Desheng Foster Mums...... Old friends........

It was fantastic to arrive at the restaurant in Yizhou (Yizhou City is about 30 mins from Desheng & where many of the Desheng foster mums live) and be greeted by old friends:-). We have been meeting with some of these fantastic ladies since 2005 and followed them as they have cared so well for so many of our precious Desheng children, sharing their pride and happiness ( and sometimes their concerns) over their children. We have also shared their joy, tinged with sadness, when the children they have cared for, find their own families. It is a privilege to be able to help connect them with the children in their new families around the world.

In fact I am not sure that they are excited to see US when we arrive....more the photos & letters we may be carrying from the children in ther new families!!!!!!!! :-)

Mr Yao, the SWI Director and one of our oldest & dearest foster mums were both there to welcome us as we stepped off the bus.

It was so good to see them again !!!!!

We walked into a see of smiling faces & happy children. It was so good to see the children again...some were old friends, like our Megan who was one of the first children in our Foster care programme in 2005, some we had read about in the Foster Care reports, some of the older ones whose progress we have ben closely following and some we were meeting for the first time. It was hard to concentrate on the food...but it was delicious so we managed, for a wee while :-)

During the meal, we moved around taking lots of photos, chatting with foster mums and passing on messages, photos & gifts from families all around the world.

Very special!!!!!! Much happiness!!!!!!

A cheeky wee face - enjoying Peek-a-boo

too much for this little one.......but determined not to miss too much fun?

Eating on the go.......



Bubble fun for everyone :-)

Time for some more food........
and a lovely tender moment between Desheng Sisters......

two more special Desheng sisters.......

Robert was really excited because he had some lovely gifts from his sponsors....
and he had made gifts for each of the girls here.

The sharing was so special & he was sooo excited about it.

Towards the end, The Grace-Hope staff arranged a game of "Pass the Fluffy Pencil" where all the foster mamas & us...had to pass the pencil round til the song stopped.

Whoever was holding the pencil had to say 2 things about our children's recent achievements.

Were these foster mamas proud of their children, or what??????

All too soon, it was time to say goodbye....til next year........









These Foster Mamas & Babas do such a wonderful job!

Without them, these precious children would be lying in a cot

without the love, care & attention they need to thrive.

It is so important to meet with these Mamas &

show how much we value all that they do for the children.

Of course without the sponsors who donate so faithfully each month

this love would not be possible.........

Without the vision of Xiao Xiao & Grace-Hope, this care would not be possible...

So we were honoured to be a small part in the Celebrations which make all of this possible for the children who could so easily be OUR sons & daughters

Thank you so much to all Desheng Sponsors

( and of course all our other sponsors........:-)

Xie Xie to ALL who make these changes possible,

Linda & Cindy

xx

The Work Begins...

It was a beautiful sunny day in Yizhou City and we were ready to do what we came to do...work! Soon, a van came to get us to bring us to the Yizhou SWI where we would be meeting the foster kids. The door opened, and there before us were some foster moms and kids who would be driving with us!!



We drove through the streets of Yizhou City and soon we approached the gate of the orphanage


There were lots of smiles



Older kids helped younger ones...





The faces just melted into our hearts





Both young and old were there...












Soon Peter began to organize the games





And Iain encouraged the elderly residents to come play games too


A sweet new life was there for us to hold and love


We tended to those who needed help and offered lots of hugs...



We watched in awe as kids were kids of all ages

New friends were made...


and everyone played

The afternoon flew by and soon it was close to dinner...


At the Chinese version of Kentucky Fried Chicken!!






Outside we had balloons, and one last photo before saying goodbye...with more work to come!!

Congratulations Ingeborg :-)

Well done Ingeborg! Good guess. It was indeed an alligator:-)
I really didn't want to ask what it was doing there.......but I don't suppose it was as a pet?
The children had seen it earlier with Iain, but by the time we arrived it was being put back in the van.
Very sad really :-(

Send me your address & I will deliver your prize as promised ;-)

Linda