Providence

I still cannot access my blog from China so we may have to give up on that one. Just wanted to send a note before I head off to rest. I went to the doctor today in Yanji (a bigger city about 90 minutes away) due to some pain and fever/chills. He confirmed that my "appendix is sick" but not bad enough to remove it. Praise G*d!! Can't say I'm exactly thrilled about the idea of surgery in China (it's still a possibility if the pain worsens so please pr*y). I'm on antibiotics now and need to "rest" - that's a difficult concept for me. You know me - I'll still be plenty busy but I'm trying to make myself cut out extracurricular activities. This too is difficult being that we have two teams in town and Mama and Papa (the leaders) are gone. :o)

Some fabulous news...last Thursday I took 4 children from Special School and their mothers to the hospital in Yanjito see an orthopedic surgeon from South Korea who was in town for 3 days. First let me say this day was quite emotional for me. We rarely see the parents of these children because some live at the school and the others ride a bus to and from school. It was so touching to see these mothers who love their children SO very much caring for them, helping them on and off the bus, dressing them up in their nicest clothes, having pride for their children who have a disability and are so often shunned by the public. Ah, my heart was in my throat. The doctor recommended that two of the children have surgery - Lang Qiang and Jun Qiang (sounds like Long Chiong and Jun Chiong). Jun Qiang's mother agreed right away and they stayed behind. However, Lang Qiang's mother got on the bus with her son to return to Hunchun as she could not afford the surgery. My heart broke and of course I cried - I was actually able to hold it in until I could sneak off to be alone. The entire way home I couldn't stop thinking about how this little boy could be helped if only the finances were available. A long story short - I told Mama the situation and a couple from a visiting team said they wanted to pay for the surgery and the mother finally accepted!!! So, Lang Qiang and Jun Qiang have undergone surgery on their legs in hopes to have the ability to walk better. G*d is SO, SO good!! I visited them today when I was at the hospital and their faces lit up! It was so special to see them again. :o)

The children at Special School go on summer holiday July 10th - September 1st. It will be strange not seeing them. This will open up my schedule a little bit but I'll still be working in the office, organizing teams, doing labor at the ranch AND I finally will have time to take Chinese class. Yay!

I miss you all and hope you are well!
~Keira

"Fatigued, but I feel so alive here!"

I’m back! Sorry for the long pause…it’s been crazy busy! However, the teams are all gone now and today was my first day being home alone without work to do…all day! Woo hoo!

As I mentioned in my last blog, we had 4 teams here within a 2 ½ week period. I think I only stopped when sleeping, but it was a very blessed time. The teams brought people from Missouri, Kansas, California, Indiana, Hawaii, Norway, Sweden and what great people they were. It was wonderful getting a chance to spend time with everyone and hearing their life stories…something I love! The time was filled with labor projects (turning soil with shovels all day, moving big rocks and sand at the ranch with rickety wheelbarrows, painting, planting flowers), helping teach English classes, hippotherapy sessions, time in the rehab room and bakery at the special education school, medical clinics in neighboring villages, time at an orphanage in town…everyone was busy! There was also time to plug in some tourist stops and massages. By the way – the massages here are crazy! You are literally gumby being twisted all around, walked on, and slapped around – it’s hilarious and a bit painful but so good! Ha!

The hippotherapy sessions started last week and are going well. It’s actually therapeutic riding that I’m doing so less focus on the physical therapy aspect. To do true hippotherapy I want only one horse at a time in the arena and consistent sidewalkers. We have three horses going at a time due to the number of children involved and we generally have the short term teams volunteering their time at the ranch which is fabulous. Regardless of which type I’m doing, it’s still so good for the children…balance work, coordination, following instructions, attention to task and the wonderful interaction with an animal. It’s so amazing to see the faces of these children when they arrive out at the ranch. They are all smiles the entire time. It’s so beautiful and it touches my heart! Ah, I’m so blessed to be here!!!!

Things in the rehab room are also going well. The two teachers in there are incredible! They work so hard and they really love those kids. They have said they are relieved to have a PT around again to teach them more things and to ensure that what they are doing is right. Ms Wong and Ms Chong both speak Korean and Chinese so thankfully I’ve had a translator! And thank goodness for good ol’ charades! I’ve had the chance to evaluate three new children since I’ve been here. One especially stands out to me. He has what seems to be muscular dystrophy (by what was attempted in translation, history and by physical presentation). For those of you who don’t know about MD – it’s a progressive disease with the life span of about 21 years. The muscles get weaker and weaker until the person needs full assistance. This boy is 9 years old and can only walk a few steps. He can’t go from sit to stand or into sitting without help…he drops like a noodle. But when he was 5 he could ride a bike. Ahh. Well, I met with the mother who didn’t fully understand what was wrong with her child. That was a very difficult meeting. While we were talking (with a translator) I was watching her. Wow, how she loves her son. She has to put him on her back to carry him around if it’s more than a short distance. She moved to Hunchun so that he could go to school. The Special Education School here is the only one around. That might not seem like a very big deal but most people with disabilities are kept in back rooms here in China. The fact that she moved her family to give her son a chance speaks volumes. I just looked at her and told her she was such a good mother. She started crying which is very unusual. Women here don’t show their emotions like that. I sat down beside her and hugged her then held her hand as tears streamed down her face. She said she wasn’t a good mother because she couldn’t afford medicine or surgery. But there isn’t surgery or medicine for muscular dystrophy. I told her that her unconditional LOVE is what makes her a good mother! We got through the tough questions about the disease and we discussed the wonderful benefits of her son being around other children and attending the school here and all of its programs. We may not make a major difference in his physical deficits, but we can love him and give him a better quality of life – together!

See – my heart is already beating stronger while writing this. There are tough situations and often a fatigue, but I feel so alive here! My desire has been to have a servant’s heart and for the love of Chri*t to pour out of me as if the flood gates have been opened. Every good thing that has occurred here is because of Him! ☺


****Hey folks, our lovely friend seems to have no access to her blog. We do not know if it is temporary or not, but for the meantime, I will be posting her messages to us in her absence. Please keep her in your pr hair time
~Bobby James, some random dude****

Buckle Up!

It's gonna be a crazy ride! The first team of 4 arrives on Monday. I've spent the last week planning their daily schedules which means I haven't slept much! There were some days that I worked until 11:30pm, woke up at 5:30 the next morning and started working at 6:00. BUT - with 4 teams coming in a 2 1/2 week time frame I decided we need some major organization :) They will be going to the ranch, taking lanuage class, helping with English class, participating in the bakery with the children, observing the Rehab room and/or elective classes the children take, manual labor projects, putting on programs, doing B-studies, visiting an orphanage, tourist stuff etc. Since the teams get here at different times they will be on different schedules. Plus, they need someone from CRAM to go to meals with them to help them order because they can't speak the language. That is a ton to keep track of! That is why I decided we need to be organized. We want the teams to feel at ease and taken care of. While all this is going on, the CRAM members still have their normal tasks to manage (me the rehab room and the ranch; others language classes and family). Whew!! Like I said - it's going to be crazy so Buckle Up people!

The horses are doing better, finally! I've been going out 2-3 times a week to work with them. Last Thursday I took 5 people with me and trained them to be horse leaders for the hippotherapy sessions. They did great!! This makes me feel very positive about the program - and excited! I spoke with the principal and she is okay with what we proposed (schedule, children, etc). This is a wonderful blessing!! The current principal is new this year and apparently MUCH nicer and obliging. The last principal was not so nice and loving and often wouldn't let volunteers play with the children.

I know I said I'm super busy but I'm loving it. Patricia and CY (everyone calls them mama and papa) said it seems like I've been working for them for years. They say I can't leave in November :) It is amazing how at ease I am here and how it feels so natural. Praise Him! Sorry I haven't put up any photos. People don't like their picture taken here (people out in public that is) - they get offended so I'm trying to be respectful. Hopefully I'll soon learn how to ask in Chinese. I love photos and I want to give you all a visual of the world I'm living in.

Okay - I must rest while I can. I'll soon be heading out to meet with some girls to go bowling or roller skating and then we are having some Korean-Chinese students over tonight. Last weekend we went to KTV - karaoke! It was so much fun. Each group has their own room with couches and a big screen tv with microphones. It was a blast - switching off from us singing American songs and them singing Chinese songs and everyone dancing around...it's hilarious at times :)

Wish you were here!!

Response

Aw, people ARE reading the blog! I really wasn't sure and I didn't know if it was interesting at all. After reading your responses on the site and in email - I will definitely keep up with it :o) I probably won't be able to write as often as I'd like but I'll do my best. It means so much that you all are standing behind me. Thank you!!!!

Busy times are Good

I've been in China now for 9 days and am already nice and busy. Last Monday I went to the bakery at the Special Education school and helped the kids make bread. It was great fun - they sing and dance and are all smiles. I learned how to use one hand to gracefully roll the dough into a perfect ball. The children are much better of course! They make 7,500 sweet red bean bread rolls each month! I must admit - they are tasty! :)

On Tuesday and Thursday mornings I will be going to the rehab room at the Special Education school. I began last week and things went better than I expected. I was nervous about my knowledge in pediatrics but reminded myself of the basics: if it's weak strengthen it; if it's tight stretch it. Of course there is so much more than that (balance, coordination, gait, sensory integration, speech issues, cognition, etc) but reminding myself of the basics helped take some pressure off :) I LOVE the children here! They are precious as are the two rehab techs (called teachers here). Karen, the PT who was here for 4 years, did a great job training them. Nate has been a big help translating too!

Beginning in late May, I will be doing the hippotherapy program out at the ranch Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. The children are so excited for this to begin! I am too but there sure is a great deal of work involved. This past Thursday I went out to the ranch to get familiar with the area, the horses and Zaibin - the ranch hand. He speaks some English but not a great deal. We've already decided that he will learn some English words from me and I will learn some Chinese from him. I will spend the next few weeks preparing the horses for the sessions - getting them used to people again, riding them and desensitizing them. A man named Jessie is normally here to do this but he is back in the States because of family issues. We hope to see him in June! I will speak with the principal of the Special Ed school to work out a schedule for this program and discuss which students will participate. Who gets to ride is up to her - not me. Finally, I need to find volunteers who are available to help and then train them. Whew!

I feel very honored that in the short time I have been here I've already established a good relationship with Patricia and CY Kim - the founders/leaders of CRAM. That being said, they've asked me to act as an assistant to them. This means I work in the office (it's at the Special Ed school) frequently. The work for them never ends so I'm very glad to help. This job alone could keep me busy for my 6 months :)

We have many teams coming to visit this May! Most are here for 10 days. I have been helping in the office to prepare for their visit - organizing who comes when, what they will do when they are here, who picks them up and drops them at the airport in Yanji, hotel reservations, etc. I can tell you I will not be bored in May, ha!

Other things I will dip my hands into: I hope to hang out with the children at the special ed school in the bakery, the art room, the sewing room, and out on the playing field. I will take a Chinese class however, I'm thinking that cannot occur until June. There is a family here who is planning on starting an orphanage out in a nearby village - I want to visit that village with them "often." There is a home for the elderly about two hours away - I'll go there a few times :) AND the CRAM staff gathers together on Saturday mornings at 7 and Sunday afternoons at 4. Hmmm - then there is "play" time and building relationships time.

Simply put - things are hoppin'! The emotion is under control now and I feel at ease here. I can't say I expected to feel this way and so quickly in China but I'm thankful that I do. I wish that I could tell you all about some of the deeper and more serious matters that go on, however under the circumstances I cannot. That being said - not exactly sure how this blog thing will work out this time around. I'm not even sure if people are reading it, ha! If it seems no one really is then I'm going to skip it. It takes time and energy :)

Hope you all are well! Stay in touch~

Settling In

Wow! It is so much colder here in Hunchun than I had anticipated! People are still wearing long johns under their clothes to keep warm and the wind wips around! I however, did not pack such clothing! Last night I was in my apartment with my hoodie pulled over my head in attempts to stay warm. Hopefully this cold weather leaves soon! We're in a mountainous region (mountains like the East in the States) and I can see snow on some of the peaks. To add to it - the heat is shut off in China on April 15th and not turned on again until mid October. Yee-haw!!

To fill you in on the team here: I would say the majority are Chinese or Korean. In our meetings all 3 languages are communicated. Everyone is so nice and loving! There are several Westerners too: four of us who are single, a young married couple with a 13 month old son, and a family with 4 children ages 13 years to 12 months old. My roommate, Grace, is a 32 y.o Korean-American which comes in handy - she speaks Korean very well which is the 2nd language here under Chinese (this is due to our location...30 minutes from NK). We have two meetings a week which is often the only time everyone sees the rest of the team. People are very busy here.

I've gone to the Special Education School and will dive into the physical therapy aspect on Tuesday. Nate, a Westerner here, will be translating for me while he is here the next 2 months. His Chinese is amazing thus he will be a HUGE help! I won't start the hippotherapy program until late May due to the weather. I'm very anxious for that to start...I feel confident with my skills in that area plus I'm ready to be around the horses :o)

I'm still in the adjustment phase. You've all said that I am so brave but I'm not so sure. My mornings are often filled with emotion - it's tough to do these things "alone." I know that the people here will soon become like family - I'm ready for that feeling. I miss my family and my friends. I've really been emotional over missing my dad. Traveling overseas again has brought back memory of the last time I was overseas and getting that phone call from mom. Hopefully there is healing coming from my tears over him. I believe there is :)

China

Hey guys! At this point, I am lacking the brain function to fill you in on my time thus far. I am extremely exhausted and largely affected by the jet lag! Know that I am safe, moved into my apartment, have an awesome roommate, and am amazed at the work being completed here by the organization I am with. I promise I will write soon!