If you missed Part 1, please don’t by-pass this post. I think the story is mind-blowing!
Here’s the concluding sequel to my post about Robert Glover and his ministry, ‘Care for Children’. In Part 1, I explained how Robert and his family had established a remarkable work in Shanghai, seeing 500 orphanage children transferred into foster homes. However, over time his vision was being expanded to see 1 million Chinese children placed in foster homes, a crazy figure that he had only shared with a few trusted people…
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“Look!! The night sky’s being lit up with fireworks, coming from the two villages below us! It’s as if there’s a special celebration taking place in heaven, and it’s for us!”
Robert Glover, his family and around 30 friends were camped for the night after Day 4 of a 6-day sponsored walk along the Great Wall of China. It was his daughter Rachel’s idea. The UK Government’s funding for ‘Care for Children’ was coming to an end, and CfC needed alternative funds just to survive. Moreover, they’d need to raise a small fortune in order to expand CfC out of Shanghai to the rest of China. The earnings from this walk would be a drop in the ocean – but somehow the venture seemed symbolic.
A friend from England, Peter (in his sixties), had struggled with the steepness of the climbs, and his knee was too sore to continue. That evening, Robert laid his hands on Peter’s knee and prayed that it be healed in Jesus’ name. Peter sat up, twisted his knee this way and that, then announced that the pain was gone – and next day continued the walk in comfort! Robert never found out why the villagers had lit fireworks – was it a spontaneous act? Whatever the explanation, to his party it was God’s way of announcing His special blessing on CfC.
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Robert’s vision to enlarge CfC throughout China was given a huge boost during a Children’s Care conference that his contract required him to hold. The conference was attended by regional social service chiefs from all over China, plus two influential specialists from the UK. Towards the end of the conference, an elderly gentleman named Yan Mingfu stood up to address the floor. It was clear that he was highly respected. He encouraged the conference to ‘think big’, as he estimated the number of children in orphanages as 2 million. In conversation afterwards, Robert asked how many could achievably be placed. Yan Mingfu’s answer: 50%, 1 million!
This served as confirmation of a title the Chinese had given him just as he was beginning his work in Shanghai: “Lao-Ba-Ba, which means, ‘As many stars as there are in the sky, you will be father to children in China’. The words very closely matched a prophecy given to him years earlier on Guernsey, where he lived (see Part 1). But, despite all these encouragements, Robert still lacked the funding he needed.
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Not long afterwards, Robert had an unexpected visit from three men from Singapore, ethnic Chinese but speaking perfect English. Robert had never met them but they showed much interest in his work. To his disappointment, they didn’t offer funds. What they brought was a prophecy, of dry ground and of a reservoir. A pipe would be needed to channel the water to where it was needed.
Imagine Robert’s surprise when he was invited to visit the USA where a Christian family declared they were interested in his work. He might otherwise have turned down the invitation, as it involved making a long journey with no definite outcome. But he suspected the ‘reservoir’ might lie there. And – he was received by wealthy donors looking for a cause to benefit from their trust fund! They then set up a visit for him to see a second donor who was in the same position. From these visits to the USA, Robert now had a huge surge in income and could start his programme to replicate CfC’s ministry.
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CfC was now definitely ‘on the map’. From this point onwards, Yan Mingfu’s influence became key to opening doors all across the land. He and Robert became firm friends. And one day, Yan Mingfu confessed that he was a Christian but, due to his rank within the Communist Party, had needed to ‘guard this very closely in my heart.’
The ‘team’ initially settled on three cities to focus on. First was Kunming in southern China, capital of the beautiful Yunnan province, featured in the photo. Secondly, Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province in west central China, famous for its fiery spice dishes. And finally, Yinchuan in the northern province of Ningxia, a desert region inhabited mostly by the Hui people, many of whom are Moslem. Here, the invitation came an inspirational lady who was a prominent orphanage director.
From the experience gained from Shanghai, Kunming, Chengdu and Yinchuan, CfC’s model was rolled out to cities all across China. And, yes, by 2018, an estimated 1 million children had been transferred from orphanages to adoption or foster care!
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It was Robert’s eldest daughter Rachel who, with her husband Thomas, headed up CfC’s work when it begun in Thailand in 2011. My own connection is that my sister-in-law Heather Suksem OBE, who lives in Thailand, became involved with CfC and supported their ministry.
You can enjoy a documentary that tells the story of CfC’s work in China, in particular relating the stories of adoptive children and their families, by clicking here. The film highlights one of Robert’s core values; that individuals matter. You need to join Vimeo to watch, and pay a rental fee of £4.99. But you won’t complain!
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