Update from Heng Yang

Kyla Alexander - ICC's Short Term Team COordinator and Heng Yang Development Officer:

Dear Friends,

I just wanted to touch base with you all and let you know how things are going as I am currently leading a team in Heng Yang again. The team has 23 people in it, mostly young Australians, plus some lovely english and american people who are being very tolerant of the australian humour. The team are a great bunch and are working together well.

This time with the children has been a lot more grief filled than the last team. A lot more of the problems here have become apparent. There is no proper heating for the children. They are using coal burners without chimneys and so the rooms have been filling with Carbon Monoxide, despite having the doors and windows open. Some of the children have been very drowsy and lethargic from the fumes, and some have had seizures from it. I have asked the orphanage leaders to install chimneys, please pray that they do this.

I also discovered a few days ago that there were three new babies in the disabled children's area, instead of with the infants where they would receive proper care.

One of the babies had a severe liver disease (probably hepatitis), one of them was a year old with Cerebral Palsy and the other one was a tiny new baby girl with Down's Syndrome. I advocated for the children to move them to the infants block where they could receive proper care, but it was too late for the baby with CP, he passed away the night before last.

The Down's baby, however, was moved to the disabled baby room, where I believe Wu AiYi will take good care of her. PTL that this child was moved there. Please pray that they will value the life of this child. The third baby with liver disease is still in the disabled children's area, they are concerned this child will spread infection to the healthy infants if he is moved. Please pray for this baby that he will receive the love and care that he needs. Where he is living there is only 2 carers to 44 children, all who have special needs.

The orphanage leaders have been extremely open and have been discussing "future things". They really want a future with ICC and this is so exciting. I have been dreaming lots!!!! Please pray for patience for me to wait for the time I can move here permanently and work out these dreams.

The children have been making great progress with the team around. One particular child called Ping Ping sang a song yesterday and I nearly fell over with joy to hear it. She has suffered such severe neglect that she cannot smile or make eye contact, she has been totally unresponsive since I have known her, but she is starting to respond. Vidette from the last STT in November put so much into this little girl, and the current team is also working with her constantly to heal the hurt in her heart, and she is making incredible progress.

Thanks again guys for your love, support and prayers.

Kyla