The organization I volunteered with in China asked their supporters to share some stories about working with them. He is one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy!
My team’s lives were radically changed during our brief
stint in Hengyang. The cold, smoggy air and harsh Chinese accents weren’t the
welcoming committee we had hoped for, but we were there for a different
purpose. My team and I had stuffed our lives into a backpack and traveled the
globe for a year with a mission to comfort the hurting. International China Concern
was our stop in China.
Our first day at ICC brought up emotions of helplessness and
pain we were not prepared for. ICC’s mission’s coordinator gave us a tour of
the facilities and talked of hope and a new life for these children. She talked
about these children being abandoned and left to die, but because of ICC they were
given a second chance. She gushed of stories filled with hope and a bright
future.
I, however, did not spend the majority of my time working in
ICC’s centers. I worked on the “dark side” of these stories; the side before
hope. Myself and two other teammates served in the government-controlled
welfare center for special needs children. Glaring, white-wash walls, horrid
smells, and freezing temps met us everyday as went to the welfare center to
care for the forgotten children of China. I cried every day for the first seven
straight days of working there. Three to four children to a bed and barley
enough food to survive, I couldn’t believe these precious children were living
in these circumstances.
There was one precious little girl who stood out from the
rest. Her dark bangs surrounded her rosy cheeks but they could not contain her
joy. Even the iron tomb of a living space couldn’t contain her love.
Her name is Tun Tun, and she was my saving grace that month.
She was about 8 or 9 years old, with long, gangly arms and legs. She was unable
to walk because of cerebral palsy. Every time I walked in the door I was
greeted with her frozen outstretched hands and a slobbery wet kiss. She was the
most vivid picture of Jesus I had ever seen in my life. She was living in a
cursed, destitute place with little opportunity for help, but she chose joy
everyday despite her circumstances. How often do I act like her living in my
blessed, Western-influenced life? Not often.
I was able to watch Tun Tun grow and love in this tiny room.
I watched her sit by the weaker children during feeding time to make sure they
were fed properly. I watched her comfort a young boy ever so tenderly as he
wept for his parents. Everyday I would walk her over to the baby room so she
could stroke their cheeks and sing a lullaby to them. These were
heart-wrenching and tear-provoking days with the precious angel of the Lord.
The best part of this story is that Tun Tun is no longer in
the welfare center. She is in a group home through ICC, and I’m sure spreading
God’s love there. And I am no longer in China, but am typing this from my
bedroom in Nashville, TN. Tun Tun still remains in my life, through prayers,
sharing her story, and financially supporting her. She has forever imprinted my
life, and I plan to support her and this organization as long as I am able.
Children’s lives are being saved, and my life is being transformed. What an
incredible combination and story to share.
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