The police brought the child to the Children’s Welfare Institution. There she would be cared for until, hopefully, someone would come for her.

No one came. The orphanage staff named her HuaChen – ‘Morning Blossom.’ And soon after, she entered our Little Sisters Preschool.

Although she was surrounded by happy children reveling in making their own (sometimes messy!) works of art with paint, markers, feathers, and beads, posing happily in front of mirrors wearing their favorite dress-up clothes, HuaChen would not join them. Instead she spent her time alone, weeping in the corner.

HuaChen’s teacher sat patiently with her in the corner and talked to her soothingly. When she reached out to touch HuaChen, she cried harder and harder, so hard that her teacher said her tears “almost broke my heart.”

But one day, when the children wore paper ears and were dancing and singing the mouse song, HuaChen sniffled and was silent until the song ended.

After that, things started looking up for HuaChen. Every day the teacher sat beside her, singing every children’s song she knew and HuaChen would listen. In time, HuaChen began to snuggle in her teachers arms, and then to sing.

Now her teacher says HuaChen is “finding happiness again.” And she is learning to be loved.