Envy!

Envy isn't something I am very familiar with.  I have generally been a content person.  I don't really want much stuff. I have always been content with who God made me to be, not ever really wanting to be someone else, or even feeling like I needed to try and fit in. So, envy seldom creeps its way into my life. So, I was surprised when the envy bug caught me right after my return from China.

When Paul picked us up from the airport, he took us to IKEA so I could pick up some more of my favorite towels.  While in IKEA, I saw a lady walking around with her dog, a little Pomeranian, in a papoose.  I had already been missing my little Pippa, so I really was wishing at that moment that I had a papoose, and that my sweet Pippa was with me.  So, I decided to make one.

 Noelle picked out the fabric.  She went through our whole fabric stash, and pulled out these two.  I agreed, so I sat down and designed and then sewed up our very own papoose for Pippa.

She loves the thing.  She will ride around in there all day.  She likes to keep her head and one leg out.  So, my envy bug is gone, it has been satisfied.  However, now Noelle has caught the bug.  She wants me to make one for her bunny.  So this weekend, we will make Oreo his very own papoose. Then, I am hoping the envy bug doesn't creep it's way back into our lives.  I like living my life of contentment, and now that my princess has a papoose, I am back to being content.

The Weight Is Lifted (literally)

But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given to her for a covering. 1 Corinthians 11:15

Oh how I laugh when I read that verse.  Long hair for me is a curse.  It is hot, it is heavy, it is tangled, and it is a ton of trouble. Not only do I have long hair, but when the Lord counts the number of hairs on my head, he has to count higher than he does for most people. It is so thick. So, long and thick hair in the amazing summer heat!  My husband loves it, I on the other hand hate it.  When I made the decision to go to China this summer, I committed to continuing the let it grow until we returned.  I knew that in China, it would be easiest to wash it and pull it up since I wouldn't have access to a hair dryer.  But while in China, I couldn't wait for the day to cut it all off.  So, today was the day.  I headed out with my "glorious" hair, a plastic baggy, a measuring tape, and some pony tail holders.  As soon as my hairstylist cut off my pony tail, the weight was finally lifted.  Now, my hair will truly become a blessing for someone else who needs it.

Three of my four children where not happy when I walked in with my new do.  They said they liked it better long.  However, my sweet Hope was precious when I walked in.  She said, "Seriously mom!  Oh my you look so cute.  I like it your hair short."  I love my sweet girl.  She knows how to make me smile. And of course, my precious Pippa still loves me too!  

Home and Final Thoughts

We made it home safe and sound.  Our flight from Beijing to Chicago was rather bumpy, but nothing that made me worry.  We were able to get some sleep.  We made it into Chicago at 7:30 in the morning.  We actually made it there 15 minutes before we left Beijing.  Try and wrap your head around that one.  So, we felt like we were living the day all over again that we had already lived.  Our flight out of Chicago to Atlanta was delayed due to a storm, so we waited an extra hour and a half to leave.  During that time, the jet lag began to settle in.  We were so exhausted, and trying to come up with interesting things to do to keep ourselves awake.  We were relieved when we finally got to board the plane.  It was wonderful on the Atlanta side to see my precious LeeLee's tears replaced with a huge smile and hugs.  Being reunited with the kids was wonderful.  Before we were even out of the airport parking lot, Hunter came out with this statement.....So, now Noelle has been to China, both the little girls have been to China, Dad has been to China, the only person that hasn't been to China is THIS GUY!.....So, I guess I will have to take my little man to China one day (I can't wait!!)

I wanted to take some time and update you all on all the things I couldn't say on my blog while in China....Our camp came under intense scrutiny by the local police.  There presence was felt all week, and it was like Satan was bearing down on our backs.  We had to be extra cautious about the things we said, and the things we did.  There are plenty of Chinese volunteers that help run these camps, and we were especially fearful for them.  We didn't want any alerts set up for them that would make their lives harder in China because they are Chinese Christians.  I kept reminding myself of the scene in the Bible where Jesus is on the mountain and Satan comes by and tell him to jump just so Jesus can show him his power.  Jesus looks at Satan and says, "Get behind me Satan!"  I just kept saying that out loud as our week progressed.  All in all, I felt that Satan did step down, because our mission was completed.  Seeds were planted, some lives will be changed.

There were some neat things that happened where we got to see God's mighty hand at work.  We had three translators come to camp who were already strong Christians.  These translators had a great impact on the other translators, maybe even more so, then the volunteers did.  There faith was amazing, encouraging, and humbling for me to watch.  They live in a place where the persecution in so alive and hard, yet their enduring faith shines in what they do.

All of the translators are only children due to China's one child policy, so none of them have ever really been around children.  Furthermore, they have never really been exposed to people with special needs since traditionally, the Chinese society looks at children with special needs as unlucky, so they become the outcasts, shunned by society as a whole.  I watched the translators squirm as the bus unloaded, and children in wheel chairs, kids with major cerebral palsy, and kids with downs syndrome came off of those buses.  As the week went on, it was neat to see the layers of fear peel off and be replaced with such love and affection for these kids.  They all of sudden realized that within each of these distorted bodies there was a child who more than anything just wanted to feel loved, feel excepted, and wanted to be a part of things just as any child would.  At the end of the week, I was walking back to the rooms with some of the translators, and they were talking about how the kids had moved their hearts, and I said,   "maybe you all should think about adoption one day" and to my surprise, one of them looked back at me and said, "I was just thinking the same thing.  I would love to adopt a child just like one of these one day."  I thought that was a beautiful statement coming from a 19 year old male who had just encountered special needs children for the first time.  How beautiful would that be if Chinese families started stepping out on faith to adopt these precious children with special needs.

We had an amazing camper this week named Albert.  Albert was 17 years old and was in a wheel chair. We had a talent show, and Albert got the microphone and said, "Let now give all our praise and attention to our heavenly father!"  He then began to sing worship song in Chinese.  I couldn't hold back the tears while he sang.  It was the most beautiful song I have ever heard. God used this precious orphan boy to deliver his message even we had to refrain from doing anything like that.  He had a captive audience of orphans and translators, so yet again, more seeds were planted.

There are so many other great things I could tell you about, but just know that God was at work...he was moving even though Satan was trying to stop him.  I covet each one of your prayers.  I would ask that you continue to pray for the camp.  God will reign victorious in the end.

The Journey Home Begins

We left Xi'an around 9 in the morning to start our journey home.  Because of the way our flight times worked, it meant that we would have to spend one more day in Beijing.  Noelle was excited about this because I told her we would venture out to Wanfujing for dinner and shopping.

When we got down there, the street vendors were just getting their food prepared.  Noelle looked a little worried when I showed her the scorpions on a stick and told her that is what we would be having for dinner.  It is amazing how many of these things are actually sold and eaten.

Instead of the street food, we headed to my favorite pizza in the world, Pizza Hut in China!!  Noelle didn't quite believe me that Pizza Hut in China was so good, but now she is a believer.  I don't know what it is about that pizza, but it is the best I have ever tasted. Or could it be, that I was just so starved for American food that anything would have tasted fabulous?

While we were eating, I saw tons of people taking their picture with this little monster.  Noelle laughed as each adult and child did the peace sign as they had the picture taken, so of course she had to do the traditional picture too.

In fact, it becomes habit to do the peace sign after you see so many kids and adults do it.  Hopefully we will both remember in the future to drop the hands.  We have had a marvelous time here with our Chinese friends.  We have made memories that will last a lifetime, friendships that will last into eternity, and seeds that have been planted, that will hopefully bloom. Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we head for the long journey home to America.  We thank you all for your prayers and for your support.

Please pray for our safe journey home. Pray for Xi'an Camp.  They have two more weeks of campers coming.  Pray for the other camp locations around China.  Pray for the new set of translators arriving today.  Praise him for a successful week here in China.

And the Party Ends

I can tell you that sleeping last night wasn't easy.  It was hard knowing that we would wake up and soon have to send our orphans back to the orphanage.  We have showered them with love, affection, attention, and gifts all week, yet we would have to put them back on a bus, knowing the situation that they were headed into.  My heart was heavy at breakfast already, because we found out that sweet Zhu Zhu could not be adopted after all.  We had a family for her and everything, but she has a living grandfather, and even though he does not care for her, he will not allow her to be adopted, which is what she desperately wants.  Diana, sensing the heaviness in the room decided to try and put a smile on all our faces.

After breakfast we went back to the room and the girls did make-up one final time.  I did Zhu Zhu's hair in french braids which has become her favorite hairstyle.

Everyone started taking lots of pictures knowing we would all be saying good bye soon.  This is Phoebe, with the girls.  She is on of our new Aussie friends.

We captured one last family photo before heading off to our last assembly.  This assembly is really hard to endure, because the kids write letters to us, and we write letters to the kids.  They are read at assembly, and as they are read, the tears start flowing.  It was so heart wrenching to see the faces of these children as they heard the words that they have so longed to hear, wo ai ni, or I love you.  

I want to take a minute to tell you about this precious boy.  His name is Lee.  He has cerebral palsy, a mild case.  However, because of that Lee was abandoned.  He has lived his whole life wanting a family.  He has had the best attitude at camp, and has really impressed us all.  When it came to letter reading time, he was already sobbing when it was his turn to have a letter read to him.  However, he didn't want to go up there to have his letter read.  He sat on the floor near me shaking from the tears that couldn't stop flowing.  His letter was read, and he never looked up.  Then when the end of the assembly came, and they dismissed us, finally his voice broke through the tears, and he asked if he could say something.  He got the microphone, and in Chinese he said, I really hope that a family will adopt me.  I want to be adopted.  Every volunteer in the room broke into a sobbing cry.  You know what is saddest about his request, he is 15, so the Chinese government will not allow him to be adopted.  All he wants is a family, and for him it will never happen.  He doesn't know he can't be adopted, so he waits everyday wondering if he will be chosen.   This is the reality of these kids lives, and it stinks.  My heart is broken for him, but I will pray that one day he finds the bigger family that I am a part of, and that he feels loved.

 Hugging their necks, and loading the buses was not easy.  Diana was very bull headed about the whole good bye thing.  She charged off almost emotionless, but once she was on the bus, she didn't want to break eye contact with me.

 Zhu Zhu on the other hand fell apart.  I know it is hard to tell from the picture, but she has tears streaming down her cheeks.  It was hard to let her go.  I had dreamed of the adoption possibilities for her, that it was hard to know that I was sending her back, and soon she would be just like Lee dreaming of a family that is never coming.  With as tough as today was, I would do it all over again.  I again am leaving a huge chunk of my heart right here in China.

 To lift some of the heavy load, some of the volunteers headed up to the "spa."  At the spa, they have some fish imported from Turkey that eat the dead skin off your feet.  What a strange feeling it was!!  It tickled at first, but then it was very relaxing once we got used to it.

Noelle deserved this reward too!  She has been an excellent servant to these kids this week.  Nothing about this week has been about her and seeing her heart in action has been a reward to me. 

We leave Xi'an in the morning to head back to Beijing. 

Please pray for safe travel for all of us as we head back.  Pray for these kids that lives are changed.  Pray for the translators, that seeds have been planted.  Also, pray for this camp.  They have two more weeks here.  I will explain more when I am home, but just pray that Satan would stand back.

Rain, Rain Go Away!

It stormed all night, then on into the morning.  We were all soaked from head to toe.  We didn't let the rain stop our fun though.  We did crafts early this morning and worked on memory books for the kids.  Then we played games.  After lunch we headed out on the public transportation to find McDonald's.  You will see from the picture above that the bus was quite crowded.  We introduced the girls to french fries, which they both loved.

We did freeze dancing, and Diana really got into that.  She was hilarious.  She showed us that she really does have some mad dancing skills.  She is so unbelievably smart.  She can write the English letters.  She can carry on a very clear conversation, and is so amazingly full of personality.  She was designed specifically to make others smile, I just know it.

It is hard to believe that Diana and Noelle are only one year apart in age.

All week at the end of the night, Zhu Zhu and Noelle will read together.  Zhu Zhu will read in Chinese, then Noelle in English.  Zhu Zhu can read just as well as Noelle in English, but she still wants Noelle to do it so she can learn more.  It is so sweet to put these precious angels to bed.  I am sad that tonight was my last night to tuck them in, and to sweetly say Wo Ai Ni, and good night.

Noelle and I have to take a little trek back to our room.  On our way tonight, we stumbled upon this little creature.  I assume it is a porcupine, but I am really not sure. I'm just glad we didn't step on it.

Please just still be in fervent prayer for this camp.  We have sick kids now, two of them.  Micah, one of the volunteers is doing better.  Carol still has a swollen ankle from falling off a narrow foot bridge, and today, Shiloh, one of our Chinese volunteers slipped on the wet stone and fell and sliced open her hand.  She now has stitches.  I have some important unspoken requests, so just please be praying for this camp.

Hump Day

 We hit the local lake right after breakfast this morning and took the kids on a boat ride.  It was fun to watch the kids.  They were all so excited to get on a boat and get out on the water.  We were in the slow moving boat you see in the background.

I sat with Diana to keep her from jumping through the window.  I told her I really didn't want to have to jump in and fish her out.  She just laughed!

This is one of my new Aussie friends.  Our camp is filled with them.  They are fun and I am learning all sorts of new terms such as winging, nappies, wasted, and my favorite, mozzies.  Mozzies are mosquitos, and they are horrible.  In fact tonight at our meeting on of the Australians asked for a Mozzie Zapper.  I love it!!

 After the lake ride, we took the kids to a little carnival area.  Noelle and Zhu Zhu were able to play bumper cars.  There was so much laughter.  Diana and I did a smaller kiddie ride.  She was disappointed to not do the bumper cars like the big girls.

I guess you could say that Diana had a little to much sugar on our outing.  On the way home, everytime we hit a bump, she would start laughing uncontrolalby.  She had the whole bus laughing along with her.

This afternoon, the girls did makeup and dress up.  One of the older boys told me they looked like queens.  It was so sweet to see them having such a good time.

I won't post much about it, but please just go into a fervent prayer for our camp!!!  We need prayer right now!!

Wo Ai Ni, I Love You!

This picture cracks me up.  Noelle and I look like the only ones that are happy to be here, but I can assure you, these are not the usual faces that I see.  This is our "family group"  Noelle and I are the volunteers, Jane (on the right) and Jane 2 (on the left) are our translators.  Then of course Diana and Zhu Zhu are our campers.

Jane is doing great helping us to translate.  She is an amazing young woman.  She is 18 years old, so I am impressed with her age that she was willing to give a week of her time to do this camp.  She has been invaluable to Noelle and I.  She is also learning to have a handle on Diana, and not give into everything she wants.  We were able to spend some great quality one on one time with her today when we headed out to find underwear for sweet Diana.

Jane 2 is struggling with her English.  It was obvious the moment that we met the translators, that Jane 2 just seemed a little different.  Come to find out, she was a orphan at this camp last year.  She has now aged out, and can speak just a little English, so she asked if she could come as a translator.   That just shows you what this camp means to these kids.  She wanted so desperately to not miss one of the highlights of her life, that she was willing to try to come back as an English speaker.  My heart aches for her.  I hear all the time of orphans who have aged out, but to be face to face with one who is trying to make on the other side of the aging out process is tough to see.  So, it really seems like I have three orphans and one translator,  because Jane is having to help me translate conversations to Jane 2.  I wouldn't change any of this.  I have the most precious little "family"!

Now there is the smile I was telling you we generally see.

This is my girl!!  Today they asked me what awards I would like to give my children, and I said that Diana would need most active, but I couldn't stop giving out praise words for sweet Zhu Zhu.  I said, Best All Around.

 One of the many faces of Diana!  This girl will keep you laughing.  She has a smile that is infectious.

I'm going to leave you with this picture.  This is Aaron.  He is five years old, and one of the most precious boys you would ever meet.  He has post operative hydrocephalus, and left side motor issues.  But let me tell you, he can get around just fine, and there is nothing wrong with his mind.  He is smart as a whip.  He is bonding really well with his volunteer, and he actually was excited to see her today after she had to leave for an unexpected trip.  He jumped up and ran to her and gave her the biggest kiss on the lips!!  I guess you all have figured that I am writing all of this because his file is done, and he is available for adoption.  He would make someone a great son!! If anyone is interested in Aaron, please let me know.  I would love to see him find a great home.

Please keep the prayers coming.  We have one sick volunteer, Micah, who was not even able to get out of bed today.  Please pray that we all stay safe on our outing tomorrow to ride on boats and bumper cars.  Pray that families would come forward for these precious kids. 

The Campers are Here!

I don't think I have ever been so excited to see a bus in all my life!  I couldn't wait to see the precious little campers that God was bringing us to love on for him. 

One of the first of the bus was our precious Diana.  She is nine years old, and has Downs Syndrome.  She is more along the lines of a three year old.  The best word I can use to describe her is SPITFIRE!!  She has personality plus.  The minute you tell her no, she sticks out her tongue.  I believe that she and I will be butting heads this week, but I am so in love with her already.

Then there is this precious girl.  Her name is Zhu Zhu, and she is thirteen years old.  She has the sweetest personality, and has bonded instantly with Noelle.  They have had fun today playing and getting to know each other.  It is amazing how language barriers fade away for children.  Zhu Zhu is the big helper for all the kids at camp.  She knows how to take care of all of them.  She is the only camper that is here who doesn't have a special need. I have fallen in love with her, how could you not.  For those of you in the adoption world, you will understand that the moment she looked at me and said she was thirteen, I teared up.  I knew that it was only a matter of time before the dream of a family would be closed for her.  So, friends, this precious girl has until March to find a family, and yes, she is available. If anyone wants more information, please contact me. 

We jumped right in doing activities with the kids.  We made these cute masks that Diana decided to wear upside down.

We did some fun face painting, and both Noelle and I were brave enough to let Diana paint our faces.  I decided that she may be a Picasso in training.

 Here is the outcome of our face painting extravaganza.

We also had water gun fights.  I lost.  While we are talking about losing, I also lost at Duck, Duck, Goose.  I lost on purpose because I had the cutest little guy chasing me with cerebral palsy, and I wanted to let him catch me.  So, I graciously went to the stink pot.  However, at the end of the game, I learned that because I was in the stink pot, that I had to sing a duet, with the only other person in the stink pot.  So, everyone was well entertained.  It has been a long day.  This is the latest we have been awake since arriving in China, so I am ready to turn in.

Please pray for the translators.  I will explain more about them tomorrow, but please pray for them.  Pray for our week here, and that we would be able to keep up our energy to chase after sweet Diana.  Pray for my precious Zhu Zhu, that we can bring her a hope that she doesn't know.  Also, please begin praying that God would move mountains for her to be able to find a family.  Pray for the safety of our camp, and that God would continue to allow us to be his hands and feet here to accomplish a mighty purpose.

Safe in Xi'an

We headed out of Beijing early this morning.  The good-byes with Angela were very hard.  I think we all even teared up a little!! We had a great flight to Xi'an.  We were picked up by John, and he helped us get to our camp.  It is great here, the perfect set up for camp. We met lots of staffers, and some volunteers, it really is an instant family.  All the translators arrived today, so we were able to eat dinner with them.  They barely ate, which we thought was funny, since we were eating the unrecognizable food and they weren't.  They finally confessed that they were really nervous.  I am so excited for each one of them, and the possibilities that this camp brings.

The campers arrive tomorrow!! I can't wait.  I think I got a glimpse of who our campers are, and I can tell you I am excited!

Please pray for safe travel for our campers tomorrow.  Pray for the nervousness to fade quickly for these young translators.  Pray that we will all be the hands and feet that he needs us to be this week.
(Joy, yes, Josh and Micah are here, they arrived safely by train this afternoon, I will send them your regards in the morning)

Busy Day

Noelle, Angela, and I hit the ground running this morning.  We headed out first thing to the Temple of Heaven.  I learned lots of intersting Chinese history there, and had a great time watching the local people dancing in the park.  This temple is no longer used for worship, it has now just become a park.  Noelle ventured out and joined in on some of the dancing.  The locals had a great time taking pictures of her trying to dance.

 To get a break from the heat, we headed to one of my favorite places, the silk factory.  Noelle learned all about silk worms and got to see just how much thread comes out of one worm. They even let us stretch the silk from the double cocoon to help make a comforter.

 We didn't have much of a break from the heat, we ended up at Tienanmen Square.  I learned many more stories about this area that I didn't know.  Noelle and I couldn't help ourselves, we had to take a traditional Chinese picture here with our peace symbols (for the reference of people who don't know much about this culture, it is actually a V for victory.)

After the square, we charged through the Forbidden City at lightening speed.  We were all dripping in sweat, and Noelle at one point even got out her umbrella so she could get some relief from the sun.  Angela and I were laughing because the day before, we were all making fun of the people with umbrellas.  Because we literally sprinted through the Forbidden City, we had a little extra time so we decided to hit my favorite shopping district in Beijing.

We finished up our touring with the Chinese Acrobat Team.  They were amazing.  After the show, we headed to a Peking Duck Dinner.  It was delicious!! 

I am so thankful to Angela for all she has done for us the last few days.  She has been invaluable to us!! Tomorrow we head out for Xi'an.  I don't know what our internet connection will be like there, so this may be my last update until I return home.We are so tired now, and getting ready to turn in for our early morning wake up call.

Please pray for our travel tomorrow.  Pray for our whole team, that they all arrive in Xi'an safely.

I Love This Place!!!

 I LOVE CHINA!!!  Can I just say that a thousand times, and shout it from the rooftops? Of course I have a special connection to China because it is the homeland of my two daughters, but it is something else.  I haven't quite figured it out yet, but it is so wonderful to be back. 

Noelle and I both slept great last night.  So, we are doing well with the time change.  We were both startled by our wake up call this morning.  We grabbed a quick breakfast, then headed out with Angela to give Noelle a whirlwind tour of Beijing. 

 We took a rickshaw tour this morning.  We visited the home of a local family, and saw how they lived.  She told us lots of the local customs, and let us tour her home.  It was very neat to see and learn about.  Noelle and I both decided we would never complain about the size of our kitchen again.

 After the rickshaw tour, we went to lunch.  Angela ordered us all kinds of food.  We laughed at her quite a bit when she ordered us a bacon dish.  When it came out to the table, she said, "Here is the bacon, and a very special vegetable underneath."  Of course we probed her about the "special vegetable" and she never would tell us what it was.  I can tell you though, that it didn't look like a vegetable.  The large tower in the picture is actually potatoes.  They are covered in honey and fried.  They were a tasty treat that I never would have expected.

 The highlight of the day was definitely the Great Wall.  When we got there, I thought I would be riding up in the cable car like I did last time.  If you have heard Paul or I tell the story, I thought I was going to die in the cable car.  You should have seen my eyes when I realized we were not riding in a cable car, we were riding on the "cableway."  That is a fancy name for a ski lift that is 300 feet off the ground. I tried so hard to be brave, so I hopped right on, only to quickly close my eyes and start praying.  Praise the Lord, we made it to the top.

Once we got to the top, we realized just how humid it really was.  I have only ever felt that kind of humidity in Mexico.  We ventured out through 8 watch towers, catching our breath with the breezes that blow through each one.  Once we got back to the cableway drop off, then the real fun was to begin.

At the top of my bucket list has been bobsledding down the Great Wall.  This time, we were able to go.  It was so much fun!!!  I loved every second of it.  If it wasn't for the cableway, I would have gone right back up and done it again.  However, I figured that I needed to thank the Lord for safely delivering me to the top once, and I didn't need to push it.

I need my prayer warriors to begin praying for camp this next week.  Please pray for the campers and translators. I feel so blessed to get to be a part of something so special.  Pray that Noelle and I will be ready for whatever challenges come our way, and that we would continually show grace and mercy to those around us.