My brother is Dr. Mansour Ahangarzadeh. He is a dentist and he went to China first through PRIDE organization. He wanted to return and stay in China for while and be with people unlike his "tourist" trip that he was only able to see the 4-5 star hotels and have a tour where tourists will go.

We are Baha'is and one of our spiritual principals is service to humanity.  This is why we go to China. Our Faith teaches us another spiritual principal that is to obey the government wherever we happen to be. So, our purpose was indeed service not teaching our Faith. So many people are used to the missionaries who go to China and by force and fear of hell try to convert people. This is against the rules of the Chinese government. As Baha'is if we disobey this rule of the government, we have also disobeyed the spiritual principal of our Faith as well.
 
In 1996 he went to China and stayed there about 5 months. He spent time in Changchun, Jilin and then most of his time he was in Chaohu City in Anhui. He called me one day and said, that he wanted me to go there no matter what! He and I spoke on the phone for about 1 hour from China! He was so moved by the spirit of the Chinese people and of course the love, which they so selflessly showered him with while he was there. He basically worked at the hospital and saw many many patients while there.  He loved China!

The following March 1997, I went to China for 2 weeks with him, leaving my 2 daughters behind with my husband. I also fell in love with China with no desire to return to the US! Reality dictated something else. I had to return to my family. Since then I was very homesick for China, and the Chinese people. I would see the photos we took with our group and our hosts, interpreters and loving beautiful people of Anhui Province. I tried toreturn to China, and tried to get a job there. I sent out 80 resumes and no response. The ones who responded, did not want 4 people; my husband, 2 daughters and myself. In September of 1997, we saw an article in the paper regarding a couple who had been killed in a traffic accident in Arlington. They also were from Anhui! My brother, mother and myself went to the memorial service and there we met 2 families and began a friendship with these people that is unforgettable. We met a few times and had dinner together and spoke about China and saw the slides and the videos and got to know each other very well, like family. 

In August of 1999, one of the families moved to College Station TX. and we had a "going away" party and got to meet more of the Chinese students. Since then, we have had a monthly get together. The parents of one of the friends designated our name to be "Ivy" "chang Qing Teng" meaning: Our friendship, service, love and unity  will be forever." Since then we have been getting together each month and enjoy each other's company. We start at 6:30 PM with potluck dinner and then we sing karaoke and dance, and have a great time. Each time we have new faces and increasing numbers. Invitations for the "Ivy" go out each month via email, regular mail, and phone call reminders. "Ivy" is for people who are Chinese or have a great and deep love and passion for China and the Chinese people. Our group continues to grow and expand. This is strictly a social gathering. The atmosphere is one of happiness and incredible amount of love to each other.