Food, Friends, Farewells II

Absolutely amazing how things come together…

New Friends, More McDonalds, Longing to Visit

Last night, 13 days after arriving in Shanghai, the three Chinese kids from way out in rural Sichuan province and the adults that accompanied them to Shanghai, left to go home.  It has been amazing helping these kids.  You can grow to love children so much, even when you don’t speak their language, even when they probably don’t even remember your name, even if they are from a place that is worlds away from anything you have ever experienced.

Jinmei playing

I can’t put to words what a joy the opportunity to help these kid was to me. Sometimes I didn’t feel like I contributed much, I did my best to organize things during the week when I wasn’t busy at work, I generated emails requesting help, coordinating volunteers and updating volunteers. I hung out with Lan Jinmei the most, but still was able to visit the other two in the hospital.  But I didn’t put a lot of money into the cause, I didn’t provide for any of their immediate needs, I just hung out.  I couldn’t really communicate, but I laughed and smiled and loved.

Today, it was wonderful to see little Lu Guomin laughing out loud.  The little shy girl, who hardly smiled it seemed. The last few times I saw her, she was in the hospital.  Waiting for surgery, scared, just out of surgery in pain, being discharged from the hospital, exhausted, bandaged and still in pain I’m sure.  Today she was a sweet little girl, still shy but laughing, giggling, sneaking looks at me from behind her father, keeling over in laughter when I tickled her.

Her eye is still healing, her new prosthetic eye that is, as is the boy’s, Gu Xin Quan.  But today they picked up the plate that will go over the eye ball, in about a month they will be able to put it in.  Then they will both have two beautiful brown eyes again.

A New Eye for a Little Girl

The other two played a PlayStation game on the big TV in Esther’s office and then they all ate their last meal in Shanghai, McDonalds, before heading to the airport.

I know they have to go home, that is where they belong – where their families are, where their schools are, where they will continue to grow up.  But I will miss those sweet smiles.  I hope to one day travel out to Sichuan province and see what life is like where they grow up.

About to leave for the airport

Three little kids, with eye issues that probably could have been prevented if they had access to medical care, brought together a bunch of loving volunteers from around the world and funds to take care of their medical and travel needs for two weeks in Shanghai, two surgeries, several days in the hospital, as well as books, clothes and entertainment.  My heart goes out to them and their families.  My gratitude goes to God and everyone else that contributed to this cause.

Amazing!

Here are a couple pictures of the kids we are helping (see my last post: Love One Another).  They are amazing children and a blessing to hang out with even if we don’t always understand each other.  The older girl is so pretty, the younger one (with a shaved head) very, very shy but slowly opening up!  The boy is sweet and all three of them beam with happiness and excitement with everything we do.

Today was their first ever trip to McDonald.

The older two at McDonalds with their toys

The younger girl and her father

We learned quickly that the children get very sick in cars and on the plane.  So getting around Shanghai by car or taxi is no longer an option.  Today, I accompanied them on their first subway ride – we only went two stops, but luckily there were no problems!

First ever ride on a subway

We took the subway to People’s Square and they got to see the big fountain and play in it a bit.

Loving the fountain at People Square

Soaked, but delighted!

Precious girls!

They then went to the Shanghai Museum, but I had to leave to come home and go to work.

The three students, a teacher and the younger girl's father in front of the Shanghai Museum

The older girl’s conjunctivitis is already improving.  There is no way to restore the eye sight in the left eyes of the other two; however, they will both have surgery on Monday to receive prosthetic eyes.

Love One Another

Since being in China, I have been involved in a small group from Shanghai Community Fellowship, an international church in Shanghai.  As my work schedule doesn’t allow me to get to church services on Sunday, I made it a priority to connect with a group that meets at a time during the week that I am available.  Since February, I have regularly attended “cell group” meetings, as they are called, with a great small group of believers from all over the world.

Over the past couple months, one of our group members, Esther, has been trying to organize an opportunity for us share God’s love with some kids from rural China.  That opportunity starts today as the children arrive in Shanghai.

Here is what we are doing and how it came about:

Several years ago, Esther went with a group of people to a rural part of Sichuan province, near the border of Yunnan, to help build a school in area where they were lacking the resources to provide a proper school for the children.  Since then, this town and the school has received some recognition and more funds have been raised for the maintenance of the school and the children’s well being.  Esther knows through her connections the headmaster of the school who is from Taiwan and has dedicated his life to helping the children and also reaching out to help children in other rural communities nearby.  It is because of these connections she learned of these young children who are having problems with their eyes and unable to receive medical treatment.

Another member of our cell group, who I have not yet met because she has been very busy in the past few months and unable to attend our group happens to be an ophthalmologist at a hospital in Shanghai.  She has offered to help by providing treatment to these kids.

Today, three children are arriving in Shanghai for medical treatment, they traveled several hours to get to the school near Lugu Lake, from there it takes between 7-10 hours to get to a city by car, where they spent the night in a hotel and got on a plane this morning to fly several hours to Shanghai.

Here is what I know so far of the children, information and pictures provide by Esther:

Lan Jin Mei, treated in Xi Chan two times, no medical report but given prescriptions. Chronic Conjuctivitis. June 2011, Shanghai Doctor Hong Liu sent more medication but still no improvement, decided to come to Shanghai for treatment.

Gu Xin Quan, age 13, his sister died because of Hepatitis B a few weeks ago, father alone at home. Suppose to be in Primary 5 but back to primary 1 because of eyes sight that affected his study. No medical record, his left eye can only see slim line, weak in articulating, shy.

Lu Guo Yin, studies at Qiao Man school, no medical record. Her eye was injured because a thorn poked into her eye. Because she lives in a very rural area, she couldn’t get treatment immediately, now she has lost her eye sight in her left eye.

Normally, to receive any sort of medical treatment these kids would have to travel over 7 hours.  Even then, the treatment would be primitive at best.

Today the kids will land in Shanghai around 1 pm, they will taken to the hotel which has been booked for the next 3 days to shower and then to the hospital for their initial appointment.  The plan is that the kids, if treatments are available, could be in Shanghai for around two weeks.  With them are two teachers from the school in Lugu, and one parent as one of the children was far to shy to travel alone.

Last night about 10 of us met to discuss what to do with the kids and the adults accompanying them while they are here.  The medical treatment, transportation costs and accommodations have all been funded by the grace of God. We plan on buying clothes and shoes for the children, bringing them to some interesting sites in Shanghai, providing them with meals and entertainment, as well as giving the adults some time a way from the children to relax a bit.

My task is to arrange a schedule for the children over the next couple weeks and coordinate the times everyone is available so we can take turns spending time with the children and making sure they are taken care of.

I will surely post updates on what we do with the kids, how their treatment goes and if the results of their trip to the big city are successful.

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. You love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.  - Jesus  John 13:34-35