Letter to Orphanage plus Important Notes for You All!

Letter to Orphanage

February 4, 2002

Dear _____________ Social Welfare Institute Director,

Please accept these gifts for the children. I hope they will enjoy them and get a lot of use out of them. The chocolates are for the orphanage caretakers. I am so excited to travel to China and meet you. I cannot wait to meet my daughter.

I have enclosed a small photo album that you can share with the baby. I am also sending a camera and several rolls of film. The film is labeled with the baby’s name. Would you kindly take pictures of the baby, her friends, the caretakers, and your town? Also, if you have the opportunity, can you please take a picture of where the baby was found? These pictures would be priceless keepsakes for her as she grows up. I will appreciate anything and everything that you can do.

I have also enclosed a letter for Kate’s main caretakers. Can you please write down the answers to these questions? These little things will be very helpful to me as the baby adjusts to her new family. You can enclose the letter, the film, and any other important things in the plastic bag I put in the box. Everything is labeled with her Chinese name and her American name. Please return the little doll that I am sending to her that has her American name on it, as it is meant to pick up the scent of her surroundings in China and may make the long trip home a little easier.

With much love, I thank you very graciously for taking such good care of Kate. I will send you more photos throughout the years so you will always remember us.

Sincerely,

Wendy L. Harrison


NOTES: I had a friend translate this letter to Mandarin. I went to Wal-Mart and bought a bunch of coloring books, crayons, markers, art supplies, etc... on sale. Don't forget to include items for the big children as well. Our clothes are not used in the orphanages and just sit in their original box in a storage room in the orphanage. They buy clothes that are the same and they buy them in bulk, so don't waste your money on clothes for the orphanage! They love pencils, and art things and that kind of stuff!

Then, I sent the letter inside the box with the camera and all of the goodies to the orphanage. I sent the box with the U.S. Postal Service for 5-7 day delivery. It was about $90.00 but it was a pretty big box. I addressed it in English and the box arrived perfectly. I, however, did not know that it arrived until I was actually in China and asked the caretaker. She said that they got everything just fine. They also took pictures for me and gave me some of their own that they had of Kate. They brought back the little doll that I asked for and they gave me a pair of socks that Kate has on when she was found. They indeed took excellent care of my baby and the main nanny and I continue to keep in touch. I have all of the letters to her translated to Mandarin and then when she writes back and I have those translated as well. She is very special to us.