An update from Kirsten Britcher

I thought I’d begin this update by answering the five most frequently asked questions:

So where are you?
I’m still in Changsha, living at Sue’s house; same complex, different building. I moved two weeks ago and have rice bags full of luggage lining the walls, the latest in home decorating!

When are you moving to the UK?
A few days ago I would have said – I don’t know! But I now have a return ticket to the UK and will be leaving HK for London and Newcastle March 17. I’m due back in China for Board meetings April 19 so will only be in the UK for a month.

My UK Work Permit is in process and won’t be approved in time for this first trip so I’ll be in the UK on a tourist visa. I won’t begin working for the ICC UK company until all the right paperwork and visas are processed so the plan is to take a little time to settle into Morpeth, take a short holiday, continue to oversee the China (ICC HK Company) work and meet with Richard, fellow Board member. I’ll begin development and work for the ICC UK Company when I return in May and I’ll continue to provide oversight for the China work until a new director is appointed.

Has the team moved to Heng Yang yet?
Yes Kyla, Alison and Karen moved to Heng Yang to set up new homes and to establish the Heng Yang Spring Project February 9. We pr-yed for clear skies and ended up with rain, hail and snow! Oh well… The team will be joined by Hannah and Leisel in the coming months and, in cooperation with the Heng Yang Welfare Centre, will provide services for over 50 abandoned, orphaned children and youth with disabilities.

The needs in the Heng Yang centre are desperate; inadequate basic care, food, clothing, education, medical care and therapy. Children fight over rice on the ground and beat each other, often just for attention and as a way of showing affection. It’s all they know. The need is great but so is the potential.

The Spring Project’s mission is to touch these children and the surrounding community with the Father’s love through providing services that significantly improves quality of life and decreases the high mortality rate at the centre. ICC is committed to empowering the government and local community of Heng Yang in the care of disabled orphans, training local people to work within the project and bringing community transformation.

Yang Dong’s life is already being transformed.

Yang Dong is 6 years old and was recently abandoned. Frostbite and lack of treatment led to her having a gangrenous toe, infection all the way up to her knee and a blackened toe and ball of her foot. She’s since had her toe amputated and at one point we wondered if her whole foot would be lost. This situation could have been avoided had Yang Dong been living in a warm environment with adequate clothing and footwear, had someone noticed the frostbite and immediately treated it. It’s frustrating and hard to see needless suffering but it can work for good.

When Kyla and the team discovered Yang Dong they admitted her to hospital and employed a lady to care for her and feed her. Within a couple of days she had become a very different little girl, smiling and laughing. She was no longer shut down and there was a sparkle in her eye. What she’d needed as much as treatment was someone to care for her, just her. She’d needed someone to notice her, listen to her and love her. Yang Dong and her carer now share a special bond and this once shut down little girl is blossoming. It’s amazing just how much a little love and hope can do for the soul.

How’s your health?
I’ve managed to keep out of hospital these past months but I’m still struggling to breathe at times. I look forward to getting fit again and not always feeling exhausted. And maybe people will stop asking – are you OK? You don’t look good…

So how do we contact you?
From now until March 16 you can continue to contact me in China.

I leave China, home for 5 years, feeling very much a part of it but still very much a foreigner. And the longer I stay the more China and her people remain a mystery. Just when I think I have it worked out I discover the rules have changed or my assumptions were wrong! That’s the amazing thing, one can never really generalise about China; one can only share experiences. What I value most about my time is the relationships I have with the staff and the children, the fact that I’ve been able to make a difference, no matter how small. There are a few nationals with whom I’ve had the privilege of sharing my heart, my hopes and fears and they have trusted me with theirs. This is a rare and precious gift.

I’ll sign off for now but I want to thank you for your friendship, for walking with me these past years. I look forward to sharing with you news of new friends, a new country and new adventures.

Kirsten Britcher
Acting COC Director and Director of Communications.

Exciting Times Challenging Times

I just got back from spending time with the ICC teams in Changsha and Heng Yang. It was a busy time, but one filled with some great blessings.

The first part of my trip was interviewing a strong candidate for the position of China Operations Director. I know that many of you have been praying that God will provide the right person. Whilst no final decision has been made, we were encouraged at how God seems to be moving in this process. Please pray that we will have wisdom as we consider this candidate.

It was also good to spend time with the Changsha Team. As many of you know the team is going through quite a lot of change - especially with part of the team moving down to Heng Yang to begin our work there. It was encouraging to see all that God is doing both in the team and also in the work. The team, whilst feeling the loss of their team mates, are also excited about the future. A meeting with the Director of the Changsha Welfare Center finished with his approval to begin searching for new premises to house our children from Ya Tang Cun. We hope that during 2006 these children will be able to move into much more ideal accommodation which can facilitate their care, education, therapy and play. Please keep praying as we seek God to lead us in this and provide for us financially.

The latter part of my time was with the team in Heng Yang. The team moved down to the city on February 8th and so they were still living out of boxes during my visit. However the work doesn't stop. The new ICC offices in the HY welfare center are coming along well, Yang Dong (the little girl with frost bite) is recovering after her surgery, the team's homes are getting sorted out, and there is a sense of God's presence in the midst of the busyness.

As I left China for Hong Kong I could not help feel excited. Excited that God is doing something new work in our midst. I also felt challenged - as there are many gaps that still need to be filled. Please pray that God would provide abundantly for every gap that we have.

During my brief stop in Hong Kong I got to meet with several people, one of whom is well connnected with the Hunan Provincal Government. He is willing to advocate for us to be given a piece of land on which we can then develop a new children's and youth center in Changsha. Please pray for Mr Huang that God will continue to move on his heart and that he will actively work to bring about this provision.

Thanks for your prayers and your care. The work of ICC rests upon the prayers of the saints - we value each one of you.

In Him,

David

David Gotts
Executive Director