ChinaBird

If I've learned anything about China in the last 4+ years it's that understanding and living in China is like holding water. The second you think you've got a good scoop on what it's like or how it's going to be, it's changed and slipped through your hands. It's always changing and flowing. It's the only way to describe this place. While it can be frustrating to some, it keeps life interesting.  Last month I shared some of the changes that have taken place here in our children's village in the last year. Change has just been one of those things you can't prevent but don't always know how to prepare for. These last few months have left a lot of us asking, "So...What now?" Shortly after the kids began returning to their home orphanages, our leadership team sat in a room, just looking at each other and asking ourselves this same question. As we sat there, we began to brainstorm how we could continue to support the orphans and the spe...

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 wa...

Richard and his May birthday buddies: Gloria & Francis Guess who turns 11 years old today?! Yep, you guessed it! Richard Xie Minyu! 11 years ago today, May 25, Richard was born and I'm oh so glad he was! I love this boy so much! How has the time gone so fast? When did he get so old? Richard is one of the coolest, happiest and best kids I've ever met. I know, I know....I'm biased, but I'm being honest. He's so incredible. He has an amazing sense of humor, servants heart, and is always looking out for his friends, brothers and classmates. In November of last year, I wrote an advocacy post about him. Here is an updated excerpt of that post.... " Richard came to SFCV from his orphanage in Fuzhou when he was 6 years old. He has Unilateral Cerebral Palsy, meaning he has high tone and spasticity that effects only the left side of his body. Over the last 5 years that he's lived here, he's made incredible gains socially, emotionally, and physically. ...

Good Day All, Happy December! It's crazy to think that we're nearing the years end. I'm struggling to wrap my head around how fast 2016 has gone, but I'm eagerly anticipating all that 2017 will bring. Do you ever think back to when you were a kid and you thought, "I'm never going to do *this or that* like *insert name*!!" I did this alllll the time. Ahhhh the ignorance and stupidity of youth. What most of us didn't understand back then was that we're more like or just like the person(s) we swore we'd never be like...that's why we didn't want to be like them. Now, yes, there are some people who set out to not facilitate certain negative behaviors/ familial patterns that they experienced in their youth, and I admire that. However, today, I'm not referring to that. When I was a little girl, I used to always say, "I'll never be like my mother" or "I'll definitely do *this* differently than my parents did......

Good Morning America and Happy Election Day Y'all! Now, if you're like me, you're probably not completely thrilled with the candidates in the U.S. Presidential election. Honestly, I did my duty as an American citizen and cast my vote, but am I thrilled? Not really. Anyway, on this day that is so often divided between two parties, I think I've got something that can unite us all regardless of political stance. Today's post is about a kid that has my vote no matter what he does in life, no matter what profession he pursues, no matter what he decides to study, honestly...Richard always has my vote! Guys! Richard. He's so awesome - one of the coolest 10 year olds I know! Richard came to SFCV from his orphanage in Fuzhou when he was 6 years old. He has Unilateral Cerebral Palsy, meaning he has high tone and spasticity that effects only the left side of his body. Over the last 4 years that he's lived here, he's made incredible gains socially, emotionally,...