August 19 - 10,000 Physical Exams

I understand that speed-dating has gained a certain following in North America. Well, it's looking like we'll be learning how to do "speed-physicals" in our work here in Yuci. A new nation-wide regulation requires the clinic in Luxi community, where I see patients and do house calls on patients with chronic diseases, to do physical examinations on 10,000 residents in the next 4 months. That works out to the 3 doctors in our clinic doing 100 physical exams/day, 25 days a month between now and Nov. 30. We are still trying to wrap our minds around the magnitude of this request, let alone figure out how to manage the logistics. Please pray for wisdom for our project manager, as she carries the brunt of the respnsibility for organizing this work. ---- Dr. Alice Chen

July 14 - ...and May Shanxi Bless the World!

The Shanxi Province Public Health Bureau, with whom the Evergreen Medical Team has partnered for 15 years, recently held a seminar for African health officials. The purpose was to share from Shanxi’s experience in developing their health care system. Evergreen medical team members Alice Chen, Judy Perry, Selina Chan and medical team coordinator Duan Xiaoqin were invited as guest lecturers for this seminar.  It is our hope that our shared experience with the people of Shanxi, and their hard-working health care professionals, will in some way be a blessing to the 40 African officials who attended and who will return to their countries to apply what they learned.
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May 28 - Business Incubation in Evergreen

With the Yellow Valley Cheese company and Evergreen Cards, Evergreen has set  out to create sustainable enterprises that create a source of income for families, and demonstrate social responsibility and spiritual blessing to the local community. The latest venture is the Rongyi Infant’s Store in Yuci. Building on our years of experience training mothers in children’s health, we will sell products essential for the pregnant mother and her infant, such as nursing accessories, food grinders and high chairs. In the photo you see the Yuci team enthusiastically kicking off the start of the company, which is locally owned and operated.  It is hoped the store will be open by Children’s Day on June 1

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World Expo in Shanghai

The Strand family visited the World Expo in Shanghai recently. As always, China has gone over the top in style, scale and hospitality. Many countries have beautifully decorated pavilions with splashes of their culture, as well as technological developments. For example the Japan Pavilion was one of our favorites, with a violin-playing robot. Germany’s technological genius and commitment to environmental sustainability was very impressive. The U.S. venue, slapped together in a very short-time is large, but mainly features several interesting videos, with little in the line of technology or innovation.  The Shanxi Province pavilion sends people off with the words “blessing to Shanxi.”  This is the purpose of Evergreen as well, so it was very inspiring.

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An Update on Orphanage Work

After nearly a year without being allowed in the orphanage due to swine Flu, we were finally able to bring in colleagues for Special Ed and Physical Therapy training and were subsequently invited back in.  This was great news! One major need that they now have is for new diapers so we are putting in a big order with a Beijing supplier for them.  [If anyone would like to make a donation for diapers, it can be done through the "To Give" page of our website--please indicate that the donation is for "Other: Orphanage--diapers".
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A Hospital for Vegetables

With the use of the internet, Evergreen’s Agricultural team has been able to provide consults for diseases affecting the vegetables from experts in Shandong.  This service is not yet well known, but they plan to continue advertising it.  One challenge has been that sometimes the treatments for the diseased plant may not be available locally in Taiyuan.  The Ag team’s new project proposal is to become a distributor for some fertilizers and pesticides. This would also allow them to raise 50% of their own funds by 2013.

Another Ag Team project is the Demonstration Greenhouse, in which the team is growing seedlings and introducing new technology for the future.  Local farmers and government officials both have come to see this work.   The Ag team hopes to have up to thirty farms that will serve as demonstration fields by supplying them with seeds and seedlings, training, and consultations.  Considering the vast array of vegetables and many varieties of each, the team hopes to provide a system of management that would work for any vegetable from planting to harvest, rather than specializing in a particular vegetable.

Training is still the heart of what the Ag team hopes to do.  The target is to spend fifty percent of their time doing training.  At present, they are providing assistance as requested by individual farmers.  However, they plan to start formal training sessions this year in four to six sites.  Two of the sites have already been chosen.  Because of the higher level of expertise needed to do these trainings, the Ag team hopes to arrange provincial or outside experts to help with the training.  For more information on our Agricultural Team or to receive their newsletter, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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On the Horizon:  Community-Based Stroke Rehab

Evergreeners working in Chronic Disease Management have been aware for some time of the opportunity presented by stroke survivors in the home setting.  While rehab may be available in the hospital setting, workers have observed that many patients would benefit from further assistance on their return home.  This important form of intervention would enable the CDM team to come one step closer to their dream of providing holistic treatment in the community.

With that in mind, Jenny Lee, Physical Therapy student at Temple University in Philadelphia, arrived in Yuci this summer for a two-month internship.  Jenny visited multiple stroke patients, a few in hospital settings, but her focus centered largely on observing the situations and needs of survivors who had returned to the care of spouses and family to face the challenges of a home environment.

About halfway through her internship, Jenny was joined by Evergreen language students Selina Chan, Recreational Therapist, and Glenda Wilson, Physical Therapist.  The three spent several days doing home visits and brainstorming which functional interventions would be helpful to the existing team, as well as devising a functional assessment form.  Jenny completed her time in Yuci by providing foundational training sessions on assessment, safety precautions, and basic rehab support that could be done by workers on the existing team.

Pray for the Chronic Disease Management Team as they go forward with this work.  They need wisdom and sensitivity to know how to best assist stroke survivors and provide essential support to their in-home care givers.  Also pray for Selina Chan and Glenda Wilson, second-year language students in Taiyuan.  They need His direction for deciding in which region their services will best be utilized, i.e. where to move in the coming year as full-time language study comes to a close and they begin to transition into their areas of work.
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Shanxi Summer Program Update

Summer was extra busy in Shanxi with camp projects and student-intern programs, all this in addition to business as usual for Evergreeners.

“The thrust of the camp ministry is the opportunity to follow up with the kids and their families throughout the entire year.”  -G.C.

Camp in Yangqu was a fantastic experience for students, counselors and Evergreeners.  At the high school level, seeking kids asked many important questions and we were excited to see local Chinese counselors answering questions from their own depth of experience.

God provided in unexpected and timely ways.  During one week of camp, it was unexpectedly cold and blankets were needed for eighteen kids.  An Australian team came to help that week with eighteen hand-made blankets.  After that, water and electrical problems developed at the camp; an electrical engineer from San Francisco was on the team that week.

Shanxi Stretches Student Interns’ Skills
Seven foreign and Chinese interns had successful summers in Shanxi.   Some of the projects they were involved with included:

• Leading a kids’ soccer camp
• Designing a community health rehab program for stroke patients and training workers
• Producing promotional materials
• Assessing our chronic disease management program
• Helping to organize summer English programs

Not only did these students touch the lives of many Chinese, but their lives were touched as well!

“This is a tremendous opportunity for young people to discover their gifts, learn new skills, improve their Chinese, make friends, be immersed in a new culture, be mentored, grow in their faith and have the opportunity to be stretched in almost every way!”  -A.C.