One Amazing Child Whose Time is Running Out

I'd like to tell you guys about this amazing boy.  If not for the fact that S, our oldest child, has strong feelings about being the oldest, I'd bring him home myself, and that's the truth.  He is 13 and aging out very soon, in May of this year.  A family needs to come for him BEFORE his 14th birthday, or he'll age out and lose his chance for a family completely.  That's way too young to be alone in the world.  Especially when you are as amazing as this kid is.  Given the chances, this young man will truly change the world, I'm positive of that.

"This is Michael.  He was born in May of 2000.  He's very polite. Whenever he meets an adult, he always says “Good morning, Auntie! Good morning, Uncle!” If he accidentally pushes someone, he is quick to apologize. He is also very brave; if he has any tooth pain or scrapes his knee, he is quick to say that it doesn’t hurt because he doesn’t want his ayis to worry about him.  Michael likes riding bikes and exploring the world. He has excellent English speaking skills and he is very good at music, and loves playing instruments in front of people. He is very bright, he speaks English fluently and he can read both Chinese and English. He is very confident. He loves talking to new people. One of his favourite things to do is ride on public transportation in Beijing, especially on the subways and the buses-he has memorised the subway map.
As he is one of our oldest boys, he always helps around the house. He can cook a number of simple dishes by himself, and he has been helping with the younger kids by checking their homework to make sure they have done it right. He is a great boy!"

He sounds great right?  I wish my kids were so independent and eager to work.  Oh, did I mention that Michael is blind?  That's right, this amazing child does all of these things, and more, without being able to see clearly.  The doctors diagnosed him with microphtalmus, however, he can recognize large objects and several colors. Besides his visual problem, he’s in very good health.  So this does mean that he has some very limited vision.  But even without what most of us take for granted, Michael does great in school, speaks two languages fluently, plays FOUR instruments proficiently, reads and writes and lives his life.

He's also run a marathon twice!  Seriously?  I've never run a marathon even once.  

I'm serious guys, this kid clearly has the capacity to be anything, if he just has the options the rest of us have.  There's still time for a family to come forward and bring Michael home, but not much of it.  Please share him with your friends, consider him yourself, and above all pray for this young man to find a home.

Here's some interview questions he was asked at his orphanage, Bethel China, who does amazing amazing things with children who are vision impaired.   
What are your favorite subjects to study at school? Computer class and PE.
What is your favorite game? Chess!
What kind of food do you like? Fast food, especially MacDonald’s.
What subject is hard for you in school? Math! Math is so hard.
What do you want to be when you grow up? A pilot. I want to fly airplanes and helicopters!
What do you like to do in your free time? Help Mamma cook! And riding bikes.
If you could tell everyone one thing about yourself, what would you say? I’m pretty funny!

He wants to be a pilot.  Somehow, I believe this kid could do that.

He's known as Hong Fa at Bethel's site and Don Michael on Reece's Rainbow, where he has grant profile that was just put up today!

Michael is on the shared list, which is great news for a parent who wants to step forward at this point, as it means he can be adopted through any agency.  For more information, you can contact Bethel at  adoption@bethelchina.org or Reece's Rainbow http://reecesrainbow.org/72705/don-michael