Blessing for Our Next Step
By Peter Wong - Cofounder of Rainbow Missions

In 2004, four people went to Chongqing, China to explore serving opportunities. Now, only two years later, we are amazed at the opportunity to extend our service to other cities in China.

In the early part of 2006, we sponsored twenty extremely poor students to study in Chongqing School for the Blind. By the summer of 2006, two of them went on to college and one got a job as a masseuse. We picked up some more students by the end of September, and we are now supporting forty-one students in our sponsorship program. We hear time and again that these students greatly appreciate our sponsorship as they would not have been able to attend school otherwise.

During the second half of 2006, most of our efforts were concentrated on preparing the twenty dedicated people who were to go to Chongqing for two weeks in December. The team worked through the Experiencing God workbook and were paired up as spiritual partners. The study and prayer time helped us to focus and resulted in personal growth and cohesiveness as a group.

The fundraising effort was certainly amazing! Many of us were not sure if we could raise support for twenty people to go to China for two weeks. But, as always, our expectations were exceeded. It was truly a faith exercise for all of us. One unique fundraiser not only helped us financially, but the team also learned lessons in humility and how to be sensitive to those who live with handicaps. Each participant solicited pledges from family and friends and then, for thirty hours, lived like a person with a particular disability.

December came and we landed in Chongqing. The weather was cold. Believe it or not, it was colder in-doors than out-doors! However, our spirits were high and our hearts were warm. The children's team spent the majority of their time in the school for the blind, and was able to bless them with ten new braillers. The team taught English, arts and crafts, social studies, computer and music. They took the children on outings to the zoo and the supermarket. They also ran an intensive English training camp for the teachers and spent time just hanging out with the staff and students.

The team had the opportunity to organize a Christmas party at the school for the blind and at a children's center. The disabled children were utterly delighted at having a party and shared their musical talents with us. Everyone had loads of fun. Two team members played grandpa and granddaughter and told the story of Christmas. They told it so well that the audience could not stop clapping their hands.

The professional team gave lectures in three different universities. They also provided counseling and helped in a center for developmentally delayed children. Students from Chongqing Normal University and Chongqing University of Post & Telecom were competing to see who could design the most innovative assistive technology for handicapped people. Our team was delighted to award the two top students with a cash prize given through a foundation from Hong Kong as well as some free software donated by Microsoft.

The question in town was: why did twenty people from America take time off from school, work and their family's holiday to care for a group of people forgotten by the society? Everyone was asking this question - the children, the teachers, the principal and even the district education officials. Even two local newspapers and the TV station came to interview us. Our answer? Jesus loves us and we are all precious in His eyes.

What is Rainbow Missions' next step?

If we had a choice, we would have just stayed in Chongqing and continued to hug the darling children. But we needed to come back to our families, our work and continue with school. The experiences and personal growth each team member came away with will ensure that most will be counting the days until they can fly back to China to show care for the poor and needy.

These are what we have in planning for 2007 -

• Two short term trips: one in June or July and one in December.
  
• More braillers for the School For The Blind.
  
• Further down the road, we hope to develop a counseling ministry.
  
• We are praying about placing someone in the school to teach English for an extended period.
  
• We would like to see that more job opportunities get developed for the blind in China.
  
• We would like to more systematically address the training needs in Chongqing Normal University, School of Special Education.