In Jim’s words:

“As you’ve no doubt sensed from the debrief from Gary, Connie and Lindsay, our China trip was life-changing, inspirational, and sobering, all rolled into one. When one hears so many stories of parents who have contemplated suicide (to include their only child), in a country where “normalization” is the watchword, one cannot help but want to jump in with both feet. It’s difficult to stay objective when humanity beckons. We shed a lot of tears, both happy and sad.”

“During our recent two weeks in a little village on the outskirts of Beijing, where Hope Tian Huiping finally found a home for the Stars and Rain Education Institute for Autism, Heartspring became part of China’s long history. I’m attaching one of my favorite photographs, taken by Hope to help memorialize our trip. I’ve looked at this picture every day since our return. It’s true that a picture tells a thousand words. For those of you who have not traveled to the Great Wall, this is not a scene along its 4,000-mile expanse that a typical tourist sees. That portion has been totally repaired, and much like Beijing’s downtown where the upcoming summer Olympics will be held, the city is the epitome of modernity and promise.

This was a bitterly cold day, only twelve degrees above freezing, when we started the ascent to the Great Wall. Unlike other days previous, Hope and her son Tao Tao (pictured walking behind us on the wall) were the only ones who accompanied us. The five-hour trek, tough even for a Marine, has become a metaphor for Hope and her son’s journey, which they began over 20 years ago. In a country of 1.2 billion, there are over 5 million autistic children whose parents, bereft of hope and resources, look to the Stars and Rain Institute, and the help we provide, as their only promise for happiness. In the days that followed in China, and continuing to this day, we are finding our own inspiration.”

We have now returned, though not yet recovered, from a journey that made a difference in the world; in the lives of others and in our own. We didn’t do a very good job keeping you well informed of our daily activities. We were limited by time, exhaustion, and our own inability to find the words to describe such intense moments of sharing information, compassion, happiness, and sadness. Differences in language sometimes slowed communication, but also increased the intensity of sharing as we discovered vastly greater similarities than differences among staff and families. Many days Connie and Lindsay were in the classrooms or presenting to staff and/or parents. Staff were seeking better ways to work with the children, and moms, dads, and grandparents were seeking hope and a better life for their children. We were interviewed by a national Chinese magazine with a focus on disability and by CNN. Sometimes you have to go to the other side of the world to capture attention for what you are doing back home. The trip to the Great Wall of China was less about the history and majesty of towers 2,500 years old and more about a journey into self discovery.

The last day was intensely emotional as we said goodbye to the staff of Stars and Rain. We shared a video of our experience with them and tried to express our parting thoughts in Chinese. The teachers sang a song for us and gave us simple gifts from the heart that we will treasure forever. After prolonged goodbyes, a group hug, pictures, and many tears, we finally made our way to the door only to be waylaid by parents who were still at the school to celebrate the birthday of one of the children. They gently guided us into the room for more pictures and tears of goodbye for Heartspring staff who a mere ten days earlier were total strangers to them. We then departed for one last dinner in the homes of our hosts, this time at the home of Hope with the loving assistance of several of her staff. Dinner was accompanied with laughter as we shared some of the amusing moments of the last ten days and with tears of sadness for the impending separation of such close and dear friends. Perhaps we changed the course of history for a few people and for a few children in a distant land. Certainly we made life long friends, and most of all, our lives were changed forever. It was an experience of sharing, of discovery; it was a life changing event, difficult to articulate but profoundly present in each of us. It was a journey on a road not often taken and never to be missed. And now we look for ways to make the journey available to many more Heartspring staff; it will only make us better.

Every day has been long and intense. Most days we have spent many hours at Stars and Rain. It is chilly this time of year and many of the rooms are unheated in order to save on energy costs. Children and staff wear coats much of the time until they are in the classrooms with the children where it is warmer. Restrooms are outside and are traditional Chinese which creates a challenge for most of us. But despite the occasional discomfort, the commitment of the parents and the passion of the staff are exciting. New ideas are shared and discussed as staff search for ways to make them work in this very unique setting. For each of us, this has been a life changing experience.

Gary

Seeing Old Friends Again

And Making New Friends

Children of the Stars

produced by Alexander Haase | directed by Rob Aspey|
original language in Chinese and English | with English and German subtitles | narration in English and German |
China | 2007 | 50 min | DVC Pro | Avid Adrenaline

There are hundreds of thousands of families in China who are affected by autism. These families often face a desperate situation. They have little or no knowledge of autism and do not know how to teach or cope with their child. They are also largely excluded by a society that does not understand or accept them. To learn more about the Feng Jia Wei family, take a look at this trailor and then go to http://www.childrenofthestars-film.org/home.html.

Gary

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmXnwyuPqfw

No matter the country or culture, the love, the hope, the strain, and the stress are all written across the faces of the parents who have come for help. It is no less true here in China than it is in Kansas. Parents and their children come to the Stars and Rain Education Institute for Autism to participate in an intensive 11 week program to learn more about autism and how to help their children become more independent. They come from all across China, often at great sacrifice, to attend the first program in the country for children with autism. Tian Huiping (Hope) is the founder and motivating force, and she is looked upon with great respect by parents and a very talented and passionate staff who do wonders with very few resources. Even heat in all the rooms is considered a luxury during these late days of winter.

Stars and Rain began a mere 15 years ago with five students and has grown to a become the leader of a network of 60 programs around the country that, on any given day, are working with more than 2,000 students and families. Most of these programs were founded by parents who had attended the program in Beijing. Heartspring is not the only worldwide center for children with special needs Stars and Rain regularly captures the attention and involvement of other countries as well. This week alone, we have met volunteers from Belgium, Germany, and South Korea. World Autism Day will occur in April, and CNN is scheduled to visit the program within the next week. Hopefully, they will have an opportunity to focus not only on the Stars and Rain program, but also on the universal challenge of autism and how that common problem has crossed borders to bring us and others together.

Heartspring has maintained an ongoing relationship with Stars and Rain since 2004. This represents my third and most comprehensive visit to their campus, and this is the first visit of other Heartspring staff in order to provide onsite training and to learn more about the their program model and culture. Every year for the last three years Stars and Rain has sent three teachers and staff to Heartspring to learn and share with our staff. We have become sister organizations not only in name, but in a shared vision, respect, and caring. Friendships which will last a lifetime have been created. Our challenge now is to find ways that we can increase our sharing of information and knowledge with each other and to extend that opportunity to 60 other programs throughout China who are eager to learn.

Gary