Superkids in China {Changsha}

This kind of sums up how I feel about today:

We saw so many precious little ones! Many of them we already knew, but there were a lot of new little faces too. We will see older children here in Changsha tomorrow, but today it was all about the littles!

We spent some time with sweet Lorelei this morning. Please take the time to read about her and share her post with friends. She loves interacting and was right in the thick of things when we were on the floor coloring and playing! She enjoyed fruit snacks and could pick them up and put them in her mouth all by herself. She would just thrive in a loving home!

As always we are soaking up the time spent with the time spent with the children, but also enjoying the food and the experience of being in China. Tomorrow we will be at the Changsha #1 SWI again then travel to Yichun, Jiangxi by high speed train.

Thank you for following our journey and for all of your support!

Superkids in China {Shanghai}

Yesterday we visited the Shanghai CWI in Shanghai, China. We met around 20 children, some of whom were matched and others who are still waiting on families. We took lots of pictures, did developmental screenings and had fun playing with the kids.

Of course playing with the kids was one of the highlights of the day for me. They all loved playing with the balls we took and the older kids enjoyed the Legos.

There was one little girl that quickly picked me as her favorite. We rolled balls back and forth, did exercises together, threaded foam pieces, and anything else she wanted to do. She was a super cute, smart little girl and I hope that someone falls in love with her like I did.

Last night we flew to Changsha and are visiting the SWI there today and tomorrow. 

-Douglas Martin (volunteer)

Superkids in Taiwan Day 4

Guess who we saw...

Dexter!!! We are all so very very crazy about him.  He is ridiculously smart and so sweet and polite. He also has a good sense of humor. When asked if he likes to eat he said with a sly look "you have to eat to survive."

Dustin and Diana.  We can't believe how much progress these two have made!! Dustin has the sweetest grin in the world. Its impossible to look at him and not smile back! And Diana is just plain old hilarious. She brings energy to the room and is ready for action.

Davis, our buddy Davis.  The sweetness oozes from this child. He is just so gentle and kind.  He is also kind of a smarty pants - you can't get anything by this guy.

And this was the first time we met Demi.  She is an outstanding artist-- we all sat with our mouths agape as she created beautiful drawings before our very eyes. She is the perfect amount of shy, silly, and engaging.  She melted our hearts.

And these are just a few of the kids we met.  We have had such an amazing time in Taiwan. We've met and re-met so many great kids. We have strengthened relationships with orphanage workers. We have blogged about it.  Now the real work begins - we have to find these kiddos their forever homes.  

Superkids in Taiwan Day 3

Wow... day three already! What an incredible day it has been. 

Today we spent the day with some amazing kiddos from Chung Yi. Some of them we had met last Superkids trip while others were new little faces. All of them are absolutely adorable for certain. 

It's amazing how in just a short few months they have grown so much. It must be the fresh veggies that they feed them. And of course the island sun. It really is great to be able to see them and hear of all of their developments.

If only I could bottle up the giggles that filled the room today. Spending time bouncing balls, playing soccer, putting together Lego sets, crawling through the tent and even a little game of match... 

These kids are so precious. We can hardly wait to get back to the states and tell you all about them. Stay tuned our final day is tomorrow and it's a full one. Lots and lots of precious ones to meet. 

Superkids in Taiwan Day 2

We notice this every time we come.  The kids in Taiwan are so incredibly loved. The staff at Cathwell want so badly for these children to find their families.  They know that in some cases that will be hard.... really, really hard. But it doesn't stop them from trying.  It doesn't stop them from pleading for us to help them help these kids.

And so, we must reintroduce you to this sibling group: May, Mabel, Malcolm, & Macon. What a whirl of energy these four brought into the room. All of them with such distinct personalities.  Mabel came in first, she's 9 years old.  She was so quiet and shy-- we couldn't get a peep out of her.  Next came May, the oldest, who is 10 years old.  She came in, with the biggest smile you haver ever seen. She remembered us from last time.  She sat down beside her sister and they quietly worked on crafts.  Mabel copied pretty much everything her sister did. And May tolerated that in stride.

Then Macon came in, he is the youngest. He greeted us saying, "Hello!!!" He's 5 years old.  When he came in the room, everything changed.  We got out the bowling ball and suddenly shy little Mabel came to life!! She was giggling... that big toothy grin just like her sister. May just watched, keeping and eye on her siblings.  All of the social workers mentioned how she fulfills a mothering roll for her younger siblings. She is very mature and responsible.  She always keeps an eye on them.

During this mayhem, Malcolm entered the room.  He gently chased his brother around, explored all the toys in the room, and jumped in the ball pit. He told us his favorite thing to do is play hide and seek with his siblings.  In fact,  the social workers told us that all 4 of them get along great with each other.  They live in different rooms in their orphanage-- so when they have together time, they are all very happy.

This sibling group has been available for adoption for several years. They all want to be adopted. The staff so badly wants them to be adopted. They want them to all be together. They are also worried that as the children get older, that likelihood gets smaller.  But... because they want them to find a family so so so very bad. They have started to consider adopting them to two different families.  These families would know each other-- maybe they would live in the same town, be extended family members, or attend the same church.  There would be opportunities for the children to maintain their relationships, to see each often.  We know their family or families are out there.  These kids are just oozing with life and love. They have so much to offer. They deserve a family.

Please contact Mary Chapman at mary.chapman@gladney.org for more information about these siblings!

Superkids in Taiwan - Day 1

After arriving in Taiwan Sunday night, we jumped right in Monday morning with a full day at Cathwel! We saw several children who we met in May – and if it is possible, they are even cuter and have made so much progress!

What was super exciting is that we met several new children! Matilda and Moses are an adorable pair of siblings. Matilda told us that math is her super power! And Moses rides a unicycle!

15 month old Mia and her spiky hair made us all smile. She loves to laugh and wave her hands to music.

Moe was a bundle of energy and so much fun! He had a sweet relationship with his foster dad and made a game of whispering answers to our questions in his ear for him to respond.

 We are excited to go back to Cathwel tomorrow!

Eric

Eric is a little 3 year old boy with a sweet smile. Just reading his file and looking at his pictures makes me think he is determined to work for what he wants!

Eric has cerebral palsy. He walks with assistance and feeds himself. He can stack blocks and put small objects into a cup. He imitates drawing and understands simple instructions.

He is described as outgoing and active and his favorite thing to do is playing games with the other children. He looks and sounds like such a sweetie! We are planning to be able to meet Eric when we are in China a little later  this month. I can't wait to see his little eyes light up when he smiles!

Can you even imagine the potential this little boy could have in a family? Could Eric be your son? Please contact April Uduhiri at april.uduhiri@gladney.org for more information.