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:-)

More Day 1 Observations from Marci

Marci sent this e-mail to me sometime yesterday and we wanted to make sure it made it on the blog.

"All the officials gave speeches, including me with Eva translating. I think it went pretty well. Then the kids did their introductions. They all were very cute, taking the microphone and introducing themselves. Everyone was extremely well behaved.

President Barack Obama's half brother was there and I got to chat with him a bit. He moved to Shenzhen after 9/11 and started a new life and working with the orphanage. Very nice guy. He's really into music, so after one of the kids played a flute for their talent, he gave him a big hug. There's a cute picture of that.

The little girl we call Shelby got slightly overwhelmed a couple of times, but not very much. She's adorable and seems to get around just fine. She can even manipulate small objects. She made a bracelet for her craft on stage. I'm really impressed by Lisa, the little girl that has CP. But she's so capable! She has some spastic type movements at times, but there hasn't been anything she couldn't do! She even memorized a poem and presented it and was the only one to do a little dance without a coach sitting behind us! She can color in the lines pretty well, too.

The limbo was great for most of the kids, although the nannies didn't understand to raise and lower it. We'll try it again today. Each kid got their gift bag after going under it. Then we did the hula, which the kids really loved. The Hawaiian music disappeared after I gave it to them for some reason, so we did the hula to some Chinese song, but it was fine. I have video of that, too. Heidi was kind enough to video for me. Some of the kids are really shy, but some came right up to me to dance. Chrissy is absolutely adorable! I've danced with her twice now. We did the chicken dance earlier in the day and then the hula together. She's so sweet and all girl, it seems. I was able to get so much information about each of the kids from the staff at Bao an. So I have a lot more about the Bao an kids than the ones from Shenzhen. BUT, I was able to get a picture of each of the kids from Shenzhen with their foster parents if they have them! That will be a treat for the families.

After the day yesterday we were invited to the founder of Sunshine Academy's home and joined her. They're extremely nice and seemed impressed with ASIA."

posted by Vicki

Last Day of Hope Journey

Today was the final day of the Hope Journey Program. I feel like we really got to know the children, even though it was only 3 days. The children put on a final show this morning for closing ceremonies. There were lots of different dances, including a dragon dance. Apparently the children put on shows like that quite frequently, which is why they are such good performers. I didn't see anyone get nervous. They all seemed very excited to do their parts.

After the show, we did the hula and the limbo for quite a while. We all danced together and the kids all had a good time with that. We played different games and did crafts. Sam wanted me to hold him, so we danced together for quite a while. He loved the sea creatures hanging from the ceiling and also reached out to several of the nannies and other kids. Anna was also quite outgoing, wanting to dance with me. Henry, Quentin, Clive, Peter and several of the other young boys also seemed quite interested in interacting. They all had a great time and were full of smiles and laughter.

Chance seemed quite attached to Eva. All of his nannies had gone elsewhere and Eva was the only one who could get him to follow her--it was quite sweet. She had interviewed him earlier in the day, so was probably a familiar face in the crowd. Micheal seemed a little overwhelmed by the crowds and games, but is quite interactive one on one. In the interviews he was very responsive and was able to name all of his body parts and colors.

Shawn always has a great smile and seems to be a staff favorite. He is a very outgoing and curious boy.

Right before the interviews, Anna came out of a room filled with other children and wanted me to hold her and spin like we did during the afternoon hula dance. She's a very sweet child, possibly a bit below her age socially. But she's a very happy girl and enjoys social interactions.

After Anna came out, I was suddenly swarmed by a group of children from earlier in the day. They all wanted me to join them! None of them were shy about grabbing my hand and pulling me towards their room.

I have to add that I'm even more impressed by the Bao an orphanage now that I have spent some time with the staff and gotten to know them. They are all so good-hearted. It is not a job for them, but they each do it because they truly care about the children. Some of the staff live at the orphanage, so they will take the kids out for the evening after they get off work. Other of the staff live away from the orphanage and will take some kids for the night sometimes. They also noted that when a child leaves with a new family, they cry tears of joy for the child and I believe every word of that after seeing them interact with the children. They are truly incredible people and it was an honor to get to know them. I feel very lucky that we are partnered with that orphanage.

Hope Journey Bao an

The actual Hope Journey production was today and it was quite impressive. The children's talent show reminded me of the old TV show Star Search and I think we found our stars:-) The kids were incredible with their talents, as well as sitting through all of the others as well as speeches from the officials. Considering there were 35 children, there were very few meltdowns and they were all very well behaved.

One boy in particular grabbed my heart. Quentin is one of the older boys. He is such a sweet and sensitive boy, and so outgoing! He wrote a poem about spring that he presented and was so articulate and expressive with his presentation. Then he played an African drum and showed his sense of rhythm. All throughout the day, he never hesitated to jump in and join the fun when it was appropriate. He joined me for some hula dancing and later wanted to learn the hokey pokey after he missed the group version.

Dani is one of the little girls that is deaf, but she is also so outgoing. She is very social and the fact that she can't hear doesn't stop her one bit! She has learned to sign and can speak very softly as well. She enjoyed the day and did a very sweet performance dressed as an angel, which I think is very appropriate for her. She seems so sweet. She continually drew my attention.

Here are a couple of pictures from the day to tide you over until I can post more. You can't really see the scenery in the pictures, but imagine a disco ball, stage lighting and sea creatures hanging from the ceiling when you look at them. Tomorrow is day 2 and I already have over 400 pictures! So expect more to come.

Pre-Hope Journey Camp

Today we thought we were going to the orphanage to watch the dress rehearsal, but as we've learned here, things change hourly:-) So....we stay flexible. We were told before arriving at the orphanage today that there would be no kids for the dress rehearsal because they were tired from yesterday. When we arrived, it was a scene of staff busying themselves with decorating the room for the program and they did an excellent job! We also brought some decorations--mostly blow up sea creatures, beach balls, limbo accessories and Hawaiian leis to go with our theme. The staff jumped right in to help us blow everything up and then proceeded to take over hanging it all up. I guess you don't need language to communicate for those things. There were lots of smiles and laughter as funny faces were made trying to blow things up manually while both pumps were occupied. We took a few pictures, but Eva has those, so I'll have to post those later. The room looks great! I think the kids will be very excited. Their gift bags are all packed and ready to go for tomorrow's big day.

We also got a tour of the orphanage today. It is quite an impressive place. We were able to take some pictures of that as well, but those will also be posted later. We were not allowed to take pictures of the children, but had several interactions from interested wee ones:-) One little guy came right up to me and promptly relieved me of my water bottle:-) We also got to visit with the babies in the nursery, which just tugged at my heart. Several were very responsive when I interacted with them and some just cried. It was hard to leave that area, knowing that no matter how many staff they have there, it isn't enough to provide the stimulation that those babies need. The orphanage has a staff of 180 with a total of about 400 children there. Most of the kids that have minor special needs or are healthy are sent to live in foster care, so only the remaining children actually live at the orphanage. They have very bright and colorful classrooms and activity rooms for the children, as well as a couple of playgrounds. It seems to be a very well kept and professional place. I'm continually surprised by the resources they seem to have. They don't seem to want for much there.

Tomorrow is the big day! We meet the officials from CCAA who are coming, have opening ceremonies, the kids' talent show, activities and crafts, interviews with the kids and lots of silliness, I'm sure. Keep checking in, as there are sure to be some great pictures coming!

We Made It!

Eva and I made it to Shenzhen yesterday and shortly after I received a phone call from Susan. She was already at the Bao an orphanage watching them practice their talent show for the Hope Journey camp! She invited us to join her, so after getting settled, we met her and went over there. What a treat! Wow--can those kids perform! I don't want to spoil it, so I just included a few group pictures here, but wait until you see what the kids can do! I was quite impressed:-)

The staff members and orphanage officials are great and extremely welcoming! Tomorrow we get to back for the dress rehearsal and a tour of the orphanage.

We obtained some great information today as well. We have children on our list from two orphanages, Bao an and Shenzhen. The kids from Bao an are all learning English! They have a teacher there from the Sunshine Academy in California. She is the woman you see who is the only other Caucasian there:-) She has been there for a year and a half, so has gotten to know the kids quite well. All of the Bao an kids have English names because of this program, and they're able to introduce themselves that way. So you might notice the names of some of the kids will change. We felt it better to keep the names they're used to, rather than to refer to them differently. Anyway, the teacher offered her assistance in helping us get whatever information we need about the children. So...if you all have certain questions that you would like answered about the kids, post to the comments and I'll do my best to get the information for you. the officials are also very gracious and open about doing whatever they can to help us make the most of our time here and really learn about the children. They all seem to have very sincere hearts.

This is really quite an amazing experience. I'm so moved by how welcoming everyone is and how appreciative they are of what we're trying to do for the children. I'm also impressed by how willing the children are to perform in front of strangers. They don't seem shy at all, and seem to really put their all into it. The teachers and nannies are all very attentive and encouraging. All throughout the program the teachers had children in their laps or their arms around a few kids. They seem very close to them. I feel so lucky to be here and have this opportunity to meet the children and staff.

Stay tuned...I should have more information and pictures tonight!

-Marci

Getting Ready for Camp!

Marci and Eva have arrived in Shenzhen and are getting ready for the Hope Journey camp. Yesterday they got to visit the orphanage and watch a little of the dress rehearsal for the program the children will perform for our staff. Marci writes: "The kids are amazing! They go all out--great performers! I'm totally exhausted, so I'll write up more tomorrow, but we get to go back to the orphanage tomorrow to watch the dress rehearsal and get a tour! The staff there seems great and it looks to be a nice place with lots of resources."

Surprise!

A surprise arrived on our CCAA intranet this morning--we got two more files of young children to add to our Hope Journey list! We received an adorable 2 1/2 year old girl and a 3 1/2 year old boy. Their pictures just make me want to scoop them up! The boy has a special need that sounds scary, but it doesn't seem to affect him much, so I encourage you all to look into any special needs that you don't know about on our list. Now, you should all be aware that none of these children are certain yet, until we get to China and figure out who is actually there...sometimes things change during that time. That said, we have posted them on our password protected website, so take a look! Since I can't access the blog from China, I will be emailing Vicki and she will be posting for me. So expect updates starting Tuesday or Wednesday next week...Enjoy!-Marci

They're Here!!!!

If you could see the faces of our newest group of waiting children, your heart would melt-- Mine did!!!!!!! I worked all day yesterday on getting the kids ready to be posted on our password protected website...the first group is already up and they will continue to be posted throughout the day. I'm so excited to go and meet these kids--they look like they have a lot of personality! I'm sure we can find out more about them than is in their files. Just for that reason, we will not be releasing any files until I get back from China so that I can add all of the additional information before we send them out. That said, we will be keeping a list of people interested in considering each child and we will go through that when I get back and send out the files according to CCAA's priority requirements. So go check out the children now (we had to change the password, so if you didn't receive the new one, you'll need to update your information with us) and stay tuned for updates as I'll be sending them from China!!!
-Marci

Meet our Next Group of Hope Journey Kiddos:

Please meet our next group of kiddos in the upcoming Hope Journey program:
Fulton is an 11 year old boy
Susie is 9 year old girl
Steve is a 8 year old boy
Bo is an 8 year old boy
Holden is a 8 year old boy
Holly is a 7 year old girl
Wally is a 7 year old boy
Lilah is a 7 year old girl
CJ is a 6 year old boy
Lacey is a 6 year old girl
Alex is a 6 year old boy
Mac is a 6 year old boy
Gordon is a 6 year old boy
Geoff is a 6 year old boy
Courtney is a 5 year old girl
Gigi is a 5 year old girl
Jared is a 5 year old boy
Morgan is a 4 year old boy
Quentin is a 12 year old boy
Fabian is an 11 year old boy
Parker is a 10 year old boy
Jessie is a 9 year old boy
Warner is a 8 year old boy
Lucas is a 7 year old boy
Wade is a 7 year old boy
Dani is a 6 year old girl
Lisa is a 6 year old girl
Gavin is a 6 year old boy
Anna is a 6 year old girl
Dennis is a 6 year old boy
Paul is a 5 year old boy
Joel is a 5 year old boy
Lydia is a 5 year old girl
Jada is a 5 year old girl
Chance is a 4 year old boy
Grant is a 5 year old boy

There are 36 children that we hope are meant for you families out there, so stay tuned for more information....

Lucy Update

For those of you following Lucy's story, we have now received $670 in donations! Thank you to all of the generous donors! Additionally, A Shepherd's Crook Foundation has also agreed to help raise money for Lucy! It's wonderful to see so many people rallying for this sweet girl. I expect to have more good news very soon, so stay tuned....

Well, I was hoping for a bigger response about the joys of boys, but since that didn't happen, let's talk about older children. Everyone talks about the challenges and difficulties of adopting older children and I believe we have done quite a bit of that on this blog as well. I would like to use this opportunity to hear from some of you folks out there about the joys of older child adoption as well. If you're willing to share some of your experiences, please write into the comments about adopting older children.

Boys, Boys, Boys!

"To this day, a lot of the things we have heard about boys’ personalities over the years about them being rough, noisy and very active have never seemed to fit our son’s personality. He is a sweet, outgoing, yet gentle little guy who loves people. He will wave to strangers and say hello to people he has never met. He is the son we only dreamed of parenting a few years ago and the reality of being his parents today makes us smile each and every single day. Tyler, along with our four-year old daughter, are such precious angels to us and the two of them together can be quite the “comedy team” some days, but we couldn’t be happier. "

Write in to the comments about why boys are wonderful to parent, too!

Hula for Hope Journey!

Busy getting ready for the upcoming Hope Journey Camp; A break from the other stresses is always nice:-)

The Lucy Adoption Fund

Families have now donated a total of $425 for Lucy's Adoption! Thank you to those generous donors! Our goal is to raise $3000 to help the family, so if you haven't sent in your donation yet, and Lucy has touched your heart, please send it in. Any amount will help if everyone contributes! If 250 people contribute 10 dollars each, we'll just about make our goal. Skip a couple of starbucks and send the money in for Lucy. LOTS of people have contacted me wanting to know about Lucy. So please know, there is a family in process for her that is dedicated to helping her, whether she live a year or many more. Let's help that incredible family bring her home and get her the medical care she so desperately needs.

Aloha Hope Journey!

We have 36 children assigned to us for our next Hope Journey camp, which will take place on April 29th and 30th ! Eva and I (Marci) will be leading the camp. We should have more information abou the children shortly. The schedule should be similar to last time, except we will have 2 days instead of one to cover everything. We will update you daily as the information flows in...stay tuned!

Misty Mornings

Have you ever wanted to share your favorite things with a child? Watch the wonder on their faces as they discover all that life has to offer? A trip to the pumpkin patch, decorating the Christmas tree, a birthday party, American customs.... Misty may not be a baby, but you can experience many firsts with her. You can see the wonder on her face as she experienced the microphone for the first time. Imagine what else you could share with her once she arrives home? Misty wants a forever family...do you want a child like Misty? I can see her spreading happiness and wonder to all that she meets. Contact me if you would like to consider her: marcisk@asiadopt.org

Update on Lucy

For all of you routing for Lucy, she's still strong and appears to be holding tight for her family:-) She's learning and developing well, even learning the keyboard! We have gotten a couple more donations, so thank you to all who are sending their contributions! Lucy and her future family appreciate it!

Find Misty's Family!

Most of the children in these pictures will be adopted into forever families. I hope we can do that for Misty, too.

Everytime we loose a family for a child, it tears my heart out. Whenever we think we have found a family for a child, the excitement in our office is overwhelming, but when we loose a family, our hearts sink. The dream we thought we had for the child is gone. We have to find that dream again for Misty.

She is active and outgoing, as can be seen by her videos:-) She is also loved by everyone who knows her--her teachers, friends and foster family. She helps younger children and is on track in her schooling. Misty has an older foster brother and loves to get her picture taken. Contact me if you would like to consider her: marcisk@asiadopt.org Check out her great smile and character:

Misty Needs a Family

We just found out that Misty's family can't pursue an adoption, so we need a new family for Misty! Please come forward if you have any interest in Misty! She is a healthy 9 year old girl:

Misty was amazed by the microphone at the camp. When she got up to introduce herself via microphone she extremely enthusiastic. Later on, when I had the chance to see her in the interview room, she explained why she was so amazed on the stage.

“That thing is so powerful. When I talk, the voice is so loud. I didn’t even try to talk loud. I was wondering if my brother could hear me, so I tried to yell his name.”

Donations for Lucy!

The first donations for Lucy have arrived! We have received 3 donations so far, totaling $150--thank you to the generous donors! Even $10 will make a difference if everyone contributes! So let's reach that $3000 to help Lucy's family!

Getting Ready for Hope Journey Camp

The first box arrived for our next Hope Journey Camp at the end of the month, so we took some pictures for you to see:

Joy and Eva are modeling the hula skirts for you!

We are doing a Luau theme again, as that seemed to go over well last time. However, we learned a few things, so we've added a few new items as well. You'll have to wait to see pictures of the actual camp to find out what those are:-) Stay tuned!

As we get ready for the next camp, I also would like to welcome home Kacey and his family! He touched many hearts so I know we can all join together in saying welcome home!

No Donations For Lucy Yet...

Well, I was hoping to be able to report on how many donations we've had for Lucy so far, but we haven't had any yet. One person called but we got disconnected!

100% of donations will go to helping Lucy's family. ASIA does not take out any money to process the donations. So if you're planning to donate, please call 503-224-1860 (we take visa or mastercard) or mail your check. We can provide a receipt so you may get a tax deduction. There has been such a movement to help Lucy find a family, so I hope we can all use that same momentum to help Lucy's family get her home and get her the treatment she so desperately needs.
With Gratitude,
Marci

An Appeal for Lucy

So many people have called and emailed me wanting to help Lucy, so we've come up with a plan for those of you who want to help, but can't adopt her. We are running an appeal to raise money for the family that does adopt Lucy. We have a family that would like to adopt her if no one else steps forward who is already DTC. So Lucy will have a family and that's the good news! We would like to raise $3000 to help that family, since they will no doubt have many medical costs. If donations exceed that amount, it will go in our waiting child fund to be distributed to families who need help with adoption costs for waiting children like Lucy. The movement for Lucy has been bigger than I could've ever expected, so I'm hoping we can raise that $3000. If you want to contribute, you can either send a check to ASIA(215 SW Hooker St. #100 Portland, OR 97201) with "Lucy" written in the memo, or call ASIA with your credit card and tell us it's for the "Lucy Appeal." The phone number is: 503-224-1860

We've got to get this girl home as quickly as possible. So many doctors have reviewed her file and her outlook is not good, yet there is a family willing to proceed despite this fact if they can get their paperwork done. Some doctors are even thinking a possible lung transplant in addition to the possible heart transplant. We can only hope that isn't the case. She has touched so many hearts already, there must be a reason.

More Information about Hope Journey and Lucy

It sounds like our next Hope Journey camp will be in Shenzhen most likely and I will be one of the staff members going:-) That way I'll be able to give you my impressions of the children directly. In our last camp, 4 of the children were from Shenzhen and all 4 are being adopted:-)

April will be a busy month as we work to help families get their children home before they age out from the last camp and prepare for the next one as well.

On another note, we have several families seriously considering Lucy. If you can put your thoughts with Lucy this month, hopefully we will have good news from one of those families shortly! There is nothing that would make me happier than to be able to report that Lucy has a family....

Next Hope Journey Program

ASIA's next Hope Journey program will take place at the end of April in Guangdong Province again. That's all the details we have so far, but more to come:-) So before the end of April, let's get Lucy placed and the few other children we have left! We have videos of Samantha available and we have also posted some kids from the shared list on our password protected website. The password will change when the kids from the next Hope Journey program go up, so take a look now:-)
Marci

P.S. I'll update this blog as soon as I have any more information to share about the upcoming Hope Journey camp.

A Win For Adoptive Families in the U.S.!!!

I'm thrilled to report that the Adoption Tax Credit has been extended!!!!! It has also become refundable, so if you don't owe the Federal Government, then you can get the money as a refund! This should help many families overcome the financial burden of adoption. Hopefully that will help many more children and families unite!

ASIA Still has a private waiting child list for a little longer

I have had so many families contact me about adopting Lucy and I'm truly moved that so many are willing to help a child with such a serious condition. That brings me to another point while we continue to advocate for Lucy. ASIA still has several other children on our private waiting child list whose files will have to go back soon. Webster and Wesley, the twin 12 year old boys that want to go into public service jobs are still in need of a family. Niva, who has repaired cleft lip and palate and Hep B is still available. Samantha, Benji, Leo and Henry are all children left on our waiting child list. Not to mention the over 1500 children available on China's shared waiting child list currently. They all have sweet faces and are in need of families to help them reach their full potential. If you knew their stories and saw their pictures, like Lucy's, I'm sure many more of you would come forward. So if you're wanting to adopt a waiting child, contact me and see if one of these children could be the one meant for your family.

An Older Child Adoption Story

At the JCICS Conference a 22 year old boy spoke who had been through the foster care system in the U.S. His story was quite moving and I wanted to share a few of the points that made it so. Perhaps it will help those of you who are adopting older children to understand some of where they're coming from.

After living with his biological mother and younger brother until he was three years old, protecting his younger brother and caring for him, he and his brother were moved to a foster home. The foster parents were able to handle his well behaved younger brother, but not him, as he had taken the brunt of the abuse and acted out. His younger brother was adopted by the couple and he was bounced from home to home. Finally he was put in a home of a couple who wanted to adopt him. He still acted out, as he had been abandoned so many times he didn't believe they would keep him ultimately. His parents took the time to get to know him and find out what he really liked. One of his biggest interests was hockey. So when he would act out and need to express his feelings of pain from his past, his mom would put on hockey goalie pads and tell him to hit her until he felt better. Finally they got it across to him that no matter how "bad" he acted, they would not leave him. He is now 22 years old, has a college degree(after being told he would not even graduate from high school) , speaks around the country and is writing a book. So to those of you who may be struggling--stick with it! It will be hard, but it will change the child's life.

JCICS

I have been at the annual JCICS conference all week. It has been an inspiring day for many reasons. Ideas, expertise and stories were shared, faces were connected with "email faces" and many tears were shed over the inspiring life stories. A couple things really hit me hard today. One was the work that people in this community do, day and night for the children all over the world who need people to fight for them. As they live their lives struggling to survive, those of us over here have to fight to get them what they truly deserve.

I was also enlightened by Love Without Boundaries about the medical care that is truly not available for many of the kids with special needs in China. Many children are on the verge of losing their lives because their special needs can't be treated there. We have one such life in our hands...Lucy's. I have gotten so many emails from families interested in adopting her. I have sent out her file to those who qualify to think seriously about the decision. No one has yet committed to her. So many people are advocating for this little girl in so many different ways. Yet, we need a family to step up and commit to her and proceed with a leap of faith, not knowing the outcome. Lucy is strong now, but we don't know what her future holds. When we do have a family for her for sure, I will post and rejoice. Until then, I will keep asking you to help me in the search to provide a better future for this little girl. She at least deserves a family who can get her the love and treatment she needs. She's a bright, happy girl who will bring joy to a family for however long her life will be. We don't have time to waste in Lucy's case, so if a family comes forward that is not DTC yet, they will have to understand that we cannot hold this child for them, as she may not have that long to wait. We have to do what is in Lucy's best interest and we're trying hard to do that for her. I know that the right family must be out there and I'm hoping we have already found them. I'm hoping I will have good news to share with all of you soon.

The Movement for Lucy

I have to say I'm quite touched by the movement that has developed to help Lucy. So many wonderful people have called, emailed and offered to help her in many different ways. Just a few are considering being her forever family, but many, many want to help her in some way. She has touched the hearts of so many out there with her spirit and spunk. I hope that we can find the family out that that was meant for her. Most likely we need that family to already be in process for a child from China since Lucy has been waiting so long already. She is currently strong and needs to have her surgery before she loses that strength. There are many out there working to find Lucy pro bono health care and spreading the word to help find her family. To all of you--thank you! We hope to help Lucy before it's too late. She certainly seems to be a little survivor! We won't give up, Lucy!

Back to Lucy...

Now that we have found families for most of our Hope Journey kiddos, we really need help finding Lucy a family. This is our hardest placement and yet the most urgent. Lucy is a darling 3 year old girl, but she likely needs a heart transplant due to the severity of her defects. This means that she needs a family with excellent medical insurance as well as a family who can afford to pay for the medical costs beyond what the insurance will cover. She also needs a family that will love her, no matter how long she ends up being on this earth. That's asking a whole lot of a family, so it's understandable that we haven't found one yet. But Lucy is not just a child with a heart defect, she is a bright, happy, survivor who has made it this far and is growing and developing incredibly well. What more can I say about this sweet child?

Happy News!

Happy News has come to ASIA at a time when it was needed...both George and Gina have families in process pursuing them!!! We are very hopeful and optimistic that both will be home before their birthdays when they age out! Big thank you's go to all of you who have been fighting to help those waiting children!
Marci

Older Child Adoption

Here is another great article on older child adoption and why orphans have such a stigma in China: http://www.rainbowkids.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=698

Urgent for Lucy and Julia!!!!

Some of you may be familiar with little Lucy, the spunky survivor with a very serious heart condition that was on our waiting child list. Well, unfortunately, she is back on the list due to no fault of her own. She desperately needs a family that can commit to her despite the uncertainty of her future. She needs a forever family, no matter how long that forever is....we may need to bring her here on a medical visa if we can't find a dtc family for her, as she needs treatment for her heart condition. There are hospitals in the U.S. willing to help her, but not in China. Lucy is a very bright little girl who is very close to her Chinacare mama. You may notice she also has a limb difference, but this doesn't stop her! For more information and pictures and updates on her, please contact me or see our password protected website.

I'm thrilled to report that it looks like Julia's original family will be able to pursue her after all! So no plea for Julia, but we do now need to focus on finding Misty a family!

Please help us advocate for these two children...help their dreams come true! We just need to get them the familis they deserve.