2008 Woodie Awards
Students participate in journey to China to work with orphans
Lauren Sutton, Copy Editor
Issue date: 8/31/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
This summer, 10 ACU students traveled to northern China to spend time with orphans in the cities of Beijing, Langfang and X'ian.
The trip, led by Dr. Wayne Barnard, university dean of spiritual formation, was thought up after Barnard and a group of Christian delegates went to China to visit government officials. His intrigue for China was sparked.
"I fell in love with China last year," Wayne said. "It was an amazing experience to meet with the high government officials, but I attended an underground church and met social workers for adoption agencies. A lot of things that need to happen in China are beyond us, but this was something tangible that students could take part in."
The group arrived in China in late July and for the first ten days, the team worked in China's capital, Beijing.
Barnard and students worked with international adoption agency Children's Hope International. The agency brought 50 orphans from the countryside, and the ACU group spent time playing with, teaching and taking the children to Chinese landmarks like the Great Wall and the Summer Palace
in Beijing.
"We were all students, so that was pretty cool because we had different backgrounds," said Katie Barnard, sophomore
history major from Abilene. "It was cool to use different majors and specialties to minister to different children."
After their time in Beijing, the group traveled to X'ian where they lived and worked at an orphanage run by several women associated with the underground Chinese church.
"It was Mother Teresa kind of work," Wayne said. "I was so proud of the students. We learned to make dumplings. We sang to them, and they cried... I preached and they sang. All in secret."
The group spent the rest of their time in Langfang where they worked with the Philip Hayden Foundation, a home for special-needs children run by John and Lisa Bentley, former ACU student.
Katie said that culturally, Chinese children are well behaved, but ACU students got the children in trouble sometimes because the children wanted to spend time and play with the American students.
In regards to future trips to China, Wayne said he plans to lead a group every summer, and he wants to continue to tell the Chinese about Christ.
"I felt God's protection the whole time," said Wayne. "We were ourselves. We were asked why we were here, and that led to the story of Jesus."
E-mail Sutton at: les03c@acu.edu
The trip, led by Dr. Wayne Barnard, university dean of spiritual formation, was thought up after Barnard and a group of Christian delegates went to China to visit government officials. His intrigue for China was sparked.
"I fell in love with China last year," Wayne said. "It was an amazing experience to meet with the high government officials, but I attended an underground church and met social workers for adoption agencies. A lot of things that need to happen in China are beyond us, but this was something tangible that students could take part in."
The group arrived in China in late July and for the first ten days, the team worked in China's capital, Beijing.
Barnard and students worked with international adoption agency Children's Hope International. The agency brought 50 orphans from the countryside, and the ACU group spent time playing with, teaching and taking the children to Chinese landmarks like the Great Wall and the Summer Palace
in Beijing.
"We were all students, so that was pretty cool because we had different backgrounds," said Katie Barnard, sophomore
history major from Abilene. "It was cool to use different majors and specialties to minister to different children."
After their time in Beijing, the group traveled to X'ian where they lived and worked at an orphanage run by several women associated with the underground Chinese church.
"It was Mother Teresa kind of work," Wayne said. "I was so proud of the students. We learned to make dumplings. We sang to them, and they cried... I preached and they sang. All in secret."
The group spent the rest of their time in Langfang where they worked with the Philip Hayden Foundation, a home for special-needs children run by John and Lisa Bentley, former ACU student.
Katie said that culturally, Chinese children are well behaved, but ACU students got the children in trouble sometimes because the children wanted to spend time and play with the American students.
In regards to future trips to China, Wayne said he plans to lead a group every summer, and he wants to continue to tell the Chinese about Christ.
"I felt God's protection the whole time," said Wayne. "We were ourselves. We were asked why we were here, and that led to the story of Jesus."
E-mail Sutton at: les03c@acu.edu
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