September Update and Pictures

When was the last time you read about J**sus death and cried? The other day in primary class as Clay was reading the story of J**sus being crucified, we looked up at the class to see tears in Grady’s eyes, and this was before the translation! He understood enough English and could “read” the illustrations to remember the story and think of the pain J**sus felt. He has heard the story and has responded to his need for J**sus, yet he hurts when he remembers all that J**sus went through. All that He went through for me and for you. It’s all about Him, Him dying for us. His death brought freedom for us, we are adopted as His children if we believe in the L**rd Je**sus Ch**st. Galatians 4;5, “says He sent J**sus to buy freedom so that He could adopt us as His very own children.” We are each adopted son’s if we have believed in Him. Each of us has the opportunity to be adopted at least once, we hope these kids have two adoptions! We reminded our class that the story has a good ending, J**sus doesn’t stay dead, He comes back to life! We are so blessed to be here, to share the dream to give these great children forever homes, if not on earth then in heaven for eternity!

We took another field trip with 25 of our kids to an orchard to pick grapes and plums. A local powder coating company brought 4 bus’s almost full of employees and their friends and families to take us, 4 teachers and 25 kids. First we went to a grape orchard and they let us pick boxes of grapes and then to another field to pick a sack of plums. We all had great fun picking and especially tasting the fruit. Each child was assigned to an employee with the exception of a few kids who were to shy to go with a stranger. That would include the little tank, Lucas from the Blue Zoo story in our last newsletter, who has decided Jewel is his new favorite person, which doesn’t hurt her feelings at all! This time he didn’t have a problem with holding hands so he didn’t get lost. After picking fruit in the orchard they took us to a restaurant which had never seen so many customers at once! But of course were very gracious and took very good care of us! Some of the food we recognized, some we didn’t recognize and there was plenty we didn’t eat! The variety and the number of dishes they kept bringing left us amazed and even the nationals were finished eating before all the food was brought to the tables. We know we ate donkey meat, which tastes much like summer sausage without the fat. But aren’t sure about some of the other things we may have eaten; or not!

By the way, Clay has a new nickname, well maybe it is his Chinese name. It is said in 2 syllables, Calay. It is so precious and always brings a smile to our faces to hear the welcoming call, “Calay, Calay!!” In fact we understand Valley 4th has taken to the new name also! Lingling calls Jewel Jeway, so that name is often heard being echoed around campus.

Jewel got to take a trip with Sara from our office to Fuzhou (in southern China) to return 2 girls to their orphanage to be adopted. In case you missed this fact; SFCV is a foster home where kids from many different orphanages, mainly state run, send their kids for one reason or another. When children are adopted they almost always go back to their orphanage before their new families pick them up. How fun to be a part of taking these 2 year olds meet their forever families. Quite an experience to take 2 year olds on an airplane especially when one of them gets car sick! Fortunately, not air sick, although that might be because she went to sleep for the whole airplane ride. That made up for the 4 times she was car sick before we got to the orphanage! We then brought a one year old girl to SFCV to live.

We wrote about Lucas earlier in our letter and want to ask you if the father might be nudging you to help out with the expenses of his surgery. Lucas is 3 years old, which is the optimum time for his cochlear implant.

Jewel and Lucas

The cost is 200,000rmb (almost $30,000 U.S.) You will see his picture below. This little one has a loyalty to those who love and care for him and he is a regular boy (ie: part monkey! He is strong as could be and wants to climb everything, especially your legs and has a great noise he makes when he sees someone he loves and wants to get to them. Who could resist that smile and those outstretched arms!? In fact, maybe you feel a nudging to adopt him!! If you are interested in donating to his surgery feel free join us in paying for his surgery by sending a check with a note that explains it is for Lucas cochlear implant to:

Philip Hayden Foundation

10335 Winchester Rd, #E-115

Temecula, CA 92591

“Calay” had his 54th birthday with the primary class singing Happy Birthday, giving him homemade cards and receiving hugs all around! Their cards were very special telling him they hope he stays here forever with them and they love him very much. (written in Chinese but interpreted for him by the office girlsJ) Very, very special.

One evening we had pancake, bacon and scrambled eggs with Wendy, Stacey and Shelby joining us for dinner. Stacey and Shelby enjoyed a little bit of syrup on their pancakes, but Wendy didn’t go for the syrup. We realized a little ways into dinner she wasn’t using the syrup on the pancakes, “too sweet!” she said, she was using pepper! And she continued to use it on all 5 pancakes she had! We asked if she minded if we shared this story and her picture and she said no. Actually she thought we were rather funny to think she was funny! Next time we’ll try “slurry slop” on them; mix peanut butter with syrup and make it thick or thin as you prefer. (didn’t know you were going to get a recipe from us did you!?)

Mmmmmm! Pancakes!! and pepper?!?!?

Five new children came to SFCV 4 weeks ago and one is now named Clay! He is 5 months old and was supposed to be oxygen deprived at birth but it appears nothing is wrong with him after all. We expect he will be adopted soon because he will listedas special needs but there is nothing wrong with him. If someone is looking for a special needs child most times they get matched quickly because there aren’t as many people who choose to adopt children with special needs.

Jewel with Baby Clay

Please be on your knees for:

• Stacey’s hand and successful growth of the tendon. Sometimes she has a lot of pain when the apparatus is tightened. Please pray the pain would be minimal and growth quick so the apparatus can be removed in the 2 or 3 months they expect it to take. It has been a month.
  
  
• That Kyle will be able to walk one day, he is now in therapy to strengthen his legs.
  
  
• Christina’s paperwork to be processed so she can be adopted.
  
  
• Grady’s adoption to go through. We still do not know if that is going to happen.
  
  
• The next steps for getting on with teaching life skills.
  
  
• Flexibility in our job. We want to serve in the best way possible! That the father will let us know what He wants for our lives and if that means staying here.
  
  
• Language learning! We hear a few more words we know every once in awhile. We are reminded of Hudson Taylor’s quote, “We are asked to do an impossible task but we work for Him who can do the impossible!” It isn’t impossible to become conversant in the language. Pray we learn and hear the important words.
  
  
• Funds for Lucas’ cochlear implant.

Big thanks for:

• Our faithful supporters, we couldn’t do this without you. Thank you so much for remembering us!
  
  
• Gregg is successfully matched to the Bambock’s (our friends and renters!)
  
  
• Jacob Jai’s successful surgery!
  
  
• Successful surgeries for Robert, Grace, Ginger and Charissa.

We wish you could see the roads outside of SFCV. When we drive (more correctly, are driven) to Walmart or BaiWieYuan, we see the golden orange color of the corn down the side of the roads; mixed with patches of green where they are drying grass clippings and peanuts too. A three wheeled cart dumps the corn, it is husked and spread to dry on the cob. In 2 or 3 days we hear the machine chopping the corn off the cob and the next morning we see the kernels spread out flat and the cobs usually on the sidewalk behind the corn continuing to dry. The drying takes about 4 to 5 days. Then they scoop it up and sack it. They even sleep near their crop to protect it. Usually drivers do not drive through the crop unless they are in danger of running into someone. What would your response be if someone drove through your crop? They just take it in stride and spread it out again. Our response would be, “What are you putting your crop in the road for!?!?”

Corn cobs, front left, corn kernels in back left, pile of corn on right

As we walk this journey with these people we wish so much we could speak with them and we wonder what creative ways God will use us here. One of the gardening ayi’s keeps talking to Jewel as if she understands what she is telling her. She loves Jewel’s “woa bu ming by, ni shwo shemma” (that, by the way means, “I don’t understand what you are saying” and we don’t know how to spell it eitherJ) but she just keeps right on jabbering away. We can’t wait till we can understand the jabbering! What we finally figured out she is trying to say is she wants to be friends. What a blessing! Even not speaking the language, we are doing something right!

We are thankful for eagle’s wings that help us run and not grow weary and walk and not grow faint! Is. 40;31 Our hope is in Him!

We love you, appreciate you and pray for you,

Clay & Jewel Floch
Shepherd's Field Children's Village
Guest Relations Coordinators
James 1:27