A Heart for Freedom (45 page)

I am grateful for the ongoing teaching from churches and others in the body of Christ that supports the transformations taking place in China. I am grateful for Rick Warren’s
Purpose Driven Life
, which was instrumental in setting me on the path to find truth and ultimate freedom. Bob and I are grateful for Dr. Tim Keller’s books
The Reason for God
and
Counterfeit Gods
, as well as his many teachings on CD and on the Redeemer Presbyterian Church website. I am a great admirer of what their City to City program has accomplished around the world. Jay Kyle and his team are filled with the love of Jesus, as shown by their courageous relief efforts in post-earthquake Japan. I have benefited so much from Bill Hybels’s Leadership Summits, and I praise God for Bill’s teaching and his willingness to serve other leaders. I am thankful for the amazing ministry of the National Prayer Breakfast and for Mr. and Mrs. Coe, and David and Mimi, and their devoted service and their spirit of love and teaching. And Maria, you are such a special creation of our dear God. He gifted you with beauty, grace, brilliance, and a huge heart for women and girls. You shine the love of Jesus. Just thinking about you brings a smile into my heart. Thank you for all your prayers for the girls and babies in China. You saw what God saw, and you are so faithful! I am in awe of the number of leaders God has raised up in this country, including some whose names I have chosen to keep private for their ongoing work to share the Good News in dangerous places. All I know is, greater things are yet to come.

I am thankful for Cindi Leive, editor in chief of
Glamour
magazine, for her unique insight and leadership to expand and continue
Glamour
’s twenty-year-long commitment to honor and celebrate women and girls around the world through their inspiring Woman of the Year awards. Every time I attend one of their events, my spirit is lifted up and my heart is broken by the causes they choose to highlight and support—whether it’s sex slavery against girls in Cambodia or China or child bride marriage in the Middle East, it inspires me to do more to love the women and children of the world, to raise awareness, and to help the poor and needy. I praise God for equipping Cindi and her excellent team, including Susan Goodall and Ellen Kampinsky, to continue their heroic work to spread the word. Cindi’s generous support of the All Girls Allowed orphan program, in her daughter’s name, moved us all deeply. Susan Goodall traveled from New York to be at our gala. I am deeply grateful for your generosity and your friendship.

I’m also thankful for our friend Matt Dalio and his family, who founded China Care and Harvard China Care to provide orphanages and surgical care to save and restore children in China, and for Eliza Petrow and Cherry Wan, whose passion and love to aid orphans in China continues to serve as an inspiration.

I am grateful to Mr. John Elliott, whose million-dollar donation enabled the founding of the China Initiative, which housed many exiled dissidents from China and gave me an opportunity to go to Princeton during my first year in America. I am grateful to Professor Yu Ying-shih and Mrs. Yu, who cared for and supported me like parents, with delicious homemade meals, furniture shopping to set up my first apartment, and much wise counsel. I am thankful to Ruan Ming and Mrs. Ruan, who also helped me many times, from driving me to dental appointments to later defending me from defamation. I am thankful to Lorraine Spieces, who sacrificed many years and savings to help people like me—it was with her help and encouragement that I was able to apply to Princeton. I am thankful to many other colleagues such as Zheng Yi, Xiaokang, and Suwei for everything from their many encouragements to taking care of my dog, Tara.

I am thankful to Professor Lynn White, who advised me to study at Princeton and later recommended me to Harvard. I am thankful to Professor Perry Link, whose shared experience at Tiananmen forms a special bond. I am thankful to many friends at the Woodrow Wilson School who helped my English and sharpened my understanding of democracy and public policy. I am grateful for the full scholarship provided by the Woodrow Wilson School.

I thank Dr. Kim Clark, whose brilliant design of the first-of-its-kind course network inspired my design for Jenzabar.com, and Dr. Jay Light, whose teaching and whose special effort to be kind and supportive to me during my time at Harvard Business School were much appreciated. I thank many of my section mates and professors, with whom I shared debates and friendships. Go Section A, class of 1998! Shake the world to make that positive difference.

I am thankful to the many China scholars whose teaching and personal friendships have been a constant encouragement to me, including Dr. Andrew Nathan, Dr. Jonathan Spence, Dr. Roderick MacFarquhar, Dr. Rowena He, Dr. Orlando Patterson, and Dr. Gene Sharp.

In the commercial and business world, I am grateful to those who were willing to stand with me and support me, notwithstanding any risk to their own business interests in China. We need more like you! I am thankful to my friends at the American Program Bureau, whose service enabled me to earn some speaking honoraria that sustained my early years in America and helped my family in China.

I am thankful to the manager who hired me at the consulting firm, my first paid job in America. I am thankful to the late Barry Harrington, whose decision enabled me to continue to work at the firm and provided vital stability to support my newly reunited siblings after five years of separation. I thank Lynn Stem, whose solid values provided a breakthrough for the HR director to honor the firm’s offer to me. I am very thankful to have worked for that firm—because that’s where I met Bob, who much later became my husband. I thank the many friends and colleagues I met there.

I thank Paul Fireman and Steve Perlman for being my first two angel investors at Jenzabar. Even though circumstances did not allow us to fully achieve our billion-dollar vision, I would not be here without your courage and support.

I thank my early business colleagues at jenzabar.com—including Joe Malone, who introduced me to Steve Ballmer of Microsoft—and all of our three hundred associates, who work to maximize our customers’ success every day. I am grateful to our board of directors—D. Quinn Mill and Joe San Miguel—for their support and great guidance and to Jamison Barr for his good and faithful work for Jenzabar.

We would not be where we are today without the hundreds of colleges and universities that are loyal Jenzabar customers. I thank them for their service to millions of students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends, and their communities near and far. They inspired us to form The Jenzabar Foundation to support hundreds of student groups that are saving lives by the thousands every year. Among these, I especially thank Dr. Jairy Hunter of Charleston Southern University and his wife, Sissy; Dr. Kim Clark of Brigham Young University—Idaho and his wife, Susan; Dr. Jud Carlberg of Gordon College and his wife, Jan; Dr. Richard Flynn of Springfield University and his wife, Jani; Dr. Doug Hastad of Carroll University and his wife, Nancy; Dr. Jackie Jenkins Scott of Wheelock College and her husband, Jim; Dr. Nancy Blattner of Caldwell College and her husband, Tim; Dr. Pamela Trotman Reid of Saint Joseph College and her husband, Dr. Irvin Reid, president emeritus of Wayne State University; Dr. Stephen Briggs of Berry College and his wife, Brenda; Dr. David Olive of Bluefield College and his wife, Kathryn; Dr. Stephen Pannill of Cecil College and his wife, Pam; Dr. Daniel Carey of Edgewood College and his wife, Terri; Dr. Richard Wylie of Endicott College and his wife, Mary; Dr. William Abare of Flagler College and his wife, Susan; Dr. Kevin Ross of Lynn University and his wife, Kristen; Dr. Dan Martin of Mt. Vernon Nazarene University and his wife, Pam; Dr. Michael Droge of Park University and his wife, Molly; Michael Viollt of Robert Morris University and his wife, Kathleen; Dr. Rita Rice Morris of Shawnee State University and her husband, Jim; Dr. Charles Webb of Spring Arbor University and his wife, Philippa; Sr. Margaret Stallmeyer of Thomas More College; Dr. Donna Carroll of Dominican University; Dr. Elizabeth Stroble of Webster University and her husband, Paul; Dr. Lisa Ryerson of Wells College and her husband, George Farenthold; Dr. William Crouch of Georgetown College and his wife, Jan; Dr. Haywood Strickland of Wiley College; Dr. Helen Sobehart and Sr. Mary Lea Schneider of Cardinal Stritch University; Sr. Kathleen Ross of Heritage University; Dr. Constance Mierendorf, formerly of Sussex Community College; and Dr. Dorothy Cowser Yancy, formerly of Shaw University. Special thanks to Don Oppenheimer, associate dean and chief information officer at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, who personally supported our Harvard China Care benefit dinner. We are also grateful to our Presidents’ Advisory Council and the many advisory and user groups making Jenzabar such a great success. Thank you all.

I have been blessed with great spiritual friends who have changed my life forever and for better. I thank Fengsuo; Fang Zheng; the Rev. John Holt, from the Methodist church on Cape Cod; Jairy Hunter and Jud Carlberg; Reggie Littlejohn, from Women’s Rights Without Frontiers; Bob Fu, from ChinaAid; Zhang Boli, pastor of a Chinese church in Virginia; Major Xiong Yan, a US Army chaplain; Sister Tammy McLeod, Park Street minister and chaplain of Campus Crusade at Harvard, and her husband, Pat—their son Zack’s heroic commitment to Jesus is a daily inspiration; Dr. Gordon Hugenberger, senior minister at Park Street Church in Boston; John Chung, minister of missions at Park Street Church; Dr. Bryan Wilkerson, senior minister at Grace Chapel; the Honorable Gregory Slaton; Jaeson Ma, hip hop artist and church planter; and the Heavenly Man, Brother Yun—it was your witnessing and help that led me to Jesus.

I am thankful to the many new friends I have met since I started All Girls Allowed: Fred Smith, president of the Gathering; Steve Hass, chief catalyst at World Vision; Wes Anderson; Pastor Jones and his family; Pastor Ron Lewis; Pastor David Hill, Sr., and Pastor David Hill, Jr.; Mac McQuiston, president and CEO of the CEO Forum; Steve South, vice president of the CEO Forum; and many others. Your prayers, teaching, and support are vital to encourage us to focus on finishing the race that has been marked out for us.

I thank Peter Flaherty and Mike Flaherty for their great friendship and spiritual fellowship. Peter came up with the great name All Girls Allowed, helped us get the logo design, and assisted with our first year launch in DC. Mike’s life-changing transformation that led to the founding of Walden Media, which brings great movies to our society to teach children the power of love over violence, is a shining inspiration to us all. Mike served as an adviser to All Girls Allowed, offering much of his time, advice, connections, and promotion for the cause. Bob and I are grateful to Mike and his wonderful wife, Kelly, and their children, Christian, Eileen, and Reagan, for their friendship to our family.

I am thankful to Joe Torres for delivering the call to start All Girls Allowed. I am grateful to David Aikman for his faithful prayers, encouragement, and guidance during my first year of spiritual growth and serving through All Girls Allowed. His amazing book
Jesus in Beijing
is a must-read for anyone who wants to know the not-often-told and important modern history of China. I am grateful also to Charlene, Wilfred, and John Quick for their help and contributions to All Girls Allowed.

I am thankful to my Jenzabar team members who walk this spiritual journey with me, and to my All Girls Allowed team: Brian, Sara, Tessa, Val, Katie, Vicky, Jing, and Yan. I am grateful for all your prayers and support in the past year. You gave me the precious gift of true fellowship.

I am thankful to two dear friends (you know who you are) who encouraged and supported me during the writing of this difficult book project. I am grateful to David Aikman for his generous recommendation to Tyndale. I am grateful to Jan Long Harris and Doug Knox for their decision to publish the book and to publish it so quickly. I am very grateful to my editor, Dave Lindstedt, who did a heroic job to shorten the manuscript to half its size while preserving most of the content and flow. Also for his patience during the final weeks of editing to walk with Bob and me with understanding and grace. I am grateful for the many other team members at Tyndale whose great work has brought this book to print.

I am thankful for my church, my life community, my small group, my brothers and sisters in Christ, including Pastor Bryan, Simone, Steve, Judy, Guiying, Esther, Chengen, Isabella, Mike and Cori, Ken and Kristina, Deb and Chris, Carrie and Mike, Rachel, Yola, Lori, Meghan, and many others. You blessed me with the true American Dream described in Alexis de Tocqueville’s
Democracy in America
. The church is truly the foundation of American society.

I could not have done this without my family support. I am thankful to my two faithful nannies, who have been with our family for a decade and supported me and cared deeply for my children.

I am thankful for my mother-in-law, Valerie, who was rooting for me and cheered me on.

I am thankful to my father, who gave up everything to be with us in America and to love us and support us. I am thankful to my brother and my sister, who love me and inspire me every day.

I am grateful for Bob, my husband, who has been and will always be a hero to me for his sacrifice and encouragement over the past two years as I labored on this book. I am thankful to my three girls—Mia, Alicia, and Emma—for their patience and sacrifice and their unconditional love and support.

I am ultimately thankful to God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, who knew me before Creation and who gave me life and guided me and protected me. To God be all the glory and thanksgiving.