Right after the Spring Festival, a female believer Jia Li, and another two volunteers in the same group went to visit the children that they sponsored in the countryside near their homes. After a bumpy trip, they finally arrived before noon at the first home where two little sisters lived.
Entering the house after their grandma greeted them, Jia Li noticed that the quilt on the bed was too lightweight for this season. The younger sister got off of the bed wearing a pair of summer sandals on the ground. Her hands and face had skin cuts due to cold exposure.
Jia Li carefully washed the younger sister's face and hands. Upon her request, the little one showed her a glass bottle of Yashuang (brand) cream. She took out some cream with her finger and taught the little girl how to apply it to her hands and face.
The other two volunteers talked with the elder sister and the grandma respectively. Liu asked the elder sister about her recent situation. Deng gave the grandma seasonal gifts of some food made at home for the Chinese New Year, as well as some presents from relatives who came to visit during the holidays.
Jia Li's experience
Jia Li has been a front-line volunteer who mainly participates in student aid projects with a local charity organization in a city in Anhui since 2019. She got to know the two sisters the same year. In the beginning, the project target was the elder sister who was in the third grade of primary education, while her little sister had not been school-aged. Only the two children and their grandma are in the family. Their alcoholic father died from an alcohol-related disease not long after his wife left him because of family conflicts and remarried later. The grandfather had passed away. The family is in absolute poverty with nothing but two mu (0.33 acres) of land. The government gives them 700 yuan allowance a year.
Jia has known the sisters for four years. The elder sister is in sixth grade and the younger one is in first grade. At the beginning of the project, the elder one's academic performance was not good, which was ranked between low and middle in the class. For that reason, she had been reluctant to go to school for a while. Volunteers cared for her and had been accompanying and encouraging her since then. Now her academic achievements have improved much and she ranks between middle and high in the class. Every year, the institution hosts camps for the sponsored children and takes them to nearby tourist attractions, museums, amusement parks, and other places. This is the time when they feel the happiest.
Director Qian's account
Director Qian, who is in charge of the student aid project, elaborated on it. This project aids bereaved children, that is, one of their parents had died. Many of these children had lost fathers for work-related injuries or car accidents, mostly. After the fathers died, the mothers would usually remarry, which would cause great psychological damage to the children. Many bad habits would be picked up when they were young. At this time volunteers intervened to better help them.
After being included as sponsees, each child would receive 100-yuan stipend per month. Local volunteers would visit them once a month or so. Meanwhile, staff from the project department would visit once every three months to give the children their stipends. Director Qian said that the student aid program currently needed to raise 80,000 yuan per year for allowances, which was a little stressful.
Speaking of the sisters, Director Qian was also deeply impressed. "When I first found this family, the children were in bad shape. Apart from being reluctant to talk to others, their personal hygiene, living environment, and other aspects were not good. The grandma could only feed them but didn't know how to educate them," Director Qian said. The grandma told them that she felt incompetent in teaching them, saying, “The two sisters didn’t listen to my instructions. I rather do everything myself. "
During this visit, Jia Li found that the elder sister could almost be independent in daily life, while the younger one still had a long way to go. " Even very small and simple things, such as knowing what cream to use and how to apply it have to be taught, or she wouldn’t know what to do," Jia added.
The volunteers visited them again bringing a large thick quilt to give to them. While Jia Li gave the grandma some cream that she recommended last time. This time, she was very happy to see that there were no more skin cuts on the little sister's face and hands.
The elder sister's wish
After the Spring Festival, the elder sister told the volunteers that she wished to have her own room. After volunteers collected the information of this family, the project director sorted it and reported it to the administration. This family actually has a two-floor house with vacant rooms, which was built by the father. But no one cleans or lives in the empty upstairs which is very dusty. The two girls and their grandma live in the same room downstairs. Three of them sleep on one bed with a kitten and clothes piled up on it. There is an overwhelming musty and damp smell in the room.
The budget required for this “little loving home project” is not high, about a few thousand yuan. Yang Guang sent the project proposal to some businesses that were involved in their projects before. Some were touched and donated items that they needed, such as beds, closets, mosquito nets, lamps, toys, etc. Some donated money directly.
The charity's leadership team
Jia Li, Director Qian, and Yang Guang who are churchgoers of different churches in different places are working with the same charity institution for distinct reasons.
Jia Li is a front-line volunteer who mainly works on student aid projects, and has also taken part in projects helping seniors. In the homes of children and the elderly, a life in poverty far beyond her imagination is directly presented in front of her eyes. She said: "I didn’t have the chance to see such situations before, as if they didn't exist. Now that I have known, I really want to live out the Lord's teachings and try to love others."
Director Qian is the project director. In the past, seeing underprivileged families around him, he spontaneously set up a charity group in the church. Those who joined the group donated 300 yuan a year to help the impoverished children in the neighborhood. The government stopped its operation after a year because it was unlawful though the intent was good. Later, he became part of a charity organization, where he could legally and compliantly do what he wanted.
"Our God cares and protects orphans and widows. Christians should also follow and serve where God's heart is," he stressed.
Yang Guang is the secretary-general of the organization, responsible for government policy alignment, resource allocation, project implementation, etc. Every year before Tencent's 99 Giving Day, Yang Guang will talk about what this organization is doing at his church and call on believers for offering.
A place to live out the Lord's teachings
Speaking of the sponsored children, Director Qian knows their individual situations well. He mentioned two brothers whose mother died living with their father. The volunteers celebrated their birthday together with other children in March, for which the brothers were very happy and ate many cakes. A girl named Yaqian has achieved a big change. The first time she met staff from this organization, she couldn't communicate at all but cried as soon as she tried to speak. Later, she had so much fun playing with other children in the park that she didn't even want to go back home.
Yang also talked about some elderly people that the institution was helping. A 70-something grandmother lived alone and scavenged rubbish dumps to survive. The agency has been providing her with food since she became a sponsee.
"I badly wanted to live out the Lord's teachings but didn’t know exactly how to do it. This institution provides a platform for me to better practice the Word of God," said one Christian participant.
-Translated by Shuya Wang
刚过完年，贾丽今天要和小组中另外两名志愿者一起去家附近的农村探望帮扶的几个孩子。在路上颠簸了一阵，总算在中午之前到了第一家——一对小姐妹的家。
奶奶招呼志愿者们进了家门。贾丽看了看床上的被子，实在是有点单薄。妹妹拖着一双凉拖鞋就下地了，手上、脸上都冻开的口子。
贾丽给妹妹细细地洗了脸和手，问平时抹什么香。妹妹拿来一个玻璃瓶带盖子的雅霜雪花膏。她用手指抠出来一些，教妹妹怎么把膏在手上、脸上抹开。
另外的两名志愿者，小刘在和姐姐说话，询问她最近的情况。小邓和奶奶交谈，把这次带来的东西交给她。刚刚过年，志愿者带了家里过年做的一些吃食，还有春节走亲戚的一些礼品。
一
贾丽2019年开始加入了当地的一间慈善机构，是一名一线志愿者，主要参与助学项目。从2019年开始，她就认识了这对姐妹。一开始项目对接的是姐姐，当时她上三年级，妹妹还没有开始上学。这家的情况是爸爸喜欢酗酒，爸爸还在世的时候妈妈就因为家庭矛盾抛下孩子改嫁了，没过多久，爸爸因为喝酒引发的疾病去世了，爷爷也已经过世了，只剩下两个孩子和奶奶。家里除了两亩地什么也没有，极其贫困。政府每年发放700块给补贴家用。
今年已经是贾丽认识姐妹俩的第四年了。姐姐上了六年级，妹妹也上一年级了。最开始姐姐学习成绩不好，是班里中下游的水平，有段时间都不愿意去上学了。志愿者为这个情况很着急，一直陪伴鼓励姐姐，现在姐姐的成绩进步了很多，算是中上等。机构每年会为资助的孩子们举办营会，带他们去附近的旅游景点、博物馆、游乐园等地游玩，这种时候是她们最开心的时候。
二
负责助学项目的钱主任介绍，这个项目帮助的都是失亲儿童，即父亲母亲有一方去世。这些孩子父亲去世的比较多，原因大部分是工伤或者车祸，父亲去世之后母亲基本上都会改嫁，对孩子的心理伤害比较大。孩子很多坏习惯也是小时候养成的，志愿者介入也能更好地帮助他们。
确定了帮扶对象之后，每个孩子每个月会得到100块的资助。当地的志愿者一个月左右去探访一次，项目部的人一个季度去一次，把助学金发放到孩子手里。钱主任说，助学项目现在一年需要筹集8万的助学金，还是有点压力。
提起这对姐妹，钱主任也印象深刻。“刚找到这个家庭的时候，孩子不愿意和人说话，个人卫生、居住环境等各个方面情况都不好。奶奶只给饭吃，不懂教，”钱主任说，“奶奶反映在教育孩子上有些力不从心，“说了也不听，不如我自己做。”
这次去探望，姐姐大了一些可以勉强收拾好自己，小一些的妹妹情形就差了很多。“都是很小很简单的事情，没人教就是不会，”贾丽说，“买什么膏、怎么擦，都要教。”
接下来的一次探访，志愿者们准备了很大的厚棉被带去，贾丽带了一些上次给奶奶推荐的那种膏。这次去，看妹妹脸上、手上没有再开口子，她很是高兴。
三
年后，姐姐和志愿者表达了她的心愿：想有一间自己的房间。志愿者收集了这家的信息，项目主任综合整理之后上报给了办公室。这家其实有闲置的房子，爸爸在去世之前盖好了房子，有两层。但楼上是空的，没人住也没人打理，灰很厚。两个女孩和奶奶住在楼下的一个房间，挤在一张床上。衣服堆在床上，小猫也在床上，整个一团乱，散发着躲不开的霉味、潮味。
此次的爱心小家项目需要的预算不算高，大概几千块钱。杨光将做好的策划书递交给有联系的爱心商家，有感动的商家认领了他们需要的床、衣柜、蚊帐、灯具、玩具等等，也有直接捐钱的。
四
贾丽、钱主任、杨光是不同地方不同教会的信徒，因为不同的原因加入了同一家慈善机构。
贾丽是一线志愿者，主要参与助学项目，也参加过助老项目的探访。去到孩子、老人家里，远超她想象的贫困生活直接呈现在眼前。她说：“以前没有看见这些情况，好像都不存在一样。现在知道了，很想活出主的教导，努力去爱人。”
钱主任是项目主任，以前他看到身边的穷苦家庭，在教会自发设立了爱心小组。加入小组的人，一人一年捐赠300块，资助身边穷苦的孩子。做了一年被政府叫停了，因为做的事情虽然好，但是不合法。后来他进入一家慈善机构，可以合法合规的做想做的事情。
“我们的神是孤儿寡妇的神，神的心在哪里基督徒也应该追到哪里去侍奉。”
杨光是机构的秘书长，负责政府政策对接、资源调配、项目执行等等，每年腾讯九九公益日之前，杨光都会在所在教会讲述机构在做的事情，号召信徒为此奉献。
五
说起在帮助的孩子们，钱主任知道他们每个人的情况。他说起一对母亲去世，跟着爸爸生活的兄弟。志愿者3月份给孩子们过集体生日，这对兄弟非常开心，吃了很多蛋糕。还有一个叫雅倩的女孩，变化非常大。第一次见面完全不能沟通，一说话就哭。后来和小朋友一起到公园游玩，玩得非常开心，甚至都不想回家。
杨光也提到机构在帮助的一些老人。一位七十多岁、孤身一人、以捡破烂为生的老奶奶，自从被纳入帮扶对象，机构就一直在供应她的吃喝。
“我很想活出主的教导，但不知道具体该怎样做。这个机构提供了一个平台，让我可以更好地实践神的话语，”一位参与的信徒说。
“我们的神是孤儿寡妇的神”——基督徒需要走出教会，服务社会！
Right after the Spring Festival, a female believer Jia Li, and another two volunteers in the same group went to visit the children that they sponsored in the countryside near their homes. After a bumpy trip, they finally arrived before noon at the first home where two little sisters lived.
Entering the house after their grandma greeted them, Jia Li noticed that the quilt on the bed was too lightweight for this season. The younger sister got off of the bed wearing a pair of summer sandals on the ground. Her hands and face had skin cuts due to cold exposure.
Jia Li carefully washed the younger sister's face and hands. Upon her request, the little one showed her a glass bottle of Yashuang (brand) cream. She took out some cream with her finger and taught the little girl how to apply it to her hands and face.
The other two volunteers talked with the elder sister and the grandma respectively. Liu asked the elder sister about her recent situation. Deng gave the grandma seasonal gifts of some food made at home for the Chinese New Year, as well as some presents from relatives who came to visit during the holidays.
Jia Li's experience
Jia Li has been a front-line volunteer who mainly participates in student aid projects with a local charity organization in a city in Anhui since 2019. She got to know the two sisters the same year. In the beginning, the project target was the elder sister who was in the third grade of primary education, while her little sister had not been school-aged. Only the two children and their grandma are in the family. Their alcoholic father died from an alcohol-related disease not long after his wife left him because of family conflicts and remarried later. The grandfather had passed away. The family is in absolute poverty with nothing but two mu (0.33 acres) of land. The government gives them 700 yuan allowance a year.
Jia has known the sisters for four years. The elder sister is in sixth grade and the younger one is in first grade. At the beginning of the project, the elder one's academic performance was not good, which was ranked between low and middle in the class. For that reason, she had been reluctant to go to school for a while. Volunteers cared for her and had been accompanying and encouraging her since then. Now her academic achievements have improved much and she ranks between middle and high in the class. Every year, the institution hosts camps for the sponsored children and takes them to nearby tourist attractions, museums, amusement parks, and other places. This is the time when they feel the happiest.
Director Qian's account
Director Qian, who is in charge of the student aid project, elaborated on it. This project aids bereaved children, that is, one of their parents had died. Many of these children had lost fathers for work-related injuries or car accidents, mostly. After the fathers died, the mothers would usually remarry, which would cause great psychological damage to the children. Many bad habits would be picked up when they were young. At this time volunteers intervened to better help them.
After being included as sponsees, each child would receive 100-yuan stipend per month. Local volunteers would visit them once a month or so. Meanwhile, staff from the project department would visit once every three months to give the children their stipends. Director Qian said that the student aid program currently needed to raise 80,000 yuan per year for allowances, which was a little stressful.
Speaking of the sisters, Director Qian was also deeply impressed. "When I first found this family, the children were in bad shape. Apart from being reluctant to talk to others, their personal hygiene, living environment, and other aspects were not good. The grandma could only feed them but didn't know how to educate them," Director Qian said. The grandma told them that she felt incompetent in teaching them, saying, “The two sisters didn’t listen to my instructions. I rather do everything myself. "
During this visit, Jia Li found that the elder sister could almost be independent in daily life, while the younger one still had a long way to go. " Even very small and simple things, such as knowing what cream to use and how to apply it have to be taught, or she wouldn’t know what to do," Jia added.
The volunteers visited them again bringing a large thick quilt to give to them. While Jia Li gave the grandma some cream that she recommended last time. This time, she was very happy to see that there were no more skin cuts on the little sister's face and hands.
The elder sister's wish
After the Spring Festival, the elder sister told the volunteers that she wished to have her own room. After volunteers collected the information of this family, the project director sorted it and reported it to the administration. This family actually has a two-floor house with vacant rooms, which was built by the father. But no one cleans or lives in the empty upstairs which is very dusty. The two girls and their grandma live in the same room downstairs. Three of them sleep on one bed with a kitten and clothes piled up on it. There is an overwhelming musty and damp smell in the room.
The budget required for this “little loving home project” is not high, about a few thousand yuan. Yang Guang sent the project proposal to some businesses that were involved in their projects before. Some were touched and donated items that they needed, such as beds, closets, mosquito nets, lamps, toys, etc. Some donated money directly.
The charity's leadership team
Jia Li, Director Qian, and Yang Guang who are churchgoers of different churches in different places are working with the same charity institution for distinct reasons.
Jia Li is a front-line volunteer who mainly works on student aid projects, and has also taken part in projects helping seniors. In the homes of children and the elderly, a life in poverty far beyond her imagination is directly presented in front of her eyes. She said: "I didn’t have the chance to see such situations before, as if they didn't exist. Now that I have known, I really want to live out the Lord's teachings and try to love others."
Director Qian is the project director. In the past, seeing underprivileged families around him, he spontaneously set up a charity group in the church. Those who joined the group donated 300 yuan a year to help the impoverished children in the neighborhood. The government stopped its operation after a year because it was unlawful though the intent was good. Later, he became part of a charity organization, where he could legally and compliantly do what he wanted.
"Our God cares and protects orphans and widows. Christians should also follow and serve where God's heart is," he stressed.
Yang Guang is the secretary-general of the organization, responsible for government policy alignment, resource allocation, project implementation, etc. Every year before Tencent's 99 Giving Day, Yang Guang will talk about what this organization is doing at his church and call on believers for offering.
A place to live out the Lord's teachings
Speaking of the sponsored children, Director Qian knows their individual situations well. He mentioned two brothers whose mother died living with their father. The volunteers celebrated their birthday together with other children in March, for which the brothers were very happy and ate many cakes. A girl named Yaqian has achieved a big change. The first time she met staff from this organization, she couldn't communicate at all but cried as soon as she tried to speak. Later, she had so much fun playing with other children in the park that she didn't even want to go back home.
Yang also talked about some elderly people that the institution was helping. A 70-something grandmother lived alone and scavenged rubbish dumps to survive. The agency has been providing her with food since she became a sponsee.
"I badly wanted to live out the Lord's teachings but didn’t know exactly how to do it. This institution provides a platform for me to better practice the Word of God," said one Christian participant.
-Translated by Shuya Wang
'Our God Cares for Orphans, Widows': Christian Charity Urges Believers to Serve Society
