China Home Foundation & Love Without Boundaries

The world needs us !

I would like to thank all of the people that have prayed for us and made donations to our family to help us bring Norah home.
This was a very hard thing for us to do, “to ask for help“, because we usually find ourselves on the other side of the giving. I can’t tell you how much it means to Lori and me to have your support in such a wonderful time in our lives.
You have reduced the stress and fear we had been praying about, and replaced it with hope, joy, and compassion.

As I said in the beginning, your selfless act of giving to strangers will find new life and will be on its way back to the precious kids of China. On that note let me tell you where your donations will go when we get back from China.

We have in the past and will continue to donate to people like us that for one reason or four or five bad turns of events find they need help with their adoption expenses. I would like to report that some of the people we have helped out over the years returned the favor now that they have been home for awhile and donated to us too.

Then there is something we find close to our hearts,

The China Home Foundation

is one of them. Lori and I will sponsor this program.

http://www.chinahomefoundation.org/index.html

I just happen upon Michael Melsi's you tube videos one day and loved how happy the kids looked to be interacting with him. So I contacted him and a friendship was formed. We hope to see him when we go to Zhengzhou because Luoyang is only about 75 miles from Zhengzhou. We will have to see how Norah is doing before we make any plans to meet.

We stared sending care packages to two twin girls Maggie & Ginger, through a friend Michael. He had been teaching English in Luoyang, and stopped by the orphanage at Luoyang
just to have a look, he had no idea that first day would set in motion the life changing events that were in store not just for him but for the kids of Luoyang too. The changes we have been able to see, not only in the lives of Maggie & Ginger but in all the kids of Luoyang too have been remarkable. Now Michael Melsi and Mike Shook, are going to inhabit one entire floor of the SWI in Luoyang to turn it into a family like enviroment where the kids can learn life skills, both the kids that are eligible for adoption & the kids that will grow up in the orphanage until they go to work or school, so that when they leave the orphanage they will be less likely to be taken advantage of. They will keep tabs on the boys and girls that leave the orphanage to help them transition into Chinese society.

"China Home Foundation aspires to actively create a nurturing, home-like environment that enables orphaned children to discover and achieve their full potential. The aim of Home is to assist older, healthy orphans transition from an institutionalized childhood to an independent, fully-functional adulthood through a healthy environment, mentoring relationships, and a comprehensive life-skills training program. In March of 2009 we will be moving onto the 5th floor of a goverment orphanage in Luoyang, China and hope to make this vision a reality.
The China Home Foundation was established in the fall of 2008 to supplement care for the healthy, adolescent population of the Luoyang Children's Welfare Institute – a state run orphanage in Luoyang, China – by Michael Melsi and Mike Shook.
Michael came to China for 5 months before starting law school. 3 years later, in what feels like a different lifetime, he is still here. Michael had been teaching English in Luoyang when he discovered the city orphanage. Curious about orphan care in China, he requested a visit. The orphanage staff agreed for Michael and a friend to take what they believed would be a brief tour of the facility. When they arrived, they were ushered into a large room on the 6th floor and told "you can begin the English class now!". Michael recalls spending the next 2 hours improvising with 50 kids following him around pointing at objects saying "blue" and "dog". What was supposed to be a 40 minute tour lasted until the kids were going to bed that evening. In that brief time, Michael began to form a real connection with these kids. As the kids prepared for bed, Michael and his friend gave out lots of hugs and said goodbye. Then came the moment that changed Michael's life. Timmy (an adorable then 7-year-old boy) walked up to him and asked, "big friend, will you come back tomorrow?". Michael couldn't say anything but yes, and as he likes to say, he has been going back every tomorrow since. In the years that have followed, Michael has spent almost every day with these amazing kids, and has served the role of Uncle/Teacher/Friend/Mentor/Personal Assistant/Photographer/Cruise Director/Santa Claus. He often says that if you told him that this would be his life 3 years ago, he would have laughed at you, but now he wouldn't trade it for anything. He considers himself a deeply blessed man to have these kids in his life. In June of 2008, Michael met Mike Shook, who had been working in Beijing with the New Hope Foundation – the end of a two year tour assisting with orphan care projects throughout the world. They immediately formed a deep friendship and later that summer Mike decided to move to Luoyang to join Michael in his work. During a now infamous bus ride to Pizza Hut (yes we have Pizza Hut in Luoyang!), Michael and Mike shared information and discovered that the entire 5th floor of the orphanage would be vacated by its current occupant, however, all of the healthy, older kids would remain on the 4th and 6th floors of the facility. Thus sprung the idea that there may be potential to move into the floor and begin to work with the kids on a larger level. By the amazing grace of God and the endless generosity of their friends at the New Hope Foundation, they have now been given the opportunity to move onto the 5th floor and turn what was once a dream into reality. In March of 2009 the floor will be vacated and the newly established China Home Foundation will be able to move onto the floor. Our vision is to provide a place that the kids can call "home" and where they have the unconditional love, encouragement, and confidence necessary to be creative and learn skills that will enable them to transition from life at the orphanage to life outside the orphanage when they reach the age to leave."

Below are just a few of the wonderful photos that we have gotten of Maggie & Ginger and Michael over the years.

http://lwbblog.com/

Then there’s LWB (Love Without Boundaries) our daughter Norah was a LWB sponsored Child. Thank you! if you are one of the many people that donated to LWB. My Norah was able to get the heart surgery she needed, then hearing aids & a placement in a foster family. When we get back we will only be able to start out with sponsoring one other child to go in to a foster family, because of the economy and because it will take us some time to recover from the adoption expenses. This gives us a way to support both programs after we return home, and have a direct impact on two kids in China‘s orphanages. Again, thank you for your help, your donations will be paid forward ten times over to the kids of China.

What does LWB do?

WE CHANGE LIVES.

We do this through five main program areas:

Foster care: providing the priceless gift of a family’s love to children who are orphaned

Medical care: providing life changing surgeries to those born with health issues

Education: providing the gift of learning so that children can reach their full potential

Nutrition: providing the gift of a full tummy so that children can thrive

Special projects: providing essential supplies like cribs, coats, physical therapy and more

Click on each program name above and visit our main website pages to learn much more.

http://lwbblog.com/

Thank you to all the people who help us Bring Norah home your wonderful gift of compassion.

Glen & Lori

If you have donated to our adoption and have a blog please email me your blog address so I can post it here with a Thank you.

Linda J. http://www.whydothesekidskeepcallingmemom.com/ Thank you.
Charlotte W. http://charlottes4angels.blogspot.com/
Thank you. Roberta C. Of Cabot. Thank you.
Rose E. of Cabot, Thank you.
Cheryl D. of Mabelvale Thank you. http://kaijinsbigsis.blogspot.com/
Shea http://bringinmysonhome.blogspot.com/ Thank you.
Kammy K. of Sherwood thank you.
Marcy S. of Guam & msn Thank you.
Bryan & Kim R. of Benton Thank you.
Phil & Denise R. of Cabot Thank you.
Tommy & Julie A. of Cabot Thank you.
Tom T. Of Cabot Thank you.
Carolyn & Michael W. Of Jacksonville Thank you.
Hussein of Reno Thank you.
Jerald C. of Reno Thank you.
Glenn & Sheri C. of Jacksonville Thank you.
Ken H. of Cabot Thank you.
Anonymous. of Cabot Thank you.
Bo B. of Cabot Thank you.
Weimin T. of China Thank you.
Elisa T. of China Thank you.
Sam T. of Phoenix Thank you.
Annie T. of China Thank you.
Donna, Andrew T. Thank you. http://2happy.typepad.com/double_happiness/
Charlotte W. Thank you again. http://charlottes4angels.blogspot.com/
Cara H. of Bonaire, Thank you.
Tonya T. of beaver damspring, Thank you.
Laurie W. of Olympia, Thank you.
Heather & Mario E. Thank you. http://lanternsandlotusblossoms.blogspot.com/
Norah H. of Dallas, Thank you.
Kimberly F. Of Elkridge, Thank you.
Susie H. Thank you. http://www.lifewithdallas.com/
K. Thank you. http://kissesinthewindtochina.blogspot.com/
Michelle M. Thank you. http://runnergirl13.blogspot.com/
linda j & Family Thank you again for your help. http://www.whydothesekidskeepcallingmemom.com/
Trish K. Thank you. http://trish-outnumbered.blogspot.com/
Stefanie W. of the Netherlands wow thats cool. Thank you.
Thomas D. of Little Rock, Thank you.
Daisy & Jos Thank you. http://www.journeytoshea.blogspot.com/
Heidi H. of Tucson Thank you.
Steve & Karen F. of Jacksonville Thank you.
Betty & John W. Of Sherwood
Thank you. Gary & Nancy B. Of Jacksonville Thank you.
Linda & Eddie D. Of Jacksonville Thank you. Terry & Martha S. of Little Rock Thank you. Mark, Syleie.& Emiley of Cabot Thank you. Stephen, Sheila, & Max G. of France, Cool Thank you for your donation and kind words. Charlotte W. Thank you again. http://charlottes4angels.blogspot.com/ Mark, Kelly & Melanie Thank you. http://thehuffmanhouse.blogspot.com/ The Incredible, Mike & Melissa B. of UT. Ha-Thank you. Joe, Jody, Seph, Jillian, Chloe, & Caleigh, Of http://www.journeytome.com/ Chloe Faith & http://www.grippedbyhisgrace.wordpress.com/ Thank you. Sheryl C. Englewood, Thank you. so much. Sandra B. of Jacksonville Thank you. First Baptist Church of Jacksonville Marguerite Class, Thank you. Angela H. Of GA, Thank you. Scott O. Of WA Thank you. http://stinkymouse.com/ Kelly W. Hampton, VA Thank you.http://www.girlygirlbowtique.com/
Stefanie W. of the Netherlands Thank you so much again!
Anonymous, Thank you.
Ritchie & Jane G. of Maumelle, Thank you.
Jerald C. of Reno Thank you again.
Tom & Linda S. of Cabot Thank you again.
Cortney D. of WA Thank you.
Becky & Don T. of jacksonville Thank you.
Laurie W. OH Thank you.
David and Mandy S. of OH Thank you very much.
Lisa L. of MI Thank you.
Danny,Jo Anne, & Makenna, of Cabot Thank you so much.
Pat & Don of OK, Thank you.
Mike of Sherwood, thank you.
Jeff & Alissa B. of, Palau thank you very much.
shea d. jonesboro, Thank you.
Cheryl D., Of Thanks again http://www.kaijinsbigsis.blogspot.com/
Kathy & Dale Of NE. Thank You.
Debra C. Of VA. Thank you.
Anonymous, Thank you.
Tricia of http://www.tmifamily.com/ Thank you.
Heather B., WA Thank you.