By RTF Staff Writer Jenn Joshua

Jenn Joshua: So, Andrew, when you’re not busy setting yourself on fire, I’ve heard that you also have a passion for missions work.  More specifically, working with orphans in China.  It seems like a lot of teens go through the “I-want-to-be-a-missionary-to-China” stage.  For you, it obviously wasn’t just a stage. You’re studying Chinese in college.  You have plans to move to Beijing after graduation.  Can you tell us a little more about the work that you do with Chinese orphans and the program you work through while you’re there?

Andrew Yellis: I work with an amazing organization operating out of the US, currently as a graphic designer.  While I’m in China, I’m focused mostly on getting lots of pictures and video of the children’s homes in action, but I also spend time tutoring the kids in English and math.  The ministry is an American-run organization that operates orphanages in China – it is a fantastic organization, one I am blessed to be able to be a part of.

JJ:  How did this all begin?  Did you wake up one morning and decide, “Yep!  China’s the place!”?  Or was it more of a gradual process?

AY: I first traveled to China on an ‘exploratory trip’ in late 2005.  My dad, sister, and I visited five major Chinese cities all along the eastern coast, helping out at some of the orphanages and also just getting to know the country.  This trip was the classic ‘life-changing overseas experience’ for me, however I nearly forgot about it until we went back in 2007.  This really solidified my desire to work with the disadvantaged children of China, and I pursued a position working with them as best I could upon returning to the States.  The home my family and I are particularly connected to is located in Fujian province, I have been there several times since 2005, and watching the kids grow up and be given an opportunity for a normal life has been absolutely incredible.

JJ:  Now, could you introduce us to some of the kids in Fujian province?

AY: May is 14 now – I first met her when she was 9.  She spent the first eight years of her life with her mother and her mother’s various boyfriends, all of whom physically abused her.  She escaped and was first brought to the Fujian home when she was 8, and misbehaved constantly.  Her behavior reached a point where she almost had to be removed from the home. Then, a particularly strong Christian staff worker began to work one-on-one with her, and upon understanding the love of God for the first time, May had a radical behavior turnaround, and is now one of the leaders among the children at the home.  She gave me a bracelet I wear to this day – telling me I was her role model.  But secretly she is mine.

Matthew is a classic little boy.  He is 11 and tons of fun.  When I lived in China this summer, I spent some of the time living in the same room as him and a few other boys – he was constantly trying to wrestle with me, play with my computer, learn new English words, or laugh at my rusty Mandarin.  He is also the king of badminton.  Matthew is the little brother I never had – I love him to death.  I mean look at that picture.  One particular story involving him happened at dinner one evening – I was given just a spoon and no chopsticks, and immediately loudly proclaimed “Wo meiyou kuzi” (I don’t have “kuzi”).  Matthew looked at me, about to laugh but looking confused.  I repeated the same phrase, assuming he would find me some.  Now he did laugh, and a bunch of other kids did too.  I pointed at him, saying that he did have “kuzi” but I did not.  After several minutes of sheer hilarity and much confusion on my part, Matthew explained that chopsticks are “kuaizi”.  “Kuzi” is pants.

[Come back Wednesday for the rest of our interview with Andrew Yellis...]