Min

I want so much to tell you about our trip to China. The only place I know to begin is with the kiddos we met and loved.
Min is a precious teenager who lives in the orphanage. The first morning as our bus drove up to the orphanage, the children and nannies came outside to greet us. Min’s welcome for us will remain in my heart forever. She walked up to our group with a young boy by her side, and she was so obviously excited to see our group. She and her little sidekick, we called him Robin, wove their way through our group as we were getting off the bus until she found the person she was looking for, our leader Toni. Toni has been going back to serve the children in this orphanage for 7 years, and I believe Min has been there from the beginning. It is obvious she has a special love for Toni. It was equally obvious Toni has a special love for Min.

Min is a teenager with the cares and responsibilities of an adult. The young boy who was at her side when they met the bus is always by her side. He puts everything he touches into his mouth, and if someone isn’t holding on to him, he runs. He is strong, and he runs fast! Min spends her day holding the hem of Robin’s shirt bunched up in one of her hands. If he needs the restroom, she takes him. Anywhere he goes, she follows. If Robin misbehaves and gets into trouble, Min gets punished right along with him. Min communicates with her eyes and body language. No words. She has an issue with drooling, and she is very aware of that issue. She holds Robin with one hand and holds a washcloth in the other to keep her face and upper body dry from the drooling issue.

When you look at the girl rather than her circumstances, you see a teen girl just like any other. She loves pretty things. She carries a purple washcloth with her rather than a boring white one. She wants her nails done. She wants to see the world. Difference is, her world exists only within the gates of the orphanage. On our first afternoon at the orphanage, she let Toni know she wanted her nails painted, and she wanted to walk outside. Apparently both of these are favorites when the team visits. Toni promised we would do nails the following morning.


Min did get to take Toni out for a walk to see the gardens. When they came back in, Min was so embarrassed about her pants. Apparently she had fallen while outside and had dirt on the seat of her pants. She wasn’t concerned that she might have hurt herself, she was concerned about the dirt on her clothing. After Toni told us the story of Min’s accident, she quit worrying about her pants and enjoyed the rest of the day.

On our second morning, we brought in the promised nail polish. Min was first in line, and oh she LOVED that polish!! She kept looking at her hands and smiling… I knew how much Min had loved being outside the day before so after we put the polish away, another team member and I took her and Robin out for a walk. Min led us, and she took us to the very back corner of the garden to an area where they had petunias in full bloom. She walked over to the petunias, posed in front of them, and let us know she wanted her photo taken with the flowers. What a precious moment! I close my eyes and see that happy smile.

One afternoon, we came back from lunch and found Min and Robin in the time out room. She seemed worried, troubled, and even her great friend Toni could not seem to get her to smile. We stayed in the room with her and finally got her to play ball with us. While we were playing, Robin wet his pants. Min got very quiet, sat as close as she could to Robin, and would not look at us. We cleaned up the mess and determined we would change Robin’s pants to keep Min from being in trouble. She was so worried, she wouldn’t even help us find pants for the young boy. She sat with her head down. We found pants, changed him, and then saw her smile. Her hero Toni had saved her day.

The last day we were there was heartbreaking. We had a birthday party for all the children just like they have done on the last day of the team’s visit every year. Min may not be able to speak, but she knew what was coming next. Her “Mama Toni” and the other American friends were leaving. She became sad and withdrawn, would not look anyone in the eyes, and I’m convinced was already mourning the end of our fun times. For one short week a year, this child knows she is special. She feels love, and I suspect that memory of love carries her through to the next team visit.