In August of 1988 Tim and Pam Baker and their three girls, Rebecca (6), Sarah (4), and Rachel (5 months) arrived in China, with hearts ready to teach English to the Chinese. Although they were in a city of several million people in northeast China, they were the only westerners in the city and the first westerners that most of their students had ever met.
Although conditions were very primitive at that time, the Bakers fell in love with China and the Chinese people. In 1991 they moved to Beijing, where Tim assumed the position of Director of Operations for University Language Services, a non-profit teaching organization with more than 100 foreign teachers spread across China. It was then that they made their first visit to volunteer at a local orphanage.
The Bakers became regular volunteers at the orphanage, and the foster parents of a little girl named Esther, who they later adopted. Through Esther and the example set by Tim's assistant, Philip Hayden, the Bakers' passion to help orphans grew. In 1994 they founded the Philip Hayden Foundation, in memory of Phil, who had died the year before at the age of 28 from an aortic aneurism. A year later they formed a partnership with the China Charity Federation to help special needs orphans from all over China. Since then they have provided surgeries for more than 3,000 orphans with varying medical problems, and they have assisted in more than 900 adoptions to families in China, North America, Asia and Europe.
In 1998 the Bakers added to their big family by adopting twin boys, Nathaniel and Zechariah, from an orphanage six hours northwest of Beijing and three years later adopted their son Philiip. In 1999, they founded the Langfang Children's Village, which included five children's homes, a clinic, and a school. In 2006 they opened Shepherd's Field Children's Village (SFCV) on seven acres of land the local government donated for their use. SFCV has five children's homes accommodating about 100 orphans, a medical clinic, outreach center, primary school, guest quarters for those who come to volunteer, a beautiful playground, and a newly built vocational and therapy center.
The Bakers have seven children: Rebecca (35), Sarah (33), Rachel (27), Esther (24), Nathaniel and Zechariah (19), and Philip (14). Tim and Pam are both graduates of Bethany College, where they earned degrees in cross-cultural studies. Tim also has a master's degree in education from Oral Roberts University.
Nearly 10 years ago, at the age of 15, Wendy (Su Ying) joined our family here at Shepherd's Field Children's Village from her home orphanage in Fuzhou. Wendy was born with paraplegia, which left her unable to walk or actively move her body from the waist down. Regardless of her physical limitations, Wendy proved to be a smart, active, innovative, and confident young woman who truly has a heart for others.