The End - August 20, 2006

We left Xi'an early on Sunday, August 20 and arrived home that same afternoon. There are always a lot of ceremonies and important people to meet when you sponsor a trip to China. UL - one of the leaders we work with in connection with Mama Jo's House. UR - This father represented the parents of the children we treated in Xi'an. They made two beautiful banners telling of their gratitude. On a banner much larger than the one pictured, they listed all the children we treated. LL - this husband and wife team lead a large (over 1,000 member) congregation of baptized believers near the city of Xi'an. As you can see our meeting place was not a church building. LR - The leader of the Xi'an Charity. He was the man who sanctioned BandS being there and the one who welcomed and told us good by. We were treated with hospitality and dignity and were assured that we would be welcomed back any time.

Winding Down in China - August 16, 1006

UL - Sometimes babies just need to be held. UR - New Experience - Andrea and I were interviewed for about an hour by a Chinese Talk Show Hostess. LL - New friend, English teacher Anne. LR - Being entertained in a Chinese home. The hostess was trying to teach me to make dumplings. 

Birthday!

Hey there! just wanted to post some pictures of my party. and i will work to get some pictures of me driving my wonderful car when i get my license next week! hope everyone is doing good. i miss you. meaning of course my midland family and my big sister. i love you! and sorry my pictures are so messed up i can't get the computer to put them where i want them to go so i got frustrated and gave up!

Caitlin Deserves A Solo Portrait

OK Caitlin. You deserve a picture without any siblings, parents, grandparents, cousins etc. Here you are getting ready to celebrate with your friends. Hope you have a great party and no one gets hurt.
Love,
Papa 

Caitlin's Birthday - 16th

Dear Caitlin,
Happy Birthday. I don't have a real good picture of you in my files, so you have to let Jordy share this space with you. Since you tower over her now I didn't think that it would matter to you. Since you are now 16 and can drive, you must pick up the job of Jordan and drop by and see Rose and Papa on a regular basis. I am missing Jordan a lot, so you have to do double duty while she is in College.

You have brought so much joy into our lives and we know that this next year will be no exception. You are beautiful, good and very smart. Don't forget which of those three is most important.

We love you a lot.

Papa & Rose 

Surrounded by Beautiful People - August 14, 2006

In making reports from medical missions I sometimes forget to tell you that I am always surrounded by beautiful people. All these ladies worked very hard in making our mission a success. The nurse in the UL photo is the heard nurse for the dental hospital. UR was a posed picture taken just before Margaret Ball and Lisa Clifton left for home. The beauty in the black dress was my assistant, Karon. She was very eager to see that all of our patients were made comfortable. LL is a photo of Rose, out interpretor. She was so very helpful and did a great job. LR is a friend from my first trip to China. Tracy is a translator but she worked with the nurses in the recovery room on this trip.

My gratitude is extended to each of these ladies. 

Many Challenges - August 14, 2006

Clef lips and palates are not the only challenges presented. There was nothing we could do for the child with no external ear. We were fortunate to have a ENT specialist on our team and after an MRI he determined that this surgery could not be done under the present circumstances.

The little girl in the lower right picture was left at the gate of Mama Jo's House, an orphanage provided by Caris Foundation and maitained by Agape China. This picture was taken the same morning she arrived and we had not yet found a way to evaluate her to see if we can help.

I needed to visit this orphanage, but I needed to be at the hospital as much as possibe. It was a 12 hour train and taxi ride from Xi'an to Biyang so I took the evening train, arrived at Mama Jo's House about 10 a.m. I met with the government officials and the people at the home and took the night train back to Xi'an. That way I only missed one day at the hospital. 

Early Present - August 11, 2006

This frantic lady is not the mother of this child. She found the baby outside the hospital where we were working and rushed it to us. She was very upset because she immediately loved the baby and wanted to claim it for her own, but she did not have the resources to pay for the necessary surgery. I was a little emotional with this one, but I knew BandS had the means to not only pay for the surgery but to place the baby in a good hospital where we could expect good results.

Andrea immediately stepped in and accepted the baby and without saying a word this woman understood, conveyed the message that all would be well.

We made arrangements for this babies care and surgery is planned for August 25. Thanks to all who have provided funds for this work.

China - August 2, 2006

Seven ladies and one old man, met in Beijing AP and toured the Beijing area for three days. Four student nurses from the University 0f Regian, Saskatchewan, two from Legacy Church and one from Austin, TX.
These ladies needed some rest time to get ready for the 12 to 16 hour days they will be working at the Central Hospital in Xi'an beginning August 6.

Only two of our group climbed far enough to earn a shirt saying they were able to do this.

Part of our tour took us on a rick shaw ride through an old part of Beijing and allowed us to visit in a home that has been in the family for hundreds of years.


 

College Life

I love Harding. I'm already busy beyond belief with class work, meetings, and Social Club processes. Everything's crazy right now, but everyone is superbly nice here and God-centered, so I'm really enjoying that new aspect of school. Keep me updated with what's up in the family so that I don't feel like a foreign citizen cut off from everyone. Lots of love to everyone, and an open invitation (to females) to come stay with me. I have an air mattress. They're very strict about not allowing males, which I'm sure makes everyone happy. The food is even better than expected, but maybe they're easing us in. I'm meeting tons of people and some of them I've really seemed to click with. The honeymoon period of my freshman year is brilliant so far, and I'd love to receive mail...Hope to hear from you soon! Sorry this is so short but I have to fit in dinner before more study time.

Jordan

First Day of School, Bailey's Senior Year!!!