I still remember when I got the charm with our daughter’s name on it–Mei Yue. It means beautiful moon. My mom had had it made for me in Beijing, handcut from a sheet of silver. And, it was priceless. I wore it everyday while we waited to travel. It was a tangible reminder to me, one I could hold onto when I really just wanted to hold onto her. And when we traveled, I wore it everyday in China with pride. Shop owners stopped me to admire it. The orphanage workers asked our translator about it and were touched that I had gone to great efforts to have a lasting remembrance of our daughter’s heritage.
And, that is how Jiayin Designs was born. In an effort to allow other families the same treasure and to provide some extra financial support to a Chinese couple doing significant work in China who actually go and have the charms made and then ship them to me, I built a basic website using the name Jiayin–meaning literally good and beautiful news but also the word used in Revelation in Chinese Bible for the phrase the mystery of God. Pretty neat, huh?
We have grown Jiayin some to include beautiful Niu Niu dolls handmade in ZhuZhou city in Hunan Province as well as Year of the Rabbit handmade rabbits, traditional Tiger items, hair accessories some made in China and some by an adoptive sister here in the states, and other special accessories.
Jiayin Designs has become a real joy to me to be able to give lasting treasures to families and children of their Chinese heritage, provide for my friends in China, and give work to gifted Chinese artisans. We even have had the special honor to send a few care packages of a doll or a rabbit to waiting children from their parents as well as charms as gifts to foster mothers. We don’t take this privilege lightly. And, we’ve been able to support great causes like a foster care program in ZhuZhou city as well as The Sparrow Fund. It doesn’t get much better.
Come check out the site even if you aren’t a Chinese adoptive family. Consider having a charm made of your favorite phrase from Scripture in Chinese characters. Or, if you have a child adopted from another country, give us an image of his or her name, and the artisan will hand cut it into a charm as well. Be creative. And, know that your shopping is supporting lots of great causes–including 10% during the month of May to The Sparrow Fund.
Please go see all the shops supporting The Sparrow Fund this month by clicking on the button below
