Philip

We arrived safely in Beijing last night, 1/2. I AM jet-lagged. I woke up at
4:30am and was awake for an hour before I nodded off to sleep, only to
wake again to start the day. We woke to 2" of snow on the ground. It
continued snowing all through breakfast. Our plans to sightsee were
laid aside since the roads do not get plowed here. Instead we went to
visit the kids in each of their houses.

An amazing thing happened while I was in one of the houses.... I
recognized a boy from the orphanage that I had volunteered at 5 years
ago. It was totally unexpected. The moment I saw him, my heart
stopped. It was so great to see him but also really sad because he is
still 'in the system' and is not adopted. His name is Philip and he is 10 years old now. He has spinal bifida, does not have any use of his lower extremities and uses a wheelchair. However, given his physical limitation, he continues to be full of joy and is a delight to be
around. I love his sweet smile.

- Angela