Heartbreaking News

We received devastating news from ND that a little boy named Tristan has passed away suddenly from heart failure.

Tristan was born on July 27, 2008 and abandoned in the square of his hometown; he was then taken to a local orphanage and later transferred to ND with a serious heart condition. He had heart surgery in December 2008 and the prognosis appeared to be good. His passing is such a shock to everyone as we are all mourning with the pain of his loss.

I remember Tristan vividly because of his magnificent big eyes, cute dimples, and porcelain colored skin. It was quite difficult getting him to smile but when he did, it brightened the room. He was learning to walk when we first met him. He kept falling but he stood up and tried again repeatedly; he was so determined to walk. From my observation, his best friend was Khloe (Kathy’s look alike.) The two were inseparable - Khloe loved to mother him; making believe that she’s feeding or clothing him. Tristan would play along with a smile on his face. I could tell that he was really enjoying her company. It was so adorable and heart warming.

Tristan’s life was brief but he was surrounded by people that loved and cared for him. From the aiyis (nannies) to the staff, interns and volunteers - each has vulnerably opened up their hearts to love him unconditionally. I see God’s Glory in the midst of this sadness… Tristan could have died not knowing or feeling the gentleness of a human touch or experiencing love but God had placed him in a loving home where love was illuminated by His Grace. Thank you ND for filling Tristan’s life with love and being his earthly family! We are at peace knowing that he is no longer suffering, no longer an orphan, but rather sitting on our Heavenly Father’s lap.

I praise God for giving Team JAMES the opportunity to have spent precious moments with Tristan. He was indeed special and his life drew our hearts closer to our Father’s heart. To our faithful readers, please lift up ND during this difficult time and continue to pray for their Kingdom’s work.

~ Mary

Jose's Reflections

Praise be to God who cares about orphans. It was inspiring to see so many brothers and sisters in Christ heeding the call to love these children who had been abandoned. It is so easy to become callous to the needy and to turn a blind eye to the call for help, but when you start realizing just what these orphans have been through and will go through, the self-absorbency starts to melt. Having visited two orphanages run by believers who understand the kingdom of God and the work needed to be done, I left both places with hope; hope that these children are experiencing love, joy and peace. When I close my eyes and recall the time spent at each orphanage, I see the children smiling, playing, and eager to meet any visitors. I recall walking into their foster homes and being mobbed by children asking to be held and to play, sing and read. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” I rejoice in my heart knowing that there is no pretentiousness, malice or pride that can stand before God. When we stand before Him, there will be perfection because we are made perfect in Christ. These disabled children will no longer be disadvantaged and we, who perpetuate prejudice and injustice will bow down in awe and reverence before God and His restored and perfect creation. Until that day, I will consider it a privilege to labor and strive for relieving some of the pain in this world just by simply caring like Jesus did. God bless the orphans…

Grace,
Jose

Susan’s Reflections on Team JAMES China Orphans Trip

Personally, I had always wanted to adopt children since I was a teenager, but had partially forgotten until Jose and Mary shared their adoption journey with us at church. It was simply an instance when I could feel God drew me in to be a part of this – a time when threads in your life, the circumstances (hardly ever, some would argue never, are coincidental), and God’s ordering said – This is what I have for you in this coming season of your life. Once the opportunities to visit with SFCV and New Day in China arose (thanks firstly to web-surfing-Master Mary), things happened quickly. When the team realized our initials spelled “JAMES,” we found it a delightful coincidence, but again, what an undeniable confirmation from God! Those are the moments in our lives when we should have absolute peace – exactly when we know we are walking in His will.

The Team JAMES trip was the sixth short term missions trip I’ve done since becoming a Christian, and probably the one that I did the least on as a “missions” trip, but perhaps felt like the one with the most personal relevance in many ways. I would tell anyone that it is totally more of a privilege and a blessing to go on one of these things than anything else, but also importantly, God has plans for each of us that He reveals in His good time. One of the benefits of seeing and touching the work that people are doing “in the field” is to have a personal connection with what of God’s work you can support, and to find out directly what needs they may have that you can potentially be a part of after the visit. And perhaps also importantly, it’s keeping the fire lit inside that one day God will call you (i.e., me) into the field full time directly like the many people we meet out there. It’s a radical difference from our every day, but out there on the visits, home is very far away, and the somewhat unimaginable is very real, and very compelling.

There are simply too many of the kids and too many little stories to tell to be able to do it here, but I would at least share that whatever preconceived notions I may have had (which wasn’t many really) were useless after meeting these children and experiencing the amazing work there. If you want to meet God face to face, go visit them. Words can’t explain how precious they are. I wouldn’t even suggest that it’s easy to adopt many of these kids and be able to provide a “normal” life for them here in the States, but many do indeed do it, and beyond that, places like Shepherd’s Field are creating a model for a lifelong community for kids that grow into adulthood without being adopted. As always on contemplating “missions” work, remember that God does not need us, but he invites us. And we should seek out opportunities to awaken ourselves to His lively kingdom – this is a great way to do it, just simply go and “love on” these kiddies. I hope my reflections will encourage you to look into it!

~ Susan