“Camps in China for orphans are CANCELED! Please try to get a refund from your airline.”

I came very close to sending that out to all of our volunteers. Here’s the story how God saved the 2009 summer camp…

Volunteer Update 1, May 23, 2009

I wanted to take a moment to update you on some changes happening in China. Just recently a few orphanages in Xi’an have told us that they are not allowing their kids to attend summer camp because of potential exposure to the Swine Flu.

Volunteer Update 2, May 28, 2009

We were really disappointed to hear that the civil affair administration has told ALL orphanages that the children are not allowed to attend outside activities. We ask you and your friends and your church to pray for the orphans in China. That God would do a miracle on behalf of these kids.

The other bit of news that I wanted to tell you about has to do with some of the plane flights going into China. Our camp director in Kunming said that someone was on a flight with another passenger that had a fever and everyone on the plane was quarantined for 7 days. Sooo…. that is a risk that I want you to be aware of before coming.

Other News- May/June, 2009

– One of our camp locations shut down because of Swine Flu.

– Another summer camp similar to ours canceled because of Swine Flu.

– Swine Flu declared worldwide pandemic

– 2 times I planned on buying an “immediate departure” plane ticket to find another country that might let us run summer camps.

—————–
The first half of the story looked very bleak. No orphans, volunteers spending half their trip quarantined in a hospital, and no group facilities available to host a summer camp.

We asked our volunteers to pray for a miracle. We just couldn’t imagine closing camp. Then, just a few weeks before camp was to start, we got news that several orphanages decided that they would send kids to camp. Because other orphanages were not allowed to send orphans to camps, I kind of figured that these orphanages must have missed the memo from the government. Or maybe the mandate got lost somewhere. We felt excited, but we also felt that at any instant the mandate could arrive and camp would be over. We ran camp on a day to day basis in anticipation that a mandate could arrive at any time and camp would be over. But the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into over a month of summer camps.

We also found out shortly before camp started that the “shut down” camp location had decided to host our camp. We had to check temperatures daily for the first 7 days, but other than that, we were free to run camp as normal.

One of our volunteers did get quarantined the first week of camp. We made about 10 phone calls and found him in a small hospital in Beijing. The hospital was running tests on him. After a few hours they found out that he didn’t have a fever and put him on the next plane to his camp location. He didn’t miss even one day.

I hope this encourages you to PRAY and TRUST God with your life. Over 200 orphans came this summer that weren’t supposed to come. And the things that looked so bleak and dismal became a beautiful summer that changed all of us.

“The requirement for a great miracle is impossibility.” Faith Like Potatoes

Good Times,
-David

p.s. Here are a few of the kids that came to camp…

See all lives changed: https://bringmehope.org/lives_changed.asp

Hey Everyone,
We just started our last week of camp here in Xin Zheng. This week is going to be CRAZY!!!!!As soon as the kids got off the bus craziness started happening. Without warning, one of the girls had to go to the bathroom really bad and went on the grass. Many of them are incontinent and have diapers. I looked over and my sister was changing a diaper for an older girl who had gone poop.

When we got to lunch the bathroom lady started talking really fast and motioning for me to come in and see the bathroom. I told her I didn’t understand what she was saying but she insisted that I come in. Once inside she told me through hand motions that one of the kids used the trash can to pee in and that it had gotten all over the floor and people would be slipping.

And all that happened within one hour. Right now everyone is at the pool. Later we will have a team meeting and I’m sure there will be many more stories.

But, these kids have CAPTURED the hearts of everyone here. I’ll let you know how it goes next week!
———–
Make sure to see the newest kids that came to camp. Their pictures and letters are really amazing! CLICK HERE
———–
From Kunming Camp:

Goodbye day is always the hardest point of camp. Especially after loving the kids for a week and seeing them thrive in the love that a parent should be providing. One of the volunteers was explaining to his little boy that he was going home to America. The little boy named David replied:

“I can’t find my home… I can’t find my mom and dad…”

David (Dada Li) at camp:

-David Bolt

Hi Everyone,
I hope your week went well. We had another full week with so much to tell you. Here’s a few hightlights:

253 Lives Changed (and counting): https://bringmehope.org/lives_changed.asp
BMH’s new database that has a letter and picture from each orphan as they come to camp.

Here’s a few pictures and letters from the children last week:

————
I think, if I can use the sea water as the ink. use the big tree as my pen. I still can not write all the love between you and me. It’s beyond words… I’ll treasure this memory forever:

“Jim, I love you! … I very love you! … very very love you”

Although I can’t speak English, but I think you can understand these words, these simple words, but, which have deep meanings!

————
You’re my angel that God give to me. I believe love in the world never fails now. I get warmth and strength from your love. I’ll keep this experience in my deep heart forever. Your angel hands give me one hope that be with me forever.”

————
Your strength convinces me that love never fails and the greatness of love. Love can exist everywhere, love can make us become a family. The first person I want to see is you when I am admitted into a university. Aunt Susan, please allow me call you “Mother” here,
Best wishes for you!!!

————
Desperate Love- (From Sam Vidler, director of Xi’an Camp)

When Simpson arrived at Xi’an’s BMH camp 2009, he was obviously an intelligent, quiet boy. His disabilities are only in the formation of his hands, but his mind is sharp – very sharp. In fact his translator often commented that he is smarter than she is.
He still has a grandmother, but she is unable to care for him, and he has been in an orphanage for years. In this climate, he experiences bullying and theft, and knowing no other way, would repeat this to more vulnerable children.
Within 2 days of camp, he expressed his desire to leap out of a window on the last camp day, to become injured and not have to return to the orphanage but a hospital instead.

So, it was set to be a challenging week.

He went through the usual emotions that many teenage boys experience in this situation, where they are bathed in love and compassion. There was initial distrust, then a softening and opening up, then as the week was drawing to a close, an anger and defiance, as the prospect of losing this experience grows more real and immediate.

With the wonderful work of Alicia (volunteer) and Jane (translator), he truly got to experience Chr*st’s love, and we know, from this, he will be touched forever.

And he did not try the window. Although sad to leave, a new light shone in a previously dark existence.

But, what about after camp?

Boys like this can either be destined for a life of anger and desperation, and maybe even crime, or a life in which valid role models exist, and his painful past can be recycled for good, and (prayerfully) for G*d.

It is boys like this that can be transformed – be given a real chance, that will effect the next 40-50 years of their life.
It takes commitment, patience and perseverance. But it is achievable.
He needs a program of consistent mentoring. This is another step in the BMH philosophy – The Ranch commencing in 2009. Let us know if you would like to be involved, receive updates, or help support the project!

The Ranch Video (intro):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f78k13USvYg&feature;=channel_page