A New Day

Monday, January 11, 2010

After our morning orientation, Angela’s entourage (New Day staff) put her to work immediately while the rest of us toured New Day Creations’ facilities. We were so amazed at their Arts and Crafts Factory and got to witness the production process. Susan also got a private tour of the Healing Home. In the afternoon, Mary, Jose and Elissa got to interact with the children in the nursery and the playroom where M&J found two little girls that looked like Anita and Kathy (tears, tears…) For dinner, Team JAMES felt extremely bold and walked 2.0 miles to/from a local restaurant in the dark (no street lights.) The roads were un-plowed with a mixture of ice making our trip a challenging experience. It was a good thing Angela had a small flash light otherwise we would be lost. In the evening, we hung out with the Chinese Students (high school level and up) and conversed in English.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Team JAMES swung into action and carried out their assignments. Jose saw his eye patients while Mary assisted. Angela saw her speech patients while her entourage took careful notes. Elissa conducted a Stress Management workshop for the nannies/staff and played with the children. Susan worked with Catherine, a nine year old little girl who will soon have heart surgery at the Healing Home. Team JAMES ate at a nearby restaurant for dinner. It was totally rustic but it only costed us $3 USD per person. What a bargain! Hopefully, we won’t be sick afterward.

Highlights - the testimonies that were shared to us by some of the New Day foreign staff have been incredible. They are testimonies of ordinary people having a heart for China/orphans dropping everything and relocating here to serve. It is truly an inspiration to us all. Praise the LORD!