Happy Children's Home

 

 

 

There are currently 23 children at the home, as of the last report.   We have the following employees, according to my understanding:  Administrator, Assistant Administrator, Groundskeeper/Custodian, 2 Cooks, a bookkeeper and a financial secretary

There is a Chinese committee in place for the home.   Here's what the statement from the committee in China, which has nine members who come from the local village and the area clergy, said they would do:

 

 

Why am I involved in the

Happy Children’s Home?

 

I was asked why I am involved in the Happy Children's Home. I was quite intrigued when I moved to Tulsa and heard that there was a district group trying to start an orphanage in China. This is a bigger missional undertaking than I had known districts to undertake in the past.   But the potential impact seemed huge. We had the opportunity to build and operate a home in a communist, at least officially atheistic country where we could raise up young men and women to know the love and grace of Jesus Christ through word and deed. 

Those young women and men would grow up to become a witness of Jesus Christ to those around them.   Who knows how many may come to know Jesus because of these efforts. And the cost is so comparatively low!  

We can support a child for a whole month there for less than it would take to have one day of institutional care in the USA.   "Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight!" I have three children of my own whom I dearly love, but I and the other supporters of the home also have a bunch more children in China who desperately needed a loving and caring home as well.                                                                  .         How exciting is that?!

Why am I involved in the

Happy Children’s Home?

         In a generous offer from my childhood friend, Karen, after the death of my adopted son from Thailand five years ago, I was treated to a fabulous two week trip to China with Karen and her sister and another friend.   We traveled the Yantze River for a week, took day trips from ports along the 1,200 mile journey, viewed the gorges, toured the Yellow Mountain, and got to know the Chinese staff on board which actually outnumbered the tourists!   I quietly grieved my son as the river flowed under us, and at the same time my interest was sparked in China and all things Chinese. When I returned home and told my pastor Shannon Davis at New Haven United Methodist Church about my adventure, he pulled out a flyer about the efforts of the Methodist District to raise money for a children’s home in China, and from that moment on I was hooked!   I was appointed the representative from New Haven UMC on the steering committee, and have been active ever since on the committee.   I have worked with Margaret Nunnery to pull together four posters showing progress from the earliest exploratory trips, the District-wide fundraisers, to the visits by the team for the dedication and last year for the Chinese New Year vacation Bible School.   The recent posters are available if churches would like to borrow them.   I helped plan fundraisers including the August 14, 2007 event which celebrated the 1st birthday of the dedication, which happened coincidentally to be my birthday, too! I decorated the hall with mementos from my trip to China, and things I obtained from the Chinese Embassy in Houston.    Later I assumed another role,  that of the pen pal coordinator.   When children write their supporters, I see that they are translated, then send them to those who are involved in the Support a Child program by providing $660 a year.    I solicit the letters and cards the supporters write back to the children, get them translated and back in the mail to the Happy Children’s Home.   So far there have been 4 mailings from the children and return mailings back.   Mrs. Lee and her friends have sure helped with the translating tasks, but I’ve also enlisted some Chinese students at The University of Tulsa, where I work.  

Why am I involved in the

Happy Children’s Home?

 

 In 2001 Rev. George Warren (Broken Arrow F.U.M.C.) asked me if I would be interested in helping to start the process of building an orphanage in China. He knew I had done foreign missions to help children.  I answered “yes” almost before he even finished his question. I was one of the original members at the very first committee meeting held at Boston Avenue U.M.C. It was an exciting time. I think I went about four years without missing a meeting.

            This was an exciting time of planning and starting fund raisers and trying to make the entire district aware of this new mission. We also attempted to get every church in the Tulsa district involved to a greater or lesser degree.

            After many struggles, many meetings and several starts, and thanks in large part to Mrs. Lee’s Christian persistence, we got started and raised enough funds to start the building.

            It was a very exciting time for me when I saw pictures of the children who were the first residence of the Happy Children’s Home. That made all the work, stress and worry worthwhile. Seeing live children who would now be taken care of in a Christian manner was the culmination of many people’s dreams. 

            My biggest regret is that more Tulsa churches are not involved.

Why am I involved in the

Happy Children’s Home?

 

I have been involved with the Tulsa District Happy Children's Home Project since 2002.

Chelsea Cook brought Mrs. Peter Lee to a Missions Committee Meeting in May of 2002.

She shared her dream for an Orphanage in China. The Communist Party does not like to

use the term "Orphanage" but would accept "The Happy Children's Home".

Our Senior Pastor, at that time, George T. Warren wanted First Broken Arrow to be one

of the "flagship" churches in supporting this project. The Missions Committee accepted the

challenge.

 

 

Our first "fundraiser" was a "Chinese Take Out Lunch". It was a lot of hard work preparing

the vegetables, and cooking everything. We had a lot of help from the Chinese Christian Church in Tulsa. The "Chinese Takeout Lunch" was a huge success and raised several thousand dollars.                                                           But, the neatest thing was the interaction with the hard working people of the Chinese Christian Church. They were hard workers and very organized. You could see "Christ" at work. It was an awesome event! We have had many more fundraisers, all of them successful.

Although, I am no longer on the Missions Committee at First Broken Arrow, I remain on the Tulsa District Committee along with Karen Brakey and Chelsea Cook from First Broken Arrow.

I have met a lot of new friends, seen a lot of progress and remain committeed to the Tulsa District "Happy Children's Home" project.

A lot of churches in the Tulsa District along with the Chinese Christian Church of Tulsa have made this "dream" come true. First Broken Arrow remains one of the "flagship" churches.

/s/ Notchy Miller

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At the last meeting of the Happy Children's Home Committee, November 18, 2008, the discussion centered around how dry and chapped the children's hands were because of the weather.

They had tried some lotion on the children's hands with limited success. Somehow we got to talking about gloves and I mentioned that I might know some places that we could buy bulk and that I might could get some donations. Immediately, I was placed in charge of that project. It happened

so fast, I did not have time to say anything so, I said "okay".

I went to a place in Tulsa called Saf-T-Glove, 9745 East 54th Street in Tulsa . They sell gloves in bulk to factories, construction companies, etc. They have many different types of gloves. I located some

Jersey Knits in Regular Size and Adult Small (called Cadet size ). The gloves were not very expensive ($ 4.00 for one dozen ) So, I bought 12 dozen, 8 dozen Cadet size and 4 dozen regular.

I then contacted Ron Mathews (Missions Chair, First, Broken Arrow ) and asked if they would be interested in paying for the gloves and the shipping cost to China. We wanted to get then there for Christmas. Ron stated it would not be a problem but needed to poll the committee. The committee immediately agreed this would be a wonderful thing to do.

I took the gloves (paid for with church VISA Card ) to Karen Brakey's house. She, in turn, delivered them to Louise "Lou" Lindsey, whom she works with. "Lou" took them to the Post Office to get a quote on shipping.

After discussion with Mrs. Peter Lee, it was decided to ship 2/3 of the gloves by Post Office and Mrs. Lee would take the rest when she traveled there early in 2009.

The Missions Committee voted to reimburse Louise Lindsey for the shipping and pay

the VISA bill when it came in. Shipping and the costs of the gloves was $ 100.00.

The shipping was actually more than the costs of the gloves. But, we were assured they

would get there by Christmas.

 

That interview follows.

Q: What attracted you to this committee?

D: I have always had a dream that someday I would help children in Africa. When I heard about the children’s home being built, I was invited to be a part of the committee of this Tulsa District project. With God’s guidance, my journey with the Children’s Home started after that first meeting.

Q: How long have you been on the committee?

D: Since that first meeting I mentioned. I have served, together with my wife, for six or seven years.

Q: What was the purpose of your first mission?

D: My first visit (mission opportunity) I experienced the calling from God to follow him in the plans He has for the home. So my dream to help the children of Africa became helping children and learning a new culture in China. And so I knew I would go back for further relationships.

After coming back from that journey, my prayer was: “What is my purpose going to be?” Through patience, waiting and listening, it became evident the most important purpose was to form a stronger relationship as God’s children and God’s family.

What could be better than teaching English Bible based lessons and Vacation Bible School?

As it became known that I was to take a team, sisters and brothers (in Christ) came forward wanting to be a part of this mission journey.

Q:
How did you prepare?
D: The Journey Team met six or seven times, within six months, to listen and learn and to experience God’s dream for us on the Journey.

We were very limited on what we could take but we were all prepared and made some good choices.

Q: What were your expectations?
D: No expectations but all our prayers were, when we met, to be open to God’s purpose for the Journey and to laugh and learn together with the children and staff.

Q: Were there any real surprises?

D: No, no real surprises. We did get to experience some of their culture. They were very kind, smart, very open and very hard working people. We also saw many beautiful buildings and landscapes.

Q: If you could do one thing differently, what would it be?

D: Stay longer!

Q: We understand there is another trip in the first step of the planning stage. Can you tell us about that?
D: The purpose of the journey we are planning is for more communication with the directors, the board and, hopefully, the villagers about future mission journeys. We also want to listen to them as they share about the dream God has given them on how to proceed to fulfill God’s plan for the children’s home.

Also to share in conversations with some government officials.

We want to accomplish together an understanding with our board and their board about important matters and closer relationships to accomplish God’s mission.

D: We gloriously noted the willingness of the children to learn and to be with us. There was lots of laughing and we explained to many that we came to be with them and laugh and learn together and to experience God’s love.

Suzanne Carter and I were interviewed on TV and shared why we came and that our Heavenly Father had sent us.

Can you believe it!?