Sunday snapshot: Special visitors
This past Wednesday, we had a special group of visitors roll into town for the afternoon. Our company has a language school in a nearby big city, and there just so happens to be a lot of families there. Consequently, there are a lot of American kids who meet together for school. This week their school headed on a field trip to our city.
My city is small–especially for China. The only foreign kids in our city are the three kids on our team. So you can only imagine the stares and attention garnered by a group of 13 young foreign kids…in a country where it’s not impolite to stare.
We walked from the train station to the city circle for a picnic lunch. At first, most people kept their distance. Only a few brave souls ventured out to get a closer look at the spectacle.
Some tried to sneak up from behind trees.
However, before long, people began to build up their courage and move in closer. I pulled out my handy dandy distancing device–my camera. Usually if I start taking pictures of those staring and taking pictures of me, they’ll laugh, get a bit shy, and move to a more tolerable distance. At first it seemed like my strategy might work.
But the shyness didn’t last long. In fact, the audience just moved closer.
They weren’t intimidated in the least bit by my camera.
They probably figured this was their one and only chance to see such a large quantity of caucasian kids.
Most of the crowd was from the elderly population (that’s the crew that hangs out all day at the circle). 
But there were also a few younger more fashionable onlookers. Who were also not the least bit camera shy.
After putting the kids on display for lunch, we headed off for the main purpose of the visit–a trip to the orphanage. We wanted to enlarge their hearts for the orphan. To put names and faces and chubby fingers and tiny toes on the abstract idea of an orphan.
They cuddled, they played, they giggled and they loved.
They embraced the kids with sagging diapers and the kids running around without pants on.
And I did the same, which is why I took about five pictures total.
It was a beautiful afternoon, in which I’m pretty sure we won at least one or two defenders and lovers of the orphan. Although I’d challenge anyone not to fall in love with faces like this.
Perhaps the most touching moment, though, was watching the reaction of the Chinese teacher who came along for the day. She was completely unprepared for what she saw. She just had no idea. In most cities in China, the orphanage is set on the very outskirts of the city, often near factory zones and homes for the old and disabled. The fact that there are uncared for ones is an extraordinarily shameful fact in a culture where caring for the group is so important, so the homes for those left behind are hidden away in unfrequented corners of the city. It was that way in our city too, until about two years ago. When the orphanage moved right smack downtown. The head nanny told me today that it’s the only orphanage in the province that’s actually in the downtown part of a city. But back to this teacher. Her eyes were opened to something that had been completely hidden from her, and her heart was broken. As she walked out from the orphanage, she talked about how her husband and her can save money every month to help out with the kids. I wouldn’t be too shocked if the Father continues to break her heart even more, and perhaps even calls her to adoption. If the trip was only for her, the day would have been entirely worth it.
Now that was a day well spent.
So excited about finding your blog via Stefani’s Snapshot Sunday link!
Love & Blessings from Hong Kong,
Kim
Wow. How incredibly beautiful.
Thanks so much for sharing the world through your eyes… you always manage to bless me, Katherine 🙂
SOMEDAY we will meet, I’m sure of it!
Beautiful post, and beautiful little faces. Think I just found a new blog to add to my favs. Thanks so much for sharing!!
This is my first time visiting your blog and I am so touched. Thank you for this wonderful post!
So beautiful!
I just don’t know what to say. It makes my heart sad knowing that so many of the people of China have no idea what is happening with their children. I just love the pictures of everyone. The photographs are beautiful!
Amazing! This post is very inspirational – what a blessing you are!
Gracious time to re-apply the mascara! That was touching and your photographs are incredible!!
Beautiful post. One of these days, I’m going to sit down and go back and read through your blog…. So glad to have found you recently through Sunday Snapshots on Stefanie’s blog!
Lovey shot! soo neat.
Wonderful. Thank you for sharing that, and thank you Tonggu Momma for putting the link on your blog.
This post really touched me. So beautiful. I have no doubt that the Lord whispered in several hearts today and He will call some of those kiddos or the teacher to adopt someday.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I am moved. My brother and sister live in China.
Wow! Truly wonderful post and I am certain that there were many hearts moved that day!!
This post just touched my heart so much. My daughter had the opportunity to travel to Ethiopia with me & we spent a good deal of time in orphanages, & I know she is forever changed (as am I). We also enjoyed much attention everywhere we went! ;o)
This is a beautiful and moving post – thanks so much for sharing this story with us!
Here from Sunday Snapshot site: Wow! What an amazing experience for you, those children and the teacher. I wish I was there with you! But I’d surely want to bring them all home with me–as I’m sure you did too.
I loved your first part of the post where you say “We wanted to enlarge their hearts for the orphan. To put names and faces and chubby fingers and tiny toes on the abstract idea of an orphan.” It’s such a gift to be able to do that for these children.
We just brought our daughter home from China in November of 2009 (just 7 months ago). We’ve lived in our neighborhood with many children for 9 years and all those years were were waiting to grow our family with a child. And 4 of them an orphan. So the children all knew about our journey to this child without a family–and were as excited to meet her as we were. They come over to our house very often and the other day was no exception when 6 of them landed on our deck to visit. I don’t know what prompted my saying this–but I asked how many of them were going to adopt a child when they got older. ALL of them said “YES” a couple of them elaborated (boys mind you) they wanted “x number bio kids and “x” number adopted children. I was so proud of them.
It’s clear our Izabella has made a huge impression on these children–God has used us and them to show them the meaning of orphan. That is truly is “children with no family”. A concept that is so hard for them to fathom–living in the comforts of a beautiful neighborhood surrounded by FAMILIES!
I know they would all embrace the visit to China–and would be amazing with the children. Since that is not possible–the best we can do is show them one little girl at a time. 🙂
Bless you for all you do! And please keep us posted on the “teacher”. I can not imagine not knowing this was happening–and all the while it was going on in her backyard. She must have been devastated. Truly. Bless her heart for reaching out to them with whatever they have to give.