The Journey to Yushu
Five OpSAFE camps for children who have suffered trauma are being held in both Qinghai and Sichuan. Our team left on Monday morning on what was supposed to be a 30 hour bus ride to Yushu, the center of the quake. We started out with three vehicles, a bus, a van and a car, packed full of volunteers, materials and equipment.
By the first night we were well into the tibetan area of Sichuan, and all of us bedded down in sleeping bags on the floor of a lama’s house. We spent the all-day ride getting to know our new teammates, mostly college students volunteering on their summer holiday. The OpSAFE team rotated between the vehicles getting to know everyone. Little did we know that we would have much more opportunity to bond!
The Second Day on the Road
Waking up early to get on the road we were hoping to make it to Yushu late that evening, but almost as soon as we got started we were stuck behind a line of trucks on a steep grade. Rain during the night had made the road muddy and a massive truck was stuck in the mud. We took the time for devotions and soon after our time was done a police vehicle showed up and within a couple of hours machinery was brought in to fix the road. But we knew that we would be unable to reach Yushu that night.
Toward evening we passed a public bus bound to Yushu from Chengdu and were delighted to see some one of our other teams on the bus. They were headed to a small school in a very remote village in the tibetan region of Sichuan. The team had visited the school the year before and they had a joyous reunion with the principal and his wife. Through support from our partners in China, the school has built new classrooms and has grown, providing education for children in a region where there is very little available.
That night we arrived very late at the town of Gansu, deep in the Tibetan region of Sichuan, and checked into a hotel, expecting to press through to Yushu the next day. We woke up the next morning to the beautiful sight of mountains at dawn and a landscape dominated by Tibetan houses, lamaseries and stupas.The Third Day on the Road
We once again expected to reach our goal that evening but in the midst of picturesque mountains, rivers, and yak pastures all above 4000 meters our bus experienced major engine failure. As we waited for a mechanic to arrive and miraculously fix the bus along the side of the road, our team spent the time in devotions, then in organizing roles for the camp, then in getting to know the curious tibetans on whose land we were stuck. We ended up spending the entire afternoon with a wonderful family sharing about our different lives.
After all the time spent by the side of the road, we were forced to find lodging in a small town where it seemed that there were more dogs than people. At that time of night the only place available was a filthy dormitory above a karaoke bar blaring music with drunk patrons. We ignored the dirty sheets and the flies, laid down our sleeping bags and tried to rest, knowing that we would finally reach our destination the next day.
The Fourth Day on the Road
Crossing from Sichuan into Qinghai over a pass of 4700 meters, we stopped to take a photo and found a family of nomads herding their yaks at that high altitude. We had difficulty catching our breath, but gave thanks that we had finally made it, after four days of travel. After training and travel, finally we were going to begin what we had worked so hard to start.
Arriving safely at the orphanage we set up tents, met the staff and children and prepared to start our camp immediately as we had already lost precious time. But there were still more obstacles to be overcome. … to be continued.
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What a magnificent effort. Thank you so much for sharing your journey! Good luck and best wishes for continued success.
Awesome guys! Hang in there and keep the updates coming. We are lifting like crazy. IN the vine, Tim and OFH crew!
Tim, your guys have been awesome! I love how you have taught through my trauma manual and the grasp that your team has of the material!
[...] here: OpSAFE Tibet/Qinghai – Field Report #1 « OperationSAFE Filed under Tibet, Tibetan Tags: all-day-ride, bedded-down, floor, mostly-college, [...]
AMAZING!! Thank you for sharing Jonathan. Keep up the great work. The Lord bless and keep you now and always. x J
What an amazing journey of challenges the #opsafe team faced just to get the orphanage! Thank you for not forgetting these beautiful children far away and out of easy reach – I’m sure your presence there is bringing them smiles & comfort!
God bless you and the rest of tour team for reaching out and protecting all of our children around the world. You are Blessed! I pray god will continue to cover you.
Twitter: happy24n7
says:
care for lovely children..
great job #opsafe
It amazes me all that you all go through to help these children. You truly do the work of angels. Keep it up!
I thank God each day for people as you, who will overcome challenges for the sake of saving innocent children whom have suffered great trauma in their lives.
Having experienced childhood trauma myself, I know very well what can and does happen to children who survive the initial trauma, only to grow up experiencing continued problems throughout their entire lives. Your efforts are greatly appreciated, and why I am proud to be on the #opsafe Twitter team!