Kelli is a singer and recites poetry. She is polite, kind, and is a quick learner. Kelli's best friend was just adopted by another family. Their daughter decribes Kelli as "a lively girl, 13 years old. She also has cerebral palsy and I have the same disease. We are very very good friends. She is very kind-hearted, sensible, beautiful, and considerate of others. Sometimes when I was not happy, she helped me to resolve my grief. I miss her so much."
"She has shared her secrets and hopes with me as close friends. She and I both would like to see the magic fairy show, "Palace." Her dreams include becoming a singer. She loves make-up, and we enjoy watching singers on TV together. Her number one wish is to have a family and to have a home. She is so loving and is interested in many topics including talking about health. She dreams of leaving the orphanage and what a vacation might be like. "
Kelli has CP and she has improved so much she can sing and dance now, and she really wants a family. She is cute, smart, active, outgoing, and likes to communicate with people. She doesn’t have many restrictions for most activities. She takes classes in the institute and is a serious student and quick learner. Her ennunciation is not clear for some words, but she can write with her left hand. She likes to study math and English and can speak some simple English. She enjoys performing and likes it when she receives praise from others. She is independent in daily life, and can help teachers and friends and can take care of others. Her teachers and friends really like her and she gets along well with others.
The adoption authorities just saw this child recently and really wish her to have a home. They said in fact her physical and mental conditions are much better than people would think by reading her medical file. The medicals are out dated and old. We have an updated video and are waiting for the updated medical information. Since she ages out in June she needs a family whose dossier is in country and immigration approval is current. We would be happy to move her file to another agency for a family who wants to adopt her. This orphanage may be willing to lower her orphanage donation if a family requests it. My heart breaks for this child who so much longs for a family.
Thanks for your help with getting the word out about this girl. She is described as sweet, and it’s clear many people hope she can be adopted.
Please contact Ckids (at) wacap (dot) org for more information about Kelli.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Older Child Adoption - Cautions and Concerns
The discussion on the internet right now about Older Child Adoption is centering around this article.
As the adoptive mom to 2 older (10 and 14 at adoption) healthy boys, I feel I have a bit of experience in this area.
I actually know the "Sue Matheson" and "Debbie" referenced in the article and at least parts of their stories. I was very suspicious of the true age of some "aging out" kids that were adopted from Louyang from the moment I saw their pictures on their familys' blogs. I am not surprised at these revelations.
However, what concerns me is that Mr. Stuy seems to almost be implying that ALL healthy older kids come from suspect backgrounds and this is what disturbs me.
The truth is almost ALL of our kids from China have living birth families. That part is no different.
The truth is most birth families have NO IDEA that their children will be adopted out internationally when they choose to hand their children over to an orphanage (whether directly or via abandonment). I am basing this on reports from families that have made contact with birth families in China.
The truth is the Chinese culture is VERY different from our own. While most Americans would NEVER consider abandoning our child or handing them over to governmental officials for "an education", the Chinese mindset is different.
The truth is many files have bogus/made-up/false information in them. Just ask any adoptive parent of a Chinese child. I have heard this over and over in the six years I've been a part of this community.
The truth is that these kids deserve to be in a family and not growing up in an institution. Regardless of how they got there. Yes, it would be best if they could grow up in their birth family, but for the vast majority of kids who are in Chinese (and other countries' orphanages), that is simply not a viable
answer.
The truth is there will always be corruption/shady dealings in any encounter that involves people. We are all human and humans sin.
As Christians and concerned parents, we should speak out about the corruption. However, we must be careful that we don't throw out the proverbial (and in this case literal) baby with the bathwater. Just as the Hunan baby trafficking scandal shut down adoptions from Hunan for a while, I believe that adoptions from Luoyang should be suspended. I believe that a broader investigation should ensue and any other CWIs that are involved should also be suspended.
What I DON'T want to happen is for ALL Chinese adoptions to be stopped. And I don't want even MORE paperwork that is mostly useless to make the process even longer (aka Hague). That would be a huge disservice to the thousands of children who are truly available for adoption. They NEED a family and the sooner the better.
Let's not forget that this is truly all about the child. We as parents (and prospective adoptive parents) must do our research and follow our hearts and God's leading as we consider each child. Please don't let such stories about one part of adoption deter you from giving a child what they need and deserve.
P.S. There are similar "horror stories" about pregnancy and childbirth, yet very few people would choose not to get pregnant just because something "might" happen. If we had concrete proof or many indicators (like a genetically passed-down disease), then yes, we would take that into consideration. Adoption should be no different.
As the adoptive mom to 2 older (10 and 14 at adoption) healthy boys, I feel I have a bit of experience in this area.
I actually know the "Sue Matheson" and "Debbie" referenced in the article and at least parts of their stories. I was very suspicious of the true age of some "aging out" kids that were adopted from Louyang from the moment I saw their pictures on their familys' blogs. I am not surprised at these revelations.
However, what concerns me is that Mr. Stuy seems to almost be implying that ALL healthy older kids come from suspect backgrounds and this is what disturbs me.
The truth is almost ALL of our kids from China have living birth families. That part is no different.
The truth is most birth families have NO IDEA that their children will be adopted out internationally when they choose to hand their children over to an orphanage (whether directly or via abandonment). I am basing this on reports from families that have made contact with birth families in China.
The truth is the Chinese culture is VERY different from our own. While most Americans would NEVER consider abandoning our child or handing them over to governmental officials for "an education", the Chinese mindset is different.
The truth is many files have bogus/made-up/false information in them. Just ask any adoptive parent of a Chinese child. I have heard this over and over in the six years I've been a part of this community.
The truth is that these kids deserve to be in a family and not growing up in an institution. Regardless of how they got there. Yes, it would be best if they could grow up in their birth family, but for the vast majority of kids who are in Chinese (and other countries' orphanages), that is simply not a viable
answer.
The truth is there will always be corruption/shady dealings in any encounter that involves people. We are all human and humans sin.
As Christians and concerned parents, we should speak out about the corruption. However, we must be careful that we don't throw out the proverbial (and in this case literal) baby with the bathwater. Just as the Hunan baby trafficking scandal shut down adoptions from Hunan for a while, I believe that adoptions from Luoyang should be suspended. I believe that a broader investigation should ensue and any other CWIs that are involved should also be suspended.
What I DON'T want to happen is for ALL Chinese adoptions to be stopped. And I don't want even MORE paperwork that is mostly useless to make the process even longer (aka Hague). That would be a huge disservice to the thousands of children who are truly available for adoption. They NEED a family and the sooner the better.
Let's not forget that this is truly all about the child. We as parents (and prospective adoptive parents) must do our research and follow our hearts and God's leading as we consider each child. Please don't let such stories about one part of adoption deter you from giving a child what they need and deserve.
P.S. There are similar "horror stories" about pregnancy and childbirth, yet very few people would choose not to get pregnant just because something "might" happen. If we had concrete proof or many indicators (like a genetically passed-down disease), then yes, we would take that into consideration. Adoption should be no different.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Jennifer - 12/1998
Jennifer is an extroverted, clever, gregarious girl, but she can be a bit shy sometimes. She likes to do activities with kids of the same age, gets along well with kids, knows to share food and toys with others, likes all kinds of toys. She is fond of watching TV, and responds actively to strangers and new things.
She is in the 2nd grade in a primary school. (Note: It is not unusual for a child from an orphanage to be several grades behind where they would be if they were not in an orphanage. This is due to the fact that in this child's country, the orphanage has to pay for the kids to go to school. Many times, they don't have the money to do this so the children are started later or sometimes miss a year) She is docile and disciplined in class, can learn what the teacher teaches, and finish homework well. She is a middle-upper level student.
She likes the father and mother in foster family, is polite and greets her friends every day. She knows to open the door for the visitors and is quite obedient and sensible. She can help Mum to do something she can do. She is docile and cares of her family, cares for younger brother and sister for Mum. She begins to have sense of right and wrong, can express herself clearly, solve some difficulty with her knowledge. She has her own thought, has good intellect, recognizes daily used commodities, and knows their name, purpose and sort. She is very curious, likes to explore and know various objects and new things he never sees before, and cares for the change of surrounding persons and things.
She is in the 2nd grade in a primary school. (Note: It is not unusual for a child from an orphanage to be several grades behind where they would be if they were not in an orphanage. This is due to the fact that in this child's country, the orphanage has to pay for the kids to go to school. Many times, they don't have the money to do this so the children are started later or sometimes miss a year) She is docile and disciplined in class, can learn what the teacher teaches, and finish homework well. She is a middle-upper level student.
She likes the father and mother in foster family, is polite and greets her friends every day. She knows to open the door for the visitors and is quite obedient and sensible. She can help Mum to do something she can do. She is docile and cares of her family, cares for younger brother and sister for Mum. She begins to have sense of right and wrong, can express herself clearly, solve some difficulty with her knowledge. She has her own thought, has good intellect, recognizes daily used commodities, and knows their name, purpose and sort. She is very curious, likes to explore and know various objects and new things he never sees before, and cares for the change of surrounding persons and things.
Jennifer has vision/eye problems, but is otherwise healthy.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Shea - 09/98
Meet Shea. He is an artist, musician, and wants to learn to dance like Michael Jackson.There is 6 months to adopt him before he ages out and will be left behind in Asia on his birthday with little resources. He is a bright, healthy 13 year old boy with a repaired cleft lip and palate. He speaks clearly and articulately.
He goes to 7th grade outside the orphanage where he is an average student whose favorite subject is art. He presented us with a drawing he had made, and colored, of his favorite cartoon characters. It is clear from this work that he is very talented. He also enjoys basketball and playing traditional drums. Shea describes himself as being very honest and happy, and states that it makes him sad when someone doesn’t want to play with him. He is a soft-spoken, sweet, young boy who would thrive in a family who can adopt him before he is 14 and becomes ineligible for adoption. When asked if he could have anything in the world he wanted, he replied that he would love to learn to dance like Michael Jackson.
When our staff met him briefly she said "he really seems like a great kid. He was rather shy, very polite with lots of interests—drawing, music and dancing. He said he would like to be adopted and I have no doubt it was a genuine and not “spoon-fed” answer. I really enjoyed meeting him and I think any family would be lucky to have him."
Finances: There is a $4200 Promise Child grant for families making less than $125,000 a year. Please ask about possible fee waivers, private grants and loans to apply for. For more info and photos of Shea please contact Ckids@wacap.org at WACAP (http://www.wacap.org%3chttp//www.wacap.org>).
He goes to 7th grade outside the orphanage where he is an average student whose favorite subject is art. He presented us with a drawing he had made, and colored, of his favorite cartoon characters. It is clear from this work that he is very talented. He also enjoys basketball and playing traditional drums. Shea describes himself as being very honest and happy, and states that it makes him sad when someone doesn’t want to play with him. He is a soft-spoken, sweet, young boy who would thrive in a family who can adopt him before he is 14 and becomes ineligible for adoption. When asked if he could have anything in the world he wanted, he replied that he would love to learn to dance like Michael Jackson.
When our staff met him briefly she said "he really seems like a great kid. He was rather shy, very polite with lots of interests—drawing, music and dancing. He said he would like to be adopted and I have no doubt it was a genuine and not “spoon-fed” answer. I really enjoyed meeting him and I think any family would be lucky to have him."
Finances: There is a $4200 Promise Child grant for families making less than $125,000 a year. Please ask about possible fee waivers, private grants and loans to apply for. For more info and photos of Shea please contact Ckids@wacap.org at WACAP (http://www.wacap.org%3chttp//www.wacap.org>).
Sunday, March 18, 2012
DIRE! Leon - 04/1998
We need a prayer and advocacy campaign these next few days for Leon - a wonderful 13 yr old boy in Guangdong province, Shenzhen City CWI. He has repaired CHD. Leon needs a family to commit to him this coming week! If you have been considering and researching older child adoption and can make this leap of faith - please consider Leon!
A friend wanted to share that they sent his file to a friend of theirs who is a heart surgeon this is what he wrote back:
"In answer to your query regarding Leon,he may always remain small. He has murmurs over three valves in his heart, which may mean he could need further surgeries when he is older. It is encouraging that they do not describe any heart failure signs or symptoms, which may indicate that he may need nothing further done. Without examining him further, I can't be more precise. He seems healthy, active and well adjusted."
Leon has a strong ability to express himself, and always say hello to others. He gets along well with others. He has 3 good friends he likes to play wtih. He loves to read comic books and loves the characters in the book. He can draw the characters in the books with good detail. His learning ability is strong and careful. He is optimistic, friendly, gregarious, and smart. He is post-operative for Tetralogy of Fallot and his heart exams appear normal. The orphanage has agreed to waive the orphanage donation fee for any family who adopts Leon.
This is one handsome guy! He's on the shared list.
Please read more about him here:
username: waiting
password: children
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Lucky is a Lucky guy!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Zeke met his family!
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