One day during early Spring we were all outside enjoying the end of Winter and the fine weather that precedes the hot and sticky days of summer. Many of the children were on some type of “riding” device (bicycles, scooters, cars, roller skates roller blades and skate boards) and they ended up racing around and around on the Home of Hope sidewalks. Some of them just ran on foot!

Nathan was able to get this little group stopped long enough for a picture. Left to right and back to front are Gracie on her bike, Autumn on her bike Mosie on his bike, Isaac on his bike and Ruthie on her bike with little Rose on her six wheeled ‘something or another’ (she can really make it go fast… it’s pretty neat… moves by her moving the steering wheel back and forth… they didn’t have this type of thing when we were kids… would really like to try it… ).

And they are off! Started out with Isaac in the lead then Ruthie but it wasn’t long before Peter on his little scooter took over the lead! Then along came Vincent on his roller blades and no one else had a chance! But Mosie was bound and determined to catch up and take the lead and the pictures below show what happened!

Mosie took off with what, over time, we have learned is a very strong look of determination. As you can tell by the first series of pictures he started off in the back of the pack. He gradually got closer to the lead and was doing really good until he got to the turn.
At that point his little bike just slid out from under him… (top center) and he slid a couple of feet… (top right). He is five years old and for a second or two it appeared as if it was all over and the tears would start but instead he got up, picked up his bike and took off again! Great little guy!

All in all the kids had a great afternoon but they finally had to take a rest!

At the left is Vincent resting with his roller blades still in place. We have featured Vincent a few weeks back but he is simply a great little guy and is doing so good in school. Very level headed and all the other children really love him for his personality and over all character. We are very proud of him.

Generally when a new child comes to us it takes a couple of years for them to totally adapt to our environment and house rules. At times we forget Vincent is one of the new children at the Home of Hope.

Keep it up Vincent!

While we were taking the pictures of the children riding there “wheeled things” and racing around the Home of Hope side walks we happened to notice Linda Wei Ling Yu standing by one of our palm trees and just watching the children as they sped around the track.

We knew what she was doing and sure enough when Mosie had his little mishap, she was the first one to reach him to help him up. Many times she is like a little mother with the younger children and when one of the nursery workers has to have a day off one can often find Linda there working with the babies and helping out. (On those days when she has no school.)

If you have time please go to our archives page or our children’s page and you can see how she has grown over the years! She is a delight to have at the Home of Hope and a delight to be around. You can see more about her by clicking on her name at the bottom of this page.

This week we brought in little “Michael” Yang Wen Bo, a little two and a half year old. (We aren’t exactly sure of his age as we don’t have all his village records yet.)

When we first arrived at his house, the lady who has cared for him for the last couple of years carried him out to meet us. “Michael” Yang Wen Bo seemed a little bewildered, as I would expect him to be. There was a lot of curiosity at this strange looking person who had come to his house. He had never seen a foreigner before. Unlike in the United States where it is common to see people from all races and nationalities, it is a true rarity to see a foreigner except in the major cities in China.

After taking a few pictures and talking to the lady and some of the neighbors about the history of little “Michael” Yang Wen Bo, we loaded him in the car and began our hour and a half drive back to the Home of Hope. It isn’t the distance that makes it take so long but the conditions of the road in this particular mountain area. Narrow, unpaved roads with sheer drop offs on the edges in many places.. rather breathtaking at times and not always because of the beauty! <grin>

Normally we have some difficulty trying to pick a good English name to give the children. In this case it was not difficult at all. For some reason as soon as I started taking his pictures and talking to him and the neighbors I decided he had to be a “Michael”. He did not show as much timidity and bashfulness as most of these children do when they first see a foreigner. He sort of took to us all right away.

We found out that little “Michael’s” father was killed in a quarry accident a short time after he was born. Often when this kind of thing happens the widow finds herself in a very difficult situation and they will leave to find marriage elsewhere (usually just for survival) and generally simply tell their baby good bye for the last time. That is what happened to “Michael” Yang Wen Bo. The lady who has been caring for him is called an Aunt but that term has many meanings in China and it is really difficult to say if she is a blood relative or not.

After a long drive home we got “Michael” Wen Bo into a hot shower, some clean clothes and new tennis shoes. We showed him his new bed and introduced him to some of his dorm brothers. He seemed real curious about all of this but didn’t show any signs of fear or worry and was very obedient through the whole ordeal. He has had all his vaccinations and shots now and has started settling into his new life at the Home of Hope.

“Luke” and “Jenny” are both really happy to have a younger brother. Now they are not the “babies” any more — they can be the Boss sometimes!