GongYi Home of Hope

“Merry Christmas Ye Ye…” ” Happy New Year Nai Nai…” (Translation: Ye Ye = Grandpa… Nai Nai = Grandma) We heard those two statements time after time on Christmas Eve, 2000. The HOH Children’s Choir was ready and so we invited several of the local government officials to the Home for a Christmas Eve program of singing in their honor. The children were excited about this but the thing they were most looking forward to was later that night they were all coming over to Ye Ye and Nai Nai’s apartment for a time around the Christmas Tree with stories and refreshments. Mind you, they had never experienced anything like this in their young lives.

Evening came and the children literally filled our living room. No floor space was visible! Each one had brought little cards and cut outs to their Ye Ye and Nai Nai. The only one who did not bring us anything was Henry He Long Qiang.

We had gifts under the tree for each of them… (ear muffs for the boys and scarves for the girls). There were two television cameramen there also to film the event. One was from the local Gongyi Television Station and the other was from the Henan Provincial Television Station.

Holly played the piano for the group. (Nate has been giving her lessons for about six weeks now) Her recital was flawless! Ye Ye and Nai Nai played a piano duet and Ye Ye told the children a story about Christmas.

Suddenly Henry He Long Qiang walked through the maze of arms and legs to the tree and said, “I have a gift for Ye Ye and Nai Nai… this ended up being the most precious gift we have ever received!

We found Henry He Long Qiang in January 2000. He was dirty, unkempt and had a major double cleft lip and palate. He ran from us when we found him and would not talk. His eyes spoke his heart… full of scars from ridicule… from being thrown away by three different families and finally being thrown in the river to drown only to be rescued by an old lady who kept him alive. We knew we had to take him but the officials did not want us to. After several months of negotiating and standing firm we were finally allowed to bring him to the Home of Hope.

The first thing we did was arrange for corrective surgery on his mouth and upper palate. Many of you contributed to the surgical and hospital costs and believe me it was a sacrifice well spent! When he came to the hospital, even the new clothes could not hide the look of despair in his face. He was confused and afraid and would not believe anything good was going to happen to him. And he refused to talk.

He would grunt approval or shake his head in the negative, but would say nothing. We felt that after the surgery he would gradually begin to talk and at the time didn’t realize how deep the emotional scars were and how much trouble we would have with him in school because of his refusal to verbally interact at all.
Henry slowly started to show some signs of responding to the love and attention he was receiving from us and the House Mothers.

The day before his surgery I was able to catch a good look at the change that was already taking place in his eyes. The day of the surgery and the few days right after it Shannie and I had a hard time sleeping. We wanted to be with him in the hospital. However he was sedated for several days and wouldn’t have known if we were there or not.

He lost quite a bit of weight on his 30 day diet of soup but soon he joined his brothers and sisters of the Home of Hope and began his new life. It wasn’t long until we began to hear from his school. He wouldn’t communicate with the teachers. He was fighting with the other children. The teachers believed he should be able to take the teasing and ridicule about his appearance… (the healing process from the surgery was slow.)

Nate had many long talks with Henry… trying to build his self image. There were hours spent one on one at the side of a small lake fishing and talking. Henry would talk to Nate and the other children in the HOH but would not enter in at school. He made many promises to Nate to do better. To be brave and talk. To understand that he was chosen, not forced on us. We wanted him because we love him and God loves him. Nothing seemed to help at school.

Finally the teacher and the Head Master of the school called us in and told us he could’t return. We were lost and didn’t know what to do. About the same time God sent us a new House Mother. She had graduated from Teacher’s school but could not find a job teaching. We put her to work with Henry and three other children who also had very poor educational backgrounds. After Nate spent several hours talking to the Head Master and telling him Henry’s entire story the Head Master finally agreed to allow Henry back in school in February, 2001 if Henry could show some improvement.

We instructed the new House Mother to concentrate on Henry’s speech. Nate gave him several tests in Chinese writing and Math and he is a smart little guy. The problem is acceptance by his peers and his refusal to talk.

Christmas Eve, 2000. The little get together at Ye Ye and Nai Nai’s was just about over. And here came Henry… he walked up to Nate and said, “I have a Christmas present for you!” In his little hand was a book. He stood in front of the Christmas tree… in front of the two Television cameramen.. in front of all the House Mothers.. in front of his peers… and opened the book and began to read! Then he sang a song! A beautiful song..

When we get tired and discouraged (as we do at times..) all we have to do is remind ourselves of Henry He Long Qiang. A life that was going nowhere.. a child scorned and unloved by anyone.. and seeing him standing there reading and singing was the greatest Christmas gift we could have received! A tremendous thanks to all of you who have contributed and sacrificed to make the Home of Hope what it is… a place of Hope for the hopeless! God Bless you and may your New Year be full of blessings and happiness! Nate, Shannie and the Home of Hope Children