The ultimate purpose in life....to give

Those words were spoken by a man named Narayanan Krishnan. He urges everyone to experience the joy of giving love to others. This is the ultimate purpose of our lives.
Hearing these words on this day seem so fitting, as I reflect on the world's greatest gift given to us many centuries ago in the form of a newborn baby. A gift which brings the ultimate hope and light for all of us.
And again, I am overwhelmed with the giving by others for the orphans in Guangxi. We have raised enough for 10 wheelchairs!!! Five orphanages will receive these gifts for their special needs kids.
Innocent children, whose bodies have been broken, will have their lives made just a little bit easier through the kindness and generosity of others around the world who understand just what Narayanan Krishnan has to say.

Hope for the Holidays

It has been 3 months since returning from China and the kids are still on my heart. I think about them daily, and have tried to think of more ways to help. During trainings and treatment planning I have spoken to the caregivers about the need for daily positioning for the children with Cerebral Palsy. Without the equipment, it has been difficult, but the staff is trying. One of the orphanages I have taught at has recently sent me this picture of a child they are trying to help:



The staff have used a child ride on toy to help this child to sit up. It is a great start but she needs more to gain better control of her little body.

I have been fortunate to work with friends in Nanning who have sent me some hope for these kids...hope for the holidays :)






This is made in China, and costs $207.19 USD to get one to an orphanage in Guangxi. It is my hope to get 6 chairs to the orphanages I have worked with to help the precious kids in their care. The chairs would allow the children to see the world in a different way from just laying on their backs all day. And it would benefit the children to gain better control over the muscles in their bodies. These chairs are desperately needed...

ANY donation amount would be helpful. In honor of the holidays, if a gift donation is made in someone's name, I can offer a certificate for presentation. Once the chairs are delivered, photos can be sent to the donor or recipient of a gift donation.

Donations can be accepted by paypal or credit card through the donate now button on this webpage. Paypal donations can also be made to knowinghope127@gmail.com

Would you please help give special Chairs for Christmas, special Chairs for Chanukah, or special Chairs for Chinese New Year? Would you help partner with me to give hope for the holidays? Together a difference can be made in the lives of orphans who do not have a chance at adoption.

On behalf of the sweet orphans waiting for chairs in Guangxi, thank you!!!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. A full day to spend in celebration of all that we are thankful for! As I sat and pondered the events of 2010, I was constantly reminded not of things, but of people. My girls. My family. My friends. The supporters of my work in China. The orphans. The village girls. Birthparents. People I have met, and those I have yet to meet. People who will undoubtedly touch my life, making it forever changed.



I thought back to the two villages we were privledged to spend time in several months ago. In each of these special places, people showed us such kindness and generosity. We met people, both young and old, who continuously made us smile.














As I think back to these small villages and the people who live in them, I can't help but smile. People with so little had such joy, just by the presence of others being with them. They clearly valued people, and were grateful for the people in their lives. Despite their hardships, they reminded me to be grateful for the gift of others. This is what is most important in life.












And so this Thanksgiving, I am grateful for the people who have been placed in my path. People who show me how to love, how to give, and how to hope.

A video summary...

This years trip was made extra special with the addition of the spectacular Lucy who was a 20 year old (now 21 year old) college student from Wellesley College. Lucy's presence was a gift from Him and an answer to a prayer. This trip had to be different for so many different reasons, and we were clearly meant to have Lucy with us. Lucy met us after visiting her family who lives in Shanghai, and spent all of her sleeping and waking hours with us...not always an easy task :) Lucy worked alongside me at each orphanage we visited, and at each village. She worked inside the orphanage with older kids as I gave workshops to staff. They kids clearly delighted in her presence, as she connected with them so effortlessly. She always jumped right in, without any hesitation, sharing her amazing ideas and insights. She chose to love and bring hope to all of the precious kids we met.

Lucy created a video summary of our trip which I thought I would share:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKfjUCExCDQ

And she is already thinking of other ways that we can give back to the special children of Guangxi who are so dear in our hearts.

The hope of smiles

I was reading last night, and one sentence struck me..."I do not serve a God who allows the world to determine what is hopeless" (Angie Smith). It reminded me so clearly of the work which happened just over a month ago. Hopeless. Those same words were said of little Leo, the little orphan boy with cerebral palsy who is in foster care and never smiled. He was always uncomfortable. Or little "Max" (the english name Lucy and I gave him). He has some undiagnosed clotting disorder. The orphanage said they could not possibly put him on an adoption list. What if something happened to him and he started bleeding? Or the kids with Down Syndrome. Or those with autism. Or the sweet babies who could not gain weight. But I know, know, know there is ALWAYS hope. The smiles prove it.






Smiles from a little boy who has never smiled before in his 3 years of life...






And I too, am so glad that I serve a God who does not determine hopeless by the world's definition. Remembering these special children reminds me of this so clearly :)

Visiting sweet XiuLi

Our journey to XiuLi would turn out to be 7 hours in a van. The kids did sooooo well, better than the adults I think!

When we arrived, we found a celebration! It seemed fitting for being reunited with XiuLi.



XiuLi was waiting for us with her friend, also from the same town where her orphanage was. Her friend has been a huge support for her, and we were so glad they are together.



XiuLi told us that she and her friend stay together all of the time. They live and work together. They are both working in a restaurant now.

The first thing XiuLi said to me before I could even give her a hug was "I love you" in English. We told her how much we, and so many others, love her. How she is thought of, and prayed for every day. She smiled.



She liked seeing the kids, and I thought of how many kids she must have played with from her orphanage before running away...



She assured us she is doing ok.







We gave her some gifts prepared from friends, and asked her to come with us to our next destination. She thought about it, but in the end decided to stay where she was for work. The sparkle was never gone from her eyes, as I feared it might be.





We asked her if she needed anything. Her response was "pray for me". So, please keep sweet XiuLi in your prayers. This is her wish at 16 years old.



Our hope is that she will know some hope, some peace, and the love of so many who have come to know her story.