Tessa...Happy News!

Just a quick follow up on my earlier post about Tessa...our special girl met her forever family on Monday!

Yeah, Tessa! Yeah, family! From all accounts she did great. I so hope that her family will keep in touch with us. Tessa has been part of our Eagles Wings family for 2 1/2 years. We all miss her so!

Happy Birthday, Lucy!

Today our Lucy is 12...or 13, depending on where you live. Traditionally in China, your age counts the year you are beginning, not the year you have finished, as in the west. So today our Lucy started on her 13th year and thus is shi-san, 13. Which also means that for the next 3 weeks I have 2 15-year olds and THREE 13 year olds in my house (and a 9 year old -- she and I are the only non-teenagers).

For orphaned children, birthdays are seldom even acknowledged much less celebrated. With 60+ children in Eagles Wings you can imagine that it is difficult to have a big party and many gifts on every birthday. One of the issues that I hope to work out as China Director is how we make every child feel special on their birthday without having it be focused on cake and ice cream and presents. In some ways this is a small issue, but in the context of raising children with a sense of value and of individuality, I think it isn't really that small. In fact, I think of all the things we do here, this may be one that our children will remember well into adulthood.

So today was all about Lucy. A cake, many homemade cards from her sisters and brother and a couple of small gifts...all in all it cost me about $12. I think these photos tell you what it meant to her.

Eagles Wings Holiday Fundraiser

We are once again making handmade donation cards to raise money for our holiday celebrations at Eagles Wings. We want to provide a small gift and a holiday meal for each child as well as a holiday bonus for our hardworking staff. These costs are above our normal budget, so we are once again offering a great gift option for that hard-to-buy for relative/teacher/neighbor or anyone who would appreciate a clutter-free, calorie-free gift that benefits children without a family.  You may make a donation of any amount; each multiple of $25 entitles you to one donation card. Click the link below to complete the form...we'll have your donation cards in the mail in time for Christmas!

Holiday Donation Form

FYI - The donation form link will redirect you to our family blog. 100% of these proceeds go to Eagles Wings, these funds are not intended to support our family.

With an thankful heart,

Donna

Director, Eagles Wings

Meet Tessa!

Isn't she adorable? Even hanging upside down! It wasn't so long ago that Tessa would have been very frightened by being spun around or tipped over. Like many children with vision impairments, she had some sensory difficulties as a young toddler. Now she loves it! Unlike many VI kids, Tessa's overall development has been right on target. She started exploring her environment as soon as she could crawl and took her first steps soon after her first birthday. The attention she received as a baby in Eagles Wings 2 has enabled her to grow up just like a fully sighted child. We are so proud of her! Now we wait with excitement and a little sadness for Tessa's forever family to finish the adoption process and come get her. We don't know exactly when that will be, but we do know that there is a very lucky family out there working hard to add her to their family.

Well, I clearly get the prize as the world's worst blogger. I had great visions of spending "just a little" time each evening updating the blog about my day, about some of our children, what's going on, what's coming up. So much for those great plans! I can assure you that my silence is not a consequence of a lack of activity...quite the opposite! There is so much happening that it is hard to pull out just one nugget! But I do promise to try.

One "nugget" that I want to share is that we are making wonderful progress on the adoption front. As an adoptive mother myself, this is very near to my heart and very exciting. In 2010 Eagles Wings sent a record number of children to their forever homes, and 2011 is shaping up well also. We have five children who we know for sure have families working to bring them home; there may be others that we are not yet aware of. That's wonderful...nearly 10%!  We have also seen greater numbers of our children selected to have their paperwork completed so they have the opportunity to be adopted, including children with cerebral palsy and Down's syndrome, who in the past have not been considered eligible. I am happy to say that we have developed a good relationship with those who have the final say, and I have been working behind the scenes to bring some children to their attention who have great potential for adoption. We will greatly miss the ones who leave us for other homes, but will rejoice that they have opportunities that only a family can give. At this time the information on who is being adopted is confidential, but we will certainly share that information when we can, so you can rejoice, too!

Tomorrow is a very big day for one of our little girls,  "Zoey" has congenital cataracts and a possible cyst or tumor in one eye. She is traveling to Beijing with one of her caregivers to be examined at the eye hospital. Based on their diagnosis, we will find out what course to pursue. Please be praying for Zoey and her caregiver as the trip will be long, and with her lack of vision she is very sensitive to environmental changes; this will be a challenging day. But we hope that we will soon have Zoey well and ready for therapy to help her adapt and thrive in the future.

"John Wayne" is a little boy who has been near and dear to my heart for almost two years now. I met him on Christmas Eve 2008 as he was bundled into my arms and sent home with me to Eagles Wings 2. Since then John Wayne has undergone treatment for a club foot and had his paperwork prepared for adoption. So far we aren't aware of a family who has chosen him, but hope that that will happen very soon! He is a very lively, smart and happy boy. He runs everywhere and enjoys laughing and playing with his friends.

With a promise to try to keep in touch better, and

With a thankful heart,

Donna
Director, Eagles Wings

Our Team

Every Tuesday the management team meets for an hour to discuss pressing issues and work out solutions. We also have announcements and discuss staffing. In this photo, from left to right, is Gao XiaoDui, manager for EW2, Wang Chan, leader of our school, Donna Laurie, China Director, Ma XiuXia, manager for EW4, Gu XiaoGuang, Logistics Manager and Guo Xi Mei, manager for EW5. Missing are Chew Gim, volunteer manager of EW3 and Zhang Ying, manager of EW 6 and Donna's assistant.  Also absent were Lou Huan, Administrative Manager, and Dong Mei, Purchasing. Both are still at home with their new babies.

We are also very grateful to have had a continuous supply of volunteers this fall. This makes a huge different to us! At left are Finlay and Alice, residing in EW2 and helping out with special projects. Next are Marion and Gladys, nurses who are helping with our cognitively disabled children in EW4.






Things have been busy this week, particularly in Eagles Wings 5. We have four fragile babies in that house now; three were just released from the hospital yesterday.  Our cleft baby has an undiagnosed heart defect which we are working to find resources to have repaired. We also have three blind children in this home: Our youngest baby, just 3 weeks old, is quite frail but she has been gaining weight rapidly under the good care of Jenny and Liz, two volunteers who returned to Australia this week, as well as Guo Xi Mei and her staff.  Another has a brain tumor, and the third one has had significant gastric problems and now has a colostomy bag. This is a challenge for the staff. Please keep them in your prayers.

With a thankful heart,
Donna
Director, Eagles Wings

Eagles Wings 5

From Linda: Eagles’ Wings 5 is for tiny or weaker babies or babies recovering from surgeries.  There are now 8 babies there.  This tiny little fellow arrived this past week from an orphanage several hours away from our town.  This orphanage  came to inspect all our homes before they let us have any of their children. Now we have four children from there, and they are very pleased with our care. 

This baby was born with eyes that did not form properly.  His name means “shining cloud”. The lady from the orphanage was a very kind person, and when she handed him to me, I knew he was meant to be in Eagles’ Wings where he will be loved and well cared for.   

At present, both JennAi, whose vision has made Eagles Wings 5 possible, and her friend, Liz, a nurse from Australia, are volunteering in Eagles Wings 5. We had trouble measuring the weight of our babies accurately as we couldn’t afford a good digital baby scale, and most of our ayis are village women who struggled to measure the length of babies as they kept wriggling (the babies not the ayis J). Now Liz has taught all the ayis how to measure head and chest circumference as well as body length, and, Kirsty, a friend of Eagles Wings in Beijing, donated two good quality baby scales. "Ask and it shall be given". We are so thankful for everyone who plays a part in this work!

In the meantime, Donna, our recently arrived “In China Director”, and one of the ayis from Eagles Wings 2, where five of our seven vision impaired children live, are going to Beijing next week to attend a conference on the education and raising of vision impaired children.

School of Hope and Happiness

From Linda: "Here you see our children finishing up from “fruit snack” and getting ready for combined class time.  This is when they sing and play word games and they end the session with small group activities suited to all levels of ability and age.  These children are soaking up learning like little sponges and they can’t wait to get to school each day.  We have 3 classes… kindergarten, advanced class and special needs class for slow learners. Thanks to all of your praying and loving, you have made a wonderful contribution towards happy childhoods for all our students."

This place is SUCH a blessing for all the kids who are not able to attend regular school. Without it they would have limited access to any education.  The kids LOVE school. When I was there two of "my" kids with severe mobility issues were tutored at home rather than taken across town to the orphanage (where the school was at that time). The tutoring was okay, but they missed out on so much of the school atmosphere and other activities. So I put together a plan to help them gain mobility and asked that they be included. You would have thought I had hung the moon! Those two little faces were so happy and excited to be GOING to school! The little boy who was five at the time could hardly sleep for two days beforehand, and kept checking with me to make sure I hadn't forgotten.  :) What JOY just to have the chance to go to school. We are so glad to be able to provide this experience to most of our eaglets.
If you are a teacher or have a heart for teaching, would you consider spending your summer holidays teaching and training our teachers in China? You would really make a difference. Can you provide a donation to help support our school? We rely on individual donations to keep the school running. We also need to provide a mini-school for our cognitively impaired children who benefit so much from the activities but need greater support for their many physical challenges.

With a thankful heart,
Donna
Director, Eagles Wings

Welcome Lin Lan!

It is with great joy that we announce the safe delivery of Gu Lin Lan.  She arrived on Sept 21 in the morning by C section.  She weighed in at 6 jin/pounds.  She has been home for two days now and tonight, Sylvia, Marion and I got to hold her. Thank you to all who have been praying and those of you who sponsor Lin Lan’s parents, Xiao Guang and Lou Huan, our logistics manager and manager of administration.  Lou Huan is entitled to 105 days fully paid, but already she has done some administration work from home. 

Many of you love this young couple and I know you are rejoicing in this precious event.

Linda Shum

President of Chinese Orphans' Assistance Team Incorporated (COAT Inc)

"I raised you up on eagles' wings and brought you to myself" Ex 4:19b

http://www.eagleswingschina.org

Head Eagle Has Landed!

I am sure there is much rejoicing in Jiaozuo as Linda NaiNai (aka Linda Shum, COAT's Founder and President) has arrived for her semi-annual visit to Eagles Wings. She brought with her a few helpers...Vickie arrived about a week ago and Sylvia and Marion went straight to Jiaozuo while Linda detoured to Guangzhou to say "zai jian" to Fu Xing, now Greg Holle, who leaves for his new life in America tomorrow.

It's always so exciting for everyone when Linda arrives. She spoils the children, though she says she doesn't. But hugs and love and books won't really spoil anyone too terribly. She makes them read and practice their English which brings eye rolling and grins. I am sure WX has already tried his most pathetic little faces on her so he can sit on her knee.

For the staff, there is always praise and appreciation but also stern words for anyone who is not doing their share or needs some reminding about good hygiene or treating our children with respect and caring. All done with kindness and tact in semi-passable Chinese.

Linda's days are always busy with official meetings, unofficial training sessions, assessing which children need additional therapy, overseeing lessons at the school, and shopping for necessities (and some treats). She is often seen cruising around the city in her three wheel cart off on one mission or another.

The other NaiNais (grandmother in Chinese), JennAi, Liz, Sylvia and Marion are ensconced in various houses helping with the routine and not-so-routine tasks and spending time holding and nurturing our children. There's nothing quite like a grandma's arms to make a child feel loved.

Of course the biggest question when Linda is in China is how many new children and babies will take up residence before she leaves. There isn't a child that she can say no to; every one pulls at her heartstrings. Maybe we should have a poll? I'll keep you posted.

Please be praying for all four NaiNais as they work long hours, climb hundreds of stairs and demonstrate God's love to children and staff alike. May they be blessed as they bless the least of these.

With a thankful heart,
Donna
Director, Eagles Wings

It's A Boy!

With the new little girls arriving for our Eagles Wings staff, it's only fitting that we add a new little boy to our family. Meet Randy! This little guy was born on July 19, 2010 and arrived in Eagles Wings just this week. As you can see he will be needing surgery to repair his cleft lip. Hopefully, once that is done, he will quickly find a forever family. But for now, Randy will be in the caring hands of our special team in EW5, being carefully fed and nurtured so he can gain the weight necessary before we can schedule surgery. Please be praying for Randy and his nannies. If you would like to sponsor Randy or donate towards the costs of his surgery, you can do so at the Eagles Wings website.  We, Randy and I, would appreciate it!

Donna
Director, Eagles Wings

Congratulations!

I am happy to let you know that we actually have two brand new babies in our Eagles Wings family!  Our China Management team is led by a lovely married couple who welcomed their precious daughter, Gu Lin Lan, on Monday.

Our Purchasing Supervisor, a long time COAT employee, Dong Mei, and her husband welcomed their daughter, Wen Jing, last Friday.

Babies and Mamas are doing well. I'll post photos when I get them.  Congratulations and best wishes to the happy families!

Prayers Please

Our Administrative Manager is expecting her first child. She has been admitted to the hospital a few weeks early and they are expecting they will do a c-section tomorrow. Please pray for a healthy baby and a positive outcome all around. I had hoped to be in China before her baby arrived, but since that is not to be (and Linda isn't there for another week either), please pray that she would have the help and support she needs from her family and friends.  Also pray for her husband (our Facilities Manager).

An Eaglet Leaves the Nest!

There is very little that surpasses the joy when a child becomes part of a forever family. It is what we hope for for all of our children. Today, in China, one of my boys met the parents who will finish the job of raising this young boy into adulthood. I couldn't be more thrilled. With permission from his PARENTS (isn't that awesome?!), here are gotcha day photos of my sweet Fu Xing, now Gregory Holle.

  

    

Moving Moving Moving

It seems there is a lot of that going on these days!
Please send prayers for wisdom as we make a final shuffle of children and staff. The recent neighbor issue and the arrival of my family in early October has precipitated a fairly sizable rotation of kids. I hate to move them, more disruption in their young lives, but I also think that if we plan this move well, we should be set for many years to come. There are always unforeseen circumstances, but we try to keep them as stable as possible. I hope we will also be able to have more consistency in caregivers soon. 


We are also casting a net for a piece of property where we can have a school that is either in a small business, rather than residential, building or a stand alone facility. I like, no I love, the idea of having more space for the school. Perhaps one day we can even take some children with disabilities from the community! I do have mixed feelings though about raising the children in a walled off compound.  While this is fine for babies and toddlers, since most of our children will likely stay with us until young adulthood, I am concerned about creating an environment that is too removed from the community at large. We want our eaglets to soar into the world some day, and our job is to prepare them as best we can.


What do you think?

Countering the Effects of Institutionalization Before AND After Adoption

Today on Facebook I saw a link to an interesting series of essays on the risks of adopting called, Why Love Isn't Enough. The author, Arleta James, describes the purpose of the series as an effort to "make clear that today's waiting children -- international and domestic -- infants and older children -- are a traumatized population." The series will cover eight major causes of this trauma, and hopefully offer some strategies for addressing the effects.

The effects of institutionalization are heartbreaking and life changing, but these effects are not just relevant to adopted children. In fact, all institutionalized children are at risk, and none more than those who never will have a family of their own. Living in a small group setting gives children the opportunity to form loving bonds with caregivers and peers and allows them to develop their social skills in ways that the highly competitive and often (surprisingly) unstructured orphanage environment does not. Which -- of course! -- leads me to the impact and the importance of Eagles Wings and similar programs around the world. Our mission is to minimize the effects of institutionalization on all of our children, whether Eagles Wings is their final destination or the place where they take flight.

We are always thrilled when we have news that one of "our" kids will soon be adopted, but we also know that that isn't the end of his or her challenges. Adapting to a new language, a new culture and a new family is a big task. While we can't emphasize enough the need for adequate parental preparation, I believe that children who have developed healthy, trusting relationships with adults and who have experienced family routines and sensitive discipline will have an easier transition.

There is no doubt that a caring, committed and appropriately prepared family is the best possible place for all children. However, approximately 70% of our eaglets will never find families, and for them the staff and other children in Eagles Wings will be their family. Eagles Wings will make all the difference in helping them overcome their early losses and become productive adults.

Donna
Director, Eagles Wings

Chinese Orphans and the Need for Eagles Wings

Adoption Talk: Amy Edlridge of LWB Speaks

This blogger has done an excellent summary of a well-informed speech from a recent adoption conference. THIS is what I saw and experienced in the orphanage and at Eagles Wings. When most people think of Chinese orphans, they picture rows and rows of beautiful little baby girls just waiting for their mommies. The truth is quite different. There is a desperate need for knowledge, understanding and compassion for the thousands of children left behind. I hope you will read the entire article, linked below. Here are some highlights. My comments are in blue italics.

"The landscape has changed considerably from the days when Chinese orphanages were filled with healthy infant girls who had been abandoned because of the government's one child policy and the social preference for boys.  Now, the orphanages are filled with special needs kids, many critically ill.  She reported that 98% of newly abandoned children in China have serious medical needs, which explains why 60% of adoptions in 2010 were special needs adoption."  This is SO true! It is why all of our Eagles Wings children are special needs. Many people assume that most of the children in our care are girls, but in fact we have about equal numbers of boys and girls.

"Special needs children get abandoned because of the stigma associated with disabilities and/or because of medical costs.  Children with visible disabilities will be refused education, and when they grow up will have difficulty finding a job. Medical costs can be too high for a family to bear -- there is no health insurance, no free health care in China.  All health care has to be paid for up front.  Poor families will abandon their children in the hopes that they will receive health care in the orphanage."  Unfortunately most orphanages are also unable to provide the medical care, and particularly PT/OT services, that these children need. Few orphanages are equipped, on their own, to provide education and vocational services to their special needs children. Programs like Eagles Wings are the only hope for these children, who are otherwise healthy and intelligent, to become responsible, productive adults and open doors for a future outside the social welfare institute.

A family is always better than an orphanage or even a group foster home, but the reality is that most special needs orphans over the age of 4 will not be adopted. We are thrilled for every one that is, but our focus at Eagles Wings is on those who will not. They deserve the best we can give.

AdoptionTalk: Amy Eldridge of LWB Speaks

Dreaming Big Dreams

I spent some time tonight sharing stories of "my kids" with one of my aunts. She is a nurse at a major teaching hospital, so she understands the scope of the medical needs of our children. Unlike some foster home programs which specialize in a few of the more common special needs, at Eagles Wings we have children with many different medical challenges. This in itself has me s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g to learn what I need to learn, identify the children's needs and find medical professional willing to help.

That help can take many forms. The most basic need is to have a network of doctors, nurses and therapists from various specialties (neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, urology, etc) who would be able to consult with me when I need to talk through symptoms, test results and discuss potential options. I know that ultimately decisions for treatment will fall on my shoulders but discussing things with a subject matter expert is a huge help.

For those with a penchant for travel and a little more adventure in their lives, we can definitely use people who can come and stay for a few weeks or a month. To do what? Two things really, first is evaluating the children, diagnosing their conditions and creating treatment plans. Second is training our staff in appropriate techniques to follow through on those plans. Our employees have no medical background (and neither do I, other than Dr. Mom!) so people with a heart for training can have an amazing impact.  Subsequent volunteers would then continue to evaluate progress and adjust treatment plans as needed and continue to train and re-train the staff. What a huge difference this can make! 

Anyone interested in spending 3 months (or more!)???  Well, you are very welcome, too!  My dream is to have a medical professional (nurse, doctor, therapist) always on site. Just 4 to 6 people per year who would be willing to come for a few months, well, I can't even begin to tell you how that would change the lives of these children. And many, many more.

So these are the things I shared with my aunt tonight. And now with you.

Donna

Director, Eagles Wings

Adoption News!

We had news today of another one of our little ones being adopted. This is just so wonderful. Previously only a few of our full-time kids had been submitted for adoption. I think this represents a change in perspective from the SWI, and I am very excited for more of our children to find forever homes. That means there will be places for new children to come and stay for a season or longer depending on their needs.


As children leave and we make room for new children, we do need to be ever mindful of finding sponsors for every child. At this point we only have about half the amount of sponsorship that we need. Thanks to one time donations and God's grace we are able to keep Eagles Wings open and serving approximately 70 children. If you would like more information about sponsoring a child or a staff member (CRITICAL!!), please see our Eagles Wings Website.


One of the less common aspects of Eagles Wings is its program for older special needs children, most of whom will never have the option for a forever family of their own. For them, Eagles Wings is their home and we are their family. Most programs focus on babies or very young children with correctable needs -- children who will have a good chance for adoption. This is wonderful and necessary! Only a few foster home programs bring in children with more significant needs, including cognitive disabilities and severe cerebral palsy, and Eagles Wings is one of them. For many of these children, just surviving is a miracle, but at Eagles Wings, our mission is to move these children from surviving to thriving!

All Better!

There was a measles outbreak a couple of weeks ago. Sad and scary when it's so preventable here. But things are different and sometimes we have to ride them through. Happily our kids are recovering and there have been no new cases for a week. We have the houses affected in quarantine and will lift that later this week. Here are two cuties who look none the worse for their experience!

Babies Are Home!

DangDang and Zhe Nan are back at Eagles Wings. Both got a slight fever on the long trip home and are being taken care of. We heard from the doctor who did the repairs, that Zhe Nan's former repair not only didn't hold but wasn't done correctly on the inside and, if the stitches had held, would have resulted in lack of movement of his lip. We are so fortunate that this team came at this time to take care of our little ones.

Thanks for everyone who continues to pray for our babies' complete healing.

Donna
Director, Eagles Wings

Surgery Update

DangDang and Zhe Nan and their two dedicated ayis are on their way home! Because of the change of venue, they have an 11 hour train ride from Yulin to Xian and then three hours to Zhengzhou and THEN a 2 hour ride in the van back to Jiaozuo. Such a long trip for two little babies and two very tired ayis.

We are so very thankful ...
...for the team that did this great work, under less than ideal conditions.
...for those who planned and prepared for a YEAR to make this happen.
...for everyone who raised funds for the trip and the surgeries.
...for everyone who has prayed for safety and good health for team members and babies.

I'll post photos as soon as I get them!

Donna
Director, Eagles Wings

Today's Update

Everyone is safely in Yulin. Our Eagles Wings charmers passed all their pre-surgery tests and are scheduled for their lip repair tomorrow (Friday afternoon, China time). Please send good thoughts their way for health, safety during surgery, good healing and a safe trip back to Jiaozuo. More as soon as I know something...internet is less reliable in Yulin so updates are less frequent.

Donna
Director, Eagles Wings

Update on Surgeries

I heard a quick update today...and it's about as representative of what we deal with as almost any example I can think of.
The surgeries have been scheduled for several months to take place at a hospital in Xian. Our Eagles Wings babies took the train to Xian on Tuesday to do their pre-op workups and wait for the medical team from Tennessee to arrive. The team left the US on Monday, arrived in Beijing on Tuesday and will travel to Xian today. So far so good.
EXCEPT...that the hospital has now (today) refused to allow the surgeries.  WHAT??? I can't imagine the discouragement and frustration of all the organizers and team members.  But with a real sense of purpose and determination they quickly went to Plan B and arranged to do the surgeries at a hospital in Yulin, about 660 km away (about 400 miles for the Yanks). The Eagles Wings babies have already been moved and resituated; the eleven babies from Xian (who remember were never supposed to have to leave town) will now be moved to Yulin very shortly. The surgeries will start this weekend as planned!  Hooray!
And that's how things go in this wild and wonderful world of special needs orphan care. No wonder I am so so anxious to get there!

Donna
Director, Eagles Wings

Great News!

The time difference with China can be difficult, but usually it is a wonderful thing. I know what has happened "today" by the time I wake up in the morning. :)  I am very, very happy to report that DangDang and Zhe Nan have arrived safely in Xian and are being very, very well taken care of thanks to Annabelle's Wish and the lovely and committed staff at Starfish Foster Home.  I cannot thank these groups enough for helping us do our work. It really does take a village...no one can do everything that needs to be done without help from others. Nor should we. There is just as much (often more) joy in giving and sharing and helping as in receiving those gifts and assistance.

So a special thanks for Jeannie, Amanda, Ginnie, Laurie and Dr. Robert for your love and care for our Jiaozuo babies.

If you would like to be part of the giving and sharing, you can make a contribution to the medical needs of other Jiaozuo children, like DangDang and Zhe Nan by clicking HERE.

Donna
Director, Eagles Wings

What A Difference A Lip Makes...

Try this...get a cup of water, or a juice box with the little straw thing or a bottle of pop/coke/soda (depending on what part of the country or world you reside in). Now take a sip...wait! wait!  You can't close your lips -- just take a drink with your mouth slightly open. Hey, stop cheating....open your lips just a little and try again.

Well, if you are using a cup you probably have a mess dribbling down your chin onto your clothes. If you are using a straw you are completely thwarted because you can't get any sucking action going. And that's what trying to eat and drink is like every day for DangDang and Zhe Nan, two of our cleft babies. Add to that a cleft palate which makes whatever you do get to stay in your mouth come out through your nose. (Don't you HATE that feeling?!) For babies born with cleft lip and cleft palate, just surviving is a daily effort. Feeding these babies takes a lot of patience (and lots of clean towels to mop up what doesn't go down). It's a mess for everyone and frustrating for a hungry baby to have nourishment so close and yet so far. Eagles Wings 5 is our home for babies with high maintenance medical needs, like cleft lip/cleft palate.

It's already July 13 at Eagles Wings and although they don't know it, in just a few hours, Dang Dang and Zhe Nan are going for a very important journey. They will be going with two of their ayis to Xian, a 3 hour train ride away, where they will have surgery to close their lips. The next few days will be scary and a little painful, but the benefits...being able to actually close their lips!...will be well worth it. In addition, after their surgery, they will be able to be processed for adoption, and their chances of being chosen by a family are far higher after this surgery than before it. Just a fact of life. One of many "facts" that have made life pretty difficult so far for DangDang and Zhe Nan.

So, if you don't mind, say an extra prayer today and over the next week for DangDang and Zhe Nan and their ayis as they travel and as the babies have this healing, and life changing, surgery. Please also pray for the doctor and other staff who are traveling from the US -- on their own time, raising their own funds -- to do the surgery on 20 little ones just like DangDang and ZheNan. We are so SO thankful for their skill and their willingness to go where they are needed.

THIS is what it's all about.