Kay Jorgenson is a librarian in a small town in Montana. She is giving books worth $200 to Jiulong Middle School in Yangshuo. They are going to be buying Chinese books about stars, space, and science. She and her family recently visited us while on their vacation. You can see her on the right in the photo that shows our paintings of Yangshuo's beautiful mountains.
Kay Jorgenson is giving a library to Yangshuo children
Joy Huang volunteers with 4th graders
Joy Huang is also giving, but it is herself that she has to give. Joy is in her fourth and last year of college. She is one of our Blessing Hands scholarship students. She sent me her volunteer report recently. We ask all our university students to give three hours of volunteer time each semester. It is their way of passing on the blessing hand we have given them. She volunteers at Yuxing Primary school. She reported this conversation with a 4th grade girl.
" I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. She said when she grew up she wanted to be a lawyer, because lawyers can safeguard the rights and interests of others and do something to save children, for children need necessary rights. I was quite impressed with her, that at such a young age she can say so ambitious words. We also talked some about her study life, chatting very happy."
Li Zhongbo
Finally I want to share what Li's mother gave to our staff member Yaya Luo recently. Li is almost blind, but his American sponsor is willing to send him for evaluation to see if a cataract operation will help his sight. His mother was so thankful that she brought Yaya some peanuts and Chinese yams, which she planted by herself. She said that she had no money and couldn't buy gifts. Zhongbo's sponsor, who helps her son, lives in the US, so she didn't know any other way to express her thanks. She wanted to give Yaya her fruits to show that she really, really thanked Blessing Hands and the volunteer teachers.
You can be a giver too. You can give something so small as a concrete ping pong table for a school for $200 or as large as a water purification unit for $1000. Recently someone gave the salary of another health assistant in Longfu, which is only $183 a year.
Open a Door for Wei Haitao, Give a University Scholarship
Wei Haitao.
Wei Haitao (韦海涛) has worked very hard to get into a university. He even took his last year of high school twice to make a higher score on the all important national test. He improved his test score by 100 points, which is a great achievement in one year, and has been accepted by the university of his choice. Please help him achieve his dream.
I'm Wei Haitao from Qinzhou No.1 Middle School. Though I can get into a university, my family cannot afford money for me to go to university. I need someone to help me, so I can get through difficulties.
I don't know if it is too selfish when your country is in economic crisis to put forward such requests, but on behalf of the poor, I need knowledge to change my destiny. I have a dream that one day I can become a Chemistry teacher.
My father has had diabetes since I was three years old and requires daily injections that cost a lot of money. He can't do any heavy jobs, and my family doesn't have enough land to grow crops to make money. My grandmother's body is poor also.
If I can go to university, my dream will be realized, and I will have the ability to help more people. I hope I can do more blessings. No matter at school or in society, I will spread the spirit of Blessing Hands. I wish I can get the chance.
Wei Haitao
Wei already has one person willing to give toward his scholarship, but it is not the complete amount. Please help finish up the scholarship by giving $250. You can donate $250 at this link. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the button to give a college scholarship for one semester.
Penpals now have Computers
For the Upcoming School Year
Computers will Assist the Pen Pal Program
Amy Qin received a computer for the pen pals at her school, Yangshuo Experimental Middle School of Foreign Languages 阳朔镇外语实验中学
While I was in Yangshuo, I got to see the three computers that we are putting at the high schools and one lower middle school to assist in our pen pal exchanges. We have had Sister School matches with the USA schools but pen pal letters have been difficult to get back and forth physically due to distance, time and expense. Now that the schools have these computers dedicated for the use of pen pal exchanges, we hope to improve our pen pal program. The computers were donated by a charity in Hong Kong.
Schools in China tend to fear their students will waste time on computers. They have Internet cafes there, but students under 18 are not allowed to use them and our students can't afford them anyway. With these dedicated computers, the students can write during their free time on Sunday afternoons. They are boarding students so the school sets their activities and schedules.
Luo Huali (Yaya)罗华丽
We have a new staff member in Yangshuo who can help facilitate these Sister School exchanges now. Luo Huali (Yaya) will be assisting Gloria Wei with the Sister School boxes that the schools exchange each year. She is a recent graduate from Guangxi Normal University and teaches in a language school in Yangshuo also. I am relieved to have someone people can write in English to deal with sponsorship and pen pal information. She was willing to volunteer, but we wanted her to do more than a volunteer, so we put her on staff. She is from the Buyi minority and understands the challenges our students face. She will also do translation and arrange visits of sponsors to Yangshuo.
4 New Scholarships
Yaya will also help with administrating college scholarships. We have 2 new scholarships sponsored in Yangshuo so far and 2 in Qinzhou. We will feature two more students needing scholarships in our next newsletter. Many of our scholarship students from past years also lack complete sponsorships for one reason or another. If you would like to give to one of them, please write me at this e-mail.
Update on Wei Senbao(韦森宝)
Wei and his Mom are back home in Longfu Township now. Doctors are looking for the best treatment of his birth defect. He has a cyst formed before birth in his lymphatic system. It is not connected to the rest of his lymphatic system, but grows as he ages. It is not life threatening right now, but will need to be treated. Beijing doctors have promised to share his MRI, and we hope to have more expert opinions soon.
Treatment is available
We are still raising money for his eventual operation. Many people have shown him and his Mom kindness, He has been featured in a Chinese Newspaper and a pharmacist at the Nanning Hospital gave money toward his travel.
Donor giving the family money
Newspaper article about Wei
We have made a page about him on our website. You can also give for his
treatment there. Look on our home page for his picture. It will take you directly to the page.
Thanks goes to Mandy Ma, who has taken his case to heart and gone out of her way to get him to doctors. Dr. Tang at Longfu hospital and his staff have also been a great help.
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