HOH Alumni
Nathan Bell did a fantastic job raising up some truly wonderful children. Below is what he wrote when he started this “Alumni Post”. In honor of him and the kids who were under his care, we wanted to leave this page as he wrote it, but just give updated pictures and small info of the many children who were blessed to call him “Yeye!”
“It is always a full blown conflict in emotions for us but it is inevitable that our children do grow up and go out into the world to make their own way leaving footprints across the seams of our heart and the fondest pictures, front stage, in the recess of our memories!
Of course in our mind, they are always part of the Home of Hope and over time we have come to realize that they all feel the same way… the Home of Hope is their home!
This message came through just a short time ago when we had a small blizzard come through Gongyi with a mixture of snow and ice making travel almost impossible.
One of the previous Home of Hope children who has now gone out on his own, just happened to be trying to get back to where he now lives but found it impossible to do so. Without thinking about going to a hotel or to some friend’s house… without hesitation he “Came Home”. That made us feel so good and of course, that is the way it should be.
The Home of Hope Charter is clear on the procedures for a child who comes of age. The Home of Hope will continue to care for and be responsible for all aspects of the child’s life and well being until such time as he/she reaches eighteen years of age or completes his/her education through High School, whichever comes later.
If a child wishes to continue into higher education and his/her grades and college entrance exam justify it, we will continue his/her care until such time as four years of college are completed.”
The following children are now considered alumni of the Home of Hope.
Henry He Long Qiang
Henry joined the Gongyi Home of Hope in 2000 when he was 11 years old.
Jerry Ding Shao Shuai
Jerry joined the Gongyi Home of Hope in 2000 when he was 10 years old.
Dean Ding Xiao Shuai
Dean is Jerry’s (above) older brother. He was 12 years old when he arrived.
Ben Yu Bin Bin
Ben joined the Gongyi Home of Hope in 2000 when he was 10 years old. He and his wife reside in Gongyi.
David Zhang Hai Tao
David joined the Gongyi Home of Hope in 2000 when he was 12 years old. David, along with his family live in Shanghai. He is a teacher and doing very well.
Glen Zhang Guang Yuan
Glen joined the Gongyi Home of Hope in 2000 when he was 12 years old.
Tim Tian Zheng TU
Tim joined the Gongyi Home of Hope in 2000 when he was 12 years old.
Joshua Jia Ya Shuai
Joshua joined the Gongyi Home of Hope in 2000 when he was 11 years old. Joshua and his family live in Shanghai where he works as chef.
Seth Yang Xiao Ke
Seth joined the Gongyi Home of Hope in 2000 when he was 12 years old.
Joey Zhao Peng Hui
Joey joined the Gongyi Home of Hope in 2000 when he was 12 years old.
Sam “Zhang Sui Qiang”
Sam joined the Gongyi Home of Hope in 2000 when he was 13 years old. He runs his own company in Zhengzhou.
Lily “Zhang Lin Qing”
Lily joined the Gongyi Home of Hope in 2000 when she was 7 years old.
Lydia “Kang Lin Lin“
Lydia joined the Gongyi Home of Hope in 2001 when she was 9 years old.
Hazel “Ge Hua Zhi” and Shirley “Ge Qing Ya“
Hazel and Shirley are sisters. Hazel joined the Gongyi Home of Hope in 2000 when she was 11 years old. Shirley joined in 2003 when she was 12 years old. They both work as teachers in the Pingyu Home of Hope.
Gail “Yang Er Ge“
Gail joined the Gongyi Home of Hope in 2000 when she was 8 years old. Gail and her family live in Zhengzhou.
Paul “Yao You Bin”
Paul joined the Gongyi Home of Hope in 2000 when he was 12 years old. He is soon to be married and works in the South China Sea.
Jim “Yang Jin Duo” and Holly “Hou San Juan“
Jim and Holly both joined the Gongyi Home of Hope in 2000; Jim when he was 12 years old and Holly when she was 13 years old. They got married in 2017 and just had a baby girl. They reside in Gongyi.
Rena “Ren Xiao Na“
Rena joined the Gongyi Home of Hope in 2000; she was 9 years old. She worked at the Xuzhou Home of Hope until she finished her master’s degree and now lives in Zhengzhou working at the same university that Nathan Bell started when he first moved to China.
Linda “Wei Ling Yu”
Linda joined the Gongyi Home of Hope in 2000: she was 9 years old. She, along with her husband and daughter live and work in Hubei province.
Hank “Cao Hai Kui“
Hank joined the Gongyi Home of Hope in 2000; he was 13 years old. He lives in Shanghai where he works as a real-estate developer and investor.
June “Guo Jun Xia“
June joined the Gongyi Home of Hope in 2000; she was 11 years old. June is married with one son. She lives and works in Zhengzhou.
Isaac Ma Shi Hao
“To us Isaac’s is a real success story. We have always maintained that no matter how much we try to make the Home of Hope Orphanages like a home, we are still an institution. Unless there are unacceptable circumstances involved, we believe children should be with their real family and always try to work it out so children can be with their families if at all possible.
Even though Isaac was an abandoned baby we knew who his parents were. Over the years we have slowly managed to bring Isaac and his family together again and now Isaac is back with his Mom and Dad and is doing fine. His parents bring him to see us on occasion and it is always good to see him.”
