Year-round Projects & Orphans Helped

Praise God!  Ian has a forever family!

Simply try to imagine. An 8-year-old boy living in an orphanage in Xi’an, China. He is not an orphan but a son of an ayi there who now lives and is growing up with the children his mother also cares for. Everyday, he lives among these children who have no family. He eats with them and plays with them but gets to leave the grounds to go to school as “normal” children do. There is another young boy in that orphanage about the same age who doesn’t have the same life as Kobe. He is an orphan, but one different from many of the children there. No “special needs;” but an orphan nonetheless. He wasn’t entirely alone—his older brother and younger sister had come to the orphanage with him after their parents had died. And, that is where they stayed, not ever even eligible to be adopted because they had at least one living relative. This boy, CongCong, became a big brother to Kobe and his closest friend as they grew up side by side. When Kobe left the orphanage to live with his father at their home in Baoji, their hearts hurt. But, every summer, he still came back to the orphanage in Xi’an and joined his brother CongCong until one summer when he was no longer there. He had aged out at about 15 years old and was somewhere on his own. Years later, Kobe is now a man, a man doing life again with orphans as he works in Xi’an with Bring Me Hope. A few months ago, when he saw an old friend from the orphanage, he heard news that broke his heart. His dear friend CongCong is dying, suffering of acute non-lymph leukemia. Alone. Kobe wrote, “It's just like when you find a lost precious thing but it turns out to be broken.” Since then, every Saturday he has spent with CongCong. Encouraging him through their Heavenly Father, the only Father CongCong knows, and caring for him. His treatment is expensive, too costly with no guarantees. At last visit, he had 300 yuan in total, the equivalent of under $50. Kobe knows he cannot do anything to help. But, he can pray. And, he has—though he has struggled to continue to trust through it all. And so, now, we are joining him, praying with him, holding the arms of Kobe up and holding this young man CongCong up as he prepares to meet His Father who created him. And, we are asking you to do the same. Pray. For easy breathing. For strength. For the ease and supernatural removal of pain. Please also consider caring for CongCong in a tangible way. Send him words of love and encouragement; send him messages of hope  (check out www.congcongscare.blogspot.com to do this). Each word will be read and translated to him by Kobe himself. And, consider giving financially even if only a small portion to help him spend his last days differently than he would be spending them otherwise. Together, we can help CongCong spend his final days knowing that he will not leave this world with no one knowing his name.

XiaoXi (XiXi) is a three year-old orphan who has been at the orphanage since infancy.  He loves to love and is very affectionate with anyone who has his trust.  He runs toward people with outstretched arms, ready to give a hug and in return, get a hug.

XiXi has Down Syndrome but he is high-functioning.  He likes to draw and show love to everyone around him!

XiXi has been a calm child in the past, though he is gradually becoming more exuberant.  He is gentle when he plays and enjoys riding around on cars.

When XiXi laughs, everyone around him has to laugh.  When he gives you a dimpled smile, you can’t help but smile.  He would be a huge blessing to any family who would want to adopt him.

XiaoNan is a fun eight year-old orphan.  While his smile gives away that mischievious vibe, NanNan is a sweet boy who enjoys helping his friends and caretakers.  He even helps decorate the Christmas tree!

NanNan has Down Syndrome, however no heart or thyroid problems have been detected.  Physically, NanNan is very sure of himself and enjoys running around and playing with his friends!

NanNan has a bit of a sweet tooth... which makes sense for such a sweet boy.  He would be a fun addition to a forever family!

Jin Qiu is a 12 year-old orphan.  He is is very artistic and likes to imitate TV actors and paint pictures.  He enjoys music and singing karaoke and performing for an audience whenever he has the opportunity.

Jin Qiu is also a helper.  He helps to fold diapers for all the babies in the orphanage every afternoon.  He mops the floor and cleans tables when asked.

One of Jin Qiu’s favorite places to play is on the playground!  Here he enjoys running around, sliding, and swinging.  He also likes to jump rope and ride bikes and cars.

Most of all, Li Jin Qiu is very loving and sensitive to the moods and expressions of people around him.  When one of the other children in the orphanage falls, he is quickly by their side and helping them up.

Jin Qiu has Down Syndrome but has not had any heart or thyroid issues.  Because of this condition and his age, Jin Qiu needs to find a forever family before he is 14 years old.  Jin Qiu would be a wonderful addition to any family.  His engaging smile and sweet disposition would warm up any home and heart!

Please contact Joy Dexter at joyinchina78@gmail.com for more information about Jin Qiu.

"In July, my husband and I traveled to China to serve with Bring Me Hope to provide a camp experience for orphans. As prepared as you think you are with packing lists and immunizations and reading all you can beforehand, I wasn’t at all prepared for what God had in store for me. My heart was broken. My heart was broken over each one of those children He brought to that camp. Broken. During my second week in Xi’an, I had the tremendous blessing of spending 5 days with a sweet little boy [David]. I’ll never forget seeing him for the first time. He immediately reached for my hand and held it with a tight grip. He didn’t want to let me go. I noticed right away that he had some difficulty walking. And, as we walked to the edge of the room together to play, I became more aware of the trouble he had walking. As I walked easily in stride, I could feel his body shift from left to right as we walked hand in hand. He has scoliosis. I imagine that the years of little to no treatment and no family to help him get what he needs has contributed to his rhythmic gait. But, his spirit is so bright. He smiled up at me with an excited grin and told our translator he was excited to come to camp. Every few minutes, he would shift his entire body to turn and smile at my translator and me. I remember consciously noticing what a beautiful smile he had.

That first afternoon, we played badminton until we could play no more. And, he laughed and played with joy despite the differences in how God formed his shape.

When I think about [David], I think first of his sweet spirit–quick to listen, eager to try new things and soak every bit out of camp that he could. He had two close buddies at camp. They all lived in the orphanage together, and it was very easy to tell that they were best buds, three peas in a pod. It occurred to me that they were probably the closest thing he has to a family, the closest thing he has experienced of what it feels like to belong. He was made paper ready, made available for international adoption when he was only 5 years old. He just turned 8. And, for nearly 3 years, he has waited, paper ready to be adopted. [David] seemed most happy when he was beside his two best friends. I couldn’t help but picture him home with a family, HIS family, and how happy he would be, how much potential he has, how much he’d grow and thrive. And, how tightly he’d hold the hand of his mother and father."