Li Chun Ping

Hearts and Hands is always grateful to have workers who are already skilled and experienced. Li Chun Ping worked previously in a government run factory making clothing for disaster situations. These kind of factories are gradually closing and Li Chun Ping was released to come and work for Hearts and Hands. She has been with us for 7 years and is now working full time, solely responsible for making our beautiful minority dolls. Chun Ping is herself from an ethnic minority group. 

Lei Hongmei is from the countryside and only has two years of education. She had
some deaf friends so she knew a little sign language. When she heard about the deaf training program given by Project Grace (now Bless China International), she decided she wanted to learn more sign language. While in the program, she realized that she loved sewing and handcrafts. So she stayed in Kunming and in 2001 became one of our first workers.

Working at Hearts and Hands has brought her friendship and confidence. She is
married now and wants to stay working here as long as she can.

Twelve years ago Luo Kai Fen, having just graduated from Deaf school. found her only  job option was in a sweat shop making products for tourists to buy.  Hearts and Hands had not yet been set up but Luo Kai Fen  participated in a patchwork class for Deaf ladies. The ladies started producing beautiful patchwork items which led to the beginning of the Hearts and Hands business. Luo Kai Fen left her job in the sweat shop and is our longest term worker and our most skilled quilter. She married 4 years ago and is due to have a baby in September.

If you don’t know what a miracle is, then read our story of Xiaoping, the sales girl working in the H&H store.

Xiaoping was born in a Lisu family in Baoshan, Yunnan. Her father is deaf. Her mother ran away with her younger brother when Xiao Ping was 4. She was brought up by her great aunt, a devout Christian.

When she was 15, she fell from a height of 2 meters high and damaged her spine. Without good treatment, the problem quickly worsened. Before she knew it, she couldn’t walk anymore. She stayed in bed for 5 years and wondered what God’s plan was for her.

In 2006, a sister from Bless China International (BCI) visited her hometown and heard about her. In 2007 she was brought to the BCI clinic for treatment. However, the doctor couldn’t do anything. She was hospitalized for a month and sent home to wait for death.

When she got home, she started to get better. On Nov. 11th, she said she heard God tell her it was time for her to walk again. She got up and took her first step in 6 years. After that she learned how to walk again. Everyone who knows her knows it was a miracle.

Xiaoping joined us in the fall of 2008 shortly after her marriage with a BCI worker who helped her and encouraged her when she was sick. First she was working in the handicraft workshop and then she was transferred to the H&H store. She is very interested in the work and very quick to learn new skills. She only has a 6th grade education yet she can use a computer very well now. She is also learning English and loves that. She said she never imagined that she could do so many things and be so useful. She said she wants to work in H&H for the rest of her life. She knew God has a plan for her in H&H.

Zhang Xu is one of our most gifted young workers. She learns quickly and uses her creative gifts well. She also keeps the other staff entertained with her sense of humor.

Zhang Xu was brought up in Baoshan, a small city in the far West of Yunnan. She is the only Deaf person in her family. She has an older hearing sister, but sadly her brother drowned in a swimming accident at the age of 15.

Many Deaf in smaller areas do not receive an education. Zhang Xu is an exception as she graduated from Baoshan Middle School for the Deaf . Having been introduced by another Deaf friend she began work at H&H in the summer of 2006. She has a boyfriend who also works in Kunming. They are hoping to get married soon. In 2008, she became a Christian and says that Jesus gives her peace and joy.

At times we wonder if we are really making a difference in people's lives through Hearts & Hands. During my interview with Zhu Bao Zheng, I asked her what her work meant to her. Her reply was “we can eat”.

Zhu Bao Zheng comes from the Xishan (Western Hills) District of Kunming. As a child, she had a bone marrow disease that required surgery.  The surgery caused lameness in her left leg and later the leg had to be amputated.  She began having problems with her right leg and was fitted with a prosthesis in 2001 through Bless China International (BCI). The staff of BCI introduced her to Hearts & Hands and she was hired in 2007.

Zhu Bao Zheng does hand-sewing and is learning to use a machine.  She enjoys knitting and crocheting and has made samples for customers requesting special knitted items. She is 45 yrs. old, married to a builder and they have a 19 yr. old daughter. She said she was thankful to God for providing her work at H&H.

Understanding Deaf culture would give you an insight into the relationships among Deaf people. Li Cui Li's story is an example of the close-knit Deaf community.

Cui Li was born Deaf to a family living in a very poor region near Yuxi, south of Kunming. Her maternal grandfather moved the family to Yuanjiang and helped her father start a bicycle repair service. Her parents did not have money to send her to school. She had no friends, no school and was very lonely. When she was 13, she met some Deaf people. They wanted her to go to a training program for the Deaf but her parents refused. So her new Deaf friend, Li Yan Ping gathered  some Deaf people and taught them sign language, reading and writing. 

Once Cui Li could communicate, her relationships with her family improved and she met more Deaf people who worked at a nearby cement factory. She made friends and that is where she met her husband. They were married in 2001 and have a very cute 4 year old daughter.

In 2006, Cui Li and her husband along with Li Yan Ping joined the staff of Hearts & Hands. Her husband is a carpenter in the woodworking shop and both women work in the handicraft workshop. She said that because the people were warm, generous and kind to her that she came to like working at HH. She became a Christian in 2008 after hearing about Jesus from friends for two years. She was baptized inn 2009. Cui Li said she thanks God for her job, good health and for loving her.

In 2005, Susan Wang Su Mei came to Kunming to visit a friend. She had once said that she would like to work with the elderly and disabled.  While visiting she interviewed with two organizations; one worked with poor, village women and the other with Deaf and disabled people. After returning home to discuss her future with her family, she felt that God was leading her to work with Hearts & Hands.

Susan comes from the 'Sapphire Capital of China', the small village of Deng Jia Zhuang near Weifang in Shandong Province.  During the spring, summer and autumn, the farmers plant and harvest their crops but during the winter, they mine for sapphires.  Before moving to Kunming, Susan studied at Weifang College and also worked in Qingdao.

In the past 4 years, Susan has been involved in all aspects of the work at Hearts & Hands. At first she thought communication would be difficult but quickly learned sign language and now thinks it is easy to understand and communicate with the Deaf workers. She said what she likes best is the family atmosphere at Hearts & Hands and considers the workers her family.

October turned out to be a very significant month for Susan. On Oct. 2 she married Guo Hong Liang in Harbin. Guo is a recent graduate of Harbin Bible School.  They returned to Kunming and Guo is looking for a position with one of the local churches.  Their future plans are to continue in Kunming  for 3 to 4 years.

Cao Can Bo and Yin Jian Mei, both in their early 30s, are a couple that have contributed greatly to the Deaf program in Kunming. They were  born hearing but became Deaf as infants due to poor medical treatment. They were given strong antibiotics for high fever which affected their hearing. Their joyful spirits and smiling faces give encouragement to others facing difficulties.

Cao Bo comes from a family of 5 children. There are four boys and one girl. The oldest son and daughter are hearing but the three younger boys are all deaf because of unsuitable medical treatment.  Cao Bo attended Hua Xia Technical for the Disabled in Kunming. He divides his  time working as a carpenter at the woodworking shop and teaching the Bible at the Deaf Fellowship. He has also taught foreigners Chinese sign language. Outside of work, he enjoys playing basketball.

Jian Mei also attended Hua Xia Technical School. Before working as a seamstress at Hearts & Hands, she taught Chinese sign language to young Deaf people from the countryside in a special program for the Deaf. Jian Mei is also involved with the Deaf Fellowship. She and Cao Bo attended an international Deaf conference (see photo) in Alexandria, Egypt last year. She enjoys singing in sign and dancing.

The couple were classmates and married in 2005. They have a desire to reach out to their former classmates and other Deaf people in Kunming. They offer them fellowship and understanding.

Many organizations are blessed to have volunteers who come and help with the work. For the past 14 months Lynn, from London, has given her time weekly at Hearts & Hands to handle our email orders and assist in special projects. In the fall Lynn will move to central China to take up a teaching post there at a college which has both hearing and deaf students.

Lynn first came to China in 1996 after working for a like-minded organization and attending All Nations College.  She became interested in overseas work while reading books and realizing the challenges people face in other countries.   This was followed by a short term trips to Hong Kong, India and China. When she arrived in China she learned Chinese for 2 years and then taught English for 4 years.

As a child, she learned about Helen Keller at school and can vividly remember being taught the English alphabet in sign language. In central China she saw many deaf people near her home and felt prompted to pursue learning Chinese sign. However that was the year of the SARS outbreak in Asia and all doors seemed closed so instead Lynn returned to UK for a year and did a course in British Sign Language (BSL).  When she returned to China a year later she discovered that a friend had visited the deaf and blind school in her city and introduced Lynn to the school.  In exchange for teaching Lynn Chinese sign language (CSL) the school asked her to help teach English to the older deaf and blind students which she did for 2 years as a volunteer.  During this time Lynn visited Kunming for a month and learned about the work of Hearts and Hands. She was impressed by the project both in how it provided employment for the deaf but also a place for them to belong and to learn how they are valued and loved.   In May 2008 she returned to Kunming for 14 months. Besides working at Hearts & Hands, she has also continued to study CSL and taught English to deaf students at the local school for the disabled.

When asked about her work with the Deaf, Lynn said she was initially surprised by how outgoing they are, they are keen to communicate and include you.  When together with other deaf they are very lively and love to laugh, they enjoy signing songs and acting out stories.

The staff at both the workshop and the store will miss Lynn. Being able to communicate in English, Chinese and sign language enabled Lynn to interact and assist in every situation.

During the three and half years He Xue Lan has worked at Hearts & Hands, she has had two major changes in her life. She became a Christian two years ago and married last year. Her smile is always an encouragement to others. She has been the main “cutter” at the workshop. Her job involves cutting all the fabric for the many, varied designs. her fellows workers enjoy her liveliness and the joy she demonstrates in her daily work.

He Xue Lan comes from Nu Jiang in Yunnan province. As with many Deaf in China, she became deaf as a young child because of medical treatment. She was sick with a high fever and was given a strong antibiotic by injection that destroyed the auditory nerves.

She said that the love shown to her at H&H made her very happy. Her out-going personality has been a plus as she helped with special H&H displays at Metro, a German department store, and the Nordica Christmas Fair. She helped with the display of products and assisted customers in their choice of items. Her deafness was never a disability when it came to helping others.

Xiao Hong first worked in the bakery program for six months. Then she started in the Deaf training program for one year. When she was told she would need to learn sign language, she thought it would be impossible. She said that is was “God's grace to give her the ability to learn sign language and His grace that saw the big growth in Hearts & Hands”.

She started out learning handicrafts and began going around with the director to buy fabric and supplies. She also learned management. She has seen the program grow from 5 Deaf workers to over 40 people employed by Hearts & Hands. Xiao Hong has recently decided to move on from us and fulfill a long term desire to find a job working with children. We will greatly miss her but wish her every blessing for her future.

Zhangs
A Life Transformed could be the title of this month's story of a couple working at Hearts & Hands. Zhang Xue Kun is the security guard for the workshop and his wife, Zhang Xiao Juan, is a seamstress. They are of the Yi nationality and have two sons.

Zhang Xiao Juan came to Hearts & Hands with her two sons in a desperate situation. Her husband had a back injury and could not work. He was smoking and drinking and decided the best option would be to divorce his wife and give away his two sons. He could not earn money to provide for their care and education.

Zhang Xiao Juan is not disabled so the staff was hesitant to employee her. After hearing her story and realizing her difficult situation, she was hired and proved to be an able seamstress. Her husband remained in their village and she came to Kunming with her two sons.

After the workshop moved to a new location, Zhang Xue Kun was hired as the security guard and he moved to Kunming. He immediately stopped smoking and drinking. Not long after, he became a Christian and his life was transformed. His wife was already a believer.

Now the family is together and Zhang Xue Kun is a responsible husband and father.

He Qing and her husband married in 2004 and had their son in 2006. She took off three months when the baby was born. Her in-laws keep the baby in their village. He Qing was excited about getting to see her son during the Chinese New Year Holiday.

Besides deafness, Li Pei Xing developed an eye problem and began losing his eyesight. He had to quit work at the carpentry shop because he could not continue using power tools. He had been trained as a masseuse so now has a small massage shop near the Hearts & Hands store. Foreigners who frequent his shop are amazed at his ability to help alleviate shoulder and back pain. He continues to increase his skills to better provide for his clients.

He Qing likes her work very much and always has a smile for others. She is happy that both her and her husband have good jobs and a healthy son. That is a big blessing in China.

Yang Hao from Nujiang lost his left leg in a mine explosion in 1992 when he was 21 years old. He and the workers had set dynamite in the mine and it did not go off. Since he owned the land and was the supervisor, he entered the mine to see what was wrong. The dynamite exploded when he entered.

Zhang Guang Fen from Lincang lost her feet when she was 8 months old. There was a fire in her home and her cradle tipped over. Her feet had to be amputated. Her mother died when she was one. After her father remarried, her stepmother did not want her. Their village area was very poor. Zhang Guang Fen was very slow getting around and would return home to find that all the food had already been eaten. Her father died when she was 16. In 1990 she left home with 30 Yuan (less than $5) in her pocket. She begged, shined shoes and sold items on the streets to support herself.

Yang Hao also worked on the streets repairing watches. He and Zhang had a little girl but she had to be put in boarding school because they could not provide a stable environment for their daughter. Life changed for them when they moved to Kunming. Zhang became a Christian and Yang saw the change in her. They started working in a rehabilitation center and he also became a Christian. Staff at the center introduced them to the HH management. Yang  was hired as the quality control supervisor for the workshop and Zhang became a very accomplished hand sewer. Also their daughter ( 7 ½) was able to live with them again.

Recently a foreign friend bought the family a three-wheel motorcycle. Their lives have greatly improved. Yang walks with one crutch and Zhang uses two. It was very hard for the family to get around and travel to and from work. Yang is also continuing his education by taking computer courses offered by one of the local, three-self churches.

Supervising a staff of almost all deaf workers can be a challenge but Yang Hao enjoys his work and the management staff. He said it was like a 'big family'. At last year's Christmas party, he sang “Most Beautiful Blessing in this Life” while 5 deaf women signed the song. When asked how they could stay together, he said they had practiced many times and his sign language has improved so he could follow them. He also said it was the first time he had sung before a group.

Their lives have changed dramatically and have fulfilled the goal of HH of providing an environment to help them realize “plans that will prosper and not harm them, plans for  hope and a future.”

Deng Xiao Zhang is Yao and the Yao people have a characteristic where they do not show emotion. When DXZ first came on our program he remained quite aloof from the other students and did not do very well in learning Sign Language. However, since  he came to work in Hearts and Hands, there has been significant change. His Sign Language has greatly improved and he easily communicates with his peers. He is confident to stand in front of the congregation at his fellowship for worship and loves to perform. He has made friends and rooms with two of the other young single men.

Deng Xiao Zhang   is one of our accomplished workers.  He enjoys his work and says that it is a 'good job'. He always has a smile and is an encouragement to all the staff.

In 1997 Ingrid was on an initial team of seven foreigners that began Project Grace, an NGO to reach out to the poor and disadvantaged of Yunnan Province. The first project was a training class in Sign Language for countryside, uneducated deaf. Hearts & Hands began in 2000 as a sewing class and the store was opened in 2002. 

She married Chen Gang in 2004 and they have two children. Toby is 4 ½ and Sophie is 3. Chen Gang came to Kunming from Gansu Province to work for Project Grace. He now heads up a woodworking shop that employs Deaf carpenters.

Presently, Ingrid is Hearts & Hands director and is involved in all aspects of the work. She said that 'despite the challenges of working in a different culture, including Deaf culture, I couldn't imagine doing anything else.”