Living Stones Village - Newsletter Spring 2005

"They are useless, they are a burden to the society! Why are you people wasting your money and time on these handicapped children?" A taxi driver was honestly sharing his mind with some of us in Nanning as we began to tell him what we were doing. To the society in general, these children are like dead wood, useless and have contributed to the refuse problem of the nation.

Taking a closer look at the children in LSV, one can easily find a sense of hopelessness and depression in some of them. One of the fifteen year old girls, for instance, never responded to anyone. She is a loner, never plays or socializes with others and constantly dwelling in her own little corner of hopelessness and despair. I tried talking to her but without success. She never joins the singing or the games, but is ever in deep thoughts. If I could enter her mind, maybe all I could see is dark and gray, without a ray of hope.

One sunny afternoon (a rarity in Nanning), I found a boy sitting by himself in a wheelchair. He is twenty years old and suffering from a physical condition that has caused his physical frame to collapse and contract. He has lost the use of one of his arms, his body has collapsed so much that he has a hard time breathing. An oxygen tank is place right next to his bed just in case. He seldom responds to anyone, like the other girl, he is constantly in deep thoughts and staring into the air. After numerous attempts in trying to connect with him, he finally opened his mouth and talked to me. His feeling was one of hopelessness, he is not going to get well and he might die in a few years. Bad thoughts come to haunt him every moment of the day to which he has had no control over.

Dead wood, drift wood -- things people consider garbage can be converted to living stones! This is the message we should bring to these little ones. On Easter Sunday, we had a time of singing with the children. I asked one of the boys to share the songs he wrote, but he was shy and told me that they are not very good and should not be shared. To my surprise, he later took my advice and sang two songs he had written with two other boys. As he sang, there were no dry eyes in the audience. This is his heart cry: "We are abandoned and not wanted by our parents but God has turned us into precious stones."

One night as we were putting children to bed, I found a thirteen year old blind girl, trying to find her room. She was new and had come with the latest batch of children from the Welfare House. After tucking her in bed, she asked me and my wife a very touching question: "Can you two be my daddy and mommy?" We were almost heart-broken at this sudden question and did not know how to respond. Later that Sunday, she performed two songs with a beautiful voice. Both songs are about home and family, which she does not have.

Turning dead wood into living stones is the major task of LSV. Supplying the children with physical needs is not merely enough. They must have a sense of being, a sense of who they are in the sight of God, that they were created in His image with potential to be a useful member of the society. This sense of being will bring them a sense of well being - the ability to accept who they are and feel blessed and secure. Someone has to model the Heavenly Father to them, someone has to bring down the heavenly love and care for the children as parents sent from God.

The two immediate tasks of LSV are to build up the self image of these children and offer them parental care. Instead of just having a mother figure, the children need to have parents they can relate to, parents they can call their own "daddy and mommy". The whole ministering philosophy of LSV needs to be changed, from a mere provider to a true caregiver. All workers must demonstrate the potential of becoming parents for the children. They are not just working there to help these children, they are there to bring parental care.

Another goal is to integrate some of the young men and women back into the society. Two young persons have already been working outside of LSV and doing well. Workers at the Village should train these children as Chinese and not Americans. This would bridge the gap between Village and society quicker. The children need to know what's going on outside the Village instead of being isolated from the mainstream society. Preparing them to be contributing members of the society takes time but is a necessity. LSV is not a cradle to grave kind of operation and these goals have to be implemented as soon as possible.

In this year of transition, we invite your continual partnership with us, both in prayer and in financial support. The first month we were there, monthly costs had been cut 20%. We want to be accountable to all donors of the resources God has entrusted to LSV. We are also in the process of revamping the accounting system and the human resource system in order to be better stewards for God. Please join us in converting dead wood into living stones.

Luke 院青恒 (1985 - 2005) was abandoned in 1996 at age twelve and came to LSV in early 1999. He suffered from severe spinal malformation and had a history of tuberculosis. Though quiet and isolated most of the time, Luke was very well-liked by the rest of the children at LSV.Luke collapsed on April 29 and was rushed to the hospital. He later passed away on May 1. A very simple funeral service was held on the same day with some of the older children from LSV attending. A memorial service was later held at the village on May 12 to remember and celebrate his life. While Luke will be sorely missed here on earth, we rejoice that he is now with our Lord in heaven.