Day 208

2018. What. A. Year. Am I right? For me, it was a year of growth, stretching and heartache. As you may have noticed, this is my first blog post in over a year. I took all of 2018 off from writing and blogging, while it was unplanned, I just wanted to live, to be in the moment, to make memories, and I'm sure glad I did because those moments are now the fuel for my future and our organization here in China.

It's been 208 days since the first group of kiddos left our campus. For the last 10 years we had been fostering, educating, providing therapy and life-skills training for over 50 special needs orphans from all of China. In late July of last year, we were notified that new policies had gone into effect in regards to orphan care. These new stipulations required all orphans to receive care (education, therapy, medical, etc) within their home provinces. While this news brought heartache and tears for those of us who's desire is to purely serve the orphans, this decision was made in the best interest of all the orphans in the Chinese welfare system. While it's been a difficult adjustment for us and some of the kids, but we all understand and know that this is just a "change of address" if you will. We still love and view all of the kids that were once in our care as OURS, we are still one family. They are loved, they are wanted, they are valued, and we are doing everything in our power to ensure that they have the best quality of care possible.

Within the last 208 days our team, specifically therapy, has been able to travel and provide therapy resources and trainings at 8 different orphanages and we have seen almost 30 of our kids in their new homes. Four of our kids have been adopted since they left our campus, and are now adjusting well to their forever lives with their forever families. Currently we have at least three kids (that I know of) whose adoption files have been matched with adoptive families, and many more that are still waiting, praying and hoping for families of their own.

These therapy training trips to see our kids and train their staff have been absolutely incredible. It's not every day foreigners get to walk the halls of a private children's welfare institution, whose walls have heard the laughter and the tears of hundreds, if not thousands, of children. It's a unique experience to talk with these caregivers, nannies and theapists who are proving care with the minimal resources they have; who daily engulf these precious kiddos with love and take pride and value in the kids with whom they work. Hearing their stories has been one of my favorite parts...in addition to seeing our kids, of course! But really, listening to these women and men share their stories of how and why they got started caring for children or working at the welfare homes is inspiring and stirring. Daily they battle the system, the cultural norms, and they bravely use the skills they have to enrich the lives of the next generations of Chinese citizens. These people are incredible and I have the highest respect for them. I am truly honored to be able to train and equip them with the skills and resources they need to better themselves and the children with whom they work.

I've changed all thanks to 2018. I've become more of myself, I've taken on new roles, I've held broke hearts and I've had my heart broken 55 times and the pieces glued back together each time - the glue is still drying btw. I've lived, loved, experienced, hoped, cried, learned, screamed, traveled, laughed, but most of all I've grown. Here's to all that 2019 has to offer.