No Longer a Waiting Child...

 

We received this note from Scott and Winn Castagno along with before and after photos of the darling Lottie Lee C.

Hi Mary & Tina, 
Here's a before and after of our sweet little Lottie she has been home almost 6 months! We are amazed by her growth & transformation! She is truly a gift! Thank you for all you do! We will definitely be adopting again!

Scott & Winn

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On TV Tonite!!!!

  

The little couple plus their son, Will, return to TV tonight (Tuesday, August 13) on TLC.

Check local listing for time and channel. 

Will came home through CHI.

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Analise and Grace-Anna...

 

CHI has helped us bring our family together from around the world. Analise (born in Ethiopia) is now 4 and Grace-Anna (from China) is 3. Both girls are doing fantastic. Analise is the smartest little thing I've ever seen. And if left to her own devices, will rule the world by 5.  She is the best big sister we could have ever prayed for. Grace-Anna is working through her blindness. She goes to physical therapy 2x a week and has had 3 surgeries on her eyes and another coming up next week. She is the toughest, yet sweetest little thing. She has been through more than we could ever imagine in her young life. God has BIG plans for these little ones. We, as a family, are the most blessed to have been chosen to take this journey with them. Praise God for his mercy and grace!

I just wanted to communicate with CHI and let you all know how we are doing and to say "Thank you" always for what you do for the fatherless. God bless you!!

Love,

Jenny Sullivan

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Ana , Melody and Maria with Lele, Jinhua and Beibei at Alenah's Home, our CHI foster home. Ana said she came to China as a result of the email and a talk CHI did at the reunion 2012. We are really ready for our adopted children to come to volunteer at our home! Welcome Email mary.house@chidrenshope.net to learn how you can visit Alenah's Home.

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Meet Mimi...

 

Mimi is six years old. She is a lovely girl and likes to smile. She likes to play with various toys, and especially likes to play house, where she can feed a baby doll. She likes to communicate with other children during activities. Sometimes she can not express her ideas, but she likes to interact with her teacher.

Mimi's cleft lip and palate have been surgically repaired.  She likes all kinds of activities,especially singing. She is somewhat behind other kids her age, but she is catching up the best she can. Mimi can be adopted by married couples or single moms. 

Email mary.house@childrenshope.net for more information.

Watch Mimi's video now and hear her little song. 

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not just talk...

 

Bonita Lim

CHI adoptive mom Bonita Lim lives in Shanghai with her husband and two adopted special needs sons. Bonita is the founder of Brown Rice Designs, a fashion design company  Bonita explains that "Some families in Shanghai do not have incomes enough for basic needs like housing, food, education, medical expenses and heating. Brown Rice's main purpose is to provide opportunity, independence and hope to those families that need it most.Brown Rice provides employment, microfinancing, equipment, training and support to people whose personal circumstances make it near impossible to otherwise work. Our Livelihood Program aims to enable individuals to become self sufficient businesses within two years.

Zhang Yali

"When Bonita learned of Zhang Yali, a 13 year old girl whose  destitute parents brought her to Beijing from their hometown in rural Hebei Province, she took action via Brown Rice. Yali suffers from leukemia, and the family didn’t have the money for medical care. Her case is not unusual in China, where funds for care of children suffering from birth defects and disease fall far short of the need. What is unusual is the story of how a good Samaritan who is a Shanghai businesswoman gave Zhang a new lease on life. 

Yali has finished the third of the eleven chemotherapy treatments required to enable her survival without a bone marrow transplant. “All talk, no action,” Bonita said, describing the numbers of people who say they want to help such charity works but never do anything. “I am always told that one person single-handedly can’t ameliorate the need. But if everyone took that view, the world would never get better.”

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Alenah's Home on FaceBook!

Click on the photo to see what's happening at Alenah's Home in China.

Facebook is back in China and Alenah's Home, our own CHI foster home, has its own page! 

You may not be able to read all the text but the pictures are definitely worth a thousand words (at least!) 

Click on the photo to take a look.

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UPDATE ON OUR WENDY FAITH ...

Wendy Faith has learned to make delicious dumplings from 

her foster mom.

So many people were intrigued by Wendy, our little girl who celebrated her 6th birthday this week.  Wendy is currently with a foster family under the supervision of  Love without Boundaries.  Her foster mom calls her Sunshine in a Body!

Click on the logo to see
Wendy Faith's Birthday Blog

Love Without Boundaries posted a wonderful Birthday Blog for Wendy (whom they call Faith). They have known this child for quite a while and are eager to help her find a family.

Click the video button to see the wonderful Wendy Faith in action.  That girl can dance!

Check it all out and email Mary.House@childrenshope.net to learn how single moms or married couples can adopt this little sunbeam.

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Our birthday girl!!!!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7mIYlX4rM0&feature=youtu.be

Today is Wendy's birthday.

The best gift she can wish for is a family of her own. Could you give her that birthday gift? Please share this message. You can see Wendy's birthday dance at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7mIYlX4rM0&feature=youtu.be

Wendy can be adopted by single moms or married couples.

Email Mary.House@childrenshopeint.org to learn more.

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a day at Alenah's House...

 

Alenah's House is our CHI foster home where staff and
volunteers provide children with physical therapy and a
loving sense of family.

A volunteer at Alenah's House reports:
This morning we volunteers were invited to join the ayis taking the younger children for a walk. It was lovely to see all the children and ayis enjoying the walk. We walked past the Green Tea House and stopped on a quiet side street where the children got a chance to sit down on a blanket for a rest and later on have a drink and snack. We then took turns walking some of the other children in the push chairs .We walked back in time for lunch, it was getting very hot outside at this point too.

Little John waited eight years to find his forever family.

Back at Alenah’s the children had lunch and I started feeding the little frail boy with muscle cramps, but it was very difficult. I asked an ayi if I was doing the right thing. It was really painful to watch him eat and being fed but he does really enjoy his food. We were surprised that he ate a full bowl of noodles!! I hope he carries on and manage to put a bit of weight on!!

We had some very good news today about John and Li Tao. They have been adopted and we got to see photos and letter of their families. It had us in tears seeing the letters written to John on his 9 th birthday from his family. We are so pleased for John who has been waiting so long for his forever family!!

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Little Lindy....

 

There has been tons of excitement for Little Couple Bill and Jen's adoption of little William.  So much happiness on behalf of this famous family and their adopted little son!!!

Now it's time to meet Little Lindy.  Lindy turns five this May. Her aunties report that "She is a lovely girl, she is very active. She can get along well with another children, she is one of the most popular partners in the activity. She likes to help others. Lindy is very smart, she likes to ask why, she can sing the children's songs, she likes to draw pictures, the imitate ability of her is strong. She can speak all her classmates' names, and she can speak sentences clearly. She can understand the content of the story and the teacher’s question, and tell the right answer. She can speak more than four kinds of common colors. She knows some of the common object in the daily life. She can copy simple numbers. She can draw a square and triangle."

In other words, Lindy is a wonderful girl! Like Little William, Lindy is a child of great potential in a little body. All she needs is a family of her own.  Lindy's adoptive parents don't need to be little people. They need only have big hearts for Lindy.

Lindy can be adopted by a single mom or a married couple who have completed their homestudy.
Call Mary House 773 647 2610 or email mary.house@chidrenshope.net to learn more.

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Sneak Peek - Little William is home...

Set your DVR's-

The little couple and their recently expanded family are back on TV.  Bill and Jen will appear on Katie Couric this Friday, April 26, and their regular series premiers with back-to-back episodes on Tuesday, April 30.  The popular couple found their son and brought him home with the help of Children's Hope International and Rainbow Kids.

DON"T MISS IT!!!

Tap the button below to see some of the wonderful children waiting for just the right parents.

                          

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The boy of the week...

 CHI's Jeremy is the featured child on Rainbow Kids this week He is POST-OP for meningocele and can run and play with all the other kids at our CHI foster home.  Jeremy can be adopted by married couples or single moms who have a completed home study.  Take a look at Jeremy's video now!

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Lots of Surprises for Madeline!

Madeleine Isabel Bao Yi Belsie came home to Massachusetts in June of 2012.  Madeline was 8 years old when she met her new mom and daddy and big sister Grace. Madeline has had lots of "firsts" since she arrived - learning English, trying new foods, discovering the crunchy leaves of a New England autumn, experiencing American holidays and... shoveling snow! Madeline is from Guandong province in the south of China, so snow is - for now - a definite novelty. 

Madeline came home through CHI's China Waiting Children program. Now, while she is getting accustomed to all her "firsts," Madeline is flourishing in the love of her family. Way to go, Madeline!!!

Visit CHINA WAITING CHILDREN to learn more about international adoption and China's Waiting Children.

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Proud American...

 Our Executive Director, Dwyatt Gantt,  received this email message from a proud mother of a wonderful daughter:

God blessed us with our beautiful daughter in Jan 1997. She is the joy if our life. I remember waiting for her and thinking it was a life time! But God already had his plan in place for us and for her! What perfect timing what a perfect plan it was. I want to share with you a speech she wrote last year. First, I thank God for this amazing beautiful child! Second I thank you and Children's Hope for helping change our life! We are truly blessed! ​​​ 

Proud to be an American
-written by Courtney Owens  age 15

In 1996 I was born in Changsha China. I was abandoned, found by local authorities and taken to an orphanage to live. But….God had a better plan for me. He knew an American couple that needed me as much as I needed them and that is where my life began. So… at 9 months old, I was blessed with the two loving American people that God knew and they became my mom and dad.

I am so proud to be an American; I have been given the gift of endless opportunities. I have the freedom of religion and have been raised in a strong Christian home which has taught me morals and values and make me who I am today. I have been given the gift of equality and the right to pursue the education and career of my choice. Lastly as a citizen of this great country; I have the opportunity to give back the gifts I have been blessed with.

At age 16 I can drive a car, at age 18 I can go to the polls and vote. And according to my dad; at the age of 30; I can date.

I hope to someday go back and visit my birth place, but America will always be my home.

I am an American Girl and I am proud to be an American!

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Jeremy is 5 years old and he is a fantastic kid! He's bright, cheerful, eager to be involved in things. He enjoys doing crafts, and is actually quite good at them. The aunties report that Jeremy "likes helping other children. Every time when distributing snacks, to a child with no hands, Jeremy will say on his own initiative: 'teacher, I feed him.' All aunts like him very much." 

Jeremy currently lives at our CHI foster home. He is post-operative for meningocele and tethered cord. He walks slower than the other kids, but he does walk independently and can go up and down stairs by himself. Jeremy is in physical therapy on a daily basis and is improving every day. He would improve even faster with a family of his own!  

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You can see Jeremy in action and learn more about China's Waiting Children at http://adopt.childrenshope.net/programs/waiting/china/PhotoFaces/

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Little People Adopting with Children's Hope

 "The Little Couple" stars Dr. Jennifer Arnold and Bill Klein are about to become a trio. "We are thrilled to announce that we are adopting a beautiful young boy from China," the pair told their TV viewers. "We are so proud to welcome William to our family and look forward to bringing him home." 

Bill and Jen worked with Chidren's Hope International and Rainbow Kids to find their son, a  3-year-old boy, who has dwarfism like both of his new parents. William is the first child for this happy couple.

Since 2009, viewers have followed the businessman and pediatrician, both of whom are under 4 feet tall, as they navigated marriage, managed challenging careers and attempted to expand their family.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS - The sixth season of "The Little Couple" premieres on TLC on Tuesday,  April 30.  Viewers will be able to see Bill, Jen and little William in China!

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 2013-Planning Ahead

Our US team met in St. Louis last week to discuss our roles for Children's Hope and the changing face of international adoption. Expanded plans for adoption of older children as well as special needs kids are underway. We hope to prove helpful to families discouraged by long waits and closing adoption programs.  CHI's Ethiopia, Colombia and China Waiting Children programs continue to bring children home to their adoptive families.

Pictured are Angie Thorn, Nicky Losse, Mary House, Nichole Deal, Executive Director Dwyatt Gantt, Tina Qualls and Gloria Akers.

Learn more about  
           
             COLOMBIA ADOPTION       ETHIOPIA ADOPTION   CHINA WAITING CHILDREN
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