The Ongoing Journey

I was thrilled when the children of a famous and respected Hong Kong actress, Nancy Sit, began to fly a banner for orphans and abandoned children after a school trip to Xining Children's Home in 2004. Moved by what they had seen, the visiting students realized there was a vast gulf between their privileged lives and that of orphans and abandoned children.

Nancy Sit's son, Jackson, was the first in his family to visit the children’s home.  His younger sister Jamie followed a year later. Jackson established a legacy by starting the Xining Club at Hong Kong International School, raising considerable sums of money to improve the lives of children living in our homes in Qinghai.  In later years, the much bigger Zonta Club absorbed the Xining Club’s, but the students continue to make a very significant financial contribution. They know that no matter how much money has been donated, there’s always a need for more – more children needing help and more people to train in their care of the children.  Both Clubs know that their money is an investment in the lives of less fortunate children.

Jamie continues to visit the home (five times so far!) and she’s so well known that they call her ‘Sister Jamie’. When she heard that BinBin was going to be in town, she grabbed the opportunity to hang out with the teenager.

You may remember that several weeks ago I wrote in my blog that BinBin had major surgery in March, followed by a long recovery in Hong Kong.  He was in a considerable amount of pain, so BinBin had to take it really easy and keeping him busy was one of our greatest challenges. As soon as he was strong enough, it was Jamie who took him to visit Hong Kong Disneyland (thank you Disneyland for the donated tickets!!)  Though he showed typical teenage reserve during the visit, BinBin’s smiles gave him away – he was having a ball.

At one time during the outing, BinBin chatted on the phone with one of the Christian Action staff.  His stance and facial expressions carried a strong message for me: The cute little boy, who we had not only  brought through eight surgeries (some of them life threatening), but who we had loved, educated, and parented as best we could, has grown up. His condition, Apert Syndrome, has caused cognitive delays, so he will not be capable of independent living even when he turns 18.  BinBin will then be moved to a small group home at Xining Social Welfare Institute. The good news is Christian Action has been invited to partner with the institute, teaching them standards of best practice and how to better care for special needs adults.

There are always more children like BinBin who will need all he has needed, and all that he has been given. When you give to Christian Action, you will be investing in their lives. Why not do it now?