The Chaoyang Team from Tehachapi, CA visited the Chaoyang Social Welfare Institute in the Liaoning Province of China from July 3 - 16, 2008. The following is a recap of their time in Chaoyang...
Team Chaoyang consisted of 12 people ranging in ages 17 to 50. We descended upon China from 4 different states, and five churches. It was a return trip for some of us, so the excitement of seeing “our kids” again was nearly uncontainable.
Chaoyang has a population of 3,340,000 and is located almost directly in between the capital of the province, Shenyang, and the capital of China, Beijing. It is considered a rural community with agriculture and livestock being their key industries. It can also be seen as a newly industrialized city. Its agriculture is particularly prosperous. In addition to wheat, corn, beats, and beans, they also grow cotton and fruit.
Currently Chaoyang Social Welfare Institute has 40 children with 22 of them being under the age of 3 years. There are 16 nannies employed at the Social Welfare Institute. The head nanny has been there 27 years! Four of our children were recently adopted and at least four more have families pursuing their adoption. Most of these children are considered special needs. Their needs range from very mild to quite severe.
Westerners are not commonplace in the city of Chaoyang. We found ourselves feeling quite like celebrities, appearing on the local news, in the local paper, and drawing crowds everywhere we went.
This having been our second trip, the staff received us with open arms once again. We were given free reign of the orphanage and access to all the beautiful children. Our team was blessed to include two Chinese friends that really helped bridge the communication gap. We witnessed as a 12 year old blind girl accepted the Lord and young boy with severe CP seemed to come alive as he experience life outside his wooden crib.
The Lord brought together a perfectly designed team. Each member experienced a special bond with special children. It was such a joy to watch children blossom, as they felt loved and accepted by us. Simple activities such as sidewalk chalk, to the more complex ones like “bringing tie dye to China” were received with such excitement by the children and staff.
Our team raised enough funds to purchase 20 stainless steel cribs, a fax machine and a large refrigerator for the Social Welfare Institute. We also were able to provide the children with beautiful handmade quilts, medications, shoes, craft materials, and gift bags.
Of course, the week had to come to an end and that was very painful for all of us. The children had experienced our departure the year before and remembered it well. After a spectacular birthday celebration, it was time to say goodbye. Seeing the raw emotion in each child’s face was heart wrenching. A year is a long time to wait for a friend to return. Until we do however, we continue to keep in touch as best we can, and pray for the staff and children. The Lord has great plans for the children of Chaoyang. We feel blessed to be His hands and feet.
- Elizabeth Gividen, Team Leader
For more information about the team, their trip, and their efforts to help the children at Chaoyang SWI, click HERE.
