Happy National Day!
With the kids missing so much school, due to COVID and the timing of the two holidays, the kids in Pingyu celebrated both China’s National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival on the same day.
Our staff and June, who used to work as a cook for us and grew up in the Gongyi Home of Hope, helped the leaders with the holiday celebrations. We had them buy moon cakes and other round treats to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. They also passed out some heart shaped China stickers to the kids.
We granted Eddy, Debbie and Abby scholarships and our staff took them out to eat before they went off to university. Eddy and Debbie are twins and will be attending different community colleges. Abby will be attending a 4 year university. Gabe, not pictured, decided to redo his senior year in high school with hopes to get into a better university next year.
Michelle and I keep in contact with the Gongyi Home of Hope children too. Joy, who came to the Home of Hope right after we arrived in China and who had a special connection with Michelle, is 20 years old. After finishing high-school, she went to a factory in the south of China and got married. Her and her husband just delivered a baby boy. He is so cute and they are all doing well.
Moses is doing well and attends the same school Joy went to. It’s a vocational school that the last year requires them to work in a factory. He is now working in the south of China until next summer. After this year, he hopes to go to a university. We are so proud of Moses for continuing on like he has and not giving up. Moses and Jaxin (our eldest son) are best friends, they talk often and hope that one day Mo can come for a visit. What a dream come true that would be.
We make weekly calls to our staff and try to daily talk to at least one of the children there. Nicky, Michelle’s best friend, has worked for us since we opened the Pingyu orphanage back in 2010. Nicky has two daughters and when she calls, the girls like to get on and talk with us…well I think they like seeing themselves on camera more than anything. Hope was being too cute to not take a picture of in this conversation.
Nicky teaches an English class at her home and invited Catina and Jake to join her class. We gave them a scholarship to cover their cost. They have been really trying hard to speak English well.
As we wait for the borders to open back up, we are staying busy with communicating with those back in China, but also looking for opportunities to serve here in the States. We started a young adults ministry at our church and a small group that helps parents with teens/young adults. We are involved with a ministry in St Louis that feeds and clothes the homeless each week as well. God is faithful and we try to stay faithful with the little things, to bloom where we are planted as we wait to see which doors God will open.
Michelle and I thank you for the continued support and are so grateful for the opportunities that have presented themselves for us to be able to continue to reach out with Hope and the Love of God.
Our boys are adjusting to America life, but it has not been easy for them. We praise God for the strength that HE has blessed them with to get through these tough times. Jaxin is doing well at his university and making new friends. Eli and Tyler are both learning how to drive (pray for us!) and are both in their Senior year of high school. They are applying to different universities and we ask that you pray for them as this can be a stressful time trying to pick, apply and then waiting for that perfect acceptance letter in the mail.