When you meet someone who has adopted, raised, and loved over forty children who would have otherwise been lost to under-staffed and under-equipped medical facilities, your perspective on life changes. Your appreciation for the fact that such a person exists, that this person embodies all the altruistic values that you grew up seeing in movies and books, stops you in your tracks. You pause out of pleasant surprise, contemplate, and engage in an experience that will adjust your path in life toward the better. At least, that was the case when the Meiflower team met the Hammetts. And all we did was paint a few rooms for them.

On May 9th, Mei Ling Liu and her small band of friends gathered to help the Hammetts paint their master bedroom and redo the bathrooms. Although seemingly minor tasks, these "upgrades" were never afforded to the Hammetts, who have spent the better part of the past 20 years taking care of a constant flow of medically fragile children.

As rewarding as it was for the Hammetts to see a fresh coat of paint on their walls, Team Meiflower experienced the same, although perhaps more so on a spiritual level. We decided to volunteer because we enjoy volunteering, but few such opportunities engage and build character as much as this project. We came away with an appreciation for simply having met people like the Hammetts, having played with their children, and having bonded with friends in something few people get to experience. That's why we're looking forward to coming back.

- Mei and Stephen