China Trip 2009 - The adventure begins.....

Would love to know what my little one was thinking as we touched down in "her China" at last. She was soooo excited to be going to her other home...tho we will never know at what level she really understood it. I believe that she understood at a deeply subconscious level that this was "hers" and a very important part of her life.

Our trip this year has been amazing beyond words at so many different levels.

On a personal level it has further cemented our relationship with the land of our daughters birth in an even deeper way, it has deepened our relationships with special friends in China, it has made us feel we "belong" and most importantly these relationships which have taken years to develop have led us to important details about our daughters' early life in China.

In terms of our care for children in orphanages, our Foster care has expanded, and most importantly we now have steps in place to provide more care for our "special children"( more news later).

Our relationship with the GGEF girls has deepened and we now feel able to think more clearly about their needs and how we can help them as they grow and develop opportunities in life.

We have also been thinking about more ways to fundraise to meet the costs of new ventures( anyone with time energy & ideas please get in touch :-).

We will try to capture & share here over the next few weeks some of our photos & stories of our Trip.

This was a Budget Trip - it is so important for us to travel to China but well above our ability to pay - so we were staying in Matthew's apartment instead of our usual hotel, making us real Nanningers ( much to his amusement:-), carrying our very substantial no of suitcases around on public transport instead of our usual personal van & driver.

So arriving in Nanning after 2 long weary days of travel from Scotland, we had one hour to reorganise all the luggage, gifts, donations etc for our visit to Hechi, Desheng, Yizhou....and we were off on a 5hour bus journey. As we all poured out of out taxis with all this luggage, an amazing lady just appeared with an old rickety wheelbarrow & lifted our luggage over to the bus, refusing help from the men!

We settled down to our journey, meeting some new friends along the way....

The beautiful Hechi mountains as we approached.......

On arrival to Hechi City, another amazing form of transport appeared! I really don't know who was most amused - the driver as he watched us pour out of the bus with all our children & all our luggage, or us, as we watched our suitcases loaded onto this bike,

and disappearing into the sunset with this driver.......

Iain & Matthew jumped on an old rickshaw in hot pursuit, jumping off along the way to pick up an escaped suitcase.........

...while we laughed in the back of our taxi, suddenly realising that we didn't know where we were going and that our men & luggage had disppeared without us into the sunset!!!!!!

We were very happy ( and a bit relieved) a few moments later to turn the corner to our old favourite, Hechi City hotel, where we feel quite at home. This is the China we love!!!!!!!

Our children are very good & patient, coping so well with the craziness of the trip, but it had been a long journey...and we were all ready for bed & looking forward to the adventures beginning the next day........

Love in Suitcases

It has been amazing for both Cindy & I over the last few weeks to open our Inbox, & receive post each day which has been filled with amazing messages, photos, donations & gifts of Love to take with us to China :-)

I have a whole suitcase filled with medicines donated by St Margaret's Church, Dunfermline to go to orphanages who cannot supply these basics for the children in their care.

We have blankets, scarves, cardigans, toothbrushes, baby hats.......

We have T-shirts for our precious Desheng GGEF girls with photos from their sponsors.

We have soft toys, crafts & activities, balloons, face paints for so many different children in Orphanages, Foster care & Rural Villages.

We have "neon" gifts for our Nanning girls, with bracelets hand-made by Buckhaven High School pupils & gifts donated by friends. Bracelets made by Cindy's daughter's after school class.

Baby quilts, Photo albums, gifts to Nannies, updates to Orphanages, photos to Foster families, photos from Waiting families to their new child and so much more.........

Requests from families to find our more about their child's beginnings.......

Photos & info from both our daughters' classes to share with Desheng schoolchildren to build up common links of Global Citizenship.

Lanterns, medicines & gifts from Rainbows in Dunfermline to girls in Desheng

So much love contained within our 8 cases...it is hard to describe & put into words......

We just cannot wait to get there and share all this precious cargo in these special places in China!

Thank you so much to all around the world who have contributed in so many different ways and helped to make all this possible - our trip would be NOTHING without you ALL!!!!!!!!

We know you will be with us in spirit:-)

We ARE a great worldwide TEAM!!!!!!!!!

Xie Xie

Linda & Cindy

Our Patricia

This was our Patricia from Yongning when we met her in 2006. We first heard about her in 2004 when she was discovered in an orphanage where her special needs just could not be met. She has cerebral palsy and is blind. She cannot communicate her needs. Our friend in China worked very hard to find a loving foster family who could meet her needs, and we managed to find a wonderful sponsor who could help to pay to have her needs met.

She has been struggling for so long... we have tied acupuncture & other therapies but her condition has not much improved.

However she knows she is loved!!!!!!

And she lives within a community who recognise her and value her. We hope to be able to meet more of her needs in the future as Hope4China expands into meeting the needs of our special children.

We have met with her on each trip back to China and her sponsor has been faithful in supporting her. It is wonderful to see her smile & giggle when we communicate with her.

In the last few days we have been able to provide her with a wheelchair which will enable her and her amazing foster mother to get out & about more easily.

We were so excited to see these photos yesterday!!!!!
We are looking forward to be meeting her in a few weeks and hope that Cindy will be able to suggest other ways of improving her little life - making that seat a liitle more comfortable :-).

She is a precious soul...and we are so thankful that we are able to do something to improve her life.

In our coming trip and over the coming years we aim to be working together as a Team to provide not only Foster care & Education for our children in China, but a also a greater emphasis on meeting the special needs of many of the children there.

Yizhou children are ready for sponsors!!!

Dear friends,
All 30 of the children of Yizhou SWI have now been placed into their loving foster homes. The children range from babies through teenagers. Some have special needs while others do not. ALL of them deserve to know the love and care of a family. With your help, ALL of these precious children will know that!!!!
To view the children, please go to www.grace-hope.org
Click on "waiting for sponsors" at the top of the page
Then click on "Yizhou" at the left hand side of the page
You will then see all of the children who still need sponsors. If there is one in particular who steals your heart, please let Linda know???
And please pass the word so that we can find enough sponsors for ALL of these children. Perhaps 2 families would like to split the cost?
In just a few short weeks, Linda and I will have the amazing opportunity to meet and play with these wonderful children. We promise to take many photos to share with all of you!
Cindy

Foster Care Preparations at Yizhou SWI

The preparations for moving ALL 30 children living at Yizhou SWI have begun. The China staff of Grace and Hope for Children were in Yizhou last week giving the training for the identified foster families who will be taking in the children. According to our friends, the training was a huge success, and alot of fun! All 3 directors from Yizhou SWI were in attendance, giving an indication of just how committed they are about foster care. The children will be moved into their new homes very, very soon. Thank you to everyone who helped by spreading the word that the children here were in need of support!!
Cindy and Linda

What is a Teenager?

A toddler in disguise :-)

I am surrounded by scary teenagers all day, every day!!!!!!
I remember walking down from our school with my friend, Lis (also my colleague), and looking at our students from the outside. We both remarked that they were big, loud & scary, marching down the street shouting & laughing!!!!!!!!
We also laughed as we remembered that most were just like pussy cats:-)
In our classes, they were so sweet ( most of the time), and responded so well to firm & fair treatment with a big dose of humour & respect. They all need to be loved & praised - just like toddlers :-)

I have been teaching now for soooo many years, and of course now have 3 live-in ones at home who have been through every stage of teenage angst (we have gone through it too!)

This year when we go to China , I have been asked to present training to SWI staff, foster mothers & nannies on how to deal with Teenagers. It is an honour to be asked...but there are days I look at my teenagers and wonder.... " Why did they ask ME?"

They are great kids, but all teenagers have their day - they are a "Work in Progress". Of course, so are their parents?

I am so enjoying preparing the training, and as always am learning as I go. There are no experts on teenagers:-)

However this brings me to an important point.
It is tough being a Teenager today (even when you have the loving & unconditional support of your family)

Today, I am thinking of a group of teenagers who have grown up in an institution and have to go thro all the trials of teenage growth without proper love & support.
We have been given a wonderful opportunity to provide these teenagers with a loving foster family trained to support them, for them to feel in some way "like their friends" and to give them hope for the future.

What an amazing opportunity!
How sad if we lose it?

Because of the set up in this particular SWI, if we cannot find sponsors for all 30 then the programme will not work.

So, what the cost of providing this hope for a teenager?

Simply £20 a month

If we cannot find another 16 (at this time of writing), before Wednesday, then the programme will not go ahead for now & these teenagers will continue to struggle to cope with life.

If an individual, a family, a class, a Sunday School group, a Youth Club........ would like to be involved, they can raise the money, send gifts, receive photos & reports every 3 months and know that they are making a huge difference to a life.

I know many of our readers are already involved in making a differnece - but if you are just popping in, or have not considered it before, please think about it & contact me if you would like any more info.

Thanks for "listening"

I'd walk a hundred miles........

The next time my mind has a good idea, it will need to consult with my body!! Seriously, the nearer it got to the walk of 100 miles round the roads of North Skye, the more nervous I became. I had been walking at least 10 miles a day, but was having to double this and with a back-pack.

The first day began well and I was able to attend worship in one of my former churches – it was lovely to meet the people there and feel so welcome. After church I got on my way and about 2 miles later I was in trouble – something went “pop” in my groin as I was going up a long hill. One and a half hours later I was still struggling up the hill! [a few steps forward and then a stop to allow the pain to subside]. I thought that was it, until my brain kicked in – “What if I walked backwards up the hill?” Bingo, it worked. For the next 3 days I was walking up the hills on the road backwards!!!

Having finally arrived at Dunvegan I was looked after by Donda and Norma – they were stars, who couldn’t do enough for me. The next day it was off to Sligachan – the weather and scenery was as beautiful as the day before – what a privilege to be taking in this beautiful part of the world, even if a lot of the time it was backwards! The comfort and food of the “Slig” was welcome after a long walk – so was time with Mickie who came down for a meal.

On the third day it was on to Portree – that was the only day of rain. During a heavy shower I took refuge in a road-roller – the engine was left on and I felt tempted! It was good to be with Barbara and Angie in Portree, go to Rotary and Portree Church and meet old friends.

After a good breakfast [Angie and Barbara, always give a good breakfast] it was on to Staffin. The journey to Staffin is one of the most breathtaking in Skye. First of all there is the Old Man of Storr, then the staggering views over to Wester Ross, the Kilt Rock and Staffin itself. My hosts were Allan and Joanna who made me feel very welcome and comfortable in their beautiful house. At Columba 1400 I met a party of Chinese tourists and a couple living in Glasgow and their two daughters from China – a small world!

It was now off to Uig, and again a breathtaking journey with such diverse scenery – I met a group of American tourists on the walk round to Uig and they were so interested in what we were doing at Hope4China – lovely people. Wendy was there to welcome me in Uig and it was so nice to catch up with so many of my former congregation there. I was well looked after and it was good to sit in Wendy’s lovely home, overlooking Uig Bay.

It was the final day! The short hop from Uig to Kensaleyre – back to the village that was once our home. Called in to see lots of people on the way and it was so good to connect with folks that were once such a large part of our lives. After a busy day Mickie made me a lamb curry – so good to relax with good company and know that nearly 100 miles had been completed. I even managed to drive back down the next day in time to join my son Ross and watch Partick Thistle play Stirling – and win!

A wonderful journey, though sore at times and a bit backward! The people of Skye were so generous in every way, as indeed were all the people in Dunfermline and all around the world who sponsored our charity.
To date we have raised over £6000( more since the photo was taken)

This will make our trip to China possible and enable us to meet the needs we will encounter when we get there.

Thanks is too small a word to say to all who helped in whatever way!

Xie Xie

Iain

Something for Nothing

I just got a lovely wee donation for Hope4China of £3.69 for NOTHING from Everyclick!

And I thought that maybe TOGETHER we could get a lot more for NOTHING?
If you use http://www.everyclick.com/ as your Search engine instead of Google for example, every time you click, money is donated to Hope4China. When you use it you are asked to choose your charity - Hope4China is registered with them - so every time you click Hope4China gains:-)
Every little helps:-)

Everyclick
Everyclick is a search engine with a difference: it makes a difference. Working just like any other search engine, Everyclick enables its users to raise funds for their favourite charity from over 170000 UK charities. To date, Everyclick has generated thousands of pounds every week for charity by its users searching the web. There are no sign-up fees or up-front charges; its free to both the charity and the user. The money raised for charities comes from advertising placed on the site. Everyclick also has an option allowing people to donate directly to their favourite charity.
Please note: donations made via Everyclick will be listed as anonymous, if you need further details on a donation please contact everyclick.com
http://www.everyclick.com/

Actually, since I started working on it, it has risen to £4.40 and we only have 7 new users !!!!!!
Just think how much we could raise if ALL our visitors used this regularily?????
Please use & pass to your friends...

Let's see if the income generated can support a child in Foster Care this month?

There is such a thing as a free lunch:-)

A Beautiful Letter from China

"Hello my dearest friends,
There are so many words to say but we have so little time to talk when we meet,
so I must write this letter to tell my heart.

You have dragged us up from the whirpool of difficulty
You have changed our faces from distressed to happy
You light the Guiding Star in front of us
You spray down the colours of the rainbow on our growing road……

Your help for us, it’s not only financial, but also spiritual.
Your loving heart and great love touch us.
Words can not express our gratitude.

Friends, my dearest friends, you love us so much, too much
and we can’t help loving you.

I still remember our Camp on May 1st this year.

The theme of our camp was “Life in Abundance”.
I couldn’t fully understand what it meant.
I only heard that it’s about love, and I did feel the Love.

Look, the sisters coming from poverty, they are laughing. It’s Love!
Look, under the same blue sky and on the same grassland, we are playing games. It’s Love!
Look, we are sitting around the table and enjoying our food. It’s Love!
Look, surrounding the campfire and on the ocean bank, we are singing and dancing. It’s Love!
Look, in the dim light, whispers floating out from the tents. It’s Love!

Oh, too many and too much, it all comes from your great Love.

We have different experiences,
but this camp makes us all feel the same.

We have the most pure and sincere friendship between us. Each of us has a holy spirit. We have our dream and we are chasing it. I believe each individual has his unique and lofty ideas and belief. In this group, there are all kinds of people. I’m so happy to have such a group of friends.

Although there is a shadow behind us, we will work hard silently and smile firmly.
You are our Companions.

There is an invisible thread leading us to go forward together.

Well, endless words. Here I wish happiness accompany us each and everyday!

Best wishes,

Zhang Zhang"

This letter is one which has touched me & remained in my heart since I read it in 2006. It shows the importance of relationships between some amazing girls in China & some equally amazing Hope4China sponsors.
I am so proud to be a part of it :-)

PS

Mathew spoke with me yesterday & said the girls had been calling him to find out what had happened to the June KFC Party?
They had remembered that the last 2 years our Party had been in June!!!!!
I was so happy to realise that it is is now a permanent part of their lives!!!!!
And was delighted that Matthew could tell them that we WILL be there in October this year!!!!

I don't know about the girls, but I am excited...and just can't wait ;-)

Happy Birthday to our Nanning Girls

When we first returned to Nanning in October 2005, we met a wonderful group of girls. They all came from village homes around Nanning and all were struggling to remain at school. There were individual circumstances, but many were from farming families where there was just no money to pay for school fees, or food , books etc. They were the first group of girls sponsored by Hope4China, many of them at that time being sponsored by the fantastic fundraising efforts of Portree High School pupils in Scotland.


On that first visit, we first met for an evening banquet & passed round photos, letters and gifts from Scottish students. The girls then stayed overnight in a hotel nearby( paid for by Portree Students), met the next morning for a Trip to Nanning Zoo. After all this excitement we went to KFC in Nanning - the girls first ever visit- and it was their Birthday Party!

Since few of the girls had ever had a Birthday Party before we decided to have a celebration for everyone !!!!!

I said at the time that we would have a BirthdayParty there for them each year. I jokingly said I didn't think I would make it each year, but that Matthew could bring them without us each year:-)




Well, we made it in October 2006:-)

We made it June 2007, along with 8 Portree High School students who had supported them :-)

And we made it again in June 2008 :-)

Words cannot express the way in which this relationship has developed from these first shy days of 2005 with the older girls practicing their English with us. Over the years we have exchanged gifts, letters, photos and now emails with the girls. The older girls have become young women to be proud of, who email from university to keep in touch!

The younger ones are now blossoming & growing in confidence, writing of their feelings in such a wonderful way.

These girls have taught all who have been involved in their lives so much. My students here have been astounded at their capacity for hard work, lack of complaining & hope for the future in the face of many difficulties caused by poverty.

Last year on our visit back I was astounded to realise that one of our older girls, now at university in Guangdong had made a 13 hour journey back home for our Birthday party at KFC!

She and the other older girls this time took over at the party to give encouragement to the younger girls and to speak of the spiritual connection of love they felt from their sponsors. They spoke of the power of Love sharing between people from opposite sides of the world, showing that they understood the mission of GGEF & H4C - that sharing between people is of the most importance!

They concluded by singing "Mama Hao" to me as the representative of all our wonderful sponsors .

It was a moment which will live with me forever, and which was so humbling.....

There was not a dry eye in the house........and I thank God for that wonderul experience which seemed to me to encompass these wonderful girls in China and the wonderful sponsors who had made their hopes come to light. I was honoured to stand in the place between......

Thank you to all who have made this possible... You have changed the world!

Thank You, Suzanne, Terry & Isabella

Another of our H4C helpers has achieved amazing results which will benefit so many children.

Suzanne worked & trained so hard , with even her new little addition in the buggy :-)

Suzanne & Terry ran the London Marathon and altogether raised over £2000 which will go to help children in Guangxi, where the lovely Isabella is from.

The money will be used to help set up a Foster care programme in the Baise SWI where Isabella was from

It will also help two little girls from Biase, Pinguo to go to school and have hope for the future.

Wonderful news!

From Little Acorns......

From the early days of 2005 when a few friends wanted to help children in China who had no-one to love and care for them, the little acorn, which became Hope4China'sChildren, has been steadily growing into a large sturdy tree.
It astounded me to work out the other day that we now have over 90 sponsors, many friends who help & several schools who work together to help these precious children. WOW!!!!!!

It occurred to me that in a week I share some wonderful stories about what sponsors do, experiences of how children are helped & many more bits of news which warm my heart.

I am able to share with some, but I thought why not more....

This is a Team Effort and as such I want to be able to share the news more effectively. I have been trying to do this on our Hope4China Blog, but guess that not all our sponsors will read this.

So, we have started a new Yahoo group for all sponsors and friends of Hope4China'sChildren. I hope that all who are part of our work will join, get to know each other, see collectively what a difference we can make and be able to work together even more effectively to make a difference!

We are mainly a group of UK & European friends, but we work closely with US friends and Chinese friends through Grace-Hope http://www.grace-hope.org/ and GGEF http://www.ggef.org/ . My friend, Cindy from Andover, USA, and I also work closely together to help met the needs of so many children thro these organisations.

We are in effect a World-Wide Team which I am proud to be a part of :-)

This is what life is all about!!!!!

So friends & sponsors - make sure you have joined http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hope4chinaschildren/
so that we can move forward together........





Activity within 7 days:
15 New Members - 15 New Messages - 1 New Photo - New Questions


This is a group for Friends & Sponsors of Hope4China's Children.Hope4China was set up in 2005 in response to the needs we discovered while adopting our daughter from Guangxi province.It has grown and developed over the years due to the wonderful support & generosity of our friends & sponsors. Many people have asked how we started this and the answer is - we don't really know...it just happened! We now support around 150 children in Foster care and Education and help to meet the medical, social needs of many others. We have returned to China each year and have seen the difference this makes to so many lives.We wish to share more of what we have experienced with you all, as none of it could happen without you.Through this group, we hope that we can work together more effectively to communicate, raise funds, share ideas & meet the needs of so many precious children in China.


We are part of a team!



TEAM = Together Everyone Achieves More!