Stories of Hope: Advocate for Chap
We are continuing to prayerfully advocate for many waiting children as 2016 comes to a close. We are claiming this Season of Hope as a time of intentional advocacy and speaking up on behalf of the children our One Orphan Storyteller teams have had the chance to get to know. Today Amanda Salle took the time to share about Chap. Amanda met Chap on a recent advocacy trip to China.
It is my pleasure and distinct honor to introduce you to Chap. China was blessed to receive him ten years ago on the day that he was born. I was able to spend time with him touring the Beijing Zoo, riding next to him on the bus home from the zoo, shopping with him at the mall, and performing his medical exam. At the zoo, I watched Chap begin the tour of the zoo in a wheelchair, but he didn't use the wheelchair for very long. Shortly into the zoo, he got out of it and was pushing the other boy he was sharing it with. Although he has an abnormal gait, none of these musculoskeletal abnormalities stopped him from doing anything a typical child would do. And despite the fact that he cannot fully flex or extend different joints in his body, I watched him creatively lift a water bottle up and drink from it with absolutely no assistance. I was very impressed because he has difficulty fully bending his elbows.
Though there are some things that might be difficult for him, I did not witness him giving up on any tasks because of it. Throughout the trip at the zoo, I noticed that he was mild mannered and seemed to demonstrate a mature sense of self control. He had a very pleasant disposition and cooperated well with his peers and the nannies.
During our week together, I went shopping with Chap and his friends. Chap was very excited at the opportunity to pick out two treats, and he decided on some dehydrated fruit and a plastic egg with some candy in it. 🙂 I have grown attached to this smart, mild-mannered guy who always has a ready smile! Some of his favorite things are: School subjects writing and math, shrimp and vegetable, puzzles and the movie Transformers.
Chap has a $10,000 grant that can be applied to adoption expenses.
We have team members ready and willing to share about Chap. If you are interested in learning more about Chap, or our China waiting child program, email china@awaa.org or fill out a free pre-application on our website.