Prayers answered overnight, relationships forged, and a path cleared to serve more than twice the number of children planned – this is the incredible impact of a recent medical mission trip to help orphans in China.

On this recent trip, Dr. Kanhka Linthavong and his team saw God work in powerful ways. The group of 20 Americans traveled to the Guizhou Province through Storyteller Missions to help conduct medical evaluations of orphans with special needs.

The team’s work will help prospective parents understand more about a specific child’s medical needs. Having recently returned from the trip, Linthavong shared how many of the team’s prayers were answered.

Reaching More Children

The original list of children the team was given for medical evaluation included 16 in foster care and eight in a orphanage. After the third day, the group was asked to evaluate more children. By the end of the trip the team had met with and evaluated 52 children.

A Provision for Translators

Linthavong and his team realized when they arrived that the translator that was initially assigned to their team was not available. Instead, a young female who is a secretary by training with no prior experience translating for teams was the newest member of their team and given the responsibility of guiding them while in China. The group prayed for more translators, and the next morning they had four additional translators. A local volunteer, an American foster mom, and two local Chinese volunteers who had studied abroad showed up at the foster center to help translate.

Hearts Impacted

One of the translators saw firsthand how the team’s prayers were being answered daily. As she grew closer to the team and saw the miracles that were occurring, her life was impacted greatly.

Answering a Call for Forgotten Children

So many children in China have been cast aside by their families because they have special medical needs. It is estimated that 90 percent of children abandoned in China have some type of medical need.

Linthavong and his team saw children ranging in age from 14 months to 13 years old. The majority of the medical diagnoses included Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, or vision impairments, among other medical needs. The team was able to review the children’s diagnosis and provide updated information on each child’s file. This will be valuable information to future adoptive families and the medical teams that work with these children in the future.

“The fact that my work may help a child find a home is very humbling,” Linthavong said. “For the children I evaluated, I am able to help prospective parents understand more about the medical condition and specific needs, and that is a great honor.”

“Adopting a child with special needs is one of the most impactful things you can do,” says Linthavong. “You will totally change his or her life.”

The children the team met are currently available through America World Adoption (AWAA). Any family interested in a child can contact their China program for more details at china@awaa.org or by phone at 800-429-3369 to learn more about these children or other children available.

Child files continue to be added weekly and families can learn more about these children at here.