I am excited to share the last portion of the CCAI Adopteens trip. After a wonderful journey through Beiijing we enjoyed an 11 hour train ride through the night. We arrived the next morning in Nanchang and headed for a hotel to drop off our things and then go shopping. The girls raised money to purchase things such as toys, DVD players, food processors, and air conditioners for the children. After a debriefing it was time to head to the orphanage. This is what the girls came so far for and the energy was beyond excited. There were mixed emotions as they imagined visiting the orphanages that some of them had actually been adopted from. The girls were anxious to see the children and learn more about where they came from and how they were cared for. To view images click here.
Watching them for the first time was hard. I could see confusion and sadness mixed with joy and passion. There were many questions asked and I am sure many more that they kept inside. I am so glad I got to see them go through the entire process. Towards the end they had formed bonds with the children that would forever change their view of how they were adopted. To view images click here
The entire journey was a life changing experience for both Nik and I. The things we saw and emotions felt changed many of my views of the adoption process. After it was all over I realized how two beautiful souls, Lily and Joshua Zhong, made the decision years ago to save one child at a time. It reminded me of the story of the man walking on a beach throwing stranded starfish back into the ocean. Another man walks by and said, "Why are you doing that? There are thousands of them it won’t make a difference." The man bent over, picked up another starfish and threw it into the ocean and replied, “It made a difference to that one.” Lily and Joshua, you are true heroes...
To view images click here
Images by Nikolai Puc' Photography
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