"I saw the face of Jesus in a little orphan girl. She was standing in the corner on the other side of the world. And I heard the voice of Jesus gently whisper to my heart, Didn't you say you wanted to find me? Well here I am, here you are. So what now? What will you do, now that you found me? What now? What will you do with this treasure you've found? I know I may not look like what you expected, but if you remember, this is right where I said I would be. You've found me.
What now?"
--"What Now," Steven Curtis Chapman
I am back in the United States; it's been two days since I left Bethel. I miss the children, the staff, the volunteers, everything about the place. I even miss the kitchen that only ran cold water, the fridge with all the dead flies on the bottom, the foam beds, the same 6 dishes of 家常菜 rotated over and over again for lunch and dinner.
The day before I left, some of the older girls got rebellious and didn't listen in class. I had to pull them aside and discipline them. I think they just had a hard time with my leaving. None of them have had strong parent figures for most of their lives, and although they all call each other sister and brother, they don't have great relationships with each other either. Some children cope with loss by acting rebellious, grabbing for attention more than usual. One even pretended to cry so that she could elicit sympathy from me and hold my attention longer. I was annoyed, but realized just how needy some of the girls are, and this is how they choose to express it. Xiao Guang, on the other hand, just could not focus on English class and kept saying, "An jiejie no go America. Next year come back." The little kids (2-6 years old) could not understand the concept of leaving. I said I would go back to America on Thursday, and America is a place very far away. One kid asked if I would come back on Friday.
On Wednesday night we had a party for me; we played musical chairs and a dancing game where every time the music changed, we had to change dancing partners. Then each student came up to me and thanked me. Afterward they sang a simple hymn they had just learned, "God is so Good." I gave them each a gift; six of the girls got hairclips, the two oldest ones got wooden combs with "Jesus Loves You" and "Love One Another" engraved on them and also a CD of worship music and an audio Bible CD. I gave Li Ying my old flute because she had said early on that she wanted to learn. Xiao Guang got a hat, but he wasn't at the party because he had done something out of line and was punished.
On Thursday morning, I taught preschool English for the last time at 8:30 before rushing around saying goodbye to the older students, the older students' nanny (whose son was hit by a car a few days ago...I gave her a card and the Purpose Driven Life in Chinese), the office staff, and of course Chun Yu. I was about to get in the car with all my luggage when Chun Yu and her nanny came back from their walk, and I hugged her and told her I'd miss her and I love her. I said goodbye to Chris and Aaron (his friend who just arrived the night before) and got on the van. I waved to Chun Yu as we drove away. At the airport, my flight was delayed several hours so I listened to music and just sat for a while. Chris wrote this song called "Jesus in your Eyes," dedicated to his adopted sister, and I listened to that while I looked at Chun Yu's picture. I looked at the picture also as the plane took off at 6 PM.
I haven't gotten too much time to really think about everything that has happened this summer. I know I have learned a lot but haven't sorted all the lessons out clearly. What I do know is clarified is those lyrics above. I have seen the grace of God embodied in these young children, innocent and playful, loving and friendly, wanting love from others.
In John 9, there is a blind man who is healed by Jesus, and his disciples ask Jesus, Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?
And Jesus answered, Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.
What does that mean? We discussed this early in the summer when most of the volunteers were all together. How can one explain to the children why they are blind or otherwise disabled? It seems harsh to tell them that they were made to glorify God through their weaknesses.
But I think one needs to look at what it means to glorify God. What is God? God is love, grace, mercy, kindness, patience, and everything good. These children at Bethel, although still blind and not healed, are a testament to how love can impact one's life.
Many children came from state orphanages where they were neglected, abused, malnourished, and had to face a lot of suffering no parents would want their children to go through. Many could not even talk or sit up as toddlers when they first arrived, like Chun Yu Some were severely malnourished, like Zhi Wei, who is the size of a 1 year old but is actually 3. Some were cursed at and beaten for years, like Xiao Guang. But they all changed when they came to Bethel. They have received continuous love and care for two to three years, and already they show many signs of improvement.
When Xiao Guang first came, he had a severely hunched back, could not feed himself, could not go to the bathroom by himeslf, and cursed all the time because the person who "took care" of him cursed at him all the time. Two years later, he stands up straight and walks, can eat with a spoon, can go to the bathroom, can speak properly and politely, and is a very gentle boy. He has a reason to smile. He calls Guillaume his French father (法国爸爸). Love has changed him. People who see him and hear his story cannot help but be amazed.
The power of love changes people. The children at Bethel, blind and disabled, are a living testament to that truth. Spending a day there makes it apparent that there is something very special about this foster home. The children are happy and know they are loved. Once in English, I asked them to use the sentence structure, "I am grateful because..." and Li Qin said, "I am grateful because many people love me."
I hope each of those kids realize that if they don't already. And I hope that every person who visits Bethel will realize that love is what matters in life, because love is what saved the 31 children living there. It was love that brought Guillaume and Delphine from France to Canada to Hong Kong to China to start this foster home. Love brings volunteers from all around the world to help the children. Love brought the children from wherever they were to where they are now, and it will bring them wherever they will be in the future. Through them, it is evident that God is love, and that He saved them and wants to save everyone.
So this summer, I saw the face of Jesus in 31 Chinese orphans. I want to pass on the question, "What now?" as a challenge. There are millions of orphans in China, and millions more all around the globe.
What will you do with this treasure you've found?
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." --Matthew 19:14
www.bethelchina.org
What now?"
--"What Now," Steven Curtis Chapman
I am back in the United States; it's been two days since I left Bethel. I miss the children, the staff, the volunteers, everything about the place. I even miss the kitchen that only ran cold water, the fridge with all the dead flies on the bottom, the foam beds, the same 6 dishes of 家常菜 rotated over and over again for lunch and dinner.
The day before I left, some of the older girls got rebellious and didn't listen in class. I had to pull them aside and discipline them. I think they just had a hard time with my leaving. None of them have had strong parent figures for most of their lives, and although they all call each other sister and brother, they don't have great relationships with each other either. Some children cope with loss by acting rebellious, grabbing for attention more than usual. One even pretended to cry so that she could elicit sympathy from me and hold my attention longer. I was annoyed, but realized just how needy some of the girls are, and this is how they choose to express it. Xiao Guang, on the other hand, just could not focus on English class and kept saying, "An jiejie no go America. Next year come back." The little kids (2-6 years old) could not understand the concept of leaving. I said I would go back to America on Thursday, and America is a place very far away. One kid asked if I would come back on Friday.
On Wednesday night we had a party for me; we played musical chairs and a dancing game where every time the music changed, we had to change dancing partners. Then each student came up to me and thanked me. Afterward they sang a simple hymn they had just learned, "God is so Good." I gave them each a gift; six of the girls got hairclips, the two oldest ones got wooden combs with "Jesus Loves You" and "Love One Another" engraved on them and also a CD of worship music and an audio Bible CD. I gave Li Ying my old flute because she had said early on that she wanted to learn. Xiao Guang got a hat, but he wasn't at the party because he had done something out of line and was punished.
On Thursday morning, I taught preschool English for the last time at 8:30 before rushing around saying goodbye to the older students, the older students' nanny (whose son was hit by a car a few days ago...I gave her a card and the Purpose Driven Life in Chinese), the office staff, and of course Chun Yu. I was about to get in the car with all my luggage when Chun Yu and her nanny came back from their walk, and I hugged her and told her I'd miss her and I love her. I said goodbye to Chris and Aaron (his friend who just arrived the night before) and got on the van. I waved to Chun Yu as we drove away. At the airport, my flight was delayed several hours so I listened to music and just sat for a while. Chris wrote this song called "Jesus in your Eyes," dedicated to his adopted sister, and I listened to that while I looked at Chun Yu's picture. I looked at the picture also as the plane took off at 6 PM.
I haven't gotten too much time to really think about everything that has happened this summer. I know I have learned a lot but haven't sorted all the lessons out clearly. What I do know is clarified is those lyrics above. I have seen the grace of God embodied in these young children, innocent and playful, loving and friendly, wanting love from others.
In John 9, there is a blind man who is healed by Jesus, and his disciples ask Jesus, Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?
And Jesus answered, Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.
What does that mean? We discussed this early in the summer when most of the volunteers were all together. How can one explain to the children why they are blind or otherwise disabled? It seems harsh to tell them that they were made to glorify God through their weaknesses.
But I think one needs to look at what it means to glorify God. What is God? God is love, grace, mercy, kindness, patience, and everything good. These children at Bethel, although still blind and not healed, are a testament to how love can impact one's life.
Many children came from state orphanages where they were neglected, abused, malnourished, and had to face a lot of suffering no parents would want their children to go through. Many could not even talk or sit up as toddlers when they first arrived, like Chun Yu Some were severely malnourished, like Zhi Wei, who is the size of a 1 year old but is actually 3. Some were cursed at and beaten for years, like Xiao Guang. But they all changed when they came to Bethel. They have received continuous love and care for two to three years, and already they show many signs of improvement.
When Xiao Guang first came, he had a severely hunched back, could not feed himself, could not go to the bathroom by himeslf, and cursed all the time because the person who "took care" of him cursed at him all the time. Two years later, he stands up straight and walks, can eat with a spoon, can go to the bathroom, can speak properly and politely, and is a very gentle boy. He has a reason to smile. He calls Guillaume his French father (法国爸爸). Love has changed him. People who see him and hear his story cannot help but be amazed.
The power of love changes people. The children at Bethel, blind and disabled, are a living testament to that truth. Spending a day there makes it apparent that there is something very special about this foster home. The children are happy and know they are loved. Once in English, I asked them to use the sentence structure, "I am grateful because..." and Li Qin said, "I am grateful because many people love me."
I hope each of those kids realize that if they don't already. And I hope that every person who visits Bethel will realize that love is what matters in life, because love is what saved the 31 children living there. It was love that brought Guillaume and Delphine from France to Canada to Hong Kong to China to start this foster home. Love brings volunteers from all around the world to help the children. Love brought the children from wherever they were to where they are now, and it will bring them wherever they will be in the future. Through them, it is evident that God is love, and that He saved them and wants to save everyone.
So this summer, I saw the face of Jesus in 31 Chinese orphans. I want to pass on the question, "What now?" as a challenge. There are millions of orphans in China, and millions more all around the globe.
What will you do with this treasure you've found?
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." --Matthew 19:14
www.bethelchina.org
posted by Ann Chao at 8:55 PM
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