Fame and Finances

Wa-sai!

Today was unique. After two years in Taiwan and now two weeks in ShaanXi, I've grown quite used to the constant stares and odd looks that come with being a foreigner. I was not accustomed to the welcome we received today while taking three of the children -- Angel, Ben, and Jade -- to the hospital to get echocardiograms. Ashley, Jane (our fearless local volunteer, who is Chinese), and I got out of the Taxi and were promptly met by a swarm of onlookers, curious to see the set of "triplets" brought by the foreigners. You can imagine their confusion when they saw that the children were Chinese, and were not the same size or age. A brief explanation in their mother tongue didn't help to dispel the crowd, and I felt bad for Jane, who seemed a little embarrassed by the extra attention. The crowds weren't so bad once inside, but there were still plenty of looks and the occasional side comment, "Oh, that one looks like her mom." I would just smile at my "wife" and continue to hold Angel. :-) (seen in the picture)

It was confirmed that both Angel and Jade have heart conditions, and will need surgery, but it's not a huge worry in the present. Ben, seen at left, was a huge fuss, rejected the oral sedative, and cried like a baby, so he's going back tomorrow after we deprive him of his morning sleep. Then he'll hopefully sleep in peace on the ultrasound bed.

You would think tending babies wouldn't be that eventful, but a lot of exciting things are happening around here. There is a continual flow of new and old volunteers that come to help tend the 12 babies, and people from all walks of life and every corner of the world visit the orphanage. It's not quite up to BYU-diversity standards, but while I've been here in CENTRAL CHINA, I've met people from Canada, Italy, South Africa, Costa Rica, the Philippines, Australia, the US, and the list continues to grow! In the last week I've been on TV once and been interviewed along with Amanda for 3 newspaper articles. People have been generous in offering time and donations, both large and small, to contribute to the cause. It all regards, it has been a phenomenal education for me.

The Three Amigos...Michael, Gabriel, and Sarah

This week I've been focusing on helping to prepare the documents for tax-exempt status in the US. Becoming a 501(c)(3) organization, as they call it, will allow Amanda to get larger and a more steady flow of contributions. We're also starting to work on setting up a simple financial system that Amanda can maintain by herself when I leave. My brother the accountant is helping us to set up an account with a remote server so that the accounts in the US and here can be edited, reconciled, and audited with ease. I've recently wondered about all the weird things I do...I'm a music major, preparing for medical school, setting up financial systems for an orphanage in central China, and anticipating working as a waiter in a Cantina when I go home. I should top it off by going to beauty school! (Is that what they call it for guys?) A little more diversity can't hurt, right?

On Friday Amanda is taking Laura the Stout (right) and Jonas the Drooler (left) to Nanjing, and their cleft palates will get fixed! It's a big week for the orphanage! That means the only older child that still needs help is Susan, who needs heart surgery.

I'll be visiting the big-town next week, Beijing. Two of the BYU girls here and I will take the 9 hour train ride and spend a few days visiting some well-established orphanages run by foreigners. There's quite a few in the East, but I think Amanda is one of the few this far inland. We'll be able to make some good contacts, get a lot of good ideas to help Amanda, and have a break from tending kids! I tell you what, I've gained a lot of appreciation for mothers since being here (especially the ones that give birth to 7 kids all at once). Just caring for one is a HUGE life-changing commitment, and I respect my mom a lot more after realizing she's done it for 5 of us. The world would be rather dismal without caring mothers!