We're back! Our 28 Families Campaign, Sunday, July 26

[Bonnie]

Sunday, July 26, 2009

It's hard to believe that it's been two weeks since we've returned from China. I have struggled in these past two weeks with how to articulate our experience there, and even more than that, how to craft my words so that people will feel what LinJing and Vivian and I feel—which is to say completely in love with the children we met and deeply committed to finding families for them.

In fact, our first "nibble" was such an inspiration for us. While I was in China I emailed some people I know who have ties to the Deaf community. One of those people posted a message on a listserv and by the time our plane from Shanghai arrived in San Francisco, I had an email inquiry from a family who was interested in the 12 year old Deaf boy that I became so attached to and for whom I am desperate to find a family.

So there I was at a busy airport internet terminal, tears welling up in my eyes. It is a moment I'll not soon forget. Alas, just a few days ago, after many long email exchanges, that family decided not to move forward. They will continue on the path they had already begun, to adopt a child in the US under the age of 6. That means that WE will continue on OUR path, of finding a family for him. But that warm, happy, over-the-top-with-excitement feeling will stay with me for a long, long time.

We are in the early stages of what we are calling our 28 Families Campaign. We don't need a million families or a thousand or even a hundred. All we need is 28. But to find these 28 families we need YOUR help. We know that some of you are reading this because you are looking to adopt a child. But that is not true for all of you. Some of you are reading this because you have already adopted a child from China and continue to be interested in the plight of Chinese orphans or because it is connected to your job or because you care about children and want to do something to make a difference. Whatever it is that has brought you to our story, we want you to feel the way I did at the San Francisco airport, of having a part in completely transforming a child's life and giving him or her the gift of family.

We will tell you more about our 28 Families on another day. But first, I am so very pleased to tell you that we ALREADY HAVE TWO FAMILIES who have accepted matches of our Journey of Hope children, and we have 6 or 7 more families considering a match. This is a good start, but still we have a long road ahead.

Before I sign off (for today) I'd like to do two more things. First, I want to highlight a few of our Journey of Hope children. That way, if you or anyone you know wants to know more, you/they can contact us….

He Kainian is 10 years old. She has a shy, modest smile, a soft voice, and a kind, gentle manner. Her favorite activities include playing games and watching television. Her greatest hope is to have a family with other children so that she could have siblings.

Zhang Mingchen is 10 years old. He is eager to please others, and tries hard to do his best. He seems equally confident and comfortable playing independently and interacting with others. He doesn't command or draw attention to himself, but he is notable simply by being who he is… a very nice, very easy, very pleasant boy to spend time with.

Finally, while I was in China I was unable to access our blog and had to depend on the kindness of others (thanks, Bonnie!) to post for me. That meant that my writings were one-sided and not part of an interactive process. But now that I am back, I am able to exchange thoughts and ideas so much more easily. And I would love to do that. Because the conversation is so much richer with your input.

So I have a few questions for you:

What brought you to our Journey of Hope blog? What stirred your interest in this program? What sticks out in your mind when you think about what I wrote, what event or child triggerred something in you? What questions do you have about our experience? Is there anything you’d like to know about one another, the other group members of our Journey of Hope blog?

I look forward to your questions and comments, and to sharing our ideas within our blogging cyber community. Thanks for letting me into your world, and for giving me a chance to talk about what’s been on my mind.

Signing off for now,
Renee

(Note - I have posted this for Renee Lubowich, as she is having trouble accessing the site. - Bonnie E)

[Sherri McInnis]

I am here because although we just returned from our second China adoption trip, I feel so interested in and concerned for the older children.....who are old enough to know they want a family and who are hoping everyday that dream will come true.

We have three older biological children. I think they prepared us well for special needs adoption. We all have special needs! And at some time, we will all have medical needs. It is not a big scary task. With each new parenting experience we feel more confident in our ability to add to our family chilldren who have a special need for a family, including older waiting children.

[Sandy Close]

My husband and I have adopted four children through our states foster care system and have two biological children. We would like to adopt one more girl, preferably from China, but were planning to wait a couple of years because our oldest daughter will be going to college next fall and my son will follow shortly after. However, in looking through your slideshow, there was a little girl, about 10 or 11 i guess, who was wearing a pink and black striped polo shirt with denim capris and green sandals who I noticed. She would be the age that we are looking for. Do you have any more info on her? Thanks, Sandy

[Camille Tyler]

We are looking into internation adoption so we want to know where we begin. We are looking for a daughter a baby girl preferred but I know there are many girls that need a good and loving home with brothers and a sister waiting.