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