Bringing hope to Chinese orphans

One Fallbrook family is making a difference in the lives of Chinese orphans. Steve Bolt, his wife Cathy, and their five children welcomed Mary, a Chinese orphan, into their home three years ago. Last summer they added Abby to their family. Abby, now a year and a half old, is a happy smiling child like her sister Mary. “They are my sisters, and I love them just as much as my other sisters,” said Rebecca Bolt, 17.

These Chinese girls would have had dim futures if it weren’t for their adoption into the Bolt family. “Typically, Chinese will not adopt the orphans and almost shun them,” explained Steve. Although the Chinese children in the orphanages are well fed and clothed, they are emotionally deprived. “They don’t do well in school and the kids make fun of them because they don’t have parents. They are emotionally in a no-man’s land,” Steve commented.

Last summer, the Bolts took their concern for orphans to another level and spent three months in China, ministering to the needs of the children through summer camps held in an idyllic setting amidst jungles and waterfalls. Now, this Christmas they are again reaching out to the orphans and asking for the help of others. Through their nonprofit organization, “Bring Me Hope,” the Bolts have developed a wish list for fifty orphans who attended the summer camps. The list, with each child’s photograph, is on the http://www.bringmehope.org Web site. Although the Bolt family is a Christian family, their ministry is nonsectarian.

David Bolt, 26, one of Steve and Cathy’s sons, is leaving for China on December 27 to purchase and disperse gifts for the orphans, so the deadline for Christmas gifts is December 26. Any funds donated after that date will go toward camp scholarships.

“This is a very generous community, and we are letting them know that there is an opportunity to give an orphan a gift,” said Steve. “Beyond the gift are the relationships that we are building with the orphans. These gifts open the door to relationships with the goal of finding adoptive homes for the children.”

The Bolt family is also looking for help with their summer camps but want the members of the community to know that they don’t run an orphanage or an adoption agency. Steve mentioned that he knows of no other opportunity for American families to interact with Chinese orphans outside of this one. “Bring Me Hope” has obtained permission to invite orphans and Americans to the summer camps. Steve wanted to caution those who may be interested in helping out with the summer camps, “It’s not like staying at the Ritz-Carlton.”

The camp curriculum is focused on character development, appreciation of nature and interactive arts and music. “They don’t go out in nature,” explained Steve. “A lot of them have never even seen their own city at night.” At the summer camps, the children also swim for the first time in their lives. “The expression on their faces is priceless because they have never felt that weightless feeling before,” Steve noted. “The camps are a lot of work,” explained Rebecca, “but when you see their smiles light up it’s rewarding,”

For further information please call “Bring Me Hope” at (760) 723-5885.