One Child at a Time

The world is a small place.

I found out a couple of weeks ago that through Half the Sky (http://www.halfthesky.org/), Cate had an American sponsor while she was still at the Changzhou Children's Welfare Institute in China. And while this is more information about her past then I would typically share on this blog, I hope it serves a greater purpose - to bring another child home to a family.

The way I found out about her sponsor is nothing short of amazing. There is a yahoo group specifically for parents who have adopted children from her city in China. I was not a member of this group, but another woman who adopted one of Cate's friends, did belong. She noticed a post from someone seeking the parents of Chang Wei Xi, and remembered that was Cate. She notified me and I joined the group and got in contact with the woman who had posted the search. She informed me that she had sponsored Cate for nearly a year and had recently been notified that she had been adopted. She sought us out in order to pass along the pictures and progress reports she had received during the time of her sponsorship. She too is the parent of a daughter from China.

As promised, she mailed the information to us and we now have one more picture and one more snippet of information about the life Cate lead before she came to us. When ever so much about your child's life is unknown, every picture, every word is like a golden nugget. We probably have one hundred pictures of Alex's first day of life. We have about ten photos of Cate's first two and a half years, and I am grateful because that is more than many other families have been given. Thanks to this sponsor, we now know that she almost always had a smile on her face, that she liked to hold two toys that looked "like beer bottles" in her hands, that she looked at her feet when she was asked to put on her shoes. These details are so trivial, and they are so much.

What the sponsorship meant to Cate, I don't exactly know. Did it mean she had a warm coat? Did it mean she could go to the Little Sisters School? I don't know. But I do know it meant someone else was thinking about her out in the big world. Someone else knew that she was out there. Someone else could keep her in their thoughts, their prayers, their hopes, their cares. Someone else knew she was there.

Today, I received an email from the director of our agency. It tells the story of a little boy. He is eight and suffers from scoliosis. He needs medical care. His best friend has already been adopted. He needs a family and a family wants and needs him, but they are short of $7,000 of the fees necessary to adopt him. The email asks for help raising this $7,000. It seems like a lot, but it is such a tiny amount standing between this boy and a new life of love. It is so little if anyone who is touched by his story can give a little to get him home.

I read the email a couple of hours ago and I keep thinking of this little boy. His friend now has a home and he misses him. I think of the void I feel when a close friend is out of town for a few weeks. I think of Alex's desperation when Nate can't make it to school. And I think of this little boy, a boy with no mother or father or brothers or sisters and I cannot fathom what it must be like for him without his friend, without any hope of his friend coming back.

So I am posting the email here in hopes that anyone who can help unite this boy with the family that longs for him will give, even just a little. I know the economy is circling the drain. I know everyone is tightening the purse strings. And I know we each have our own causes, our own charities, our own priorities. But this could change the life of one small boy and give him a beautiful piece of his own history - how people around the world suddenly knew he was out there and helped to give him a home.


Hi there,
Pamela invited you to Little Boy w/Medical Condition Needs Adoption Assistance!.
Pamela sent you this message:
Hi,
I thought you might be interested in joining and sharing this campaign.
Many thanks!
Click here to view the campaign
About this campaign
Objective
Raise funds for the adoption of a little boy living in an orphanage in China who has scoliosis.
Member Pledge
We will give money to: Homeland Children's Foundation But we will only pay once $7,000 is pledged
The Pitch
Ji Ji is an adorable, smart and sensitive 8 year old boy living in an orphanage in Southeast China. His friends have been adopted from the orphanage recently, including his best friend, and he misses them very much.Ji Ji suffers from advanced scoliosis, and has a large bump on his spine. He needs to have medical intervention, the sooner, the better.
Homeland Adoption Services has located a family wanting to adopt him, but they have modest resources, and are short of the costs by $7,000. Our agency has given them a grant and they have received another grant but this last amount is holding them back.
This darling little guy is waiting and hoping for a family. Please help us to help him come home. Give what you can and please forward his campaign to anyone you know who might be willing to help him. We can’t thank you enough!
About The Point
The Point is a website where anyone can start a campaign and turn words into action.
People (like you!) pledge to give money, but only once the total campaign contributions reach their goal of exactly $7,000 That way, you can offer your money without actually spending it until you have enough to accomplish the campaign's objective.