Max’s Journey: From Shilipu to Illinois

On a summer morning in 2013, a baby boy was found about 200 metres west of the Shilipu petrol station in Wuyang County, Luohe City, Henan Province. He was believed to have been born on 15 July 2013, and at the time was living with a congenital cleft lip and palate. He soon received corrective surgery — the very first spark of hope in his young life.

That day became the beginning of his story.

In 2018, this little boy from Wuyang was adopted by an American family and travelled across the ocean to his new home in Illinois, USA. There, surrounded by a new family and an entirely different environment, he received a new name — Max.

Today, Max is a seventh-grade student, navigating life in a culture and language far from where he began. He studies, makes friends, and joins in school activities, exploring the world as any young teenager would, at his own pace.

His beginnings were filled with uncertainty, but Max continues to grow steadily and quietly, one step at a time.

His story is one of being seen, being accepted, and discovering how life can flourish again when planted in new soil.

Max的旅程：从十里铺到伊利诺伊州的成长故事

2013年盛夏的一个清晨，在河南省漯河市舞阳县十里铺加油站西侧约200米的地方，人们发现了一名婴儿。他被推测出生于2013年7月15日，当时患有先天性唇腭裂，不久后接受了修复手术，迎来了人生的第一个希望。

那一天，成为了他生命故事的起点。

2018 年，这个来自舞阳的小男孩被一户美国家庭收养，跨越大洋，来到了大洋彼岸的美国伊利诺伊州。在新的家庭和环境中，他拥有了新的名字——Max（马克思）。

如今的Max已经是一名7年级学生，生活在一个完全不同的文化和语言环境中。他在学校里学习、交友、参与日常活动，和所有同龄孩子一样，用自己的方式去理解世界、探索未来。

虽然他的生命起点充满不确定，但Max正在用属于他的节奏成长，安静、扎实、一步步向前。

他的故事，是关于被看见、被接纳，也是关于生命如何在新的土壤里继续生长。