A Family for Jie

On behalf of our family, Ian and Asher have a special request:

Asher's friend, Jie needs a family.

Would you help us find him one?

When we first met Jie, he was very sad looking. Our guide Hannah, went right over to him and Jie began asking her if she had found him a family. At nine years old, he has seen several of his friends leave with their families but no one has come for him.

The orphanage staff kept telling us that Jie is a very smart and good boy. He always listens to the nannies and is very helpful.
Jie attends a boarding school that is several hours away from the orphanage. He is a very good student and loves to learn, but he does not like the school because he has no family or friends there.

We told Jie that we would pray for a family for him. Jie asked us what did it mean to pray, so Ian explained that praying was asking God for something for someone. And Jie looked at us and asked "What is God?"
This little boy is so hungry and he wants to learn so much.
But he hasn't been given the opportunity to.

Like Asher, he was born with a cleft lip but he has had the surgery and is completely healthy. I don't believe his palate was involved because he spoke very well for being 9 years old. Asher sounds very nasally because of his palate and is hard to understand. Even though I don't speak Mandarin, I was able to clearly understand everything Jie said.

Jie wouldn't smile while we were there. He just looked at us and seemed to be asking if we could take him home too. When we told him that we would do everything we could to find him a family, he finally gave us a smile.

I don't usually do this.. but this little boy made such an impression on our hearts, that we have to do something.

If you or anyone you know would be interested in adopting a precious little boy who wants a family.. please e-mail me.

Our guide said that she would do everything in her power to find his paperwork to bring him home. Because he is older, the cost of his adoption would be significantly less than usual.

Even if you are not in the position to adopt him (like we are) would you please print his picture out, stick it on the fridge and pray for him?

There's a story about a little boy who was throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide was going out and there were thousands of starfish on the beach who were all going to die if they weren't back in the water. A man walked up to the little boy and said, "Son, don't you realize there are miles and miles of beach and thousands of starfish? You can't possibly make a difference." Picking up a starfish, the young boy threw it into the surf and said, "I made a difference for that one."

It's true, that we can't make a difference for all of the children in China. There are literally millions of orphans here who are just like Jie, in need of a family. But just like that little boy did.. we can make a difference for one of them. So please, pray that Jie would find a forever family!!