I first heard about them from an acquaintance, Michele Eddy. We've known each other for a few years through the farmer's market in town. Last year she went to China to work with orphans and had posted several pictures and information about orphans over there. I was immediately drawn to her story, so I asked her to tell me more. She invited me over for coffee and to watch her presentation. I laughed and cried as she told me about all that she experienced. It left me deeply moved and I wanted to go to China. After that, I was introduced through facebook to missionaries in Michigan, China, Texas, and all over the globe. These people inspired me with their commitment to live out their faith daily.
One year later, in August, Michele contacted me to meet with her again. She was planning a trip to China and wanted to know if I wanted to come. Of course, I did! So, once again we met for coffee and she gave me all the information I needed to know to begin the process. Through a network of contacts, I was able to obtain my passport, visa and all bookings needed to proceed. I was briefed on what to say and what not to say, also what to do and not to do to make the trip smooth with customs. I could hardly wait until departure day! I was excited to see what God had in store for me and my daughter (yep, I got her to go too!)
Arriving in China was, of course, a complete culture shock. I've written a little about that in another post, Welcome to Communist China: My Observations. We stayed with a family of 6 that moved there from Canada about 7 years ago to work with orphans. It was a blessing to be with them and hear first hand as they shared their joys and heartaches of life and ministry in China.
After settling in, we started our visits to some nearby orphanages. In all, we spent our time in three different places. They were each dramatically different from the other. The first was a formal, pretty well-funded place for the orphans of prisoners. It was one of 9 (if I remember correctly) such orphanages throughout China. It was quite impressive with their classrooms, bunkhouses, gardens, and programs, very institutional in environment and approach.
Sun Village: You can check them out through a google search to learn more. It's quite a moving story and I recommend checking it out on youtube to give you some background on life in China. 
Many of the buildings had fun murals painted on them.
This is the cafeteria.
Vegetables recently gathered by the workers. They grow all their own vegetables and fruit to sell and to provide for the children.
The second orphanage was a delightful, love-filled, artistic, music and joy-filled place for orphans with cerebral palsy. Can you tell I enjoyed this place?! The woman who runs this orphanage is a follower of Jesus Christ and it's evident in every corner of the place. Jesus shines through her as you talk to her. He's evident in the love and warmth felt there. In this orphanage workers and volunteers care for the children with exercises, nutritious foods, fresh air, art projects, education, music and walls decorated with images of kindness and beauty. The children learn English and Chinese and hear about Jesus and His love for them. Jesus is so evident that this orphanage has been under scrutiny by the police lately. Police visits happen more frequently and while we were there three children who had lived there since infants (now 13 and 14 years old) were taken away to state orphanages. Please join me in prayer for these children, workers, and director.
The last orphanage we visited required a 6 hour trip into a mountain village. We spent an evening and the next afternoon before heading back to our host family's home. This orphanage I had been waiting for. The Mountain Orphanage (that's the protected name for it) is the one that Michele had visited a year ago and had told me about. I couldn't wait to see the children I had only seen pictures of! When we arrived at their new facility ( a huge improvement from their last one) some little children came running out towards us. Immediately my heart was stolen! I can't even say which one of them took it. Perhaps little Leo, or that one little girl that sat on my lap as I sang to her or the sweet little boy in the graphic sweatshirt that read SMILE. They were all in desperate need of love and attention and they all were so precious to me.
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| Little Leo |
The director of this orphanage is not a Christian....yet. He has a temple that has been passed down from generation to generation that houses statues of many gods. There's even an entire room devoted to Satan. Somehow (by God's grace) he started providing basic care to babies and children left at this temple (he housed them in a cave near his home). He eventually ended up with more children in his care and over the years has acquired the current facility in which to house them. The thing is though, he still doesn't see these children as they really are. He's still heavily influenced by the predominately held view in China that life isn't sacred. These children being what's referred to as ghost children (children without ID papers) are not entitled to basic things like medical care, education or even homes. The children in his care are filthy, malnourished, sick and seriously in need of love. He doesn't see a problem. He feels he's doing a great job and I suppose it is better than nothing, but these children deserve more! It was very hard to smile as he and his family gave us a tour of the place and watched us interact with the children. We couldn't show tears, or our disgust because that would have been offensive. Be able to be there is a privilege our host family worked hard to earn. I had to smile through the pain, hold my tears at bay and rub essential oils under my nose to keep the smells from overwhelming me. Some of the children were very sick and most likely dying. That's not an easy thing to witness and come away from unaffected.
While we were there we played, sang to them and just held them. We also took time to clean them up, rub lotion on their dry cracked skin and those of us with medical training checked each child over. The children soaked up our attention like a sponge! Just rubbing lotion and wiping their dirty faces, hands, and feet was enjoyed by them as though we were giving them a luxury spa treatment. They loved playing outside with the balls and bubbles we had brought with us. Simply having a ball or a bottle of bubbles was a big deal because they have no ownership of anything. They were very possessive of their treasures and would sometimes just sit with them afraid to let them go. One little boy had found some cardboard scraps and carried them with him everywhere. Whatever we played together the cardboard had to come too!
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| Giving the younger ones a check-up. |
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| Checking the children in the sick room. |
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| I got out my Smash Book to let them color. |
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| We brought bananas for them. They loved to help us carry things in. |
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| Just look at that smile! You can see why my heart was stolen. |
China changed me. Those children changed me. Now I'm back here in my very comfortable life wondering what to do with it all. I didn't go with an organization that I can share with people in order to gain support that would have been the easy thing to do. When I thought about that I realized that I'm glad I can't ask you to write a check or charge your card to give to an organization. I'm glad because that's too easy. It's what most of us are used to. If we can donate somewhere then we can feel like we've done something. Now I'm not saying that money doesn't help in many ways for organizations out there doing good things that's not my point. My point is that many of us are too comfortable; our Christianity is too comfortable. When donating money becomes our form of ministry I think we should stop and think about that.
The reason that the Mountain Orphanage and the CP (Cerebral Palsy) Orphanage are so vastly different comes down to one thing. Or in this case, the One Thing! Jesus Christ is the game-changer. He's the One who has captured the heart and mind of the woman at the CP Orphanage and in turn transformed many children's lives in China. Faith in Jesus Christ is the difference and you can't get that with a donation. You get that when faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
We are called to GO tell the Good News and DO good works that they might see those works and glorify God.
So, this is my challenge to you and me. Stay here in America or go to China, Africa, Brazil, or wherever, but just GO and DO! Start telling the Good News to everyone around you. Start doing good for those around you not just giving money.
Also, please remember the orphans who stole my heart in China and pray for them. Pray too for the director at the Mountain Orphanage (we smuggled Bibles to him and his family!) Jesus isn't finished with that man or that place yet. I'll keep you updated!
P.S. If any of you read all the way through this, thank you! If you would like to find out how you can be involved with orphans or spreading the Good News in China, email me at lync475@gmail.com or find me on facebook. I can point you to some secret resources!
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