Here’s an update from the Hedden family- friends and camp directors of BMH summer camps. Enjoy!
The Headmaster of the De Xing Primary School in north Kunming has recently given us special permission to bring some of the orphans to our home when they have time off. We feel especially grateful for this opportunity. Our goal is to visit the kids who have been to Bring Me Hope’s summer camp here in Kunming once a week as our target ministry group because these children are in a very unique predicament. These orphans were abandoned by their parents to the care of the school, and were “adopted” by the school’s headmaster. As his wards, they are no longer eligible to be adopted into a normal family structure; so ours is essentially the only traditional family that they are able to associate with. Every holiday, as all the other boarding students head home, they are cruelly reminded that they have no families of their own. Our hope is that we can help fill that void in their lives so that they will ultimately see that G was watching out for them.
So early one morning about two weeks ago, we went to the school to get two of the kids. After visiting with all of them for a little while, we collected Li Deng Qing (Jaimie) and Li Deng Feng (Ruby), and started the ride home. Their wide smiles soon gave way to happy giggles in the back seat of the van as Amy handed them some fruit and yogurt. At the house we showed them around, gave them a long hot bath, and dressed them in 2 beautiful dresses while Amy washed and dried their clothes. After that, we played with them, took them out to eat, fed pigeons at the park, chased fish in the pond, and chatted with them. They were so happy to be in a place where they could just relax and play with toys. Our expectations for them were that they would find our home a place where they felt content, safe, and loved .
Last week we had another opportunity to spend a day with 2 of the older girls from the school. Both 13 years old, Guan Xiu Mei (May), and Wu Yan Qiong (Lisa), were delighted to come along with us for the day. Our kids sat and colored with them for almost 2 whole hours. Then we went downtown to eat and window shop with them. They played tag, chased the fish, climbed on the park equipment, played Uno, and talked with us. We had a wonderful time with them, and I think they had a good time as well. They are such a blessing to us, and we look forward to spending time with more of the children from the school. Our time with these orphans is precious. The hardest part of the day is taking them back to the school, but we assure them each time with a hug and a kiss on the top of the head that we will be back, and that we love them! Thanks to each of you who make it possible for us to be part of these kids’ lives.
Learning From a Shepherd
In addition to my regular university language study, we have recently hired a special language teacher who comes to our house once a week and tutors me. But he isn’t an ordinary teacher. My tutor is a local “shepherd” who has 5 “flocks” of sheep in our local area and who supports his family by being a Chinese tutor. He teaches me the language of the “Shepherd’s Manual” so that together we can introduce others to “The Shepherd”. Our time together each week is exhilarating both because of the content of our study and because we spend 2 hours of uninterrupted conversation completely in Chinese.