So...What Now?

If I've learned anything about China in the last 4+ years it's that understanding and living in China is like holding water. The second you think you've got a good scoop on what it's like or how it's going to be, it's changed and slipped through your hands. It's always changing and flowing. It's the only way to describe this place. While it can be frustrating to some, it keeps life interesting.  Last month I shared some of the changes that have taken place here in our children's village in the last year. Change has just been one of those things you can't prevent but don't always know how to prepare for. These last few months have left a lot of us asking, "So...What now?"

Shortly after the kids began returning to their home orphanages, our leadership team sat in a room, just looking at each other and asking ourselves this same question. As we sat there, we began to brainstorm how we could continue to support the orphans and the special needs community here in China. Of course, hundreds of ideas came up - all of which had value, but what exactly what we going to do and how do we make it happen were our underlying questions. Later that same week, our team gathered together to seek the Lord for wisdom and guidance - after all this is His work, we are just the hands and feet. As He often does, He provided an open door in the sea of doors that seemed to be in front of us. A door to continue our work with some minor and major adjustments. But what does that actually mean?

In September, leaders from our local government came to us with an idea to have us partner with them and the local government orphanage to continue taking care of kids and orphans with special needs. How could we pass up an incredible offer? In October, we began the long process of making this idea a reality. It sounds simple, right?  Just sign a contract and start taking care of kids. Wrong. Remember, China is like water. Just when we thought things were going one way, they weren't. It's been a lesson in patience and trust. So, where are we now?

Currently, we've just passed our final campus inspection - which is excellent news! Our government officials and future orphanage partners were impressed with our facilities and all the updates we've made to welcome our future kids. Just last week, we submitted our first draft of our registration paperwork and are waiting for that to come back with the needed adjustments. Again, this is great news. We're currently working on gathering additional detailed organizational information for our next submission. This partnership is new territory for us and our government partners. When this partnership goes through, we will be one of only a few foreign-run non-profits that have partnered with Chinese government organizations. It might not seem like much, but it's HUGE. This process is long, hard and tedious, but oh so worth it! Going forward, we have the opportunity to be a ray of hope for the "forgotten of the forgotten", as we plan to work with the special needs kids, teens and young adults aged 10-18 from the Tianjin orphanage. These young people, most of whom will have already aged out of the adoption system, have been overlooked for educational, therapeutic and job training opportunities. This is where we come in. Our goal is to provide them the love, care, medical, therapy, vocational and job training skills they need to become independent adults within our community. We see and know their value. They are loved, they are wanted, they are valued. Our heart is to show them their potential and give them the skills they need to achieve their goals. These young people are the next generation of China, and we are honored to get to work with and along side of them.

So that, in a nutshell is what's next. It's a lot. We're preparing, remodeling and training for the future as best we can. It's a lot to prepare for, a lot to digest, but we're hungry and we're ready. We've been waiting a long time for this, and while it will be an amazing new adventure, I have a feeling it will also be a lot like trying to hold water.