During the last week of August, the Governor of Shandong Province paid us a visit. Of course, the hospital was all a buzz, and the governor arrived with the usual contingent of press corps and bodyguards. He toured the Operation Sunrise ward, visiting ALL the patients and their families, asking questions about where they’re from, etc. – all what you might expect from a visiting guv. I’ve seen a few of this type of visit during previous surgical missions, and this format is essentially the same. This time however it was different. While I can’t say I understood all the translation of his words, the governor showed very palpable warmth towards the families of our patients. Through his questioning, I learned that at least one of our patients was from a farming community at least 60 miles away and took nearly 5 hours transportation to the hospital. While on “Governor rounds”, Tim and I acted through an interpreter asking questions and sharing our feelings about the goals of the mission. At one point, Ann thoughtfully introduced David as the surgeon of one of the patients – the look on the mother’s eyes when she learned exactly whom the surgeon was who brought new life to her child was priceless. Moments like these cannot be put to words.