Farewell Woody!

What type of person willingly trades the creature comforts of home, their friends and family for five years of isolation and hardship on the Tibetan Plateau? The answer is a person like Woody, a tremendous frontline staff who has just wrapped up his time serving disabled children in Qinghai Province, China.

Woody started work in Qinghai’s capital Xining in January 2017. One of his significant assignments was to make home visits to the families of four very ill children in remote Guinan County. Located on the Plateau, all the families were Tibetan and lived in very humble accommodations. What made Woody fall in love with these down to earth herders was each family’s ability to laugh and share humour in the face of hardship.

Another experience that Woody loves sharing, came while he was helping a young man with cerebral palsy. Woody put together a special trip to Hong Kong for the young man so he could get post-operative rehabilitation training after leg correction surgery. Woody was struck by the young man’s quiet grace and determination. He marveled at how he carefully transferred himself from a wheelchair to a car, how he managed to walk patiently with his auxiliary frame or tried to complete exercises even when in pain. He was deeply moved and said that he thanked God for sending him to Christian Action Qinghai where he could use his abilities and administrative skills to support individuals and groups who have such needs.

A deep sense of gratitude punctuates Woody's many Qinghai stories. The truth however, is that he, along with his beloved Qinghai colleagues, have literally turned people’s entire lives around for the better.

Woody finished his work with CA at the end of last year after having gone through 2 very difficult years traveling to Qinghai during the pandemic. I wish him every success and my heartfelt appreciation!