I changed my mind...

I was going to do something playful and funny tonight but after I opened the mail when I got home I changed my mind. I mentioned Shannon in one of my earlier posts but tonight I think I will let her speak to you. I give you Miss Shannon Walsh.

January, 2008

Peace In Christ!

At the end of 2006, I took over the running of a small organization called China Little Flower. It has been exciting (and terribly challenging) to try to develop this small organization into a beacon of light for Christ in china.

On February 1, 2007, we (China Little Flower) opened Loving Heart Hospice, a home to care for dying orphans. We have had 23 children pass through the doors this year, 10 have gone home to Our Heavenly Father, and 2 have "graduated" form our home after becoming healthy enough to survive. Each of them is so special, it's hard toshare about one without feeling I am doing the others an injustice by not mentioning them. But, I will, for the sake of brevity, share about our first little saint to go Home...

Chun Xin was the first baby we received and the first one to die inour home. She was just two weeks away from her first birthday. I was with her, holding her hand as she took her last breath. Chun Xin had sever hydrocephalus, her head was 20 cm around. It took two people to lift her up-one holding her head, another holding her body. To feed her we had to life her out of bed and place her head on a large pillow resting on a stool while someone sat on a low chair to hold her body. The first time people would see Chun Xin they would stop and gasp. Her head was so large, it was hard for people to take in. But those who took the time to be with her fell in love with her. IT didn't take long for Chun Xin to soften hearts and help people to see that she was a beautiful little girl in need of lofe and affecteion. We all really missed her presence in the home after she passed away. She had a way of speaking to hearts and drawing people in that was truly inspiring.

This year we had also worked with several women in crisis pregnancies. These women have been incredible witnesses to me of strength, courage, and faith. Three women have stayed with us and we have offed counsel and financial assistance to several others. One of these your women has become a very dear friend. She is single. When she found out that she was pregnant, she was pressured by her family to abort. She was so fiercely pressured, that she found herself in the hospital preparing for an abortion. She did not want to abort, but her mother threatened suicide if she wouldn't go through with it. She was to stay overnight in the hospital and in the morning the abortion would be performed. Her mother stayed with her to make sure she didn't run away. But she waited and waited for her mom to drift off to sleep, and as soon as she saw her chance she walked out the door, to the elevator, and out of the hospital. She came to stay with us for the remainder of her pregnancy and her baby girl was born in June. This beautiful daughter fills her mother with great joy. The ourn woman is now working with us to help promote the beauty and dignity of life and help other women in similar circumstances to choose. life.

We recently started a program to educate your people on life issues. This work is quite new, and much needed her. Our pro-life apostle recently spoke at a pre-marital conference about chastity and abortion. Many of the unmarried women had already had abortion and were touched deeply by what they heard. May priests, religious and lay people want to learn more about life issuers and we are hoping to gain more opportunities to go out and teach.

Lastly we are preparing to take a group of about 20 young adults to World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, this summer. This will be such a great blessing for each of them to see so many faith-filled young people from around the world gathered together in one place to praise God. Many of them in our group are in the infancy stage of their faith. This trip will give that budding faith the boost it needs for them to continue to work to bring their friends and families to Christ also. The joy and zeal they bring back from Australia will bee a blessing for the Church in china. We are working on getting visas processed and raising the funds for the flights. There are many road blocks that the government of China could place on this trip. Please pray that our preparation process continues to go smoothly and everyone who wants to go will be able o go.

Thank you so much for your love, prayers, and financial support. Please continue to pray for us as we work to bring about a Culture of Life rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ in China.

May the Christ Child fill you with His joy and peace throught out this year. God Bless you!

In Christ,

Shannon

~~~~~~~

And so it is that I thank God daily for Shannon and all those Spirit filled people who daily risk their lives in the name of Jesus Christ and his Holy Gospel. We are truly blessed by those Holy Saints in our midst!!!

~+~+~+~+~+~

Thanks be to God