Visiting Orphans in Chaoyang China

Hands of Love

2009-07-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

Hands of Love is the name our team decided to call ourselves, since there is already a "Team HengFeng" that visits this orphanage. The director wanted something he could put on the plaque he had made to hang in honor of our team, and we thought it represented what we did with our time, holding babies and woodwork. We also had a running joke about making hearts with our hands, as that is a symbol the girls in the restaurant made when we answered their questions of why we came to China.

We were pleased to learn this morning that we would not be touring in the afternoon after all, which meant more baby time. The wood crew finished the tables and horses in the am, and the director came up with the great idea of having us all sign our names on each piece. He said that way they would always be reminded of our love, and they would get to tell about us when people asked what all the signatures meant. Also on each piece, one of our girls drew the heart hand symbol and Ying wrote "Hands of Love" in Chinese characters. What I also love about it is that in Chaoyang we painted a vine with our handprints and signature on the wall, so this is in the same tradition. They also hired a professional photographer to take group photos, and by the end, we were all soaked in sweat!

Melanie bought some cakes for a celebration this afternoon. They were beautifully made, and it was nice to serve the staff since they had been so hospitable with us all week. Some of the nannies shared with their little ones, so a lot of the kids had "cake face" this afternoon. They were like little baby birds to their momma, begging for more:)

Leaving is always so tough, and this time was no different. I, personally, am always able to hold it in until I see the nannies crying, and then I lose it. With the help of Ying, I was able to tell the nanny of the room I hung out in a lot that I know how hard she works, and I know how much she loves the children in her room, and I really appreciate it. I may not choose to do it the way the nannies do, but I tell you what, they are pretty amazing ladies. They are on the job all the time, taking care of 6 young babies, doing the laundry, fetching warm water from a building down the way, etc. I can't imagine they get paid much for what they do either. I want to remember to keep them in my prayers, as they have a huge job!

Once again we had local college age kids join us at the orphanage, and they were great help with the woodwork and in the rooms. Also, the staff of the hotel restaurant where we have eaten our last 16 meals wanted a group photo with us. It is always a comedy to watch the poor person who volunteers to take the photo, as they have 10 or so cameras dangling off their arm. What started as a simple photo request ends up quite the production.

Well tomorrow we have to be in the lobby by 5:30, where the director will send us off on our drive back to Nanchang for an 11:45 flight to Beijing. He gave us all copies of the letter he wrote for us, which again, put us all in tears, where along with many other things, he said he would keep us in his prayers. He and all the people of HengFeng have been so sweet and accomodating. I am so thankful for our special, ordained time here.

Day 4 Heng Feng

2009-07-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

Today was another hot and humid one in HengFeng! You would never know it by looking at the children's clothing though, as they are always dressed as if it were the middle of the winter. The children are mostly in long sleeves, some in flannel, and usually in layers. If they are in their crib, they are covered in a blanket. When the nannies aren't in the rooms, sometimes we will go uncover them:) Many of the girls on the team have enjoyed shopping for cooler clothing for the kids, and dressing them when we get to the orphanage.

There are only 3 kids who are above 2 years old, and we brought them coloring books (they had to be shown how to hold the crayons), sidewalk chalk, and some riding toys. The five rooms are set up in a square around a courtyard, so those kids can pretty much wander where they like without getting into trouble or lost, and seem to be free to go in and out of the rooms.

Today the woodworking crew finished 21 chairs, are almost finished with the five tables, and got the wood cutout for two rocking horses. They have been working incredibly hard in a very hot room with no air conditioning. You can taste the sawdust when you walk in the room! They have to be done tomorrow morning, as we are saying goodbye to the children and nannies at noon so that the director can take us on a tour of the area.

Our drive to and from the orphanage may only be 5 minutes from our hotel, but it is never lacking in adventure! Today on the way to their, we got stuck in a big traffic jam as there was a parked bus in our way and the incoming traffic kept coming without letting us past, but then they got stuck due to motorcycles, mopeds, and three-wheeled taxis that kept going around them. It really was quite hysterical, especially since I could reach out and touch the cars next to us. Our driver finally had to get out and tell the people behind us to back up so that he could maneuver around. While we were sitting in all of this, some of the girls were talking to a street vendor through their window, and a passerby bought them a watermelon and passed it through the window. Only in China!

On the way home we asked the busdriver to pull over so that we could take a photo of a roadside stall for a dentist. A dentist had donated a bunch of toothbrushes for the kids and nannies, so one of the girls wanted to take a photo for him. She even got to sit in the chair.

The Girls With Their Babies!

2009-07-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

More Adventures...Day 3

2009-07-09T18:17:00.001-07:00

Guess what we did today??? More snuggling with babies and building tables and chairs! A couple of the girls also brought brushes and barrettes, so we went around combing hair and making the girls look like girls. For the most part they really enjoyed the head massage....I even put one girl to sleep standing up!

Just four people on this one...I missed the photo op of the moped with five

Ying, Mark and I, escorted by the director and assistant director, also shopped for air conditioners for the orphanage. Mark and I stayed in the bus while they negotiated with the shop, so that they would get a better price than if the "rich" Americans were with them!

Day 2 by Toni Crebbin

2009-07-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

The boys spent all day at a local lumber mill that let them use their tools, preparing the wood for the tables. They basically started with logs and planed, cut, and sanded wood for 4 tables and 20 chairs. Guess they had quite the experience. They were definitely tired and hungry at the end of the day, as the building was not air conditioned and they worked through lunch.

Us girls played with babies again all day. We now feel comfortable enough to change diapers when they need it, and some also got to bathe the babies. As you can see in the photo below, the nannies do it on their lap and much quicker than us!

We get many visitors throughout our day. Usually a relative of someone from the orphanage or hotel who want their teenager to hang out with us to practice their english. We never know who is going to show up at dinner, on our bus, or at the orphanage. This young lady was at the orphanage for the first time, because her uncle told her to come.

This evening was spent by most doing some local shopping, except two of the guys on the team headed back to the orphanage to finish a repair job on a broken door. The fix-it list seems to be getting longer....hopefully we have enough time to fulfill their wishes.

I had the interesting experience today of visiting the orphanage doctor. I got a mosquito bite on my ankle a couple nights ago that has become quite swollen and red. She put some ointment on it and sent the medication with me to use the next couple of days. One of the nannies told our guide that she would bring some aloe tomorrow. I'm thinking bottle of aloe, but not 15 minutes later, someone walked in with two aloe leaves! I love the service and thoughtfulness in China:) Please keep my foot in your thoughts, as it is doing better now, but swells up when I'm on my feet and in the humidity.

Babies!

2009-07-07T09:19:00.000-07:00

Babies, Babies Everywhere!
What a joy today was, doing nothing but hanging out with 30 beautiful babies! I'll mainly let the photos speak for themselves, as you can see how we all spent our time. It was such a blessing to be able to hold and play with these little ones. The majority of them can't be older than 8-10 months, as only a couple walk. There was even a five day old baby. One of the men on our team is a cabinet maker, so he and a couple others made a table and chair for the kids, with plans to make more over the next few days (if they can figure out how to replace the two chargers that burned out....).

Tonight we headed back to the sqare where we were once again the center of attention. People were pushing their babies at me to get Mike to take polaroid pictures of us, and we sang songs to one of our teams guitar playing. It was a special time, being that we were in the government square.

Building and Babies

2009-07-07T00:28:00.001-07:00

Jim got to visit the mill in Heng Feng today. He and his crew are getting ready to build 5 tables, 20 chairs, and new cabinet for the medical center and 3 dish cabinets for in between each room. He is seen here with the "head of the mill." Go Jim and crew!

So, Mark said he wasn't going to bring home a baby this year......he was looking more for a "nanny." This picture makes me wonder. :)

Trip to Heng Feng

2009-07-07T00:17:00.000-07:00

Well it was a long day, but we made it safely to HengFeng. We had an early flight out of Beijing, and about 2 hours later we landed in Nanching where the orphanage director met us.

It was a beautiful drive through many rice fields and lush green scenery. Close to four hours later we were in HengFeng, where everyone has been extremely hospitable to us. We definitely are the local attractions here, especially when we went out to the county square where everyone gathers at night. It is very kid friendly, with glow-in-the-dark rollerblades and skateboards, art activities, funny looking inflatable rides (some of the girls rode for 5 yuan, which is less than a dollar, for 5 minutes), break dancing, while the adults have an opportunity to ball room dance. Some of the girls danced with local partners, and then led the electric slide. Crowds gathered around us wherever we walked, especially when I pulled out the polaroid camera that Joyce gave me (thanks Joyce!). Once I took one photo and they saw the results, mothers were bringing their babies to me for photos and children tugging on my arm. The only thing that could've made the evening a wee bit better would be lower humidity. Wow, the sweat just drips off, especially when the crowds would gather around. Oh yeah, and maybe the girls that got stuck for a few minutes would wish for an elevator that works consistently. I think I'm going to get a great workout this week going up and down the stairs to the fifth floor.

Crazy Day!

2009-07-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

By Toni Crebbin:

I'm not sure how I can talk about today in just a couple paragraphs, but I'll give it a shot. For the longer versions and personal stories, be sure and ask after we're back in the states. For most of us, today is a day we will never forget, but as we all had different experiences, our stories will not be the same.

We started the morning at Beijing International Fellowship, which as usual, is a little taste of heaven with people coming together under the same roof, praising the same person. We then headed off to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall where when you are finished climbing the wall, you can choose to walk back down, take a cable car, ride the speed chute (toboggan), or ride the ski lift. Just beginning our journey was like an Abbott and Costello experience of "Who's on first," but alas, our journey began. As we began our climb, two groups splintered off, one that was planning on going down the cable car, and one that was going to toboggan. I was in the toboggan group, and after celebrating at the top we bought our tickets to toboggan down.

Kristen and Caleb were the first to get on their sleds, and after some quick photos, Caleb headed off. Suddenly we were told that the ride was closing down due to rain. What? But it's not raining....
The response was that it was raining down below, which would make the ride unsafe. Oops, poor Caleb was already on his way down! We headed back to the ticket booth and traded our toboggan tickets for ski lift tickets, feeling soft rain drops as we prepared for takeoff. As we began our slow descent, the raindrops became heavier, and that's when the thunder and lightning began. Let's just say I think all of us on the ski lifts grew closer to God during that time:) Fortunately we safely made it down to the bottom as the downpour continued, but Caleb was not to be found. We headed to the shopping stalls to get out of the rain and do a little bargaining. We found Caleb, who had waited at the bottom of the toboggan for quite sometime waiting for us, before he went shopping. But where was the cable car group??? We huddled under the stalls long after the shopping was done, and still, no cable car people. We were to be back at the bus no later than 5:00, to which now was past. Finally someone got a text from one of them, and they were stuck on top the wall, waiting the storm out. I have never seen such rain come down, like a flood down the cobblestone street. When the storm passed the group up top was allowed to come down the Cable Car and we all breathed a sigh of relief. As we drove the route back to Beijing the bus had to maneuver many lakes of water, but many cars were not as fortunate.

Despite all the hair-raising experiences we all had a good time, and topped it off with dessert at Dairy Queen! Although we played tourists today, our real journey begins tomorrow, as we head out to HengFeng very early in the morning. We can't wait to start interacting with the children, which we all desire and which is what pulled us all together here in China.y T

Philip Hayden Day

2009-07-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

Today the team spent the day at Sheperd's Field Children's Village playing with and loving on the children. The team visited this foster home last year, so was fun to see some familiar faces and buildings that were under construction, but now complete. Everyone is still adjusting to the time difference and jet lag, so we are exhausted, but the joy that many of the chilren exemplified was energizing! You can see the happiness in the photos below. I'm not posting names with the photos, as I am still trying to learn all my team members names....

Update from Toni.....

2009-07-03T22:46:00.000-07:00

Finally....

Hello friends and family. Sorry about the delay in letting you all know that we made it safe and sound, but we got in very late/early this morning, coupled with problems getting to blogger (Thank goodness for my husband's savvy of getting around things, if you know what I mean), so we're just now getting around to posting. No pictures yet though, but hope to tonight after our busy day. All the team made it uneventfully, with no quarantine issues. While everyone's body clocks are getting readjusted, we have a quiet morning, then off to Philip Hayden, a western-ran foster home, to love on some kids! Hopefully we have some good pictures to post tonight. Please keep us all in your thoughts....

Update on Team Chaoyang

2009-07-02T22:52:00.000-07:00

As many of your now our team of 19 people were planning our third trip with Visiting Orphans to the Chaoyang, China in the Liaoning province. Mark was leading the team to Chaoyang this year and I was so excited for him to finally meet "our kids." However, it seems the Lord had other plans. Due to the H1N1 virus (Swine Flu) the province we were to visit has had 10 confirmed cases of the swine flu, supposedly brought back by students visiting the west, and the provincial government recommended closing the orphanage to outsiders. We were told that the orphanage director petitioned for permission on our behalf, but was turned down. This really came as a blow to me, as I always get my way and was quite sure the government would change their mind and let us in. Not so.

Fortunately another orphanage has opened up their doors to us. The Jiangxi province has not had any documented cases, plus it is a much poorer region, and so their restrictions are fewer. Mark and the team will be working in the HengFeng SWI (Social Welfare Institute). The team has never been to this part of China (well, half of them has never been to ANY part of China), so those that have traveled before are looking forward to seeing a new area. However they are not looking forward to the heat and humidity of the south at this time of the year. We are very thankful that doors opened up at such a short notice, as the situation could have been much worse. We are very disappointed that we won't be able to see the "Faces of Chaoyang," but know that God has great plans for us.

Please keep the team's travel in your prayers. There are many chances for complications to arise. The team will have their temperatures taken while still on the tarmac in Beijing. We have also had to change our trip itinerary to allow for extra "quarantine" days in Beijing, just in case. Usually we site see at the end, but it made sense to add it to the beginning as a precaution. Also, check back here daily, as Toni Crebbin will be sending me blog updates of the journey. She's been told however, that when the hotel in HengFeng has the air conditioning on, the Internet doesn't work. Gotta love China!

An Update...... THE TEAM OF 19 PEOPLE ARE SAFE AND SOUND IN THE HOTEL IN BEIJING. PRAISING GOD FOR ANSWERED PRAYERS!

Prayers Needed for Team Tehachapi!

2009-07-02T09:52:00.000-07:00

These are just some of my favorite people going to love some of my favorite people. Your prayers would greatly be appreciated. They will meet up with 2 people on the team in LAX, 3 more people in Tokyo, and then......praying all goes well, 8 more people in Beijing!

I will be updating the blog from home and will keep you all posted.

Change for Chaoyang..A HUGE Success...Again!

2009-06-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

June 13, 2009 marked our 3rd Annual Change for Chaoyang Dinner and Auction. We are so blessed to live in a community that is so generous toward our cause. Many businesses helped us by donating to our silent auction. Many members of the community bought tickets to our Chinese dinner provided at NO COST by The Great Wall Restaraunt.

At the end of the evening, nearly $2,500 was raised to help care for the orphans of Chaoyang, China. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Team Chaoyang 2009

Summer Team Forming Now!

2009-01-13T21:43:00.000-08:00

We have our dates! We will be traveling to Chaoyang July 2- July 13th. We are so excited to see our kids! Please visit www.visitingorphans.org for more information on how you can answer God's call and help care for the children of Chaoyang.

Faces of Chaoyang

2008-08-23T22:12:00.000-07:00

The Crebbin family made this great video of our sweet memories from Chaoyang. Music by Brandon Heath

Sweet Caleb

2008-07-28T00:52:00.001-07:00

Sweet Caleb went to be with Jesus when he was barely 3 weeks old. Please pray with us that we can find a way to help Chaoyang get the best care the children need. Caleb's needs were not extraordinary, but the docotrs in Shenyang were unable to save his little life.

We have a job to do folks......a BIG job. Won't you join us?

DONATE NOW Please put "Chaoyang" in your memo.

The Cribs Have Arrived!

2008-07-27T23:54:00.000-07:00

The director got a call that the cribs had made it as far as the JinZhou province. From what I'm told, he arranged pick from there! The staff assembled the cribs in the downstairs playroom. We look forward to seeing our precious little ones in their new beds.

Love in Any Language

2008-07-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite clips from the week.

Safely Home!

2008-07-16T17:02:00.000-07:00

Our trip home went just fine. Hats off to Air Canada! Their touch screens with many movie choices, really make the trip go faster. Amy and I were welcomed home by the house band! Mark did an absolutely fabulous job on the home-front. The kids haven't stopped hugging and kissing me. Amy is off with friends...of course. It is truly GREAT to be home!

Last Day in Beijing

2008-07-16T14:19:00.000-07:00

Our last full day in China was amazing. It started off at the Beijing International Christian Fellowship. This is a church for foreigners only. They meet in the theater of a very large hotel. I've been blessed to have been able to attend this church 3 times before and was super excited to share it with the team. As always, it was wonderful to worship with other believers from around the world. It's hard to explain the feeling of hearing worship songs being sung simultaneously in Chinese and English.

We then went on a Hutong tour, which is a rickshaw ride through the old part of Beijing that is preserved mainly for tourists. It was originally inhabited by the Mongolians, where one extended family would live around a courtyard, according to Feng Shui beliefs. Now the courtyard is gone, and four different families will live in each area. We got to stop at one of the homes, where the husband and wife served us HOT tea and cherry tomatoes. The girls and I did a fab job hiding the cherry tomatoes until the man came by to serve us more! :)

More Philip Hayden

2008-07-12T01:56:00.000-07:00

Philip Hayden Foundation

2008-07-12T01:32:00.000-07:00

The day started with sunshine (a rarity in Beijing)! We boarded the bus at 7:30am for our 90 minute drive to Philip Hayden Foster Home. Philip Hayden Foundation (PHF) establishes children's villages in Mainland China for at-risk and special needs orphans. Again we were blown away at how the Lord has blessed the work of this foundation. The children are absolutely beautiful and although they are orphans, every effort is made to give them the feeling of being loved and nurtured in a home environment. The co-director, Leah, welcomed us with open arms and gave us a tour of the grounds. There is new construction everywhere as they strive to meet the needs of the kids. They are finishing up a home that will have a preschool and kindergarten on the first floor. Also a home is being built to house adolescents that have little hope on the streets. They will be taught much needed life skills. Again, the teachers in our group went a little nuts.

Tracie, Toni, Jake, Anna, and Meme ventured off to The Great Wall this afternoon. The rest of us are "chillin" back at the hotel. Tomorrow is church at Beijing International Christian Fellowship (who would think, we go to church more in China than in the states!) and then a Hutong tour.

Enjoy the photos and leave us some comments! We can read them this year!!

More Hope

2008-07-12T01:14:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share so more pictures of our trip to Hope Foster Home. Words can't express what these amazing people are doing for children in the name of the Lord.

Hope Foster Home

2008-07-11T07:42:00.000-07:00

It was a difficult journey, but after a delightful 3 hours at the Chaoyang Airport (we were delayed), we made it to Beijing! Upon arrival, we went to a market to buy supplies for the foster homes. It was another grand adventure, fortunately, we had our fearless leader, Liz and our over zealous tour guide, Che! It is obvious that all of us are missing the luxuries of America….many conversations have included fantasies about triple shot caramel frappacinos and cheese burgers! Luckily, Che with his sharp tour guide instincts, caught onto our need for some American food and took us to Subway for lunch! It wasn’t quite what we have in Texas, California, and Washington, but it was a close second (maybe not that close) minus the vegetables, cheese, variety of breads, and condiments!!!!

We spent the afternoon at Hope Foster Home, a lovely home for special needs orphans recovering from surgery. If you have time, you should check out their website, www.hopefosterhome.com . All of the teachers in the group were amazed at how organized Hope was! I think I can venture to say that is was a real dream come true for Toni, Tracie, Liz, and Meme! All teachers love everything labeled! Robyn, the co-founder gave us a tour and then we played with the kids. It was a great experience for us all! We hope that we a little help from Ying, that maybe a couple of the babies from Chaoyang will be able to come to Hope to received the specialized care required for their conditions.

Tomorrow we visit another foster home outside of Beijing, be sure to check back with us to check in on our adventures! As of now, we do not have a talent act planned for tomorrow, but perhaps Che can get something going for us! We didn’t have any real performances today, we attempted to “rehearse” in the Beijing hotel elevator, but sadly our audience scurried off the elevator puzzled. Clearly they were not ready for the musical talents of Team Chaoyang!

Stay tuned for more Chinese adventure!

Much love,
Team Chaoyang

Saying Goodbye

2008-07-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

2008-07-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Chaoyang...Hello Beijing!

2008-07-10T06:16:00.000-07:00

Today, we reluctantly said goodbye to our friends at the orphanage, but in our usual Team Chaoyang fashion…we went out with a bang! Our birthday party was a huge success! The children had a wonderful time! We had cake, papayas, apples, and cherry tomatoes! Many of the kids had 2 and 3 pieces of cake! Needless to say, they were bouncing off the walls! Sadly the cribs never made it to the orphanage, but hopefully, Ying will be able to check up with the director and get pictures for everyone back home. We were able to present the beautiful quilts and bedding and everyone was very thankful! The refrigerator was also delivered today! That was quite a sight to see…1 man carried the side-by-side refrigerator up the stairs while 3 more were behind him! We are not all together sure how did it with such ease!

This evening we went to a Chinese Three Self Church and worshiped with the members there. The minister warmly welcomed us into their congregation, gave a short sermon, and then the members performed a dance for us! It was at the Three Self Church that we realized that we definitely are an American touring talent act! After the members of the church performed their dance, we were invited in join in and dance with them! We are quite a talented group of 12 unique individuals! After the dance, Angela played the piano and we were able to share some American praise songs! It was amazing; we all had chills!

Tomorrow we leave for Beijing to visit 2 foster homes. We are looking forward to meeting new children tomorrow, but each of left a piece of our heart with the orphans in Chaoyang. We will continue to keep you all updated on our adventures and our touring act!

Beijing or Bust,
Team Chaoyang

2008-07-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

All Work and No Play?

2008-07-09T07:44:00.000-07:00

Things are going great in Chaoyang! It is hard to believe that tomorrow (Thursday) is our last day at the orphanage. The past couple of days have been amazing and each of us has made memories to last a life time.

Tuesday was packed full of fun! We decorated foam visors with the kids, then, decided to decorated ourselves as well! For lunch, we went to "The Hot Pot" which is pretty much the Chinese equivalent to fondue! Everyone enjoy the experience and the delicious meal! Liz (our fearless leader) however, had a more difficult time with this meal and consequently ended up wearing more of the meal on her clothes than actually eating the meal!

Today (Wednesday) has been wild! This morning, we took the kids to a city park that had some carnival style rides! All of the children LOVED it! They were running around with their favorite VO team member, smiling, and having a ball! Jake has made a lot of progress with a special needs boy who lives upstairs. On the first day at the orphanage, Jake learned that the boy could walk with assistance. Throughout the week Jake has been spending time with the boy and today, the nannies and the director brought him in a wheelchair to the park! He was not a fan of all of the rides, but truly enjoyed the overall experience! Jake has really made a difference in that young man’s life! WAY TO GO JAKE! Later in the afternoon, Liz and Ying went and bought a refrigerator and a fax machine for the orphanage. They were in need of a ‘frig for the upstairs and needed a fax to assist in getting more children registered for the adoption process. Apparently, Liz was treated like a Queen and the people in the stores were amazed at the work we are doing here in Chaoyang! Tonight, as group, we went “out on the town” and went on a scenic walk around a Pagoda that is not too far from our hotel! It was quite an experience taking in all of the culture! Overwhelmed by all of the culture, a few of team members decided to provide a little American culture and put on a show for literally hundreds of innocent bystanders! Needless to say, the crowds roared with cheers (and laughter) as they were serenaded with The Dixie’s Chicks, “Good Bye Earl” and The Little Mermaid’s, “Part of Your World”! As if that was enough…the VO performers (who shall remain nameless) ended their triumphant performance with the dance, dance revolution, “The Electric Slide!” What sight Team Chaoyang was this evening!

Tomorrow will be a busy day. Sadly, it will be our last day at the orphanage, but we have great things planned for the kids! We will host a birthday party for all of the children and present our gifts to the children and the orphanage! It will be a wonderful day! Ying is continuing to help us locate the cribs. What would we do without Ying??? We are VERY hopeful that they will make it to the orphanage by tomorrow so that we can set all of them up for the children and nannies. The mattresses have already been delivered; we have a host of beautiful quilts, and lots of cribs sheets…now all we need are the cribs!

Sorry we have not been good at updating the blog, but we promise to do better! It has been quite difficult juggling our touring talent act and visiting the orphans! We hope all of you are doing well back home and we look forward to seeing you soon! Much love to you all!

Cheers and Chopsticks,
Team Chaoyang

Babies, Baths, Beads, Bananas, and...THE HOKEY POKEY!!!

2008-07-07T07:19:00.000-07:00

Hello All!

Well, we are having quite the time in Chaoyang City! Everyone is doing great with the exception of a few mosquito bites! We are truly having the time of our lives! The orphanage has been very welcoming to us and we have been able to make wonderful memories with all of the kidos!

Today, we made beaded jewelry with the the older kids and a had a whole lot of fun! It was amazing to see their nimble little fingers at work! While many of our fearless team members were beading with the older kids, Anna rallied a few of the troops to give the babies upstairs a bath! We had a lot of fun bonding with the little ones and the nannies seemed to appreciate us taking on the bathing chore! Hopefully, we will be able to get some bath pictures on the blog tomorrow. For lunch, we went to a "fancy" resturant not too far from the hotel complete with waitresses in Chinese Princess outfits! It was quite the scene. We were all eager to take pictures with the Hostess/Princess...hopefully, you will enjoy the team princess portrait! After lunch, we went back to the orphanage! Amy taught one of the girls how to say "I love you" and all of the team members names in English! The little girl was beeming with happiness and screaming with laughter! She has the most infectious laugh! For snack, we gave the kids bananas, fruit snacks, and candy...Luckily, the snack provided some of the kids and some of the team members enough energy to dance "The Hokey Pokey," "YMCA," and..."The Electric Slide!" (a crowd favorite). Jake and Ying were quite the dancers and seemed quite pleased to learn some new moves!

Our last day at the orphanage is Thursday and unfortunately, our cribs have still not been delivered. We are hopeful that they will arrive before we leave so that we may help the people at the orphanage set up the cribs and take pictures home for all of the people who donated money. We ask that you please pray that the cribs arrive before we leave! It is very important to all of us to help the orphange set of the cribs!

As you can imagine, we are all worn out, but anxious for tomorrow! We will continue you keep all of you updated!

Much love from China,
Team Chaoyang

2008-07-07T06:44:00.000-07:00

A Day In Pictures

2008-07-06T02:56:00.000-07:00

We had and amazing day with the kids. They greeted us with open arms when we arrived, and some of them truly seemed to remember us from last year. From bubbles to tie dye...the day was incredible. The smiles on the faces of the children confirmed to us why we endure such long days and sleepless nights to get here.

It's hard to put into words what we experienced. I guess I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Toni's Blog

2008-07-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

Visit Toni's blog for more updates and photo opps.

Here us a picture of Jake after being reunited with the team!!

More Pictures

2008-07-05T16:26:00.000-07:00

WE MADE IT TO CHAOYANG!

2008-07-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

Greetings from China! We made it safe and sound at about 10pm tonight. I think it's Saturday here. Seems we've been up for days. We had a bit of stress in Beijing when the airlines couldn't find Jake's ticket. We had to leave him behind! It all worked out though and they got him on the next flight. We were reunited this afternoon.

We did our annual Walmart run and got some supplies for the orphanage. They were giving out rice and flour if you spent 128 RMB. I will post more tomorrow!

Love,
Elizabeth

WE'RE OFF!

2008-06-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

Here's our itinerary to help you know where we are when. We covet your prayers and appreciate all your love and support!

Wednesday, July 2nd - Depart for LAX

Thursday, July 3rd - Depart for Beijing, China

Friday, July 4th - Arrive in Beijing. That is one LONG flight! :)
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Saturday, July 5th - Back to Beijing Airport to fly to Shenyang, the capital city of Liaoning province.
Visit our friends in Shenyang that our doing "His" work.
Off to Walmart for supplies for the orphanage.
Take a 4-5 hour bus ride to Chaoyang.
Arrive Chaoyang!

Sunday, July 6th-
Thursday, July 10th. SEE OUR KIDS!!

Friday, July 11th FLY (extra prayer here please) from Chaoyang to Beijing
Back to Walmart of supplies for Hope Foster Home and Philip Hayden Foster Home
Travel to Philip Hayden for a visit with the children
and staff.

Saturday, July 12th Bus ride to Hope Foster Home to visit with the
children there.

Sunday, July 13th Attend Beijing International Christian Fellowship!
Revelation 7:9 “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could
count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne…”

Hutong tour in Beijing

Monday, July 14th. Fly back to the U.S.A.

Let the Packing Begin!!

2008-06-26T12:07:00.000-07:00

We had our last team meeting at the Li home. Jake made some delicious Chinese food and we thoroughly enjoyed it as we went over some last details. We divided most of our donations. WOW! What a generous group of people.

Blankets of Blessings!

2008-06-20T22:27:00.000-07:00

Meet our angel Vi Debord! After we returned home last year, Vi heard us share about the precious children of Chaoyang. She said the Lord laid it on her heart to help them in some way. She called me last spring and offered to make 20 quilts for the babies of Chaoyang. With the help of her daughter and sister, here are the fruits of their labor. We love you ladies and thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

3 Weeks and Counting!

2008-06-10T13:31:00.001-07:00

In less than 3 weeks team Chaoyang will be heading to China! As we make the final preparations we’re asking that you join us in prayer that this mission trip will be all that the Lord desires. Here are a few of our requests.

• Team Unity
• Health and safety for the entire team.
• A willingness to let God be in charge.
• May our daily lives be a witness to all we encounter.
• Acceptance of us by the people of Chaoyang as well as the Chinese government.
• This trip changes lives as well as is life changing.
• May all we say and do bring honor to our Heavenly Father.
• May the children know we, as well as their Father in heaven love them.
• May we radiate the Father’s love.
• The cribs arrive in time for us to help assemble and distribute them.
• A nice rain so we could actually see the colors of the city (as well as breathe!) ☺
• Let us be an encouragement to the children and staff of Hope and Philip Hayden Foster Homes. Let our visit be
productive, helpful, and meaningful to them.
• May the Lord guide or every step so that whatever happens, we know we’re in HIS will.

Thank you for joining us in prayer as we become’s God’s hands and feet. You are loved and appreciated and we covet your prayers.

Blessings,

Visiting Orphans
Team Chaoyang 2008

China's Pain

2008-05-15T18:52:00.001-07:00

If you've seen the grief and loss in the hundreds of pictures coming out of Sichuan such as "China's Pain" and this article, you're likely wondering what you can do to help. It appears that forces have mobilized, and we feel confident in recommending all of the following organizations. As always, Love Without Boundaries receives the highest praise possible for their efficiency as it relates to the donor's money and overhead costs (3% overhead, almost unheard of in charities, but it's because of their dedicated volunteers):  

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Love Without Boundaries
Chinese Children Adoption International
Visiting Orphans

Most of the above organizations are working with orphanages, especially due to the fact that there will be many new orphans from this tragedy. Several SWIs are near the epicenter, and you can see a map of them here at Red Thread Maps.
Mercy Corps is already working in Wenchuan, and you can read more info here: Mercy Corps

Here is a blog by Melanie Zhang who is the Associate Director of Children's Hope International-China. She has set up a team of volunteers and is in Chengdu. Children's Hope Team

2008-05-15T18:40:00.001-07:00

2008-04-09T22:19:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that my Amy and I are headed back to China this summer for a mission trip to the Chaoyang orphanage. The orphanage has requested the donation of 20 cribs. As you can see by the photo, they are dire need of new cribs. Many of the kids did not even have mattresses in their cribs, or if they did, they had no sheets. Mind you the humidity there is quite high, so they would sweat like crazy on the mattresses. We were able to purchase air conditioners last year, so hopefully that has helped. Our mission team is looking for 20 sponsors for the cribs, or 40 1/2 sponsors. The cost of a single crib is $150 (or $75 for 1/2), and is tax deductible. Our plan is to have them delivered while we are there, so that we can set the cribs up, then take photos of the kids in their new cribs. We would bring back a picture for each sponsor so that he/she could see his/her donation in use, as well as have a photo of a child to pray for daily. Would you please consider this worthy cause? Please email if you have questions, or if this is something you are interested in, and I will tell you what steps to take next. Thank you for your consideration!

Change for Chaoyang

2008-03-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

Waiting for our Forever Families!

2008-01-28T20:11:00.000-08:00

Sweet Faces of Chaoyang

2007-12-31T08:35:00.000-08:00

Visiting Orphans relies on God to fulfill its purpose of meeting the needs of orphans. Your generosity and continued support of our ongoing projects will be greatly appreciated.

Donations can be sent to:
Visiting Orphans
6723 Whittier Ave., Suite 306
McLean, VA 22101

Please note Chaoyang on your donation.

God Bless You!

Update on Our Kids

2007-12-31T08:24:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the director of Chaoyang Social Welfare Institute and our good friend Ying, we've been blessed with some updated pictures on some of the children of Chaoyang.

We miss them so much and can't wait to see their smiling faces next summer.

A few more pictures from our last day.....

2007-07-28T00:09:00.000-07:00

I have enjoyed the comforts of home and being with my family. I pray I'll never lose the feeling of visiting a third world country. Counting my blessings and hoping to return to the precious kids and staff of Chaoyang.

We're Coming Home!

2007-07-21T15:25:00.000-07:00

We did more in one day than most people do in a week............but we saw China!!! It was hot and muggy at The Wall but a few people made it to the top. Anna did!! (We won't mention she got lost on the way back and was an hour late to the bus. How does someone get lost going down the steps on The Wall? Ask Anna!)

After lunch, (no weight loss for anybody....we eat every 3 hours it seems) We went to the Jade Factory, Friendship store and everybody's favorite........the Beijing Market!!

Our evening ended with a Kung Fu show and dinner (of course). We said goodbye to our "Guide of the Year" Ying. He lives in VA, so we know we'll see him again (before next year).

It's time to pack. See you soon!!

Saying Goodbye

2007-07-19T07:39:00.000-07:00

I knew this day would come. I knew it would be hard. But I never dreamed just how hard it would be to say goodbye to the precious kids of Chaoyang. The day started with painting, crafts and just plain fun. The nannies were gracious enough to let us have access to all of the kids and even give some of them a bath!

We ate lunch at the orphanage and they let us stay all day again. This afternoon we had a wonderful birthday party for all the kids. The room was decorated to the hilt and the smiles on the children's faces were priceless!

Amy and I left a piece of our hearts here. I bet you'll figure who stole it. :)

Enjoy the photos.

Day 4

2007-07-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

I am very happy to report that it rained today!! We saw mountains we didn't even know existed. The colors on the buildings came to life and we actually saw sunshine for the first time!

Our day at the orphanage was wonderful. We asked if we could stay all day and not leave for lunch. They were very hesitant, but finally agreed. They are so worried that they are working us too hard and we will not get our rest. The staff prepared a wonderful sit down meal for us. It was all homegrown on the grounds.

The team worked so hard painting, doing crafts and just loving on kids today. We even had a magic show from "Dr. Magic"!! The veterans came to watch too and enjoyed it very much.

I'm not sure how we're going to say goodbye tomorrow. It will be heart wrenching. I've lost count of the number of team members that have said "Next year when we come...." Even our wonderful guide Ying from VA is saying that!

We had several highlights today. The first being our evening dance in the streets. We wore our t-shirts and joined the nightly street dancers. We are quite the celebraties in the city. Our picture was on the front page of the paper this morning, we were on the news tonight, and will be on again tomorrow morning. It was great fun piling in our room to watch the coverage. They did a great job showing us with the kids. Today another newspaper came and did a story and on Friday some "officials" are giving us a send off.

Tomorrow is the big birthday party for the kids. We are so excited to give them their gift bags.

Enjoy today's photos!!

Love you all!
Elizabeth

Random Pictures

2007-07-17T14:55:00.000-07:00

It's almost 6am and the internet will let me blog so I thought I'd just post random pictures from our trip so far. We are all awake because the music and dancers start outside our room at about 5am. They can't dance in the circle though...it's been under construction 24 hours a days since we've been here. You've never seen anything like it.

Out of Touch

2007-07-17T07:07:00.000-07:00

We are feeling very disconnected from the U.S.A. For some reason the Internet here has blocked us from using yahoo. It worked the first day or two......now we can't send or receive emails. Bummer. Blogger is touch and go. I'll try and post as much as I can when it's working. I can't read the comments though........another bummer.

Yesterday the newspaper crew came and did a story on us. They were taking tons of pictures and asking questions. Today another local newspaper came to the amusement park. They followed us around taking pictures of us with the children. When we returned to the orphanage the 4 air conditioners were all in place and 2 of them were hooked up and running. The other two needed additional wiring but should be running tomorrow. The play room was so much more comfortable today. The staff was also bringing in a computer desk and setting up their new computer. Tomorrow they will be hooked up to "high speed" (yeah right) Internet. There was a team from the local T.V. station following us around today. They were taking pics and video of all the happenings. It was so exciting!!!!

We told them we had a couple of artists among us and they were thrilled to have the walls brightened up. The children just loved the pictures. Tomorrow Angela and Jessica will work in the play room and some of the team memberes will try their hand at painting.

We took a walk downtown tonight and watched the street performers. It was so beautiful. Of course..........you couldn't really see much through the construction dust and smog. (Don't worry mom......I wore a mask)

I guess since this seems to be working I'll post some more pics before I go to bed.

Enjoy!

Today's Pics

2007-07-17T03:11:00.001-07:00

Jessica Jones and Angela Shultz shared their talents and with the help of the team turned plain white walls into a room with a little happiness.

Day 3

2007-07-17T02:55:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday night in China and we just returned from a wonderful day at the orphanage. The children were bussed along with us to a small amusement park. It was no Disneyland but the children acted like it was. It was soooo hot and sooo humid but we didn't really mind. The kids were in heaven.

We have not been going hungry. VO has us eating 3 HUGE meals a day. At lunch they bus us back to the city and take us to a big sit down restaurant. I think they want the children to rest. They are also worried about working us too hard. We have convinced them to let us stay all day tomorrow. They will only let us stay, if we let them make us lunch. We agreed. They are a self sufficient compound with vegetable gardens, chicken, cows, etc. Tomorrow they will make us potatoes!

We are going to a Chinese opera tonight. It's on the street with local talent performing. Word has it, they have karaoke!

Amy and I have fallen in love with a 5 yr old girl. I knew of her before we came. I was hoping she'd have a family by now. We will have a hard time leaving. Amy and I will both be in therapy next week I'm sure.

I can't say enough about this team. Each and everyone one of them has demonstrated unselfishness, humility, and a love that could only come from above.

I have not been able to access email the last 2 days. I feel so out of touch. You can leave a comment and we should be able to read it. It worked the first day but now Yahoo is blocked for some reason.

We love you all!

Enjoy the pics!!

Monday in Chaoyang

2007-07-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

It was another great day with our kids. I already have some team members that have picked out their children to bring home. :) Actually, we would bring them ALL home. The children need so much........it's hard to know where to begin. They are so happy if you just toss the ball, color a page, or make something with play dough. We brought the parachute and some balls and the kids just loved it.

This afternoon I had the privilege of going with our guide, the director, and his assistant to make some purchases for the orphanage. Brett Jones went with us also. It was a blast. Because of generous people in CA, we were able to purchase 4 air conditioners, a computer, printer, web cam and digital camera. We still have money left over for lots of toys for the kids. They really don't have much to play with.

The a/c's will be installed tomorrow! The local news channel will be covering the story. Today we're in the Chaoyang Daily.

The director treated us to "Hot Pot" after shopping. It's custom to tip your glass every 5 minutes and yell "Gung Bay!". I was not able to drink the lighter fluid like beverage.......my glass had water! :)

Today we go to the park and take some children on the rides. They are letting us be with nearly all the children, even those with severe handicaps. We're hoping we can get some of them outside today.

Our eyes are being opened to the needs of the people here. We are right where we're supposed to be.

More Pics

2007-07-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

I had some time this am so wanted to share a little more footage from yesterday.

WE MADE IT!

2007-07-15T07:43:00.000-07:00

After what seemed like endless hours of flying, security checks, hauling luggage and NOT sleeping we arrived in the capital city of Shenyang. We took a 4 hour bus ride through beautiful countryside and enjoyed some much needed rest.

Today was the first day at the orphanage. It was AMAZING!! The children are beautiful. They range in ages from 1 yr to 14 yrs old. Many have special needs and don't get to spend much time out of their cribs. I am so proud of our team!! I watched in awe as different members would literally scoop up children and snuggle, rock, play and laugh with them.

Time seemed to fly and we can't wait to get back to them tomorrow.

2007-07-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

Pancakes and Prayer!

2007-07-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

We had one last fundraiser on Sunday at Mountain Bible Church. I think they'll be glad to see us go. :) Mark and Jim flipped up a storm and we made and extra $565.00 to donate to the orphanage. Thank you to the family of MBC for the warm send off!

Meet Toni Crebbin!!

2007-06-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

This is my dear friend Toni. Toni and I share a special bond.........China adoption!! We started communicating in November 2004, when we realized we'd be traveling to China together to meet our daughters. In January of 2006, our adoption documents left our agency on the same flight for China!! As the Lord would have it, we traveled together in May 2006 to meet our children in China again!! So, Toni and I have met up twice.........both in Beijing! Now, Toni joins our Visiting Orphans Team, along with her sisiter-in-law Tonyia, and heads to China with us. At least this time we get to meet in SF and travel to Beijing together!!!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!!

2007-06-05T21:53:00.000-07:00

We had a great meeting on Sunday! Everybody brought their donations, games and craft items. It made us all very excited to meet the children of Chaoyang. We all left with a garbage bag weighing about 6 lbs. Only 38 lbs to go!!

Meet the Team!!

2007-05-22T15:26:00.001-07:00

Well, some of them anyway. Pictured from left to right:
Carrol Jones, Dana Jones, Brett Jones, Diana Henry, Amy Gividen, Danielle Greene, Don Jones, Carol Weston,
Front Row: Karyn Jones, Meagan Carr, Elizabeth Gividen, Danica Flores, and Angela Schultz.

Not pictured but heading to China with us: Arv Leighton, Tina Schultz, Anna Cardiel, Jessica Jones, Kathi Smith, Agar Yanulaytis, Tonyia Crebbin and Toni Crebbin.

Please pray for this team as they prepare to visit and care for the orphans of Chaoyang Social Welfare Institute July 12th-24th.