You Are My Buddy

There are 27 kids in our New Day North project. They live together, learn together and live like family, they are brothers and sisters.

There are two boys who are extremely close—James and Freddy.

Freddy and James both came to New Day Foster Home in 2015.

They became good friends

They ate together

Went to school together

Played together.

They both love outdoor activities, 

and enjoy reading and drawing.

When all the kids had to return to their orphanages the beginning of 2019, James and Freddy returned to the same orphanage and moved into the same room. Having a close friend helped them feel better about leaving the place they were familiar with and all the new changes. 

Especially James—

Freddy was his buddy. He wouldn’t go anywhere without Freddy

When he finds an interesting toy he shares it with Freddy. If Freddy takes his toy, James doesn’t say anything.

Their nanny saw this and told them, “James, you’ll spoil him!” James just gave her a smile…

Oh the difference the love of a friend makes.

Let Them Be Little

Our children have gone through so much in their short lives, way more than any child should have to go through. They know the feeling of abandonment and have spent too many nights in hospitals. 

Because of their past is it even more important to let them be little. To give them normal childhood experiences that are full of joy and exploration. 

It is even more important to show them how loved they are and to teach them how to love.

Our kids have missed out on so much. So many first have come way too late and so many simple joys have been missed.

So, we take every opportunity to let them be kids. To let them experience the joys of childhood and to create memories that will bring smiles in the years to come. 

Playing in the rain is one of the little things we like to do to let our kids be little!

Music Time!

Every Thursday a music teacher visits our preschool class! We all love her and the kids have so much fun. We thought you might like a little peek into our music class.

Austyn is ready

James, does that tickle?

Freddy, is that funny?

Yay!

Maggie claps her hands

Sophie touches her shoulders

Let's dance!

Josie and Maggie are having so much fun

All that music made everyone pretty tired!

Look Outside!

It may be spring, but like many places in the United States the weather is telling us differently!

Last week we looked outside and it wasn't raining, it wasn't snowing, it was sleeting!

Freddy, James, and Maggie were all amazed!

They would tell everyone to look outside to see what was happening.

Smiles filled their faces and they even got to go outside to feel the sleet!

We loved seeing their excitement and allowing them to experience new things, but we are all more than ready for spring to come and stay!

Our Fantastic Freddy

Around here, we think Freddy is pretty fantastic. He has a personality that lights up a room and is almost always willing to lend a helping hand (he is 4 after all!).

When you first look at Freddy you might see a child who faces many difficulties. His paperwork might even look a little scary. But once you get to know Freddy those things, though still very important, quickly fade away.

We asked some people who know Freddy to help us show you some more of who he is.

Freddy is:

Determined

Funny

Loyal

Caring

Freddy is a quintessential older brother. He keeps track of little 'siblings' and know what they like. He will give them toys to play with and always makes sure that they are happy.

Freddy has a way of getting into everyone's heart! Time after time I would watch visitors fall in love with Freddy's fantastic personality in a matter of minutes. He loves making people laugh. One things that makes Freddy so special is the way he loves the other children around him. He is always going out of his way to offer comforting hugs and giving toys to his younger 'siblings.' I look forward to the days that Freddy has a family of his own to share his big heart with!

We're all pretty smitten by Freddy, and he brings so much joy to our days, but like one of our past volunteers said, we can't wait until the day the he has a family of his very own!

A Winter Adventure!

Beijing has cold, but dry winters, so there is very little snow. Nearby there is little snow park with a sledding hill and an ice area, which made for the perfect opportunity for a field trip! 

Hudson is ready for a fun day.

Sliding down the hill in inter-tubes was so much fun!

China has many different ways to play on ice, including this chair sleds! You propel yourself along with ice picks and as you can imagine it can be quite a workout!

Everyone loved having a chance to enjoy the snow and all of the fun that it brings!