Hand in hand at One Heart
Photos by Yao Fan

上周六,来自厦门大学海外教育学院 (Overseas Education College of Xiamen University)的12名留学生,一起前往翔安的同心孤儿院(One Heart Orphanage),为孩子们捎去了一些礼物,同时也带上一份爱心.这群"洋学生"和孩子们一起劳动,同台表演,在这里语言已不成为障碍.孩子们的天真无邪与热情让他们感动不已,离别的时候更是依依不舍...

Act of friendship
Robert Booth from George Fox University, came to China because he wants to learn more about a language and culture that is so fascinating and different from his own.

I have to admit that I was quite nervous about visiting the orphanage. I wasn't sure what to get for gifts, or if I should bring any at all. I worried that I'd be too shy, and that they might think I was no fun to be around. I didn't know what to expect, on so many levels!

As always, I had let my imagination run wild. These kids were so friendly. Yes, they were shy at first, but that was only temporary. Before I knew it, I had a group of four or five boys wanting to show me around, inviting me to sit with them at lunch, and trying to communicate with me through a mixture of English and Mandarin. I never realized how much can be done in spite of a language barrier!



Believe it or not, once those bonds were forged, I realized that it really didn't matter what gifts I brought them. They love the gift because it was an act of friendship. I know this because I treasure the gifts they gave me. Even the little toy truck is extremely meaningful to me, although I normally wouldn't find it very valuable at all.

Friendships, no matter how long or short-term, are formed on the basic need for a connection with someone, no matter how entertaining or talkative someone is! I went hoping that I could give something to these kids, but I never expected to receive so much in return. I will never forget this experience.

Inestimable value
Jenny Rose Wilson is from Seattle, USA where she studies nursing at Seattle Pacific University.
My visit to the One Heart Orphanage was one of those rare and beautiful experiences which will remain engrained in my heart and mind for years to come.

For years my goal has been to spend my career rescuing and caring for needy, orphaned children. To finally be among them was like finding my home for the first time. I was so hungry to hear their stories and to know what they thought and felt about life, but since I have barely started learning Chinese language, I had to be content to communicate through a smile, a hug, or a song.



Throughout my life, my experiences with children have taught me more valuable lessons than I could ever have learned from any teacher or professor. I was deeply moved by the joy I saw in each face, and by the selflessness they displayed towards each other and towards my classmates and I. They have so little compared to what we have yet they wanted to bless us with the best of their possessions-a piece of candy, a rice bowl, a package of crackers, a calligraphy painting. Their lives have barely begun yet their faces were still filled with hope. Nothing has been able to defeat them or steal away their innocence.

These children's lives hold inestimable value in my eyes. I went to the orphanage hoping to bless them in some way, but I am convinced that in the end, they blessed me so much more. I feel privileged and honored to call them my friends and I look forward to the day when I will meet them again.

Being a friend
Marilou E. Stoltenberg is a Filipino who is now studying at the Overseas Education College of Xiamen University.

Arriving at the orphanage, memories of my past surfaced. It seemed like yesterday when I was 6, living in an orphanage just a plane fare away. I was born in a tiny village in the southern Philippines. At the age of 5, my parents were killed in guerilla warfare. My siblings were all separated, living from one family to the next, never knowing any sense of stability or love. We didn't know if we would see each other again. After a year we were put into an orphanage where we could all be together.



One Heart Orphanage reminded me so much of what my life was like before I was adopted and here I was waiting to step off the bus unsure of what was to come.

The first part of the morning we spread across the yard, picking weeds and striking up conversations. It was easier than I imagined it to be. The next part of the morning the staff had prepared a program. We sang a few songs for them and they sang for us. A particular song was a story of a mother who loved her child. I saw a trickle of tears falling down the faces of the older girls. I understood them. To many I am envied and to others I am praised because of my life. For me I am humbled by the faces surrounding me, faces that are strange yet so familiar to me.

Children without a mom or a dad are everywhere. I cannot do much now, but the little that I can do is to be a friend.

Giving love
Genevieve Greathouse from the United States, goes to a private school in Arkansas called John Brown, majoring in biology premed.

The orphanage I visited last Saturday was part of this eye opening experience in China. While squatting in the hot sun pulling weeds I found myself constantly thinking about the lives of the orphans. Rather than dwell on their current status as orphans I wondered about their future. What will become of them? They seem fine now, but in 10 years are they going to be wondering about their family? Will they be wondering why they should keep on living if they have nobody?



What I saw in the eyes of the children at that orphanage was an inherent desire shared by all people. And that is the desire to be loved. I also saw an inherent ability shared by all people. And that is the ability to love. With that said, I came to that orphanage to manifest my abilities and offer my love to the children. And I came to China so that I may bring the knowledge of the Chinese language back to my home in America and use it to love the Chinese people living in America. So how is my perspective on life different after this particular experience? I've simply realized that if I live responsibly everyday by loving even a little, a person's life could be affected forever.