Xiao Gan is a small, active, almost 10-year-old girl with autism. She has obvious emotional control issues: When she is excited, she runs and screams; when she is angry, she screams, cries and runs. She also has epilepsy — often accompanied with a fever— that has required hospitalization in severe cases. For her parents, taking care of her is a great challenge, but they are as sweet and loving as can be, and they never give up.
In May 2018, Xiao Gan began receiving rehabilitative training at the CZ Angel House, which is funded in part by Rainbow Missions. In a little over a year, Xiao Gan learned to listen to and obey instructions, line up for meals and perform other daily living skills. She can now speak a few words.
Even though Xiao Gan has emotional outbursts because of autism, she also has many admirable attributes. She likes to laugh, is very happy, is good at spelling and solving puzzles, and has a good memory. Xiao Gan enjoys holding a leaf next to her ear and listening to the sound of her fingers tapping it.
Besides her parents, Xiao Gan has a younger brother who is a little more than six months old. Dad is the pillar of this family of four. His primary source of income is from raising pigs.
The family’s pig farm had to be demolished in late 2018 due to policy changes. They left CZ and moved back to the village of her father’s uncle. In the wilderness, they created a large pig pen for the pigs. The new home was further away from CZ Angel House; travel time to the center increased from 20 to 50 minutes. Due in large part to her father’s insistence she continues to receive therapy daily and arrive on time, I was able to witness Xiao Gan’s progress and growth.
The African Swine Fever broke out in May 2019, killing every pig owned by the family (over 100). The family experienced a terrible financial crisis. Xiao Gan’s father turned to raising chickens for an income.
Into every life some rain must fall. At the end of September, Xiao Gan suddenly had a seizure with a fever lasting several days. On September 30th, Xiao Gan’s father was seriously injured in an automobile accident while driving to purchase medicine for Xiao Gan. He was sent to the local People’s Hospital for treatment. His diagnoses were closed abdominal injury, traumatic duodenal rupture, acute peritonitis and abdominal soft tissue injury. The accident hit Xiao Gan’s family hard.
Xiao Gan’s father had always been diligent and optimistic. However, while interviewed in the hospital he lamented, “I have been thinking about my family from dawn to dusk these past few days. I don’t know how to go on. Our income is meager, and our savings has already been spent. The cost of rehabilitation is a bottomless pit. The doctor said I will recover in the next year; in the meantime, I cannot work. We are a farmer’s family; we cannot work in the fields. There is no income and we feel unprecedented financial pressure. I have 2 children: The older one is 9 years old, disabled, cannot live normally, has cramps, seizures, and sometimes fevers. She needs medication to control her symptoms. The younger one is just 6 months old. If there is no work, I really don’t know how I can give them what they need.” His voice trailed and he was unable to continue speaking.
Because Xiao Gan’s father was hospitalized, no one was able to bring her to CZ Angle House to receive therapy. She was confined to the home and received care from her elderly grandmother. Xiao Gan’s mother took care of her baby and traveled to the hospital to care for her husband. The uncle took care of the chickens.
God’s love works miracles. Xiao Gan is a child supported by Rainbow Missions. We share the plight of this family hoping you will pray for them. We invite you to walk with us to support them financially so they can experience the Lord’s love and grace during this most difficult time.
小甘，是一位快要滿十週歲，患有自閉症的小女孩。小甘有較明顯的情緒障礙，興奮時她會邊跑邊叫，煩躁生氣時會邊跑邊哭邊尖叫；加上伴有癲癇(嚴重時需要住院打點滴)，一般發作時又經常會伴有發燒，對父母來說，照顧她是一個很大的挑戰，但他們卻是甘之如飴，不離不棄。
小甘於去年五月開始到彩虹工程資助的安琪之家崇左校區接受康復訓練。經過一年多的時間，小甘已經學會聽指令–可以遵守規則排隊打飯、如廁等。在一定的情境下，原本沒有口語的她，也會發出個別詞語。
儘管因為自閉症的緣故，小甘會有情緒障礙，但她身上獨有的特質，也很討人喜歡：例如小甘喜歡笑，很有喜感，擅長拼拼圖，記憶力很好；平日裏小甘喜歡拿著一片葉子放在耳邊，然後很投入的聽用手彈葉子發出的聲響。
小甘一家四口，弟弟剛滿6個多月，爸爸是家裏的頂樑柱，主要收入來源是養豬。
去年底，因政策原因，小甘家的養豬場被拆除，原本住在崇左市區旁的一家人，不得不搬回村裏和叔叔伯伯家一起住，然後在老家附近的野外開闢一個新的養豬場。這一變遷，也意味著小甘到安琪之家做治療的路程增長了很多，從原來的20分鐘增加到了50分鐘左右的車程。但因為看到小甘在治療過程中的進步與成長，爸爸也一直堅持每天早上準時把她送來。
本年五月份左右爆發的非洲豬瘟，小甘家的100多頭豬一無倖免，全部死掉，損失慘重，家庭經濟出現了嚴重危機。小甘爸爸於是養起雞來，盼望著把這群雞養好，日後賣掉可以增加收入。
只是天有不測之風雲，九月底小甘突然癲癇發作，持續發燒了幾天。就是在9月30日那天，小甘爸爸在去往人民醫院給小甘買藥的路上發生了車禍，被送往當地的人民醫院搶救，確診為：腹部閉合性損傷、外傷性十二指腸破裂、急性腹膜炎及腹壁軟組織損傷⋯⋯仍在醫院住院治療。這次意外的發生，對小甘的家人，實在是雪上加霜。
小甘爸爸一向勤奮樂觀，只是在醫院訪談時，消瘦憔悴的他說：「我這幾天茶飯不思，都不知道怎麼走下去。我們收入微薄，家裏的積蓄已經花完了。接下來的康復治療費用就是一個無底洞，醫生說後面一年都要休養，不能工作，可是我們一個務農家庭，不能下地幹活，根本就沒有收入，經濟上我們感受到了前所未有的壓力。加上我有兩個孩子，大的9歲多，是個殘障孩子，不能正常生活，而且有抽筋現象，並且經常伴隨著發燒，要一直吃藥控制。小的才剛剛6個月，如果沒有工作，我真的不知道怎麼養活他們⋯⋯」至此，小甘爸爸已經無法再説下去。
因爸爸住院，無人接送，小甘只能在家待著，由年邁的奶奶看顧；家裏的雞只能交由叔叔抽空幫忙餵養；小甘媽媽要照顧不到一歲的弟弟的同時，又要往醫院跑照顧爸爸⋯⋯
相信有愛就有神蹟。小甘是彩虹工程助養的孩子，我們願意與大家分享他們家的困境，盼望大家能為他們懇切禱告，也邀請您與我們同行，在經濟上支持他們，讓他們在最困難的時候經歷愛，靠著主的恩典渡過困境。