Leaving Qianjiang - more work needs to be done!

With a heavy heart we bid our host goodbye and headed to the bus station to take a bus back to ChongQing. At the bus station we were given gifts of food for the journey back. Handshakes and smiles were exchanged, and they looke forward to the time again when we would meet in Qianjiang. The orphanage founder thanked again the families for their donations and hoped that we could continue our work in the future together, for the sake of the children. There was also mention that while there were many children in the orphanage with cleft palates.

The government allots money for the orphans one by one to get this corrected in ChongQing, but we need to help the orphanage director for the travel expenses and incidentals for the trip. They said that they would try to let us know when one of the children was being prepared for this operaton and then I told them I would do what I could try to insure donation funding to assist these children.

Kay and I were exhausted after our journey and looking forward to the trip home. Once again we were greeted with the passion of the Chinese people on the bus. An animated discussion ensued between passenger and driver when one of the bags of the passenger was, in the passenger's opinion, mishandled by the the bus driver. The discussion became more and more heated until eventually some the the passengers intervened and tried to diffuse the situation. Finally one of the other passengers said something and everyone had a good chuckle. This seemed to diffuse the situation and the two arguing men backed down. Kay later told me that the joking passenger had said something along the lines of "hey we have a foreigner on board and you'll make a bad impression, so you two knock it off"...

I wonder if something like that would happen here in the USA???

The rest of the 4 hour bus trip went without incident. (me at a potty stop along the highway. Our bus in the background, and the cloud covered mountains of this beautiful country)

On the bus we had a lot more room than in the taxi ride TO Qianjiang and there was only gentle swaying of the bus as we ambled back through the countryside on the modern superhighway. The rain was steady and we occasionally opened the window to gain a picture vista of the mist covered mountains of this area, their tops covered as if by the shrouds of Olympus, capturing my heart with their mystery, majesty, and beauty.Our time had been brief in QianJiang but was productive. This was due in no small part to our preparation and planning and the coordination of our volunteer in China without whose help none of this would be possible.

We still have more to do. The Qianjiang orphanage staff are doing a fantastic job in caring for these children, and it is clear that they have their hearts devoted to the happiness and well-being, and the bright future of these children. However, the children still need our help. With the help of the donors, our Packages of Hope volunteers, and the gracious, open, and trusting staff at the orphanage, we CAN do more for these children. These ARE our extended family, and although the orphanage staff are doing a great job, they could use our help in providing clothing, medical assistance, toys, mattresses, and help with physical and education. We are making a difference! Let's continue to do more!!

I express my deep gratitude for the orphanage staff and government officials who have so graciously opened their doors to us to gain a rare view into the orphanage. Their objective is the same as mine - a sole purpose to help the orphan children in Qianjiang have a better life. We thank them, as well as the donors for their continued support for the children.