“Pick Me!”Students
Our “Pick Me!” event is turning out to be a lot of fun. The students in China are getting progress reports and sending letters to be included in our newsletter. The letter below is from a high school senior at No. 1 Higher Middle School in Qinzhou, China. He will soon be taking the all important college entrance exam. His score will determine if he goes to college and what quality of college will accept him. We have 22 Blessing Hands students who presently receive tuition for college. Already this year 30 students in Yangshuo alone have applied for our college tuition help. Here is his letter (with a little editing for spelling and punctuation).
I am Ling Daguan, and my Chinese name is 凌大冠 . I am a senior three student. I have already received the blessinghands' help for two years. Maybe I can't use any impressive words to express what it is in my heart. But I can say the blessinghands is my best home where there are many people with a kind heart, and they only thinking about us, thinking of our study and our future. I think everyone who knows about the blessinghands should do their effort to provide it. In the blessinghands' home I can learn not only about all over the world are members but also everyone with a kind heart. I hope everyone can give another a hand so there is a more beautiful world in years!
You can “Pick “a college student like Ling, and donate with the button for Google Checkout here or send a check to us. We take pledges too. Linda Brewer, who made our college poster for “Pick Me”, picked one for herself. She has pledged to sponsor a Yangshuo student, who is planning to be an English teacher, if she does well on the test and is accepted into college. We ask $250 a semester for our college students’ sponsorship. If that is a little steep for you, ask your church, club, sorority or fraternity to sponsor a student with you. 
Linda is a talented artist, who has a studio at the Rowan County Arts Center. Drop in and see the lovely water colors and prints hanging in her studio. Some of them are for sale. There is also an exhibit of the works of local artist at the Arts Center now. Linda and I have been friends a long time. She taught me how to paint in watercolors. Linda hopes to have a Chinese granddaughter when her son and daughter-in-law’s application is processed to adopt an orphan. 
Brandon is “picking “a student to write as a pen pal. We have recruited 68 new pen pals in three days for our students. The W. Paul and Lucille Little Foundation has given a grant for sister schools and pen pal exchanges for two years. You can be a pen pal too. Just let us know your desire, and we will send you a pen pal card in the mail. 
Meg Glancy created a Sister School poster to show some of the activities between schools in Rowan County and the Yangshuo and Qinzhou area of China. The schools are sending boxes of gifts once a year and pen pal exchange letters twice a semester.
Meg is planning to attend college soon herself. She loves to make scrapbooks. We had a great time making posters together at my home. She donated not only her time but materials. Her mother, who is also an artist, helped her make the dogwood flowers.
During our “Pick Me!” event you will be getting progress reports, but later the mail will not be so often. Please don’t think we will snow you under with news like this all the time. Right now we are recruiting sponsors for our kids for the fall semester. If you are getting the newsletter by mail and would like to have it online, please let us know your e-mail address. If you are getting it on line and would rather have it by regular mail, please let us know that too. We always like to save a stamp, but we don’t want to cut anyone out of participation. Zhu fu zhi shou is the Chinese Romanized word for Blessing Hands. You may see that on our e-mail. Since half of our readers get the letter in Chinese, we like to make them understand who we are too. It is still us, Blessing Hands.
Blessings and Joy,
Betty Cutts, founder and president of Blessing Hands.
