Photo of the Week - Cozy Andrew

What an absolutely adorable face! This is Andrew from our Kaifeng foster care program. He will be snuggly warm this winter in his new coat, courtesy of our Coats for Kids program.

Photo of the Week - I Just Can't Wait

Two months ago we learned that one of the children, Chelsea, was going to be adopted from our Fuyang Foster Care Program. Wonderful news but we were sad for Finn who has been her best friend since they both entered the program in February of 2007. They share the same foster parents, went for their cleft lip repair surgeries together and recently had their palate surgeries together. They eat together, fight with each other and love each other. A week we learned that Finn was to be adopted, not just adopted but was leaving on Sept 10th. We are so happy for both Finn and Chelsea, who now have their own forever families!

Photo of the Week - Facebook Winner!

Last year, when LWB won the Facebook Giving Challenge Sponsored by the Case Foundation, we won $50,000. Our slogan during the contest was $10 for 10. For a $10 donation to help us win the contest, it could save the lives of 10 children with heart disease. When we won, we kept our promise and used all $50,000 of the winning to help 10 precious children. One of these 10 children is little Yang. Yang had a severe heart defect and was able to receive his surgery July 2008. Since then, he has been in a LWB foster program getting lots of love and attention. He has just blossomed! Just look at the photo of him running to greet his "uncle".

Yang has been officially been matched with a family and will soon be coming home! Thank you to all who helped....just look at the joy in this child's face! Yang was one of the the true winners of this contest.

Pic of the Week - Erik

This sweet photo is of a special little boy named Erik who was left at the orphanage after his birthparents discovered he was blind. I have known Eric since he was just a baby in 2003. I remember thinking how overwhelming it must be to live in an orphanage if you are blind, with so many babies crying and loud noises, and not to be able to see your surroundings to make sense of it all.

When we first started foster care in his city, we knew that we wanted Erik to be placed into a home. He has such a kind foster mom! She has encouraged his love of music and really wants to see Erik accepted into a school for the blind. Sadly, Eric has been on three adoption lists so far....but has never found his family. We are all hoping he will get at least one more chance, as he is such an intelligent and loving little boy who deserves a permanent home of his own.

We loved this photo as it captured so clearly the tenderness felt between Erik and his foster mom. It immediately brought to my mind the wonderful quote by Helen Keller:

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart.

We couldn't agree more.

Photo of the Week - May 29

Our photo of the week is actually one that brought tears to our eyes. Our foster care manager took this picture when he visited one of our programs in Anhui last weekend. One of our wonderful foster moms had cared for two little girls in her home since they were just tiny babies. One of the girls had just been adopted overseas, and her foster sister kept asking the mom to please go and get her sister back so they could play together again. Every time the mom started to talk about the child who had been adopted, she would break down and cry.

What an incredible gift good foster parents give to the children in their care. They love and encourage these children, include them in their families in every way, and then make the painful sacrifice to say goodbye when it is time for adoption. We love foster care SO much for any child who is orphaned, but this photo was a reminder yet again of the very real emotions and bonds that are forged between parent and child in a home setting. We realize that many of these families lose a piece of their heart when the child they have raised finds a permanent family through adoption. What a gift they have given to a child, allowing them to know love and protection and belonging. It is in seeing photos like this one that we realize the enormity of what we are really asking our foster parents to do.....to love a child completely as their own, but then somehow find the strength to let them go. All across China there are quiet unsung heroes like this mom who are making lifelong differences in the lives of orphaned children. They have our complete gratitude.

Photo of the Week

How many of us have had our children plead with us for a puppy of their very own? I loved this photo the minute that I saw it. How it reminded me of the day that we got our dog six years ago.

Our local manager Crystal wrote in Caleb's most recent report that he loves dogs and he knew that a neighbor's dog was going to have puppies. He pleaded with his foster mother for days to keep one of the puppies. Can you tell what the answer was?

Karen Maunu
Associate Executive Director