Our Visit to Hengshan!

We left for Hengshan early on Wednesday, April 24th.    We had a short one hour train ride to the countryside...    Like Changsha, Hengshan is in the Hunan Province.  It is a quiet rural town surrounded by rolling hills and mountains. Our Pearl River program here is very small..  Currently we just have 3 children.  They all live in the same community...  The theme of "It takes a village to raise a child" resonates here..  It was clear that the families that take care of our PRO babies have the support and love of their neighbors and friends.  By U.S. standards this is a very poor area..  But, in the faces of the people I met, was a humble joy...  They are so proud of their children..  We were blessed to see families that have seen some of our Bamboo Babies leave their nests..  They were so excited to hear how they are doing now.  This includes my daughter Sienna.  She spent 4 years with her foster parents in Hengshan..  It was a special morning for all of us to spend time together.

Here are a few pictures from our morning with our Hengshan Families....

These two "Partners in Crime" have such a special friendship.  Joseph (on the right) joined PRO after losing both of his parents in a tragic way.  He was so sad for a very long time..  With the love of his foster family and his buddy Jamison he has come a long way.  Joseph's file is being prepared for adoption.  We pray that an amazing family comes forward to love him forever! 

Jamison has been a PRO baby for a long time...  He has seen a lot of his friends come and go over the past three years..  Our prayer is that it will be his turn soon too!  We worked with the orphanage to get him placed into a new school.  The reports are that he is doing well in this new situation.  We are so thankful for that!  This little guy is personality plus..  It was so fun to finally meet him!!

Zoe did not know what to think of us at first...  She is precious...  Once she let her gaurd down, Miss Jennifer had her laughing hysterically.  It was obvious she is very loved by her foster parents.

This is Miss Chen..  She was my daughter, Sienna's, Foster Mother for 4 years..  It was an amazing opportunity to spend time with her..  She loved my daughter very much..  Since Sienna left Miss Chen, she and her husband, have seen one more Bamboo Baby adopted.  Currently they are the foster parents of sweet little Zoe.

This is the Foster Grandmother and Foster Father of another little girl in our program, "Lina".  "Lina" was adopted in 2010.  Their request was for us to reach out to "Lina's" family for an update and pictures..  What a blessing it was for them when we were able to tell them about her family..  They are Pearl River Sponsors now.  Paige actually traveled with them on their first adoption..  We were able to email this photo to "Lina's" Forever Mom when we got back to the hotel!

These parents took care of "Olivia" for a long time.  She was recently adopted and is living in the U.S.  It was clear they miss her very much..  Same message was sent to "Olivia's" Forever Mama who also is a PRO Sponsor.  I think it is wonderful that our foster parents want to receive pictures and updates on the children they have fostered.  It says a lot about the care they receive while they are with them.

Meeting this sweet woman was very special for me too.    This was my God Daughter's Foster Mama while she was in Hengshan.  I couldn't wait to share an album that I brought with me of precious Zhi Lan.  Her Foster Dad was there too.  They were so excited to hear about their precious girl!  Since Zhi Lan left they have become grandparents of twin boys.  They couldn't wait to introduce me..  When you are in Hengshan you definitely feel welcome!

We had a very special morning in Hengshan..  We are so thankful for our families here!  They are working together to create a loving home for our Bamboo Babies while they wait for their forevers!!