Today we visited the Zhengzhou
Children’s Welfare Institute or CWI or orphanage (for the less politically
correct). This is where Patrick spent
the past year of his life as well as the place John spent over a year of his
life. We had not visited here on our previous trips to Zhengzhou. As we drove up I was honestly shocked at the
size of the facility. From the outside
it was a beautiful location with a soccer field surrounded by a track, multiple
playground areas, and a large garden. It
was painted in bright colors and cleaner than I anticipated. On the surface the inside was bright and
cheery as well. The kids were
smiling. Preschool was in full swing. We were greeted by smiling workers who were
all thrilled to see Patrick again. He
was in his carrier strapped to me so he felt pretty safe. Lauren and I could tell he was nervous, but
he did well throughout his visit. Our
first stop was the New Hope/Show Hope Special Care Center. This is home to
about 80 of the babies under the care of Show Hope. We visited Patrick’s room. His nannies were thrilled
to see him. We were greeted by the head
nanny who got so excited not only to see Patrick, but also to see pictures of
John. She was ecstatic to see he was
doing so well. We also got to see Ednalyn,
Patrick’s nurse, who has cared for him for quite a while now. Before
we left the Show Hope floor Ednalyn walked into a supply room. Patrick immediately started smiling. She returned with a handful of snacks for
him. Apparently these two have shared a
few snacks throughout their time together. If anyone sponsors children through
Show Hope, I can personally say that they are loved and well cared for in this
facility
Later we visited Patrick’s
preschool room. His teacher was just as
happy to see him as everyone else. She
insisted that I take him out of his carrier for pictures. I was reluctant but went ahead. Again he did great, but happily got back on
my chest!!! We were told that he loved going to preschool, and I believe it.
It was great to see where two of
my boys spent a great deal of their lives.
It was also great to know that neither of them are there any
longer. As we prepared to leave today we
were met by a large group of kids going from one activity to another. Most of these kids were older. There were walkers, wheelchairs, and kids
walking normally. There was laughter,
bickering, and lots of showing off for the camera. One guy made sure he got a fist bump from
each of us. If we didn’t know better, we
could have been in a normal school environment.
Sadly we do know better. We were
in an orphanage. We were in the largest
orphanage in Henan province. Over 600
children call this place home. That doesn’t
include those who are in foster care in this city. When the “school day” ends these kids don’t
go home to happy families. During
holiday breaks this is still home. These
kids rarely see the outside of the orphanage gates. A location similar to this is where Elisabeth
spent the first 13 years of her life.
Some of these children will be adopted either domestically or
internationally, but statistically speaking most of these children have no
future. They are considered “unlucky” by
their country so jobs will be hard to come by once their days are over in the
orphanage. Life on the streets or in
jail will be the most common outcome. Open
Christianity is illegal so there isn’t a church to step in for help. It’s heartbreaking. We can all talk about the statistics, but
when you stand in a room surrounded by real live children, it’s almost
unbearable. I wish I could transport anyone who asks me
why we chose to adopt to that room. No
further explanation would be needed. I
wouldn’t have to explain why our hearts long to bring even more home. I’m thankful that God chose my family to
remove at least 4 children from that room.
I pray that someone, somewhere is answering God’s call to remove even
more.
Panoramic view from inside the orphanage
Ednalyn
Patrick's bed
Us with the head nanny and Ednalyn
Patick's preschool room
Door artwork
In Mama's arms
The fist bumper
Selfie with a new friend