Thursday, December 13, 2007

Faces of the Abandoned

Faces of the Abandoned, an article from Newsweek:

The first time I met Jun Jun, she was quieter than the other children. The reason? She'd been separated from her foster parents and returned to a children's home to ready herself for permanent adoption. At first, she padded around in her puffy purple dress, eyebrows arched as she cautiously watched other kids play before jumping in. But she soon warmed up. Revving back a few paces, she sprinted into my arms. I tossed her up and down amid happy squeals of "yah yah yah yah!" She played with a boldness that often left her on her head or flat on her face. The caretakers practiced lunging as they reached to catch her.

I dare you not to cry . . .

The band Third Day recorded a song entitled "Merry Christmas" from their album Christmas Offerings.

The guitarist from the band adopted a daughter from China; the song is about his wait to bring her home.

This video puts a family's pictures to the song.

MERRY CHRISTMAS -- THIRD DAY
There's a little girl trembling on a cold December morn
Crying for momma's arms
At an orphanage just outside a little China town
There the forgotten are
But half a world away I hang the stockings by the fire
And dream about the day when I can finally call you mine
It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas
As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights
I'm warmed by the fire's glow
Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white,
Make angels in the snow
But half a world away you try your best to fight the tears
And hope that heaven's angels come to carry you here
It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart
I wish you Merry Christmas
Christmas is a time to celebrate the holy child
and we celebrate his perfect gift of love
He came to earth to give his lifeand prepare a place for us so we could have a home with him above
It's Christmas time again and now you're home
Your family is here so you will never be alone
So tonight before you go to sleep, I'll hold you in my arms
And I'll tell you from my heart, and I'll you from my heart
I wish you Merry Christmas

(via Life in The Polar North Defrosts)

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Friday, November 16, 2007

School in a Cave


School in a Cave: Children attend class at the Dongzhong (literally meaning "in cave") primary school at a Miao village in Ziyun county, southwest China's Guizhou province, November 14, 2007. The school is built in a huge, aircraft hanger-sized natural cave, carved out of a mountain over thousands of years by wind, water and seismic shifts.

Made in China, growing up in America

Made in China, growing up in America
China was where the babies were. So five Cleveland-area couples, eager to add to their families, traveled across the globe to adopt abandoned babies who would grow up with a dual Chinese-Jewish heritage. Part of a wave of over 50,000 Chinese babies adopted by Americans since 1993, these children, now entering adolescence, are finding their place in school, in synagogue, and in the larger community.
[link]

China Pictures


China Pictures to Save 957
Originally uploaded by lifeisadventure999

Shanghai by Night


Shanghai by Night
Originally uploaded by Rafal Bergman