About Us

Alan & Lyn Gould are an English couple who have been coming to China for short periods since 1994 and have now taken early retirement to serve Chinese orphans full time in China. They have lived in Luoyang, China, since November 2006, and, until January 2007,worked as unpaid volunteers for another charity caring for very sick, dying babies and children in two special units in state run orphanages.

Prior to coming to China, Alan had a long career in catering, not only running his own restaurant but going on to teach all aspects of catering eventually becoming a company director and co founder of a successful business in the South West of England.

Lyn was born in Exeter, Devon and qualified as a nurse at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital where she worked as a nurse and senior manager for 37 years before taking early retirement in order to work long term in China.

Alan developed the administrative systems for the units, set up supplies contracts and ensures the availability of stock, as well as playing with the children or simply holding and cuddling them when they are very sick.

He really enjoys living in China and particularly relating with Chinese people who want to speak English at the English Corner as well as formally teaching spoken English at one of the local universities. He has many Chinese friends and has encouraged students who are English majors to come and play with the children in the unit to contribute to the well being of their ‘brothers and sisters’.

Lyn was the medical director for the two units and as such had mostly hands on care of up to 57 children at a time. She developed all the policies and guidelines for care of the children and trained other nurses and the Chinese Nannies as well as ensuring continuity of care by providing oversight of all children in the units.

They have jointly provided pastoral care for the many volunteers who have come to serve short term.

Having had little formal language tuition Alan understands more than he can speak and Lyn has enough medical language to understand and instruct the Nannies as well as have some basic conversations with people generally.

Personal

Married in October 1985 they had a ready made family of three children, two of Lyn’s and one of Alan’s. The children are now adults all living in UK. They have 2 (nearly 3) grandchildren.

Their home church is City Community Church in Exeter where they are part of a body with a vision for supporting people who work like this overseas.