Her name was Ya Ya. To say the look in her eyes sparked Bring Me Hope to life may be an overstatement, but then again, maybe not. David Bolt, a California boy with a knack for starting things, founded Bring Me Hope with Ya Ya in mind, and the effect of meeting her in a Chinese orphanage is what he wants to replicate during every week of summer camp.
Read the full story from the book...
Bring Me Hope is people—a core group of leaders and interns working with hundreds of volunteers every year to deliver love and encouragement to Chinese orphans. It began with one family, one adopted baby, and one summertime trip to China. Now Bring Me Hope is an organization that spans several continents: From its hometown in Fallbrook, California, it has branched out to the rest of the United States, as well as Canada and Australia. Our staff also includes dedicated Chinese translators who make each summer's work in the People's Republic possible. But as the global scope of our mission expands, our focus on families and organic relationships remains steadfast.
We operate out of a small office in rural Fallbrook—no elevator, no phone extensions, no cubicles. Just a water cooler, a couple of workstations atop a plastic table, and a single phone line we have to unplug to send a fax. We are a small organization by design, so that more of our resources are free to help the orphans we desperately want to reach.
We are Christians and believe that God created every person with value. It breaks our hearts when children are rejected, abandoned, and abused. Most of them—at least the older ones—understand that no one is coming for them. Who would? Parents who are dead, or who signed them over in the first place? Some of the little ones still cling to false hope of redemption. All of them need to experience love, and within that love, to find realistic hope of a future and meaning. We want to use the amount of time we have on Earth to instill those ideas. We want to find little girls and boys who are down on life, pick them up, look them in the eyes and tell them they have value and they are loved. Here at Bring Me Hope, that is a privilege we enjoy on an annual basis, and it is so potent that we spend the rest of the year working toward that single moment.
Our experiences and histories vary, but one thing binds us: Passion for serving needy children, and recruiting others to the same cause. We hope that you will be the newest member of our community.
Bill Byrne wrote
I showed Billy (camper) the pictures of my four girls and wife. He looked at the picture and then looked at our translator, Andrew, and said "Two Chinese?" Andrew told him how we adopted both of them to give them love. He then said that I was a good person with a big heart to adopt two girls.
Billy stopped again and said with a serious but sad face, "Why has nobody adopted me?"
There was no way I could hold my tears back so I put my head down to hide them. I heard Andrew tell Billy that I was praying. I lifted my head and said, "No, I am just sad".
Billy could see the tears on my face. He paused and then said, "Don't worry, God has adopted me.” This is a ten-year-old boy that said this. Wow!”
Phone: (760) 723-5885
Fax: (760) 723-4433
E-Mail: info@bringmehope.org
Mailing Address:
Bring Me Hope
2169 Green Canyon Rd.
Fallbrook, CA 92028, USA
Bring Me Hope Founders:
Steve & Cathy, David, Christy, Bethany, Rebecca, Jason, Mary, & Abby Bolt
Bring Me Hope Staff:
David Bolt
Executive Director
http://lifeonaraft.blogspot.com
Nicole Chmelar
Volunteer Coordinator
http://misschmelar.blogspot.com
Patti Diaz
Accountant & Donor Relations
Rebecca Bolt
Translator Outreach
Jason Hsu
Music Director
Bethany Bolt
Mentor Program Director
Jean Chen
Chinese Staff Leader - Beijing
Echo Xia
Chinese Staff Leader - Nanchang
Harry Shu
Nanchang Camp Operations
Bring Me Hope Board:
Steve Kettering - President of Board
Steve Bolt - Secretary
William Byrne - Treasurer
Christy Bolt - Non-voting Member
David Bolt - Non-voting Member
Bring Me Hope is a Christian orphan care organization that changes lives through summer camps for Chinese orphans.
For the Orphan:
To communicate their incredible worth and value.
For the Volunteer:
To inspire every volunteer to use their influence, skills, and resources to help orphans.
...dedicated six weeks to running camps in China this summer. They took care of facility needs, supported volunteers, and had lots of fun with the orphans. They had a blast, but we’ll let them tell you their highlights...
“I really enjoyed how the staff are able to see people’s hearts broken for others in their suffering. You literally see volunteers transform in a matter of days.” -Dani D., CA
“Watching extraordinary things done by ordinary people, and witnessing the embodiment of tangible truth that the best things in this world require no special program or qualification.” -Nate P., NJ
“Being staff this summer brought a clearer focus to what God is calling me to do with my life, all the while making awesome friendships, loving kids, and most importantly, serving my Savior!”
-Nicole C., IA
“I enjoyed watching the volunteers and Chinese college students unexpectedly fall in love with Chinese orphans they never met. Neither life will be the same.” -Rose B., CA
“Feeling, for the first time in my life, that I was part of a big family, and...surprisingly...loving it!” -Patti D., CA
“I loved the fellowship we experienced with each other and how God taught us what He really meant when He said to “carry each other’s burdens.” -Jamie Z., NJ
THANKS TO ALL OUR 2008 STAFF:
David B. * Christy B. * Bethany B. * Becca B. * Jason B. * Steve K. * Tilly K. * Sara K. * Jeff D. * Lisa D. * Andrew D. * Whitney D. * Philippa D. * Grace D. * Liberty D. * Austin D. * Samuel B. * Patti D. * Nicole C. * James T. * Charissa R. * Adam N. * Katie B. * Kyle A. * Bryon Q. * Nate P. * Anna Y. * Lydia Y. * Mary Y. * Martha Y. * Jason H. * Joey P. * Mark P. * Kayce P. * Rose B. * Dani D. * Sam V. * Julie V. * Thomas V. * James V. * Emily K. * Katie C. * Jamie Z. * Kristen C. * Cathy S.