Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Matthew and eight of his classmates worked at the Community Service Store. The goal that weekend was to raise enough money for a child to receive a cleft palate operation. The weekend was a phenomenal success. The kids raised enough money for two children to receive the operation. It was a tremendous feeling to see Matthew donate his time to the community and we were very proud of him.Today, Matthew and his classmates went to the Shanghai
Children's Home (a local orphanage) to present the Shanghai Children's Home with supplies and 13,000 RMB (equivalent to almost $2,000 US Dollars). We had an opportunity to spend some time with the toddlers and of course, I and the other three mothers were busy holding the kids. Most of the children who reside there are girls but, there were two boys as well. In China, a boy is desired because of old tradition. It is very rare to find a boy in an orphanage. Both of the boys have heart problems and were abandoned by their families. It was extremely heartbreaking for me to see this.
One of the boys became very attached to me and wouldn't let me go. I fed him and had to resist the urge to walk out with him. A lot of these children are waiting to be adopted by a family. They are in need of a home and because of the fact that they were either born a girl or with a medical condition, they have been left to be raised at the facility. I hope that each of the children will find a loving home and a chance to experience love and security.
