April Newsletter (volume 3,3)

Questions to Ponder

How would you describe yourself?
If I were going to ask you that question, how would you answer? Most of you would probably tell me about your personality or your character. You might describe yourself as outgoing or as fun-loving. Some might describe himself/herself as honest or as a person of integrity and honor. Still others might answer the question by describing their physical appearance as tall or short, brown or blonde hair, their weight, etc. Those are the ways we usually describe ourselves. However, recently that question was asked to one of the orphan children we found in China and they described themselves as "poor." What a sad answer! Think about it. Most of us might not describe ourselves as very well off but we certainly wouldn't describe ourselves as "poor."

What is important to you?

Imagine again that I am asking you another question, "What is important to you?" Would you tell me about your family, your parents, your spouse, your children or close friends? Would you tell me about your health and how thankful to God you are for it? Would you tell me about your brothers and sisters in Christ and the local congregation you attend? Certainly most of us would answer in this kind of way because these are the things that are important to us. But this question was recently asked to one of the orphan children we found in China and they responded that "food" was very important to them. How shocking of an answer is that? Food is certainly important to us but we have it everyday and we just sort of take it for granted. And yet, here is a child that answers that "food" is very important to them. Obviously, someone who answers in this way has known hunger and knows what it is like to have very little food. They don't take food for granted and are thankful for everyday that they have something to eat.
The China Mission seeks to reach out to orphans who are poor and hungry. We are determined to look past ourselves, even to deny ourselves, so that these little one's bellies are full and their lives are richly blessed in HIM.

A Snapshot of My Life

My name is Liu Ji Tong. I am an orphan. My father killed my mother last year and so I no longer have a mom. Then the police came and arrested my father and he went away to prison for a long, long time. I doubt he will ever come back. So this last year has been very hard for me. I am only 6 years old. It's hard for me to understand why I don't have a mom and dad anymore. Why was dad so mad at mom? I feel sad many days and a wish I my life wasn't this way. But not all is bad. I now live with my grandparents, and my aunt and uncle. Even though mom and dad are gone I am happy to have other family members around who play with me and take care of me. We live deep in the mountains of China. We are very poor. My grandparents and my aunt and uncle are farmers. Our main crops are rice and corn. They only make about $100 a year. We have a hard life here. Our house has no running water. We have no bath or toilet in the house. The floor of our house is dirt so it is always dirty inside the house. We have no air conditioner or any other modern appliance. But then the other day a man came to my house and talked to me and told me of a kind person in America who cared for me and wanted to help me. Then the man gave me many wonderful things including new clothes, new shoes, and a lot of food. I was so surprised. I was sad before but I felt happy to receive so many things. I think I can have a better life now because of the nice person in America who cares for me.

620

How wonderful! The number keeps increasing. We are now supporting more orphans than ever. We are taking care of 620 orphans on a regular basis. It is amazing how God continues to increase our work. The orphans we support can be separated into two groups; (1) orphans in foster care, and (2) orphans in an orphanage. We currently help 427 orphans in foster care with another 193 orphans living and being cared for in one of our 3 orphanages. The orphans are spread throughout 5 different provinces in the following areas:

Biyang County, Henan Province -- 66
Chengbu County, Hunan Province -- 66
Guilin County, Guangxi Province – 130
Yongshan County, Yunan Province – 109
Lantian County, Shangxi Province --56
North Canton Christian Care Center (Longhui City, Hunan Province) -- 85
Mama Jo’s House (Biyang City, Henan Province) -- 84
Neil Taylor Christian Care Center (Rongshui City, Guangxi Province) -- 24

And while 620 seems like a big number there is so much more we still can do. There are estimates of upwards of 20 million orphans in China. So as you can see we have only begun to scratch the surface in China. However, this is not a “numbers” ministry. There is so much more to our work in China than just adding orphans or completing more medical cases. Yes, we want to physically touch as many lives as possible. And yet we want to do so much more for the orphans than just meeting their physical needs. It is a good and right thing that we are doing to provide for the orphans daily necessities, provide them with clothes, and an education. But we also have a responsibility to addressing the orphan’s spiritual needs. A big part of our job therefore is befriending the orphans, getting to know them, communicating with them, and teaching them with the Gospel. Yes, we want to feed hungry orphans. Yes, we want to clothe those who are without. Yes, we want to provide a home to those who are homeless. Yes, we want to give the orphans an opportunity of an education. But we also want to bring these children to Christ.
So pray with us that the numbers do increase. That is a good thing!! But also pray that the hearts of the 620 orphans who are already under our care would be soft and open to the Gospel.

Under Construction

For the last 3 months the Neil Taylor Christian Care Center has been under construction. And by the end of May a new orphanage building will be completed on the site. The orphans will move out of their cramped, old dorms into a brand new building which will include bathrooms, toilets, washing facilities, a kitchen, and a dining room. This will be a major improvement over the existing orphanage facilities as the children currently use an outhouse toilet and washing facilities are limited. And while you might think that is terrible that the orphans have to use an outhouse toilet you have to understand that this is common in the rural countryside of China. In fact, the children have never known anything else. So when June comes and we are ready to make the transition into the new building, we will have to educate the kids on how to use and maintain a regular, indoor toilet as this will be a first for many of them. It has really been neat to watch the construction go up since the beginning of the year. What a blessing this new building will be for them! And the kids know it and it shows. Since construction started Jan 1, the orphans haven’t had as much room to play because the construction equipment and materials have taken up a portion of their play area. Things have been a bit dusty and even noisy at times such as when the motor on the mortar mixer prepares a new batch of mortar for the bricklayers. The construction site has been busy with activity with anywhere from 15 to 25 workers working on any given day. And yet the orphans don’t complain. It doesn’t seem to bother them. They continue to live and study there as if things were totally normal. They are still active and playful as ever.
Every once and awhile the kids will stop what they are doing to watch the construction. And it is neat to watch the expressions on their faces as they look on. They smile and their eyes are big as they dream about their soon to come future home.

Medical News

Burn victims Li Dan, 6, and Li Ce, 2 ½, just arrived in the United States for medical treatment. Both of them will be here for about 1 year while they undergo a number of reconstructive plastic surgeries. All of their medical work is being done at the Shriners Hospital in Cincinnati. Between surgeries, Li Dan will be staying with a Christian host family in Nashville while Li Ce will be living with a host family in the Atlanta area.
This year will be difficult for these two children as they have to undergo multiple surgeries and the recovery will be painful. May we all pray together for Li Dan and Li Ce:“God give them strength that flows through their hearts and bodies that they may endure the pain set before them. God claim the hearts of these young children and call them as your own. Give them gladness of heart and a satisfied soul that it might overwhelm their circumstances. God be their heavenly father that holds them when their earthly mothers and fathers cannot. Lord you heal the brokenhearted and you bind up their wounds. God bind their wounds and understand their needs when no one else can. You are the God of promises. God we stand on those promises now! Thank you for what you are going to do!”