This trip has been a whole lot of being able to do things we’ve never been able to do before. That openness towards us that allowed us to take pictures and videos from the start, teach a workshop to the staff about making connections and building relationships with children, complete forms on every baby in the four rooms where team members have served, and interview foster parents has been a privilege that we have not taken lightly. In all of that, there has been another open door, one we were not at all expecting but one that proved to be one of the most significant experiences of the trip.

The director asked us to provide some training to their “kung fu” therapists (aka physical and occupational therapists) given that we had 2 PTs and an OT on our team. We were led to the front building on campus, what used to be the building where our teams served before they moved into the beautiful new building in the back where we are now. We learned that there is much going on in that old building still, and what’s going on is nothing short of amazing. In that space that used to be filled with orphans are families. In tact families from all over the city come with their handicapped children to receive therapy. Since they may be traveling very far distances from the countryside even to get the help their child needs, they come for 15 days at a time, sleeping there where the orphans once slept and receiving therapy daily–speech, aqua therapy, massage, PT, and OT. Then, they go home with homework to keep the momentum of therapy going and return again 15 days later until the therapists are pleased with progress and release them to allow another family a spot.

I watched our team members come alongside their team members, encouraging, giving suggestions, asking to learn from them. And, I watched the women and children, some mothers with their beloved sons and daughters and some grandmothers who now care for grandchildren day in and day out, and could not help but look around me and feel like I was right where I should be, watching something miraculous happen.

Orphan care starts right here, friends. It starts with all of us joining efforts to support families. It starts with people who care who may not even speak the same language working together to give families what they need so that they are best set up to climb the hurdles in front of them. Orphan care must include doing all we can for family preservation.

Orphan care begins right here, where we are.

It took a good long time to explain not only the concept of weighted blankets and lap pads but how we wanted access to rice to fill them. It caused more than a few raised eyebrows. At one point, Joan didn’t even want to translate what I said to her; “I cannot ask that because that is wasteful.”

We may or may not have felt a bit like this over the course of that 30 minute conversation with a director.

But, eventually, we got more to a place like this.

We took a walk into the depth of their kitchen pantry where a big round cook wearing full on cook-gear showed us the rice storage room where there were at least 25 big 25 lb. bags of rice. We offered to buy a bag from them but in the end, they said we could use it since it wasn’t going to be wasted.

Success.

I showed my muscles and asked for the big ole cook to bring it to the conference room for us. He laughed and then pointed to a metal push cart nearby.

Three of the team spent a good long time filling those things. In the end, the kids and staff loved them, like really loved them.

{wiping sweat from our brows}

There are stories to tell. That’s why we’re here–to enter into their stories, share our stories, and tell their stories. That was clear today as we did a lot of this:

and more of this:

and more of me walking around with our translator by my side talking and talking with hot water always close by.

All that and I still had enough energy left to play volleyball with a mini blow up beach ball with this boy who has captured my heart.

There’s a boy who went to sleep tonight with pictures of his new Mama and Daddy by his bed. He heard his name for the first time today. I wonder if he knows how to spell it. (Note to self: teach Ian to spell Ian tomorrow.)

The stories. All those stories and the big one that connects them all. That’s why we’re here.

Pr-ying He multiplies the minutes these last two days.

I was hopeful that my 1+2 coffee packets would carry after about 4 hours of sleep. But, I found that once I got over there, I didn’t need more than these friends.

The older children were eager to learn in the English class this morning, struggling only through the drawing activity planned. As she walked around translating, Joan told me it was a little hard because China doesn’t teach children to think creatively like America does. It took a good bit of extra urging and instructions but we got somewhere and ended up with a room full of “I am glad” pictures.

3:30 was looming over me though as I knew the staff training was coming. I used every minute of our lunch break to finish all I could.

I can do all things through Him who gives me strength, a team, and milk tea all the while.

When we arrived a half hour early to the big ole conference room (complete with a table up front that looked like it could be for justices of the peace with microphones for every chair) to test the technology to make sure I could get video and sound and PowerPoint and all that stuff, there were already 20 women seated waiting. No pressure or anything. By the time 3:30 came, the room was filled with a little over 60 people. Speaking so slow it was painful and having Joan translate every word made me wonder if this would work. But, it totally did. The staff were with me. They were in it. They participated. They giggled and hid a little when they saw themselves on screen up front and as we looked at the videos we took of them interacting with children and analyzed them. But, they did it. And, so did we. It was a bit miraculous for sure, as was the fact that the last slide included a quote from the ancient Roman philosopher named Paul that I read in English and Joan translated into Chinese as a sea of cell phones captured it in an image just so the staff wouldn’t forget it later.

We ended the day with lots of smiles and giggles over this fun sign that we could add to our collection of odd sign spottings.

And, the fact that Jeff crouched down to pick up a baby today and managed to split the front part of his pants to which he responded by using said baby as a fig leaf of sorts to cover himself until he could somehow communicate sans understandable verbal language to an ayi that he needed a needle and thread. He proceeded to go to the bathroom, take his pants off, and sew them himself. He would not let me take a picture of his sewing job, understandably given its awkward location. However, it’s safe to say he should’ve let the ayi do it while he waited behind a curtain.

The team is energized already for another day tomorrow. And, I’m already wondering how hard the van ride leaving this place is going to be come Friday.