Hong Tu Shan Village
The Village Where “Celery Girl” Lives
Meeting with Lu, Yanxue "Celery Girl" April 2007
Hong Tu Shan village lies in a very remote mountainous area. From our office in Linjiang it is a 6 hour round trip that takes you high up into the mountains. The first 1.5 hours are traveled on a paved road that winds around hair pin turns with no guard rails in sight. A bumpy dirt road completes the trip for the next 1.5 hours. It is a rough trip, but I was looking forward to visiting the village and meeting the child that our family sponsors, Lu, Yanxue. Cindy Reynolds first met her on a trip in October 2006. She was interviewing her as a candidate for our sponsorship program. Cindy saw no food in her house. She asked her, “What did you have for breakfast?” Lu, Yanxue replied, “wild celery.” When asked what she had eaten for lunch, the response was the same. This child’s family, along with most of the residents of Hong Tu Shan village, were literally starving. When Cindy returned to the US she sent out a plea for donations to feed this village before winter set in. Within weeks Threshold had collected enough donations to send delivery trucks up the treacherous roads with enough rice, cooking oil, flour and beans to feed these hungry families for a month or two.
Before I knew Lu, Yanxue’s name she became affectionately known as “Celery Girl.” I told her story so many times that many people still refer to her by that name. I was blessed to meet her on my trip to China in April 2007. She looked great! She had on warm clothes, looked very healthy and had a smile on her face. At one point during our visit to the village, I saw her standing next to a woman that I thought I recognized as her mother from photos that I had seen. I approached them without an interpreter and asked if this was her mama. Lu, Yanxue replied that this was her mother and then began to speak to her in Chinese. I gathered that she was saying that I was her American mother. Her mother grabbed my hands and began to thank me over and over again. No interpreter needed for this exchange of words. Through sponsorship her child’s life and the life of her family have been transformed. Amazing what $35.00 a month can do!
There are so many children who wait to be sponsored. On our recent trip we visited children who had been referred to Threshold for help. We visit them at their homes. They are told that we will be coming and they eagerly await our arrival. The children are most often dressed in the best outfit they own or one they have managed to borrow thinking that they must dress to impress us. During the interview we determine if we can take them into our sponsorship program. The children’s and parent’s faces light up when we tell them that we want to help, but then they are told that they must be patient and wait for a sponsor. You can see the disappointment in their faces, but you can also see a glimmer of hope. For $35.00 a month you can sponsor a child in our outreach program. Your sponsorship dollars will provide tuition for school, clothing, food for the child and their family and medical attention when needed. You can choose the child you wish to help and have a personal relationship with that child through an exchange of letters and photos.
Please consider sponsoring a child. Visit our sponsorship page where you can see the children who are waiting to become your special Chinese son or daughter. Each child has a unique story and we pray that one will touch your heart just like “Celery Girl” did mine.
Blessings,
Tammy Pardo
