendly.

Spread The Hope

The weekend is coming; please spread the hope for these kids! Our blog is called ASIAhope because these kids are hoping that a family will come forward and give them the unconditional love they so deserve. We are working hard to help make their dreams come true, but we need your help. With your help, we can spread the hope and reach thousands more families! With your help, we may be able to find the right families for these children. So this weekend, when you're out having fun, tell some people you know about these kids and this blog. Help us spread the hope! It's so hard to convey through words all of the potential that I saw in the kids throughout the camp. They are all talented little people who have fun, play and smile just like any other child. They just need a forever family to help them reach their full potential. Could you be that family?

These are the kids that no one is considering currently:

Harley (likes math and Chinese, likes to play piano and wants to be adopted and go to the U.S and is very articulate)

Jimmy(talented musically, very tactile, funny and loves to play ball)

Heather (very sweet and friendly girl, well behaved and obedient)

Sam(Very sweet, friendly boy, outgoing, competent, affectionate and smart)

Gene(Friendly, happy, well behaved with fabulous musical ability)

Edward(loves to draw, wants to be adopted by American family)

Jack(loves to draw, is not a big fan of reading, if he could have anything it would be a cell phone from his mom and dad--he must be meant to live in America!)

Gavin(very polite, loves music and McDonalds. Wants to ride the train to work when he is grown up)

Joel(happy, active, enthusiastic, very logical, wants to teach kids to play games when he grows up)

Wade(loves art, drawing and playing ball, wants to be adopted)

Jeremy(advanced fine motor skills, prefers to play alone, quiet, happy)

Henry(likes to draw and listen to music, good at playing matching memory game)

Bo(likes Chinese and PE classes in school, likes to play and write his name)

Peter (Friendly, happy, good at matching game, plays with others well)

Lilah(beautiful, likes to play with foster sister, draw and do shapes puzzle)

Warner (Great smile, very smart and articulate, enjoys reading English stories and music and said emphatically that he wants to be adopted)

Fabian (If he could have anything in the world it would be a family, parents to love and play with him and help him with school, very responsive, loves basketball)

Michael(Good at coloring, tracing and repeating words, cute and sweet)

CJ (Wants to be a teacher when he grows up, says he's a good boy so he can be adopted)

Thomas (Bright, outgoing, happy, logical, wants to drive a big, red car)

Clive (loves dance, music, Chinese and English classes, does puzzles for fun, wants to be a policeman)

Harold (likes to help other children and play badminton, enjoys music and singing, sweet and sensitive, shy boy)

Lisa (enthusiastic and capable little girl, responsive, artistic and happy, performed without a coach by herself)

Shawn (sweet, happy, performed by himself, confident, responsive)

Contact me if you would like to consider any of them: marcisk@asiadopt.org

We Need You!

I'm writing to ask for your help now. All of these beautiful children need forever families and yet, we have very few files out for review. If you have a heart for these children, please help us spread the word about these kids. The boys, especially, are always harder to find families for and yet with our last Hope Journey we were able to find those families with your help! So please spread the word to your family, friends, church, any community that you're a part of in your lives. You will be making a very tangible different in the lives of these children. Thank you for your help!
-Marci

Humble Harold

Harold seemed like a very sweet and shy boy. He played the cucurbit flute for his talent on the first day and during closing ceremonies. He was also in the signing song and was quite expressive. When he was done with his flute performance and came off of stage, Barack Obama's half-brother, Marc, gave him a big hug! You could see Harold's cheeks turn red:-)

Harold wants to be a police officer when he grows up so he can catch thieves. When asked if he could have anything in the world what would it be, he said that he wanted parents and siblings. Harold likes younger children and likes to help care for them. He is open to going to America, but is a bit scared. I didn't realize how many pictures Harold was in until I started going through them--he was in a lot! I hope we can find the family that is meant to be his and help make his dream come true.

Magnanimous Mark

Every time I look at Mark's pictures he makes me smile--he's so cute! I wish I could post some of his individual ones where you can really see his adorable smile. I don't know if the still pictures can convey how enthusiastic he is in his performances, though. His jazz hands are definitely the best of the bunch! I just want to scoop him up and kiss his adorable cheeks! He didn't have a problem when Susan scooped him up and he had a big smile on his face! Mark was in so many performances and even his English teacher said he is very musically talented and a good dancer. Mark always had this cute little smile on his face the whole time. He was great with other kids, too. He's a smart and talented little boy. Mark's file is available for review, so step forward and check out his adorable pictures and video:-)

Peter

Peter is a very talented little boy indeed! His special need doesn't stop him from much. He is an amazing performer and was part of the Lion dances during closing ceremonies. He was the one who got a solo part! He also writes characters very well and seems to be bright, responsive and friendly. He has many other friends and interacted with older and younger children very well. Peter is a very well behaved little boy. Peter's teacher describes him as very intelligent and a quick learner. He also likes to help others, which was evident by the way he interacted at the camp. He seemed like a very sweet little boy and always had a smile on his face.

Cherry

Cherry is a very sweet, sensitive and curious young lady! She was in a lot of the performances and is a good dancer. She seemed very comfortable in the spotlight. She is extremely close to one of her caregivers/teachers, Samantha. Samantha provides Cherry with the attachment she needs and is there for her emotional support as well. Samantha even approached me about how to help Cherry transition into an adoptive family when the time comes. She is an extremely dedicated staff member. Cherry is not shy and at one point relieved me of my small video camera to try it out for herself:-) She was terrific with the other children at the orphanage--both older and younger. Several of the other children reported her to be a close or best friend. Cherry wants to be adopted and will need a sensitive family to help her transition when the world she knows is left behind. Cherry is an intelligent and confident young lady. She is also reported to be a very good artist. We hope that the family that is meant to be hers will come forward for her very soon!

Quentin

Quentin is the oldest of our Hope Journey II children. He is 12 years old, so in less than 2 years, he will lose the opportunity to have a forever family. Quentin is the sweetest boy! I was immediately drawn to his outgoing personality in the group setting. He was very sweet with the younger children. When we all went out to the playground, he played with Joel on the seesaw and they both had the biggest grins and giggles! He can be seen here leading the signing song that the kids did. Quentin was always the first to join in with whatever activity we were doing. He didn't hesitate to shake his body during the hula dance and jumped at the chance to do the limbo. He tried out his English with me a bit as well.

Quentin is a sensitive boy--he wrote and recited a poem about Spring that was so inciteful! I was getting it through translation, but even then I could picture what he was talking about. He also played an African drum very skillfully and clearly has musical talent and rhythm.

Quentin desperately wants a family! He seemed like a child full of joy that could bring a family much happiness. He was goofy when appropriate and well behaved when expected to be. He never hesitated to pose for a photo. I know Quentin's family must be out there, so please help me find them! He deserves so much more than being an orphan in China can afford him. Contact me for Quentin's file: marcisk@asiadopt.org

Don't these faces just make you want to scoop them all up in a big hug? They're all so sweet! I'm still working on compiling all of the information I gained about them in China...I had no idea this would take so long! But I think it will be very helpful and I hope we can find the families that each of these children are meant to be with. That makes all of the hard work worthwhile. We've gotten a few more requests for children since I've posted those that had no requests yet, but keep inquiring! There's still many whose files have not been sent out yet. Tomorrow I will begin featuring those children. Stay tuned...

Back to Hope Journey I!

Today I got to meet Gina from our last Hope Journey program! Her family is home and they came into the office to visit--what a wonderful treat! Seeing the children home with their families makes all the work and effort totally worth it! Welcome home Gina, Anna and their family! And welcome home to all of the families who recently arrived home!

Here's a picture to keep your requests coming in for our current list:

Names of Children Available for Review

Someone requested that I post the names of the children whose files are currently available for review, so here they are:

Harley

Jimmy

Heather

Gene

Edward

Jack

Gavin

Kerry

Joel

Wade

Jeremy

Cherry

Henry

Bo

Peter

Mark

Lilah

Quentin

Warner

Fabian

Michael

CJ

Thomas

Clive

Harold

Anna

Lisa

Parker

Shawn

Obviously, there are a lot of little boys in this group and it was hard to get to know all of them in this bunch in two days. However, I can say this about all of them--they were all extremely well behaved. I was struck by how incredibly well behaved they were during the performances. Almost all of them sat quietly watching the performances, or playing with a small toy quietly. I didn't see any outbursts or anyone wander off. The only time I saw any little tantrums was during the group activities and it was from a young one, which is probably appropriate for his age. Each of the children had at least one if not more parts in the show and they all did their part well. I feel led to advocate for particular children, but I won't do that here. They all deserve families so that is the goal--please help us spread the word about these little treasures! Contact me for more information on any of them: marcisk@asiadopt.org

How Can Anyone Resist These Faces?

If you had met these kids like I did, you would want to take them all home--they're just precious! I'm shocked that no one has requested any of these cute little people in these photos yet. They all have such character! It shone through all throughout the camp. They all had incredible talent and strong personalities. Yes, they may have special needs, but they are little people who deserve big lives--they have so much potential! Not one of their special needs affected them during the time I interacted with them. Come check them out and see for yourself!

Group Video

Here's a video of the Lion Dance during closing ceremonies. Enjoy!

I'm still busy uploading videos to a password protected site so those with files can view them, but it takes forever! Serves us right for taking long videos!

Files Have Gone Out

Most of the files that have been requested have gone out to families, minus videos, which I'm still wrestling with. There are still many, many children who have had no requests yet, though. So if you would like to consider a child, please contact me: marcisk@asiadopt.org

Children With No Requests Yet...

I'm busily working to download the interview videos for each child, but it's painfully slow. So while I'm waiting for one to download, I thought I would advocate for a few of the children who have not had any requests yet.

Mark is such an adorable boy! His special need doesn't seem to affect him much. He loves to dance and is quite a natural musician and dancer. He always has a cute smile on his face. He's quite friendly and seemed very comfortable with the whole event. In addition to dancing, he was also a featured singer. He was in several of the performances and so was Chrissy. Susan and I were both drawn to Mark and Chrissy, both of whom have no requests yet! Both are little treasures and would make wonderful additions to a family. They're so happy and kind-hearted. Both were very responsive in both the interview situation as well as the group events. Both were also in a majority of the performances. They are little stars!

Jimmy is another little adorable boy who was in a lot of the performances. He has excellent musical and dancing abilities as well. He was also a friendly boy who seemed very comfortable with the program. He was an enthusiastic performer and was so cute in his little costumes! His special need wasn't very noticeable most of the time unless you knew it and were looking for it. He seemed to be a very happy boy who is comfortable with himself.

Joel is another boy that stole my heart. What a vivacious and curious little boy! He explores everything and seems to live every moment:-) He was very outgoing and didn't hesitate in coming right up to me to interact multiple times. He also enjoyed the camera and took every opportunity to pose:-) He performed the two tigers song and dance and stole the show!

Send in Your Requests!

I'm back and going into the office in a little while to upload videos and pictures to each child's file. Then we will compile everything and be ready to send out files to families. So send in your requests if you're interest in a particular child or children! Please email me with the children you're interested in as well as where you are in the adoption process: marcisk@asiadopt.org

I'm posting some pictures of Bao an orphanage:

I can't tell you how sweet the children were. I wish each of you could have been there. Aside from the children who have physical special needs, it was really hard to tell these were special needs kids. Even the deaf children actively participated and interacted. Shelby, who supposedly has a joint disorder, was active, manipulated small objects, walked around, climbed on the stage, played with a ball, all with no problems.

Most of the kids from the Shenzhen SWI are in foster care and their foster families came with them! I managed to get pictures of most of them with their foster parents. Hopefully that will be something they can keep with them as they transfer to their adoptive families. One foster family had three of the kids all together in one home.

Lily was another child who drew my attention right away. She is a beautiful girl and seems to be very into arts and crafts. She danced and played enthusiastically throughout the program.

I was very curious about Lilah. During the program she seemed to be very serious most of the time, but when she would find something funny, she would light up the room with her smile--so sweet!

Shawn is an orphanage favorite. In fact, some of the nannies revealed to us that they sometimes take him home with them in the evenings! He is a cutie pie for sure and very responsive and lovable. He was able to identify all of his body parts in the interview and had no problem interacting with Eva.

Email me if you're interested in a particular child and I'll try to share what I know:-)