On Thursday, we took two buses to Eagle’s Nest for the official celebration. Eagle’s Nest is the administration building which is located about 5 minutes from the Children’s Village. Eagle’s Nest and the Children’s Village are both located on the outskirts of Hanzhong. I was told that orphanages are often located on the edge of cities – people don’t want to be reminded that there are children who have been abandoned.
It was cold and rainy, but we didn’t let it put a damper on the celebration. When we got off the buses, a band began playing festive music. We were greeted by some of the carers who gave us 2008 calendars filled with pictures of the children. We were then directed to a side building for refreshments. Afterwards, we were taken into Eagle’s Nest for a tour of the facility. We were then led out to a courtyard for the official program. The courtyard was decorated with a large banner, balloons and a long table for the local dignitaries. The band was playing and the local television station and reporters from the print media were there and filmed the ceremony. The ceremony itself consisted of several speakers from Hanzhong and two from the English Language Association (ELA). ELA is the Chinese non-profit organization, founded by British volunteers, that is supported by Caring for China in the US and by other groups in England and Australia.
The highlight of the ceremony was when a little boy named James spoke. James is now 9 years old and lives in England, but he lived in the orphanage during the first months of his life. He gave a speech in which he thanked the carers and China taking care of him and then he thanked God for all the blessings in his life. All afternoon, the word “God” had been carefully avoided by the adults, but then this beautiful child stood up in front of the government officials and simply spoke from his heart. It was a very touching moment.
After the ceremony, we went back to the hotel for lunch and then boarded the buses for our visit to the Children’s Village (also known as Shekinah Shalom). This was what we had all been waiting for – a chance to see the children and meet the carers. When we arrived at Shekinah Shalom, we were taken into Morning Dew where the babies live and where the rehab rooms are located. We visited several classes and got to play with the kids for a few minutes in each class. We also got to visit the nursery rooms to see the sleeping babies, including twin girls who were sharing a crib. The babies were so tiny and were wrapped up snug in several layers of clothes with quilts keeping them warm. The facilities are very clean and decorated in bright colors.
While we were touring Morning Dew, I explained to each carer who Maggie was and showed them pictures of when Maggie was in the orphanage. Many recognized her immediately. They would run out and get other carers and bring them in to show Maggie to them. Her Chinese name is Yang Yuan, and they all kept exclaiming “Yang Yuan” and hugging her. It was wonderful to see. We found the carer who undressed and bathed Maggie when she was first brought to the orphanage. We have pictures of this carer taking Maggie’s clothes off and bathing her for the first time. When this carer saw the pictures, she got emotional and hugged Maggie for a long time. Maggie has been great – she loved playing with the kids and although she doesn’t remember the carers, she recognizes them from her pictures and is happy to see them again. We took lots of pictures with these wonderful women.
After Morning Dew, we went to the school building where classes are held for the various age levels. Classes start when the children are two and continue through their teenage years. There are classes for mentally disabled children – both orphans and local children from the village. That is one of the goals of Shekinah Shalom – to serve the local community as well as the children who live at the orphanage.
After the school, we visited Bethel. At Shekinah Shalom, there are two apartment buildings which were built so that when children turn one, they can live with “house mamas” in a family setting rather than in the main orphanage building. Each house mama has an apartment where she lives with five children. This family setting helps with bonding and attachment and better prepares the children for adoption. The first apartment building is called the Blue Palace and is not part of the ELA program. Therefore, we were not allowed to visit it. The second building is called Bethel and is run by ELA. This is where our son Terry lived. I asked our guide which apartment Terry lived in, and she took me to it. When we entered the apartment, there was Terry’s house mama! Our guide explained who I was, and we hugged and hugged. I showed her updated pictures of Terry, and she was very excited and happy to see how he has grown and what his life is like in America. It was a very emotional moment for both of us.
After we left Terry’s apartment, I asked if I could see Benjamin since I wanted to get a picture for his parents who are waiting for travel approval. We were taken to his apartment and I was able to take a few pictures of him. He was eating dinner, so we couldn’t stay. Maggie and I both noticed as soon as we saw him that he was wearing the same shirt that Terry had on in one of his pictures we had received while waiting to travel.
Our guide also took me to the apartment of a little boy named Enoch. She said he was going to be adopted to America soon and thought I might know his parents. So, if Enoch’s parents are on the Hanzhong Honey list, I have pictures I can send to you. Just send me an email.
The third little boy who is soon to be adopted to America is Marco. I wasn’t able to see him because we had to return to Morning Dew for the closing show. Mary, we are returning to the orphanage on Saturday, so I will try to get his picture then.
The closing show was adorable! Everyone returned to Morning Dew and sat in the activity room. We were treated to wonderful performances by the children. The four boys in Marie’s rehab class sang hello to each country that was represented. Then the younger children performed four dances for us. They were amazing. They did it all by memory without the help of the carers. So cute!
On Thursday evening, we had a celebration party at the hotel. I was able to give our donations to ELA at the party. Jennifer, they were so thankful to get the purification tablets. I was also able to deliver the photos and letters directly to Natalie, the ELA coordinator at Shekinah. I had bought small photo albums and put each family’s pictures and contact info in a separate album. I went through each album with Natalie and pointed out specific requests for information. She indicated that she would read through them and hopefully those of you requesting info will receive it directly from Natalie. We then shared the photo albums with the whole group which included some of the carers, and everyone was so happy to see the kids. Several of the ELA volunteers remembered some of the older kids from when they were here in the late 90’s. Lisa, I met the man who named Adam. I’ll send you his contact info when we get back
