TMI Hope House for Children

Chen Li Ping's grandmother's hands trembled as she gratefully received our gift of the cup of tea. Small chapped hands, already worn rough at the tender age of eleven, steadied the arthritic hands of her grandmother. She turned to me with tears in her eyes, "My Grandmother is too old to care for me. Soon she and Grandfather will die and where will I go? Who will take care of me and my little brother when they're gone?"

"We will", I replied. This drama had been played out too many times to count. Over and over on our deliveries of goods to poor and needy families, little children were living in tenuous circumstances. Divorce, abandonment, crippling accidents, and death of parents - each story was unique to the sufferer, but all wove a tapestry of need. On the way home in the back seat of our rented taxi, Liu Hai Yan, our Director in China, my daughter Melissa and I (Cindy Reynolds) began the prayer that would lead us to the completion of TMI Hope House for Children.

Within weeks we had the first of several meetings with our friend, Mayor Liu. He offered us the gift of land on our island, and encouraged us to begin quickly. We did. We began to fund-raise immediately and broke ground in the spring of 2002. TMI Hope House for Children now rises out of the trees on an island in the Yalu River, only 150 yards from North Korea. A miracle of God, it is painted pink because Mayor Liu likes pink. It consists of 5 separate home units, each built to house 12 children. Each home replicates, as much as possible, a typical Chinese household. Our children in each home enjoy the love of two mamas who have committed their lives to raising their children. Raised in love, our children have new clothes, warm beds, a lovely living area and healthy meals and snacks. No child ever goes to bed hungry. They attend local public schools and are encouraged to study hard and to expect a college education if they do well in school.

Living area in Hope House	Extracurricular Room
One of our Hope House apartment bedrooms

 

Our children are sponsored by families in the U.S. and abroad who become their "family". The sponsorship fee of $85.00 per month provides for all basic needs for a child. It pays for their caregivers, and also helps to cover the cost of the $10,000.00 annual heating bill. (The average temperature in winter is -30 degrees.) Threshold Ministries fundraises to cover additional costs such as medical, special education, building maintenance, etc.

Children Wait in Hope

Our first apartment is nearly full and we are now seeking funds to open apartment #2. The cost to furnish each apartment with everything from furniture to chop sticks costs approximately $6,000. In addition, we must pay a one time "security deposit" with the government to be kept in the bank to cover catastrophic emergencies.

Little children are waiting in hope today. They hope that Threshold Ministries, Inc. will choose them to come home to Hope House. Please help us to bring them home. For more information about how you can sponsor a Hope House child or to gift Hope House with a one-time donation please contact us at threshold@msn.com or phone our office at (805) 938-5882. You can also visit our Child Sponsorship page where you can find children who are waiting for sponsors.

Fun Time!! Children in the Hope House help Mamas to make "Jiaozi" (traditional Chinese dumplings). They have great fun playing with the dough and shaping Jiaozi into the "perfect" shape.