GOD’S IMPECCABLE TIMING

I am returning to Beijing in January 2011 for my second annual trip to New Day and SFCV! Yay! Then the thought pops into my mind, “What AM I thinking, returning in the dead of winter, when it is frigid there?” I confess that it is definitely not by my design. When I heard that Team JuliAMaryEliSsa was going to SFCV in August, I desperately wanted to return with them, but could not due to my work schedule. After giving up on going with them in August, I began making plans to return in mid-October, but finding a therapist to cover for me at work proved extremely challenging and none of my ideas panned out. And so, I remained in NY (a bit angry and resentful). The same week in October that I had planned to be in Beijing, was the same week the Department of Health surveyors came to perform their annual inspection of the facility in which I work. The surveyors typically come anytime during the month of September but they were very late this year, and did not come until 3 weeks after the latest time they should have been at the facility. During that time, I recognized that it was part of God’s timing for me to remain in NY for the inspection to be available to answer the surveyors’ questions.

I titled this post, “God’s Impeccable Timing” because when I reflect on the events since mid-October, I am in awe of God’s ability to orchestrate all the details to enable me to return to Beijing in January. The first hurdle to overcome was securing coverage at work. My facility provides rehab services primarily to a Chinese-speaking population, followed by a large Spanish-speaking population and an English-speaking population, and so I needed to find a speech therapist who could speak Chinese, with the necessary credentials. It was impossible and I could not find anyone that fit the bill, but God provided a bilingual Spanish-English speaking therapist and two former volunteers (both fluent in Chinese) who were available during their school breaks to interpret for the therapist. And since the therapist speaks Spanish, the Spanish-speaking population is taken care of. God also provided one Chinese-speaking therapist to cover for the day that the primary therapist did not work. So check on the coverage =)

Next, I needed to request annual leave time and asked for three weeks off, but did not know if it would be approved. I believe God granted me favor in the eyes of the administration because I received the approval for 3 weeks of annual leave without an issue. Check on the time off =).

I was a bit apprehensive to return to Beijing alone and completely willing to return alone, but God had other plans. On Friday, November 5th, I interviewed a graduate student, Elaine Fong, for a clinical internship position with me in spring 2011. She expressed interest in working with children with cleft palate and I invited her to come with me to the foster homes. I gave her links to the foster homes’ websites, this blog, and asked her to think about it. We talked more and Elaine shared she was a Christian. Within five days after we met, Elaine was on board and booked her ticket! I not only have a companion, but I have a Christian sister and a fellow speech therapist to share the clinical work. Only God could plan things so perfectly! =)

Elaine and I had our first meeting Saturday, Nov. 27th, and it went really well. We discussed logistics of the trip, the clinical aspects of the work, planned for our next meeting(s) and prayed. It was very fruitful.

I had a meeting with my pastor and his wife on Sunday, Nov. 28th. Looking back on January 2010’s trip, we noted that I was a follower in the group but that this coming trip I am the leader (of our team of 2)! How did this happen? Who me? I have never thought of (and still have a hard time imagining) myself as a leader in any way, but once again, God amazes me. He has been preparing me this past year through different work experiences to take on this role of being a leader and when I am in doubt, I will remember the following verse, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). God is so good.

One final note, during the meeting with my pastor on November 28th, he lent me a book titled, “Before You Go,” a daily devotional for forty days of preparation for a short-term mission. We quickly calculated if I would have enough time to finish the devotional and we realized I would because starting from the day he gave me the book until the night before my scheduled departure (January 7th, 2011) is exactly forty days. God continues to leave me speechless!

Humbly in His service,

Angela,

from Team JAE (Jesus-Angela-Elaine)

SHARE YOUR HEART OF WARMTH

Please help Robert, and Noel and their friends at SFCV keep warm this Winter!


SFCV’s recent Newsletter –

"Every year in China, we have to pay our heating bill in advance to get heat for the children of Shepherd’s Field.  We are asking you to show your love for them by giving to The Hearts And Warmth (THAW) fund.

The Chinese government controls the flow of heat throughout the country, turning on the heat Nov. 15 and shutting it off on March 14.  They will not activate our heat unless full payment is made in advance, and the heat fee for Shepherd’s Field this year is $ 24,070 USD or 161,271RMB.  The deadline is Nov. 13. (Update: The heat is on!  We were able to pay a little over half the bill before the 15th of Nov but the remainder is due the end of Dec.)

You can sponsor the heart for the entire winter for one of our 11 buildings – children’s homes, the school, clinic or the outreach center – with a donation of $2,177 USD.  A gift of $547 USD supplies one month’s worth of heat for each building; $127 USD covers one week’s heat; and just $17 USD will keep an entire home warm for one day.  Please help our children keep warm and healthy this winter by sending a generous donation to our THAW fund today.  We are grateful for your prayers and financial support!”

Donate by check to:

Phillip Hayden Foundation

40335 Winchester Road, #E-115

Temecula, CA 92591USA

Donate by credit card using Network for Good or PayPal on SFCV’s website at http://www.chinaorphans.org/

Reflections on August SFCV Trip

My personal objective in going back to Shepherd's Field Children's Village this August was to assess the needs that Noel (the 6 year-old girl I fell in love with during my January's visit) might have, an how I could possibly meet them.

After my January visit, I had thought Noel would do better growing up at SFCV due to her visible handicaps (she has Cerebral Palsy with Spasms and the only limb that functioned "more normally" is her right hand, which is at about a 80% functioning capacity presently), fearing that she'd be discriminated against in the States. However, as I got to spend a lot of one-on-one time with her during this trip playing various games to help her with gross motor skills, I saw the precipitous improvements she had made: she was able to use her BOTH hands to grab the Sippy cup, to take a sip of water, swallow, put it down to take a break and pick it up to repeat the movements again (she wasn't able to drink water on her own previously, and water would spill all over her when she did drink); she was eager to mimic my movements when we played Go Fish and Whack a Mole. Noel used her left hand to hold on to the magic marker while using her right hand to pull open and then to close the cap repeatedly. She enjoyed stamping and using her fingers to use the stamp pad to play. She loved getting all messy with the paint and water we worked/played with. Noel picked up American Sign Language I taught her and was able to put them into practice right away! She would cooperate to sit cross-legged instead of he "W" which was the easy way out, but very unhelpful for her long term mobility. Noel made improvements even during the one week we spent together in this area: at first, she'd lose her balance when sitting cross-legged on he floor, she was able to sit cross-legged without falling backwards by the last morning we were together. Xian Chang, the physical therapist on our team, was able to get Noel to stand, albeit, while holding on to a stand. This is amazing, as Noel ha always gotten around crawling, using her right hand, pulling herself across the floor or up the stairs or sliding down the steps on her tummy (you can see the bruises on her torso from this activity).

As a matter of fact, Noel had made such alarming improvements during my first one-on-one session with her, my usual suspicious mind thought maybe she wasn't handicapped and she was pulling my leg playing handicap! She was amazing!

Observing her interaction with her peers though, I realized that she was a "Wall Flower," unable to compete with other kids who had less physical disability or were stronger than her - she is tiny, and with only one functional hand, she did not stand a chance fending for herself, nor able to get to visitors fast enough to get attention. So, she'd stay away from the fray of the kids gathering around visitors and ends up helping her peers in their building of Lego blocks (by handing the blocks to them) - I've observed her ability to build Lego structures during my January visit (when I fought off her peers who were trying to grab her blocks).

I saw that with the little amount of one-on-one attention, Noel was able to thrive and blossom so much, that there's actually such GREAT potential for her to improve her functionality.

I have come to the conclusion that Noel needs to be adopted so she can have the one-on-one attention, encouragement and continue to thrive and EXCEL!

Since my husband, Alan, had also fallen on love with Noel, and since we are wonderful auntie and uncle, not full-time parents, our prayer is that another family would fall in love with Noel and adopt her, but that family would be close to us so we can help take care of her every week...

~ Elissa

Shepherd's Field Children's Village needs you...

I volunteered at Shepherd's Field orphanage for a week in Langfeng, China and it was so rewarding to know that I was serving these children who really need our help. I can think of no better and more direct way to live out the verse of James 1:27 where we are to "visit orphans...in their affliction". There are over one hundred orphans there ranging from babies to 20 year olds with various special needs. They require basic services (i.e., education, vocational training, and healthcare) and also deserve our attention and love. I came with my awesome Physical Therapy skills (not really) and my servant's heart (very real.)

I worked closely with Drs. Bill and Anna Moody, and Laura the Speech Therapist. They needed the extra hands because the two therapists who had been there had left and thus the children haven't been evaluated nor treated for PT for a while now. Laura did what she can despite not being trained as a PT. The other people that tried to bridge the gap were the Ai Yi's (nannies). However they were also short staffed. It was hard work but I knew Anna wanted to get as many children seen and evaluated. It is inspiring to know that the staff there are so passionate and caring for these children. The team members all raise their own support and are determined to improve the lives of these children whether it's through adoption or something as simple as playing with them.

I loved the interaction and the relationships I had built during my time at Shepherd's field. Some of the high lights included...
- Playing the Wii with Grady, a typical 15 y.o teenager, who loves video games, on a small black and white screen and barely able to see the characters.
- Praying and listening to Clay and Jewell's testimony was one of the most inspiring and touching experiences.
- Having a water fight with the kids and staff during the hot and humid days in Beijing and eating popsicles afterwards.
- Seeing Elissa turn from Dragon Lady to Mother Hen.
- Eating and preparing a meal for about 100 children and staff. It's so fun to watch children really enjoy and gobble up their meals especially when it includes chicken feet.
- Talking with Wendy, a 20 y/o who is now learning computer skills to prepare her for a job. The conversation was so natural despite my poor Chinese. Our interests in movies, cartoons, and computers brought us together.
- Serving with Mary, Elissa, and Julia. It was nice to serve with two people who I've know for years in a country thousands of miles away. I will never forget all those diapers and wipes we got.

The orphans do not have a legal family but they have a loving family at Shepherd's field. I would recommend anybody who wants to help, no matter what their background, to come. All you need is a servant's heart.

~ Xian

End of Our Journey

We attended early service at BCIF, shopped at the Silk Market and ate some weird stuff at the Night Market in Beijing. When we returned in the evening, we caught a glimpse of a few children strolling down the village with their aiyi. When they saw us, they ran to us immediately. Benjamin searched Julia for candy while Brent and Jacob Jai invited us to test drive their vehicle. So cute!

Today (Sunday, September 05, 2010) is our last night here at SFCV. Our bags are packed but we’re not ready to go. Wish we could stay here just a little longer…

~ Team JAMES

Our Last Full Day

Our team got up extra early this morning for a special prayer session because today (Saturday, September 4, 2010) was going to be our last full day at SFCV. We visited the children in their homes throughout the day; we read, played, gave manicures, pedicures and did face paintings. During lunch, we helped clean donation boxes that were going to various Western business and establishments. As a special treat, the Piano Princess – Linda Gentille (currently touring in Beijing) gave the children a special concert. They were clapping along enjoying the music. For dinner, our team catered food from a nearby restaurant for the children. What a joy it was to see them enjoying the food. The children also presented a banner to us to show their appreciation. It was so touching and heartfelt.

Our favorite moment of the day was watching Eric making the beds for the younger children after nap time. What a good big brother he is!

~ Team JAMES

Better than The Great Wall

Today (Sept. 3rd), according to our calendar, we had planed to go to the Great Wall for a day of sight seeing. However, we realized that we wanted to spend more time with the kids here at SFCV (with each day it seems it’s not enough time), it was an easy unanimous decision to pass on going to the Great Wall. What a rewarding day it turned out to be.



In the morning, while Elissa went off to spend time with Noel as usual, Mary and I went to Samaritan's House (the medical clinic for the most medically compromised kids here). In this clinic, every staff is praying for miracles especially for two babies: Jody and Joelle. Please lift them up to the Father in your prayers. These babies in Samaritan's House don’t have many visitors, so every chance we have, we’d go to hold them, to bless them, and to talk to them. They crave physical touch. I wish there were more of us to hold each of them. After the Clinic, we went to the House of Blessing, where Robert and other kids who do not go to school were. Robert’s hands and legs are not functioning well; all he has is his little torso which he rolls on the floor to get to us before other kids can make it. Then he asks to be picked up in order to read books with you. After reading the books, I got a chance to feed Robert (joint and bone deformity). He was so happy. He made my day. Time flew.


In the afternoon, we were invited to celebrate Clay’s (Guest Relations Coordinator) birthday. We were all touched and moved by children’s burning anticipation and excitement about this surprise birthday party. When Clay walked into the Educational building, the kids screamed, “Surprise!” The older kids who could, rushed to him, hugging him and handing him their presents. Some were on foot and some in wheelchairs. I was choked and my eyes welled up with tears witnessing how much love these children had for their “father.” These children didn’t have much, but they were so excited to give those small wrapped gifts and hand-made birthday cards they had prepared for him. In addition to their presents, they prepared a performance for him. They had been practicing for a long time – ever since we arrived here at SFCV. There were songs, poems and even a magic show. Words cannot describe how much joy and love everybody felt in that room.


Afterwards, they all sang, “Happy Birthday” in English and in Chinese. Despite their physical limitations… These kids sure can sing!!! Fruits and snacks were passed around to every child. As I was standing in the back and taking pictures, little boy, Eric, shared his snack with me. I melted… heh, heh…

After the celebration, we spent the rest of the afternoon in the playground with the kids. What a day it was…better than any Great Wall!

~ Julia

Supplies

SFCV is currently on a three weeks backlog for diaper delivery. So far, we made two trips to Wal-Mart for diaper and baby wipe reinforcement. Thanks to Queens Christian Alliance Church of Flushing NY for this wonderful donation. Now those buns and our laps will stay nice and dry.

Team JAMES

One Eventful Day

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

For some reason, time goes by especially fast here at SFCV. I can’t believe that we are already midway into our trip.

Julia and I visited Samaritan’s House in the morning while Elissa was busy stalking Noel at school. There, we interacted with toddlers and held babies. Our hearts were broken when we met a baby who just had a shunt placed in his head. We ask that you will pray for his recovery.








Team JAMES took the older girls (Stacey, Wendy & Ling Ling) out to lunch at a nearby restaurant. Stacey and Wendy selected the dishes and we ate till we dropped.



In the afternoon, Elissa put Xian Chang (PT) to work immediately after he arrived from Shanghai; she had him access Noel’s PT needs. Julia and I observed the Kindergarten class and assisted the teachers with their lesson plans. The children were incredibly cute; makes you want to squeeze them all.



We also met a family who is here to adopt little Zoey. The family arranged to have Pizza night with the Primary class. You should have seen the smiles on the children’s’ faces.

~Mary

Wordless Tuesday

Monday, August 30th, 2010

Today was Mary's birthday and she's written a blog about today's festive outing at Beijing Wild Life Park. It was her husband's birthday present to her as she treated 41 of us, including 24 kids, renting a huge bus to take us to the park and to a ten course meal afterwards.

I had been praying and hoping with all my heart that Teacher Wang (the head teacher) would allow MY Noel to join us on the trip last minute, as she was in Pre-school and only kids in kindergarten and first grade were permitted to go on this trip today. It first broke my hear that Teacher Wang couldn't recall who Noel was. After my reassurance that Noel was who she was, she went to Noel's house and told Noel that she was coming on this trip. She later reported that Noel's face was that of disbelief, as Noel has never gone on a field trip, as each nanny needs to take care of two children on field trips and Noel would need an one-on-one adult chaperoning.

Noel turned out to be an AMAZING little girl!! It was such a privilege and heart-filled joy to spend one-on-one time with her today! She sat on my lap for the bus ride and was in a stroller when we got to the Wild Life Park.

She is FIERCELY independent - refusing to allow me to help her tear open her candy wrapper. With only one functional hand, she grabbed the candy and bit the wrapper. When she was finally successful in biting off small pieces of the wrapper, she'd spit it out and laugh. And laughing did she do throughout the entire trip!

Noel laughed when people interacted with her; she squealed with laughter when I pushed her in her stroller, racing with other kids on wheelchairs and kids on foot; she laughed when other kids came by her stroller to say "hi" to her; she laughed when you tickled her; she laughed on our way back from the trip as she was trying to master twisting open and closing a water bottle. I was her human clamp - keeping the bottle steady so she can twist the cap with her hand (on and on she'd twist the bottle open, laugh, take two sips, laugh some more, twists the cap closed, only to twist it open and start the whole routine all over again - for most of an hour)! I was expecting that she'd be tired out and be napping like the rest of the kids. Instead, all you could hear on the bus ride home was her laughter!

She also showed her persistence without ever getting frustrated throughout the entire time she tried to open her candy package (it took like at least 45 minutes) - the most she did was making some grunting sounds and then went on trying; she stayed up the entire bus ride home practicing opening and closing the water bottle. Mary and Julia said I finally met my match with Noel's persistence and energy level : )

Lastly, it was so wonderful that she's been learning American Sign Language - Finger Spelling (she can't talk), as we reviewed the alphabets together. I also taught her sign for her name (an "N" going from one side of the face to the other to represent her laughing all the time), and some other basic words. She'd look fiercely at how I was signing and would copy me, while mimicking sounds!

Spending time with my grandkids the last few months have really helped to prepare me to interact with Noel: Due to her having Cerebral Palsy with spasms (she can't walk and only one hand is about 80% functional), she is unable to write or communicate expressively, so she functions as a much younger child physically...so, thanks to my daughters who have given me the privilege to play with your young adorable children, all of whom have helped to train me for "such a day as this!" : )

Thanks for reading this LONG update!

Please continue to speak to the Father on our behalf as I will be shadowing her at school for the next three days! I'm hoping to function as her para to give her some one-on-one attention in the classroom...

Blessings,
Elissa

Best Birthday Ever!

For my birthday, my hubby sponsored a field day trip for us to take the children to Beijing Wildlife Park. We (Team JAMES) along with aiyis, staff and volunteers took a group of 24 children. The children were extremely excited and they were up bright and early. The bus was scheduled to arrive at 8:30AM but the children rushed their aiyis out of their houses at 8:00AM.

We boarded the bus and the children were singing and smiling. They kept saying “we’re going to Beijing to see the animals!” We each were partnered up with a child; Elisa had Noel, Julia had Eric and I had Josiah as our buddy. Never have we seen such a well behaved group of children on a bus. They stayed seated and remained calm even when our bus took a wrong detour into some remote village.

Birds, monkeys, Lions, Tigers, Bears… The children loved every exhibit especially the safari ride where they got to see all the wild animals up close. The smiles on their faces made us feel really happy. There were many special moments; one of my favorite was watching Lucas pulling Bea away from a horse because he thought that she was in danger. It was so sweet to see how the children watch out for one another like real siblings do.

Praise God for this beautiful day and making this a memorable experience for us all!

~ Mary