Hello from China

Wednesday was our last day at XinXiang,After breakfast we headed to the orphanage but it took us a while to get there because there was an annual temple festival in the street. Once we got to the orphanage, we heard fireworks and even a marching band. Moya ran out to the street to get pictures and Ian got video. It was a really neat neighborhood experience. We spent time with the children and Krista gave the nannies a lesson in how to use the cloth diapers we brought and how to be sure each child had access to his/ her fingers. The kids are so bundled up, many of the little ones cannot get to their fingers. It was amazing to see the difference in the little blind girl with the ability to reach her fingers...she just blossomed. Sometimes, it is the simple things.

Before we left we caught sight of older kids in another part of the orphanage who were spending too much time on potty chairs. Some day maybe we can effect even more change. It is hard to see children not cherished or even treated humanely. We had a farewell lunch and meeting with the orphanage director. Our goal as the orphanage moves to the new building next month, is to hire more staff and turn Gracie 's Room into a 24 hour a day program. We went to the new building and picked out rooms with lots of light to be our new space. We are so excited to see the decorations and toys we brought brighten up a clean, spacious room. The expanded staff of nannies will be trained by staff from CCAI's Lily Orphan Care room at LuoHe Orphanage.

We drove two hours after lunch to get to LuoHe. We had dinner with officials from the local government and orphanage and a deputy director from the provincial Civil Affairs office. This is important as connections and relationships in China are so important to our ability to help the children. We are so grateful to CCAI and Xia Zhong for their support and leadership in our projects.

Tomorrow : to visit projects and LuoHe and Zhengzhou orphanages.