Vincent Li Peng
A couple of years ago, little Li Peng was living a normal life like all of his peers in the middle class level of his normal world.
Each day his mother would go with his father to pick up their little load of shoes which they then sold wholesale to the local shoe venders in Gongyi City.
The day that changed their family’s life forever was overcast and chilly. Li Peng’s father was driving their three wheeled truck (a common mode of delivery in our part of China) and had a minor traffic accident with another larger truck hauling pipe and concrete reinforcing steel. The accident itself was not so bad but one of the pieces of steel pierced Li Peng’s mother’s heart and she died instantly at the scene. One year later the father died of what the Chinese describe as sadness and heartbreak.
Li Peng was introduced to us by a neighbor of his family. (Shown with Li Peng in the picture at the right.)
This story is interesting in that Li Peng is nine years old and our cut off age is eight years old for admission into the Home of Hope.
The first time we were told by our staff that there was a lady who wanted to tell us about a little boy who had lost his family, our first questions included, “how old is he?” They told us nine years old with a look of sadness on their face as they knew what we were going to say.
As a side note, it is interesting to see the changes in the people who work at the Home of Hope over the years. They get so involved in helping the helpless and hopeless that when something comes up like either the little baby we couldn’t help shown in “Babies at the Gate” or others we cannot take in due to physical impairment or age, they are very sad. When they first came to work it was only a job… but these children grab your heart… no matter who you are and you cannot escape the effect they have on you.
Back to Li Peng…. We reminded them that he was too old and of all the problems we had in the past with children who were over our age limits. (We often allow our heart to take us where our reason says we should not go… and we give in.. but as the years go by, experience has been a solid teacher and we find more success in following our own rules!) So they sadly walked away to carry the bad news to the lady who was trying to help Li Peng.
Two days later and then three days after that and then another two days or so after that, they came to me again. “LaoWai” (Foreigner… sort of like the word “Bwana” missionaries used to be called in Africa) the person is at the gate again and wants you to think about reconsidering taking in the little boy.
A total of five times we refused and would not even talk to the people at the gate because we knew we really couldn’t break our age limit rule and when we talk to them face to face it is very hard to stay resolute!
A few days after our last refusal we heard a couple of the staff talking about this little boy who keeps coming to the gate and wanting to talk to the “LaoWai” about living at the Home of Hope. We immediately wanted to know what they were talking about and they told us it was the little boy we refused to see. We told them they did not tell us it was THE little boy but rather we always thought it was his neighbor. They informed us that sometimes it was the two of them but also on several occasions the little boy had come himself. Well that did it! We had to talk to him! And so we did!
We will never forget that conversation! This little guy is so determined, despite the major setbacks that have come his way in his short life… When we asked him why he wanted to come to the Home of Hope, he looked us right in the eye and said he knew the foreigners would give him the best chance he could find in China to make something of himself. At his age he is already realizing he must do good in school because he wants to go to college! So serious about life and doing things right and yet a lot of fun to be with! Loves to play, sing and dance just like any other Chinese child! It’s great to have him with us!
Of course Li Peng does not have a sponsor at this time (along with fifteen of our other children) and if you would like to contribute to this young man’s future you can learn how at our donations page.
Posted: April 3rd, 2006 under New Arrivals.
Tags: Vincent-Li-Peng