We continue to look for families for the kids we met at camp last October and to join us for Bright Futures Camp in China this summer! Dates are tentatively set for August 9-16th. Contact amy.curtis@gladney.org if you are interested in joining us for this trip or would like more information on adopting an older child from China.

We have celebrated several wonderful placements as a result of the camp this past fall! Go to http://www.brightfuturescamp.com/ to view media clips of these families wonderful placements.

Mmmm...a new year

I hope all had a wonderful and peace filled holiday season! As an update, we were informed by CCAA that our five day program (similar to our program in October, but we will bring people with us) has been postponed to the summer as Chinese New Year effectively disrupts all normal activities in China and it would be easier for CCAA to facilitate then. While we were looking forward to going in February (although us Texans aren't quite accustomed to the level of coldness we would have experienced), we are glad to have more time to plan and deepen the quality of program we can produce for such deserving kids.

Three of our kids from the October China program have been linked to a family - how exciting! Progress on advocating for this group is slow, but steady. We do indeed need you as a partner in spreading the word about their story and the opportunity for good families to provide a loving home for a child. Please consider any opportunities you have to casually or formally share the word - and if you need any suggestions, give me a ring (817-922-5988)! I would love to "meet you" and brainstorm on possible outreach ideas.

In addition, a church in East Texas has partnered with us to bring a group of children from Russia for a host program this summer. We continue to be amazed at the level of passion and commitment communities have for children in vulnerable situations.

Always feel free to comment or add your story to any post - we would love to hear what is happening in your world. Happy Chinese New Year!

Encouragement

The past month has been chock full of encouragement...we have gotten many phone calls and emails from families who would like to adopt an older child from China! However, we still have a large portion of our sweet group not linked to a family yet. How can you play a part in helping them come home? I'm so glad you asked! Here are some ideas...

Send an email to family/friends/colleagues with a brief blurb about the program and children and a link to this blog and the profiles

Ask the leader of your faith community if you could share a word or two about the program and children through a newsletter or even speaking in front of the community

For the bloggers out there, post a link to this blog and the profiles so readers will become acquainted and also spread the word

Thank you for partnering with us to help our sweet dumplings come home for good!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A photo sampler...

Our precious dumplings

It is overwhelming to view the awesome responsibility we have been given in advocating for a very special group of kids. We feel mightily inadequate in light of the seriousness of life change that occurs at the end of our efforts. They deserve so much. It is a big lot to carry in mutually working on advocacy efforts for this group while planning our program for February for an entirely new group of kids.

For anyone who reads this, we have 22 of the most wonderful and joyful children we are trying to find stellar families for. If you or anyone you know might be interested in adopting, please feel free to share my information with them: 817-922-5988 or elizabeth.johnson@gladney.org. I can provide them my personal perspective on each of the kids in addition to the other staff who traveled in addition to the official referral information from China.

As we move forward in time working in passion for vulnerable children, I ask for your thoughts/prayers/comments as we develop and reconfigure our programs - that they would meet real needs for these children and we would be perceptive to the opportunities we have to meet their needs.

Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven...
Henry Ward Beecher

We are back home!

We arrived home Sunday afternoon, a little slap happy tired, but so satisfied with what was accomplished. We have been gently recovering from the time difference. It's amazing what you can get done when you wake up wide awake at 3 am.

Needless to say, both of us really needed Mexican food when we got home. As of now, I've had it twice and I'm on my way to a third. While Amy and I have traveled internationally before, this trip was culturally exhausting for us. We have a couple of theories:

1) we were mightily stressed before leaving getting everything prepared, plus wrapping up details here for while we were gone, which leaves you emotionally and physically drained...not the best way to start a trip.
2) after a while in China, you begin to feel very claustrophobic.
3) we really weren't prepared for real Chinese food.

However, we left with a deep love for the people of China, especially our 22 children we facilitated the 2 day camp for. Our staff is developing plans for finding families for these great kids, plus thinking forward for future advocacy efforts for children in China. We can't wait to continue to share photos and video through this blog.

Hope you all are enjoying the amazing fall weather!

A sampling of China

Group photo from our weekend program with the children



No clue what the sign says. Hopefully doesn't say "idiots stand here".



Gate of Heavenly Peace (entrance to the Forbidden City, adjacent to Tianamen Square, and the location from which Mao Zedong announced the formation of the People's Republic of China in 1949)



As an aside, I totally told a child "si" today in response to a question. My brain has decided to mix languages regardless of where I might be located. So very very sleepy...

Shanghai...the Austin/New York/Chicago of China?

Our team has departed Beijing and arrived in Shanghai, a city to the southeast situated on the Huang Pu River which feeds into the Yellow Sea. The city has a distinctly different feel to it from Beijing...Beijing feeling more historic and industrial and Shanghai more cozy, hip, and modern. Amy and I went to do a home study update and full home study yesterday (yes, even in China, Amy does home studies!) and had an amazing dinner overlooking the river and world famous Shanghai skyline, including the 2nd tallest building in the world. Like two good Texas girls, we ate burgers for dinner. We just couldn't handle any more Chinese food...it's delicious, but we really needed ground beef.

Amy and I have been catching up on work from this past weekend with our camp, making a more formal plan to advocate for our children from the camp this past weekend. We definitely want to partner with you all in surrounding these kids with hope!

For the next two days, we will be providing developmental and counseling support to several different children home facilities here in Shanghai along with the gifted Superkids team who will be providing physical therapy for the children. It's amazing to see the skills of our team work collaboratively.

By the way, there are just some universal things about men and women that translate regardless of culture. Our friend and guide in Beijing was on a phone call in the evening with a female that sounded a bit upset. Amy asked..."was that your wife?" He was completely shocked that we knew the woman he was speaking with was his wife.

Until next time!

Tired is not quite the right word...

Amy and I arrived here in Beijing safely and are attempting to recover from flying for 16 hours, a very upset baby on the plane, three inches of leg room (for Amy anyway, Elizabeth's knees touched the seat in front of her) and more cultural changes than we could say. However, we got to begin our program with the 20 children today which warmed our hearts considerably. The children absolutely amaze us in every way - some descriptive adjectives would include creative, funny, precocious, intelligent, and very inquisitive. We will be sure to share details, photos, and videos once we are able to get them loaded.

One aspect of this trip that has become abundantly clear is the impact this will hopefully have for other older children in China. Meeting with officials from CCAA and the government has left us with the impression that this is a rare occurence, but an open door as well. We both pray this opportunity would pave the path for many children and families to be united.

We will post again on Monday...Sunday for you TX friends. Yes, we are 13 hours ahead of you. Our bodies are not, though :) We are off to bed, a Luna bar, and Chinese television...