To Comfort always, to Relieve often, to Save sometimes
Dear Friends and Supporters,

This month has been one full of activity for us here at Hope Healing Home. With the warmer weather, we’re seeing an increase in groups and visitors and we are glad that the children are finally getting to spend many of their mornings and afternoons playing outdoors.
 
We concluded the month with a great Easter celebration and were able to enjoy a lovely time together. During the week leading up to Easter, the preschool kids learned how to dye eggs and make baskets. Then on Easter weekend we all enjoyed a great day together with a huge bouncy castle and egg hunt. As usual, the nannies seemed way more excited to find the eggs than the kids were! We were also happy to be joined by the Spanish Fellowship group from Oasis Church here in Beijing who brought face painting and balloons for the children. Needless to say (and as is evidenced by the photos below), the children had a wonderful time!
 

Nurse Krishtel and the kids ready to hunt eggs


Loads of fun had by all!

In the midst of celebration, we are often reminded that we still live in a world full of brokenness, loss and suffering. We so often hang in the balance between joy and sorrow, gain and loss, life and death. During this season, when we remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for us and the life that comes through His resurrection, we grieve the loss of every child but are grateful for the Hope that we have in our Risen Lord. We want to share a short note of remembrance, which was sent to our staff, for one of the children whom we lost this month, written by Dr. Steve.
 
I'm sorry to inform you that Sable passed away overnight last night in the hospital.  They let us know this morning.
 
Hebrews 13 tells us that God will never leave us nor forsake us, and He did not leave Sable but loved her much more than we could love her.  
 
She was with us almost exactly 6 months, and during that time she was loved and cared for, and people across the globe used their skills to come to her aid.  Thank you all for being a significant part of that help to her.  
 
 
In Loving Memory of Sable
 
Dr. Lim and his wife Nurse Choo from Australia have again faithfully come to help care for the children.  We are very grateful for their continued support and love of these children.
 

This month also brought some changes for one of our Henan facilities. Because our current contract with the Xinyang CWI has come to an end, it has been necessary for us to move all the children from our Xinyang unit into the care of our Zhengzhou and Luoyang Care Centers. As negotiations begin for a new agreement, we will continue to accept children referred to us by the Xinyang CWI. We are thankful that no children under care have been adversely affected by these changes, and we hope to re-open the center in a few months. In the interim period, we hope to make a number of much-needed improvements to our Xinyang Care Center while the children are receiving care in our other units.
 
We’d like to close this month’s newsletter with a note from Rob:
 
On April 1st 1999, Joyce and I with our then two youngest children moved from our expat apartment, which cost $11,000/month (USD), to a very small Chinese apartment which we actually purchased for $10,000 (USD). Many of you have heard this story, but we did this because we believed that God had asked us to “get into a river,” to stay in China and look after sick orphaned babies. It was not lost on me that this was about the most stupid thing we were ever going to do; we were giving up a really well paying job with a really good pension plan, along with many privileges which would have set us up nicely for the future into old age.
 
Looking back now 17 years later, I love the fact that God chose the 1st of April, also know as “APRIL FOOLS DAY” to start us on an adventure in His River of love for the very least of the least in China. We have been privileged to care for over 2,500 babies during this time and have seen God provide millions of dollars and an abundance of medical and general supplies to care for them. We have seen Him bring together an amazing medical team, hundreds of nannies, cleaners and cooks; all with the same goal, to give the very best they can for these precious babies. On top of all that, God has allowed us to partner with a network of doctors and friends from all over the world to support these efforts.
 
God must have smiled when he played that April Fool’s joke on us back in 1999. He knew what we did not. Being a fool for Jesus must be the right way to go.
 
Quote: “Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge unto the light.” - Helen Keller
   
Joyce
Dr. M J Hill MBBS. FRACGP. AM.
Director/ Founder
News of Hospitalizations and Surgeries

Alaina, Raven, and South were able to go to Hangzhou for heart surgery.  Art was admitted and was able to go to Suzhou for further evaluation.  Brynne and Sky went for heart surgery then returned doing well.  Chaulteax went for surgery in Luoyang.  Cyrus was admitted to us then needed surgery in Luoyang.  Gail went to Shandong for possible surgery.  Hazel was also admitted then was hospitalized and returned doing better.  Jacob returned from ear surgery doing very well.  After he fully recovered, he was able to start an intensive hearing therapy program that will last more than half a year.  Kaden needed another hospitalization.  She returned to us doing better.  Sable needed inpatient treatment then worsened and very sadly passed away.  Tanya was able to go to Hong Kong for complex testing and surgery with MedArt China Orphan Outreach.
 
News of Confirmed Adoptions and Our Hopes for Adoption

Casey, Jethro, Kennedy, and Urijah were adopted!
 
 
News from Hope Healing Home in Beijing

Other than the above surgeries and hospitalizations, no major medical events occurred for the babies in Beijing Hope Healing Home this month.
 
News from the five Special Care Centers in Henan Province
These centers provide humane and loving medical and hospice care for infants and young children with a range of congenital conditions who many times are unlikely to survive under normal circumstances.  Those who survive are great blessings.

1. Jiaozuo Show Hope Special Care Center

Anaca and Arya were admitted.  We were sad to find out that Bryson passed away in the local hospital.
 
2. Maria’s Big House of Hope in Luoyang, a Show Hope Special Care Center (currently in temporary residence)

Gideon was admitted.
 
3. Nanyang Show Hope Special Care Center

Cyrus and Hazel were admitted.
 
4. Xinyang Show Hope Special Care Center

These children have all been temporarily relocated.
 
5. Zhengzhou Show Hope Special Care Center

Hesusa, Perry, and Spike were admitted.  Cailyn returned from the hospital.  We were sad to see Marty and Thunder need to return to their orphanage.
Thanks and Needs

We’d like to extend our thanks to the student group from UWCSEA in Singapore who spent 5 days helping us during their Project week. UWCSEA has been sending student groups to us for several years now and they are always a lovely group of students, very keen to help and get involved in any way they can. This year the students helped in preschool classes, cleaned our playgrounds, scrapbooked and cleaned our preschool room, in addition to the many hours they spent playing with our children.
 
 
We’d also like to thank the many people who helped make our Easter very special. This includes those who helped fund bouncy castle costs, provided plastic eggs and candy, and came to play with our children on this very special day.
 
Thank you to those of you who responded to our need for more ZipZac chairs last month. We had an immediate response and were given enough to purchase the three necessary chairs for our Henan units as well as one extra chair to have here in Beijing (which has already been put to use).
 
We have recently made some updates and additions to our needed supplies list. If interested, please see: http://www.hopefosterhome.com/get-involved/our-needs/
We’ve also posted an additional list of most needed items in order of importance (downloadable PDF can be found at the bottom of the Needs page).
 
If this newsletter has been forwarded to you and you would like to receive your own monthly copy, please email us at robinathope@outlook.com
 
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Travelers Needed
We are in need of travelers from the US, UK and Australia to Beijing to help bring in much needed supplies for our children. None of these supplies are “restricted items” and do not have to be declared at customs. The items will be mailed to you within country. New Hope Foundation staff will be at the airport to pick up the supplies in Beijing. If you are able to help or know of other travelers who are willing to help please contact the following:

a) From the US: Rebecca Dorris, Tennessee, Phone: 615-403-1242   suitcasesoflove@gmail.com

b) From the UK:  Jennifer Drake, Surrey  china.drake@gmail.com

c) From Melbourne, Australia: Topsy D’Cruz  topsydcruz@gmail.com  
Address: 18 Sassafras Dr, Lower Templestowe Victoria  3107, Australia
Phone: 03 98504339     Mobile: 0400 585 379

d) From Sydney, Australia: Susan Mukundan  susan_mukundan@hotmail.com 
Phone:  02 94888101    Mobile:   0414 911 309