Graces Finding Place
I've been searching the internet to find pictures of Grace's orphanage and of the place on the complex's grounds called the Sr. Center. I've come across a few pictures here and there but not until today did I find a significant cache of photos that give a good overall look at Yifeng Social Welfare Institute (what the Chinese call orphanages). And not only did I find pictures or the orphanage (inside and outside), of the current director and his business card, maps of the area and of the complex, I also found the most significant picture of all - a photo that was labeled Yifeng Sr. Center. It was here on an early morning on November 29, 2008 that an orphanage worker discovered our little girl. Did she know how much that little girl had been prayed for? Did she have any idea how loved that little girl was even in her abandonment? Did she see the unseen angels hovering over her in safety? Instead, she saw a little girl in a yellow jacket with red floral print wrapped in a blanket who just that morning had been placed where someone would find her. When looking at the complex I am struck by how far in someone had to venture to get her to that particular building. And why not the orphanage? Did the mother or father hang around near by to watch for their little child to be picked up as we have heard about in stories? Was Grace cold or crying? These are questions we never may have answered but I know this. I know that at that moment, God was working out his plan in our Grace's life to bring her to safety and ultimately to her forever family.
Yifeng Orphanage appears to be a very small orphanage nestled in the Misty Mountains of Jiangxi province. The view is quite serene but we have read that it comes with its fair share of bugs. The interior shots show a very small washer and dryer, a few crude wooden potties and a row of walkers. The babies sleep quite bundled up with their heads propped by pillows. There is a photo of the Director in 2006. It is very likely this is Zhang Yeuming,the Director who named Grace. There is also a photo of the Assistant Director holding one of the children in the playroom. We've heard from others in our group who discovered that their children were in Foster Care. On the one hand, this is a smaller orphanage so there probably would be more personalized care for the children. But my heart hopes that we discover that Grace, too, has been in Foster Care. It doesn't mean it is without its problems, but she would have escaped some of the bleakness of these surroundings and gotten more 1:1 time with holding and bonding time. We're sending a letter via redthreadchina.com to the orphanage. They will translate our 20 questions and we hope to glean a little more insight into Grace's first 7 months of life. We've even asked if they'd circle the exact place she was found, and give us a few more details about her primary caregivers. We can only pray that some of the answers find their way back to us. If not, we know that God will give Grace all she needs in her journey ahead.
Sharon
Sharon
