Update on Wei Senbao

Subject: Special News from Blessing Hands

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Blessing Hands News Dashuijing Primary School will receive a water purifier soon. Wei Senbao's Operation is a success Wei had his first operation May 15th. All went well, and he should be out of the hospital after his tubes are taken out May 27th. His mother is thrilled that the disfiguring malformation is gone. He looks like any other little five-year-old boy now. Wei's need touched many hearts. One of our administrators gave her salary for the year to his medical fund and our former students, who Wei Senbao after his operation have graduated, have started to give as well. I love it when people become Blessing Hands. The Angel Mother volunteer in Shanghai has put in extra time with Wei and his Mom. Before the operation, she took them to a park with her child. Wei got to ride on kiddie rides he had never experienced before. At first he was a little afraid, but he soon got over that.  Meng, Wei's mother, has been helping other mothers with seriously ill children, who are staying at the Children's Hope Foundation's home as well. Wei's story is turning out to be happy. I hope to see him this summer.  We had to put down a deposit of 15,000 yuan ($2,439 USD) before his operation. We raised $830 USD through our KY Gives Campaign on April 24th. Thanks to all of you who sent in support both during this campaign and afterwards. We still have to pay for his expenses at the Children's Hope Foundation and transportation home. Right now we have $7,212 reserved for his second operation and other expenses.  Thank you all.  Drinking Water is Boiled. Water Purifiers We are excited about our summer projects in China. The water purifier team from East Oldham Middle School took their training recently with WaterStep in Louisville. We will be leaving June 24th to start in Yangshuo with three schools - Fuli Dutou, Xiling, and Zhongnan Primary schools. Next, we will travel to Guizhou Province to install 5 more purifiers in the schools in the Anlong area. Wanfenghu Middle School will be the only middle school served. I think it is great that an American middle school will be  a blessing hand to a Chinese middle school. The water purifier team will return on July 8th, but Keisha Williams, our college intern, and I will continue on to Yunnan Province to meet Tibetian students we have been helping. Keisha Williams will travel with me as our summer college intern. In Qinzhou, Anlong, and Yangshuo, we will be interviewing graduating students who want to go to college. It is a busy time when we take movies of the students applying and feature them here in our newsletter and online. We will also be going to Du'an to take donated books from a primary school in Nanning to the Du'an students. I hope to see Wei and his cousins while I am there. Keisha and I will be returning on July 18th after a busy long trip. I will try to send out notices as we travel, but internet service is sometimes spotty. Look for pictures on ourPinterest site.  Summer Camp Teachers  We are not having a camp this summer, but I know of an opportunity for summer camp English teachers. The Association for Christian Conference Teaching Services is looking for teachers to serve from July 14th to July 28th.  Participants need to buy their own round-trip tickets and pay $1,500 for in-country expenses.  They fly into Guangzhou and then either take a high speed train or fly to Changsha. Interested teachers should contact Mr. He Gang at this Email or call 303-985-8808.  They only have two teachers so far and need a few more.     I hope to see many of our students and friends while I am in China this summer. I will be gone twenty-five days and visit three provinces. Eight people will be traveling with us to install eight water purifiers and assist in other ways. I really appreciate all of our friends and supporters, who make up the family of Blessing Hands.  I am most excited about adding thirty new primary students in three different areas. With the drop in the dollar against the yuan, we are going to have to start asking for $40 a semester for school aid for them. Expenses for students in China are rising as well. When we get a primary student sponsored, we can follow them for many years, and the sponsor sees their help make a deep difference.  Sponsor a primary child.  Sincerely, Betty Cutts Blessing Hands