Why China? Why Shepherd's Field?

How come China? Why Shepherd’s Field Children’s Village?

Those are questions that come up from time to time. Why did our team feel led to serve orphans half a

world away? Why not right here? The answer to that question began to form four years ago.

A happy and healthy Dong Bao living at Shepherd's Field

One sunny morning in June of 2008, a couple from Ben Davis Christian Church, Janet and Kevin Bourke,

stepped out of a van in front of the main building at Shepherd’s Field Children’s Village and saw the little

boy who would soon become their son. Looking happy and healthy, Dong Bao met his forever mommy

and daddy that day. Dong Bao, renamed Philip Bao, would be the catalyst God would use to bring our

team to serve orphaned children in China.

 Meeting Daddy for the first time

Once home with their new little son, Janet and Kevin began to learn more about the place where Philip

had lived and been loved so in China. The more they learned, the more they fell in love with Shepherd’s

Field Children’s Village. Soon they were sharing about this wonderful American-run foster village that

housed orphans with special needs.

Tim and Pam Baker

The following summer they met the co-founders, a husband and wife team named Tim and Pam Baker.

The Bakers, along with their three young daughters, traveled to China in 1988 to teach English to the

Chinese people. Over the course of time, Tim and Pam began to visit local orphanages. They fell in love

with a little orphan girl they later adopted and named Esther. Tim and Pam, along with a fellow teacher

named Philip Hayden, became passionate about helping the orphaned children in China. After Philip

Hayden died suddenly, Tim and Pam founded the Philip Hayden Foundation in his memory.

 Meeting Tim and Pam Baker and their daughter Esther for the first time

This foundation started by helping provide supplies to local orphanages. With God’s blessing and

provision, it has grown into a foster village named Shepherd’s Field Children’s Village housing around

100 orphaned children with special needs. The loving staff of Shepherd’s Field provides love, security,

nutritious food, comfortable shelter, and an education for the children who call it home along with any

surgeries or medical treatments necessary.

Tim came and spoke to our church in the spring of 2010 and quickly captured the hearts of many in

our congregation. During that summer’s VBS, our children were able to raise enough money to fund

surgeries for three children at Shepherd’s Field. Since that time, a number of us have felt called to

go and serve at this amazing place that is such a wonderful example of ordinary people serving our

extraordinary God.

Our team of eleven, including Philip Bao’s mom and older brother, are heading to China soon. We invite

you to follow along on our journey.

Philip Bao (center) with his forever family now

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in

their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

James 1:27