Goodbyes

July 12th

Of course I would break my camera and get sick the last day we were here…

just my luck. But as I sit here on this 8 hour train ride from Chenzhou to

Beijing I cannot help but feel like I am missing something, or better yet,

someone. Forever a piece of my heart will be in Chenzhou. The way those

nannies showed that they love us just as much as we love them, the way they

followed along, and even sang along with the Chinese version of our song

"You Are Holy". All of these things showed that they care; they are accepting

of us. One of the nannies that we call Liz gave us each a necklace, which

was so sweet. We all got a gift from the director who even cried when she

left us at the train station, when we all exchanged hugs and goodbyes.

We had a celebration today. They had all kinds of fruit and peanuts set

out for us, and we took a group picture of all the nannies, the kids, and

us. Then we did performances. The older kids did a few, then just the

school kids, then just Dennis and Taylor. They did a “Street dance” with

hats and sunglasses that was hilarious! Then the older kids did motions to a

song that the nannies and the director sang. It was really heartfelt and

moving. We sang our song and I am sure that it was not good, but we sang

from the heart and to our Lord. It was really encouraging to see the

nannies and director singing along and following with our song we gave to

them in Chinese. They bought a huge three layer cake for us all and one of

the school boys came and sat with me and was eating all of my fruit. I had only partially eaten because we were scared of getting sick. And then they passed out the cake to all of us girls first

and I ate a little bit. It was really good and the boy really wanted it so I

gave him the rest and then they came around and gave all of the kids their

own piece so they were going crazy and making such a mess with the cake and

all of the fruit. I mean it was EVERYWHERE. But at least we know that  they

really enjoyed it!

When we sat in the train station waiting for our train just after saying

goodbye to the nannies and the director who tagged along on our bus to see

us off, we got many stares and I was asked to take a few pictures with

people, along with some of the others in the group. We ate lunch at the

orphanage today after saying goodbye to the kids, but none of us were

really in the mood to eat. After a quick lunch, some of the nannies and

the director walked back to the orphanage with us so we could get our stuff

and then ride a bus to the train station where we said goodbye. We showed

the nannies and the director one of the videos one of the girls made of

pictures from the trip and they seemed to really enjoy it. They asked for us

to send it to them and one nanny asked for Annie to put it on her memory

card for her. The train ride was interesting. 8 hours is a long time but it

was better than having to deal with the airport. We met up with our new

guide that will be with us the next two days and he took us to the hotel.

Tomorrow is when we visit the Great Wall, and go shopping! So It will be a

fun day. Knowing that I am not waking up to go to the orphanage tomorrow is

really hard to accept.

The view out my window on this train seeing the mountains and hills and

small villages, big cities, but it just reminds me that I am just getting

further and further away from my sweet babies.

I hate goodbyes. I am no good at them. I usually tend to make things

awkward, and saying goodbye today was terrible. Saying goodbye to the

nannies was hard. But saying goodbye to kids was horrible. I was trying to

do it as quick as possible while still savoring those last few moments. It

didn’t feel real. It didn’t feel like we were really leaving. When I went to

the baby room, Emerson was luckily not on an IV at the time. She had just

gotten off of it and she was about to get her bottle so I fed her and got

to hold her and snuggle and kiss her for a while before we had to leave. By

that time after telling her I loved her in Chinese and English a hundred

times I kissed her a few more times after placing her in her crib and could

not stop the tears. Her nanny hugged me and kissed me on the cheek, and she

was crying also with those of us in that room. They had her in the adorable

outfit I put her in days ago and that made me happy. I just can’t help but

wonder what will happen to them once we are gone. I mean I know those

nannies love them and do their very best to take good care of them, but

there are only so many nannies, and only so much that they can do. With more

hands it is easier to take care of so many children. I am scared that the

babies will not be held or picked up and will be confined to their cribs to

entertain themselves. It breaks my heart because if I had to sit in an

orphanage day after day I would go absolutely insane. Think about how many

of those kids might be more mentally there if they were not wasting away in

an orphanage. Think about if they had a loving family how much they could

be changed.

It hurts me that most of the kids there will not leave. What is

to become of the least of these? What are we doing to help? Think about

what you could give up so that they could have a little more. I know I sure

have been thinking about what more I can do for not just them, but orphans in

general. God specifically says to take care of the orphans. Why are we not

obeying? Since when can we pick and choose which directions he gives to follow?

If Only...

July 11, 2013

If I was just a little older…. She would be mine. I would have turned the paperwork in the day I first saw Emerson. It does not even matter to me that I am not married nor will I be anytime soon. I would still take her in a heartbeat. It may sound crazy but in a way it felt like she was mine.  I was trying to think of ways I could make it work, get my parents to file for adoption and I just claim her as mine until I am legally able to adopt her. But obviously I know none of that would work.. if only.

It is weird how certain kids are drawn to you or you are drawn to them, a bond you would not have gotten to experience if not for going on this trip. I just cannot get over the pure joy these kids have, they are  ecstatic to play with a wet wipe…. How many of you could say that your child would be entertained for a good while with one? I am sure not many, these kids do not have much but they have a a lot more of the important stuff than some of the rest of us. They have love, they have constant joy, they are happy though they could rightfully be mad, upset, and closed off to the world. But these kids look past that, they look past what their past was and they see in the here and now. I think that is what a lot of us are missing, trying to see the good in the world. We need to look for the positive, seek it out. We need to have faith like a child, and love like we have never been hurt. Because let me tell you, these kids have seen more hurt in their lifetime than most of us do and that’s horrific.

The orphanage had us over for dinner again, and we are having lunch there tomorrow. Which is special because in previous years this has not happened. The cook prepared a huge meal and it was delicious! We prayed before we ate and Steve our guide translated it for the nannies and the director. Then she gave a speech thanking us for all that we do, and for having a team return each year, etc. She is a very diplomatic lady and even she got teary eyed, which was really sweet. It is obvious that she, along with all of the nannies, loves those kids and wants what is best for them. I am so thankful that they are open to many options, especially about sending the two heart babies to New Hope Foundation where they can get surgery and the proper care they need. After dinner we all took pictures with the nannies and took a group photo us, and the nannies as a team because that is what we are. We are all there for one reason, those kids and trying to make their lives a little better.

We went to a bead store on the way back from the orphanage this morning and a few of us chose some bracelets. But the lady who worked there had no idea what we were saying and we had no idea what she was saying, but luckily a 13 year old girl walked by and said hello to us so she asked her to come in and translate for us. And of course we got another picture with all of them.

We went outside with the big kids for an hour this morning and made paper chains and we did those little animals or shapes that you drop into hot water and they form into their shape out of the capsule. They loved this and then later when we were with them again in the afternoon we let them draw on their own slap bracelets and we “decorated” cookies. Well, we put  a blob of icing on the cookie with a little wooden spoon for them to spread it out with. And then they ate them, A LOT of them and were on a major sugar high! So things got a little crazy in that room.

Just seeing the differences in the kids from the first day is amazing. They were all great, but are just so much more even now, and they just blow my mind. How smart, and loving they are in these conditions.

I thought that I would really struggle with my patience on this trip and that I would get stressed out and frustrated, which I did a few times, but it was nothing compared to what I thought it might be. You look at those kids and you just cannot be mad, or upset. They are just too darn cute and too sweet. Yes, they may be rough sometimes, but they do not have structure and almost all of them have some special need that makes it that much harder. But my patience came easy with them.

We leave tomorrow and I am dreading it… saying goodbye to those kids and nannies is going to be one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Knowing that most of those kids will never leave that orphanage saddens me. But I also have to realize I can’t fix everybody, I cannot fix everything… This trip has taught me a lot, that I need to rely on God more and not try and do everything myself, and many other lessons. I am so glad for my time here in Chenzhou and I will miss all of them so much! They will forever be in my heart.

Pure Joy

July 10th

We only got to be at the orphanage for half the day today and it was in

the morning when Emerson is on an IV so I did not get to hold her but for

just a few minutes before she got put on it. The other half of the day was

spent resting and relaxing, and some of us went shopping for the kids. We

got the school kids a few outfits and we also got underwear and we are

getting every child a new pair of shoes. We then had dinner at KFC again

where I ate mashed potatoes and French fries with a peach tea. I was glad

to not have to eat the meat. My meal was very good, and even better

when we all got ice cream afterwards!

Joy. These kids know pure joy. Nothing melts my heart more than having

sweet Cameron, a little boy with downs, run the whole length of the hallway

and run and jump into my arms with a huge smile on his face which he is

never without. He gives the best hugs; he squeezes like he is never going

to let go.

We celebrated one of the baby’s 2nd birthday so it was an excuse to get a

cake and get the babies all messy. They were so cute and absolutely loved

the cake, even though most of it ended up on their faces and even some on

hands and feet.

After playing with the babies for a little bit we went outside with the

big kids so they could run around and get some energy out. We put tattoos

on them and they wanted them EVERYWHERE, their hands, legs, arms, face. It

was hilarious, and they loved it! The nannies also gave them suckers so

that kept most of them pretty quiet for a little while. We noticed a lot of

cavities in their teeth, and I know that none of them ever get them

brushed, so they are just going to get worse and worse. I know most people

don’t like going to the dentist, but be thankful that you have the

capability of getting dental care. We are so fortunate and I think that we

forget how lucky we are a lot of the time.

 

We always have water bottles with us, because it is so hot and we sweat so

much, but none of us ever drink it all so we usually end up giving a lot to

kids. I never see them drink water, and they have got to be so dehydrated,

so if they see us take a drink they want it. They will beg for some water,

so naturally we just give them the rest, pouring a little into each kids

mouth.

In devotion tonight Amy brought up that when we are broken and empty that

that is when we need to let go and let God. When we have nothing else to

give, that is when we need to let him do his powerful work, because he can

and will if we put all of our trust in Him. He wants us to rely fully on

Him and not try and fix everything ourselves because whether we like it or

not we do not always know what is best for our lives.

Knowing that we only have a day and a half left with the kids makes me so

sad, but I intend to make the best out of it and cherish every moment that

happens. Sometimes I think I am ready to be home, but I do not want to

leave these kids. I wish I could take every single one of them home with

me. My life would be complete if I could!

My Heart Was Breaking Today...

Good news! Two of the babies with heart conditions, Sarah and Charlotte (who is blue), got to go to the hospital today to get tests done to see if they can be helped by New Hope Foundation. This was such a blessing and answer to prayer because we have all been really worried about them.

My heart was breaking today as I walked into the baby room where Emerson is and she is on an IV and being checked by doctors. They put them on IVs for EVERYTHING, even just a cold. I have no idea why the doctors were there, but I hate to see the kids tied up in the chairs when they get those IVs. They just sit there and cry and you cannot pick them up to comfort them so it is just really sad.

Today we played with the babies for an hour when we first got there, and then we played with the big kids outside for two hours. Then we left, and we came back at 3 and played with the babies for an hour and a half then played with the big kids for an hour. I finally got to hold Emerson, but her congestion is getting worse so I am a little worried about her. Her breathing is more labored and she sounds wheezy and is coughing. I cannot believe that in 2 and half days we have to say goodbye to these kids…. I am getting teary eyed just thinking about it.

Back to Emerson again…. Amy (another team member) and I were talking today, and realized that I don’t even notice Emerson's cleft palate and cleft lip anymore. It is like it is not even there. All I see is a beautiful, happy, sweet, sweet, sweet baby girl. Obviously it is still there, but it is so fixable and she is already a gorgeous baby. Seeing these kids and what they go through, loving the least of these makes me realize that we are so superficial, judgmental and honestly stupid for a lot of the ways we think, view things and do things. Because in reality the things we treasure most, the things we find important are not at all. They are almost always a waste of time. Love is looking at the outside but SEEING what is on the inside.

  



It is just really sad to me that so many kids are adoptable, they would fit great into a family, but all the laws and rules about waiting a certain amount of time and how they are eligible frustrates me. There is a boy we call Taylor. He was abandoned by his parents, came to the orphanage then his grandfather came and picked him up, but then was unable to take care of him so he had to go back. Now he waits until they can start his paperwork. He deserves to be in a family now; he is so smart, extremely helpful to the nannies with all of the younger kids, and really sweet. But then there are also the kids who never will be adopted, the ones who will age out sitting in the orphanage. What I don’t get is how you choose who is acceptable to be on the list to be adopted or not. These kids are no different. Well yes, they may look a little different, or act in a certain way but they are loving, and special just the same. I think everyone should have an equal chance at family. But then again I also understand that it costs money to add a child to the list and they try and choose who they think will be adopted the quickest, and also that there is a limit to how many can be on the list.

There is this little boy named PJ that sits on a little pot all day long and just shakes his head side to side with his eyes wide open. It is honestly a disturbing sight. But for the past couple of days he has gotten more used to us we have given him more attention and he will let us hold him, and he goes outside now. He doesn’t talk, well most of the kids don’t do more than laugh and grunt. But laughter means the same thing in every language so of course we can understand that. Today I got him up off the pot and pulled him onto my lap, (he also wears split pants) which is something that does not even phase me now, a lot of the kids do and so do kids on the street, sometimes without pants at all. That is one thing that is totally different from how we do it in America. But back to PJ; he let me hold him and rub his back and hug and kiss him which is big because he is so stiff does not really like being touched and just seems to be scared. I was glad that he was willing to let me hold him today.

I finally got Ben to laugh. He is such a loner and loves to play by himself because he can have all of the toys that way. But I tried to get him used to me a little bit and I was playing with him and I started throwing him up in the air and he absolutely loved it. He was giggling and it was the cutest thing. They say he has a blood disorder but you would never know it.

We gave the nannies their books today that have letters and pictures from various people, some kids who were adopted from there, their parents etc. And they really seemed to enjoy them. Steve, our guide, translated all of the letters to Chinese and had both in there for them.

China is so loud. All the time there are hundreds of different smells, horns honking, people singing, bells ringing, music playing and other noises. It is something I am not sure I could ever completely get used to. I like to be able to not see the street lights and hear every single sound of the city outside my window.

I really appreciate everyone’s prayers. They have helped me tremendously. This trip is wonderful, a beautiful experience, but also extremely exhausting, both physically and mentally. I believe with all my heart God has called me to work with Chinese orphans in some way. I have not figured out exactly what that is but I think that’s okay. Whatever it is, He has definitely been preparing me for it with this trip.

I think one of the hardest things to remember is that this is NOT about us. It is not about what I can get out of this trip. It is about what I can GIVE throughout this trip, how I can show/give love, which then shows Christ.

Church with the kids

Sunday July 7, 2013

Church was…. An experience. I am so thankful we got to pick some of the big kids up from the orphanage and take them there even though they have absolutely no attention span. Two of the nannies tagged along and they each took a child. And we had 11 kids with us. First of all it is only 8:45 in the morning and already deathly hot so we tried to look a little nicer today, like in longer skirts and such but we were so sweaty! When we got to church they sent us to the balcony and we all sat the kids in between us. They were actually really good and even though we couldn’t understand any of the service, I am glad that we were able to go and bring them. The more that people see, the more that they might want to help. It was miserably hot as there was no air conditioning and there were quite a few people there. We were all soaked with sweat. We went in very prepared. We had Hello Kitty coloring books, and crayons, suckers, and fruit snacks. Most of the kids begged us for our water so we gave some of them that too. I was in charge of a 3 year old, a little one we call “Dora” and she did really well, surprisingly. We did not get to play with the babies today, but I of course had to go love on my baby Emerson and sweet Jenny for a little bit before we left for church.  We called it a day after lunch and went back to the hotel; some of us chose to do a little exploring and shopping.

We ate lunch at the orphanage and we had all sorts of good food! It was probably one of the best meals since we have been here, and for dinner we went to Pizza Hut. Steve, our guide, and the waitress could not get it through their heads that we ONLY wanted pizza. They were so confused. This Pizza Hut was a sit down nice restaurant and they had combo meals like pizza, pasta, salad, chicken wings, and cake, and some fancy drink. But all we wanted was cheese and pepperoni pizza with Pepsi and no ice! So finally after an hour of waiting to be seated (while we explored Walmart) and then a good 20 minutes trying to order we finally got our pizza!! It was delicious and all of us were stuffed! Steve said it was so much cheese and not enough variety that he had to walk back. We had taken the public bus, so he walked and we rode the bus. We saw a bus pass by that was so packed full that I almost started having an anxiety attack. I would not have been able to get in a bus like that without having full blown anxiety, and my anxiety is already up so high worrying about the plane crash that just happened! Thankfully, our bus did not have that many people. It was crowded but I could handle it.

Our devotion today was called a date with God. Each of our hotel rooms had two stations in them with an “activity” small devotion, to do. At one, we wrote notes of love/encouragement to each team member, we wrote what we were thankful for especially for those who helped us to get on this trip. We highlighted verses in our guide's bible we are giving him. We wrote words on a mirror to describe how God sees us and how He is changing us and working in our hearts to make us better women. We looked at the fruits of the spirit, and which ones we needed to focus on the most, mine being patience. We asked God to show us who from Chenzhou to be praying specifically for this week. Along with many other things to get our minds focused and right on the Lord.

Most of yall who know me know that I do not like crowds/loudness, being really hot, and confined spaces. All of which you cannot get around in China. So people may say, well this is not the place for you, or why did you come then? I came to love on these kids, nothing else is as important right now. And  things like this will be uncomfortable, you are in a foreign city, with foreign people, and foreign food. But sometimes uncomfortable is good. We need to be pushed a little bit to grow. And I would not let my fears/ anxieties stop me from doing what God has called me to do.

I am constantly reminded of the verse I chose as my verse for the trip. John 3:30 “He must become greater, and I must become less”. How true is that? For God to become the center of our lives we have to take us out of it and out him and others before ourselves. We must know that not everything is about us, and that in order for us to bow down to Him as the King that He is we have to make less of ourselves and give Him more of us to use for His will. We are merely servants doing our masters work, and in order to serve others with the right mind, and attitude you must become humble.

The older kids making crafts: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch at the Orphanage

 

 



 

 

Look at all those Dumplings

Here are a few more pictures from the afternoon of making dumplings.



Random Thoughts

Saturday July 7^th 2013

“He must become Greater, and I must become less” John 3:30

I am sorry in advance for all the randomness in this. I am just spilling my thoughts and emotions onto here and not really worried about organizing.

Today was a BIG day.

This morning some of us played with the big kids outside and some played with the babies inside. It was extremely hot today and I wanted to give some of the babies some attention so I stayed inside. I went straight to the baby room and there was a doctor there giving a heart baby oxygen, (her name is Charlotte and she is very blue), and giving some babies IV’s. I went around to all the beds and gave the ones that were awake some attention. Emerson was trying to feed herself a bottle and with a cleft palate that is hard to do. So I picked her up and fed her, and took her into the playroom. She is the most easy going, happy baby. I feel bad for the nanny in the baby room; she does it all by herself! There are 12 babies in there and she has her hands full with a lot of special needs. I commend her for doing such an amazing job, even though I know that it is tiring and difficult, but she always has that beautiful smile on her face.

Today was DUMPLING DAY! The nannies and our team of 12 plus Steve our guide made over 1,000 dumplings as soon as we got back to the orphanage this afternoon. The nannies rolled out the dough and cut it up then rolled out the small pieces into circles. Then threw them like discs down the big table to us so we could fill them with the meat/vegetable mixture. They got to teach us how to make these dumplings, to form them just right, it was really cool. We got to see their personalities, and really connect more with them. We all worked together to provide a meal for all of us plus the older kids, plus all the elderly who live in the building. We really enjoyed doing this, enjoyed spending time with just the nannies letting them get to relax for a little bit before they had to take care of the kids again, and just being able to learn something from them. They said they had not made dumplings there since 2008, and that none of these kids had eaten them before. So the big kids got to eat something new and special that we got to help prepare for them and they loved it!

 





Mia broke my heart today. She came up to me today and wanted to be held, wanted to hug, and for me to lift her so she could jump up and down. I did and then we noticed she had something in her mouth and when she saw that we noticed she clamped her mouth shut and would not open it. We finally got her to and we think it was a piece of food, so luckily nothing harmful. It makes me sad because why would she keep that hidden there? To save for later in case she didn’t get enough or what?



You really have to make sure that you are not always picking up the cutest ones, or only giving attention to a few. ALL these kids NEED love and God doesn’t choose favorites, so why should we? Instead choose the ones that need it the most, the ones sitting in the corner. The ones who do not get picked up from their cribs.

I had someone tell me that I must have a lot of patience, today. And to be honest that’s one of the first times I have heard that. Patience is my word that I have been working on. For New Year’s resolution our team decided to pick one word to focus on that we really struggle with that God was telling us we needed to work on, instead of something like eat better, and go to the gym. I have never really had a lot of patience, but thinking on it I think that I have really been doing well on this trip. I seem to have a lot of patience with these kids, and not being able to understand the nannies or them, but trying to figure it out so that we do not step on any toes or offend them. God has been teaching me how to deal with my impatience and has been giving me challenges it seems for a while now, so that I would be ready for this trip.

They keep on giving us water, bottle after bottle after bottle. I cannot wait for some sweet tea and raspberry, peach sweet tea from Sonic. I love water but I might be a little bit watered out for a few days after we get back. I realize that it is hot and with how much we sweat we need to drink a lot, but it is hard to remind yourself of that.

Another AMAZING thing is that the big kids that are off at school got to come back for tonight and tomorrow, to see us, and we asked the director if we could take them to church with us tomorrow.  Although she was hesitant at first she AGREED. This is big and a prayer answered! We are taking 9 kids with us and I'm sure they will get bored and antsy and we won’t be able to understand the service at all! But we are going in hopes to build a connection there and then in the community to help the orphanage and continue what we are doing after we have to leave.

It is amazing how open they are being to our ideas about building the sensory wall, and making the place a safer better place for the kids to live, play, and hopefully learn. They are opening up to us, and letting us be more a part of their lives and it is such a blessing. The closer we get in  the closer we get to being able to lead them to Christ which is the ultimate goal.

Misunderstood

Friday July 5, 2013

Misunderstood. That is what most of these kids are. There are a few who at first glance you may think are mean spirited. But look at their situation, look at how they are living and give them a break. They always want to hold something because that means that they have something of their own, but there is hardly enough to go around. We fed them these little buddy fruits, the fruit in the pouches yesterday and they swarmed us, and devoured them and were begging for more… for the kids in our country these could be an everyday snack and for the kids in the orphanage it is very rare. They take each other’s toys because there is not always enough to play with. There is this one little girl we call her Mia. And at first I just thought she was mean, she would bite and hit and scream and push. But as the days are flying by I see that maybe she is just misunderstood. She is trying to be heard, trying to show what she wants but since she can’t talk, and she is about 7 years old. I have seen her clap and encourage a little girl using a walker we brought today. I think she is a sweet girl, it may just take a little more patience and guidance to bring the best out of her.



 We have spent the past two mornings with the bigger kids outside, and today we celebrated the 4^th of July with red white and blue bubbles, and we played a Chinese game where you sing in the middle and then run around the circle and put the handkerchief by someone else who then in turn tries to catch you and then if they cant sings in the middle. We also did crafts, and used A TON of stickers. They were everywhere on faces, paper, the floor. The kids had a blast and it was more structured so they were using their motor skills. Teaching kids to blow bubbles is not as easy as it seems. Some of the kids who are more with it knew just what to do, and we let them have their own. But some of the others…… one could not get the concept of blowing gently, he just spit everywhere! A few others would not blow enough and got sad when the bubbles would not come. So we had to blow the bubbles and hold it for them to blow them and this went on for a good hour and a half.



The second half of the day we spent with the sweet babies. I picked up Jenny my sweet, happy girl from her crib and played with her for a while. Then I went and got Emerson a baby girl with a cleft lip and cleft palate from her crib and fed her. “I named her Emerson today”. She is so happy and loves to move around. I dressed her up in this cute little cherry outfit with a ruffle on the bottom, that Lynn McKinney donated along with many other clothes, and took tons of pictures.

I love these kids… they are the sweetest most loveable children in the world. And I do not know how because they have not seen a whole lot of love. Don’t get me wrong; those nannies love those kids and they show some affection, but there are way more kids than nannies and they just do not have enough hands. One on one attention is hard to come by unless, I hate to say it but unless you are one of their favorites.



They need so much and it just makes me mad at myself for having so much that I don’t need. I would be willing to give up so much just to see that they get all that they need and want.

We were talking tonight at dinner about people asking us why we were going on this trip, or what we were going to do. And most people assume we would be building/painting/fixing things. And sometimes have a look of disapproval or confusion when we tell them we are going to love on some kids. Think about the effect loving on kids living in an orphanage can have. Look at all of our pictures, read all of our blog posts. See that we are passionate about these children, passionate for their well being, and passionate about showing Christ’s unconditional, unfailing love to them. We want to be sure we put a smile on their faces that when we leave for the day they are excited and joyful and ready for another day tomorrow. They need love and affection just like any other human being, and we are giving that to them. (Of course, babies who are smothered with love are healthier and happier than babies who experience minimal physical contact. “Kissing a baby, and all the affection that goes with it, helps a baby grow,” says Tiffany Field, Ph.D., the director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami Medical School.)

Below are a few more pictures of the kids, our team and the area around the orphanage & our hotel.

 

 

A Few Pictures

Here are a few pictures to enjoy.  I don't have captions on all of them but most are kids from the orphanage.

This is a view from our hotel.

 

 

 

 

Please continue to pray for the kids and their medical conditions, their caregivers, and us as we strive to love and care for these babies while we are here.

God of This City

Thursday July 4th

We took the bigger kids outside to play today! They had a blast we gave them little balls to play with that I brought and some blow up beach balls and a lot of chalk!

This little three year old Dora is the cutest and smartest thing ever!!! She has only been in the orphanage 1 year. But we will say something to her in English and she will repeat it and sound just like us!

We left at 11:30 for the nap and lunch break for the kids and came back at 3. We got to play with the babies for the rest of the day, it was full of changing diapers, feeding, changing into the new clothes we brought and putting hair bows on the little girls. We left around 5:30 and went to dinner at this restaurant that all the alumni on the team call fried banana because they serve really good fried bananas.

 In our devotion tonight we sang Forever Reign and God of this City, which is in a way our anthem for this trip.

You’re the God of this city - You’re the King of these people - You’re the Lord of this nation - You are
You’re the light in this darkness - You’re the hope to the hopeless - You’re the peace to the restless - You are
There is no one like our God - There is no one like our God
Greater things have yet to come - And greater things are still to be done in this city - Greater things have yet to come - And greater things are still to be done in this city
You’re the God of this city - You’re the King of these people - You’re the Lord of this nation - You are
You’re the light in this darkness - You’re the hope to the hopeless - You’re the peace to the restless - You are
There is no one like our God - There is no one like our God

Greater things have yet to come - And greater things are still to be done in this city - Greater things have yet to come - And greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come - And greater things are still to be done in this city - Greater things have yet to come - And greater things are still to be done here
There is no one like our God - There is no one like our God
We believe - Greater things have yet to come - And greater things are still to be done in this city - We believe - Greater things have yet to come - And greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come - And greater things are still to be done in this city - Greater things have yet to come - And greater things are still to be done here
We believe, we believe greater things - Greater things, greater things - Greater things, greater things

This song is my hope for this city, these people, that they will come together that we can find the connections here to keep on making changes and helping the orphanage year round after we are gone. That it will not just end with us coming once a year, but that others in the community will stand up and do what’s right. These kids deserve that, and so much more.

Being here I haven’t even really thought about surfing the web, checking facebook, twitter, instagram, or texting anyone from my phone. I don’t have any of those things. All I have is my email and sometimes skype. Its been nice, it makes you really think and put things into perspective. These kids do not have any of these things, they don’t have ANYTHING and are so grateful when they get something as small as a little ball to play with. These kids are changing my life, and all I want is to do more for them.

He must become greater, I must become less. John 3:30

Wednesday, July 3

He must become greater, I must become less. John 3:30

This is my verse for this trip, we all picked a verse awhile back to focus on and this one stuck out to me the most.

First day at the orphanage

First days are always hard. I knew that I would get attached but I didn’t realize that I would get THIS attached… I mean it has been one day and I am already thinking about how hard it is going to be to leave this place and leave them.

The heat is pretty brutal and all we do is sweat, but to see the pure joy of those kids who do not have anything, makes me completely forget about it.

I have already fallen in love with a little girl Jenny. She is the happiest little thing and first thing this morning wanted to play. I put her down to play with another little boy and she screamed so I picked her back up, I played with her for most of the day and could always stop her from crying.

My heart breaks for these kids. Most have some sort of special need, and some do not even get out of the crib. But I do not want to focus on the bad, the things that hurt. I want to focus on the good, what we can see that is changing and better. This is my first time on the trip although others have been numerous times. I can see that the nannies do their best and love the kids. But they can only do so much. The babies have a lot of special needs and need therapy and do exercises and need to be out of their cribs and playing and moving around. And this is happening, maybe not as much as we would like and think is best but it’s a step in the right direction. The team members that have been before said the director is really starting to interact. Today, she came in carrying one of the babies and sat down and fed some their dinner. Apparently nothing like that had happened while they were there before.

In our devotion and worship time tonight, Shannon read one of her blog entries from her first trip, about when she goes back. We see the needs, we see the hurt, and we start making plans. But do we follow through? Do we really take it to the full force that it needs to be to be able to get done? Or do we just go back to our same old ways? You look at the kids and how most of the time they wear the same clothes day after day. And it makes me think… do I really need all of the clothes and nice things I have? It all really just seems silly and impractical when you are looking at these kids who are joyful with the little they have, and how we cannot be happy with the numerous things we own. We always want more. But what we want we usually say we “need”, and we don’t. We can lie without most of the things we have. But the kids what they want and need is the same. Food, shelter, water, and most importantly a FAMILY. While the nannies do their best in taking care of them, they will never replace a mother, and father to a child.

I don’t know if I can ever get used to all the stares and random people coming and trying to talk to us even though we cannot understand. But it doesn’t matter, as long as I keep what is important in my mind. Making those kids feel God’s love by showering them with love, compassion, making them fell wanted and special, and giving them lots of hugs and kisses.

Whew! We Made It.

We have been traveling since Sunday june, 30^th, and tonight is Tuesday July, 2^nd. Lets just say I am exhausted and my entire body aches and I cannot wait to shower and sleep in a bed.

The first flight was easy. But then we had a long wait in LA and departed at 1:40 am on our flight to China. It was a really really long flight, my legs cramped up, you couldn’t get comfortable. But then I remembered…I am going to work in an orphanage where they are more times uncomfortable than not and I have no room to complain. So I attempted to sleep and I watched a few movies and tv.

We get to Beijing and fly through immigration, but that’s where it stopped being easy. We go to security check to find out that our flight is cancelled. We met a guy who lives and goes to school In LA but his parents live in Guangzhou. He helped us out a ton getting our new flights booked, and helping us find the terminal. The terminals are 2 separate buildings about 15 minutes away from each other by bus. So once we finally get another flight scheduled and go ride the bus from terminal 2 to 3. Then we get there get our boarding passes and find out that we have to go back to terminal 2 to find our luggage, which we had all been told would go all the way through to Guangzhou. So 3 stay back with our carry ons and the rest of us (including “Bo” the guy helping us) went back to terminal 2 to find our luggage. We get to the lost and found for Air China and they don’t know if they can help us. Then finally they say it will take an hour to pull up the information. So we wait and wait and a few of us try and go find water bottles, but had no luck and some of us had been going on more than 10 hours without drinking. So finally some luggage starts coming out and we get most of it, but were still missing 7 bags, then 1 more came and then half stayed and have tried to get a head start with all of the luggage in the crazy elevators. Apparently 2 more bags came, but we were still missing 4. We get to the elevator and wait for like 20 minutes. We finally get on with two luggage carts and get shoved to the back. Our stop comes and we cant get off we are trying to tell them to please move but no one budged so we just started shoving, finally people got the hint, but this one man had a huge cart sideways completely blocking the door. But after a good couple of minutes we finally got off and then found the rest of our team and sprinted with our carts to the bus so we could get back in time to check our luggage and go through security and find our gate before our flight that was scheduled to board in 1 hour. Well we finally get through and find out that our gate was changed so we had to go find that and then the plane was delayed which meant we didn’t have much time to get to the train. But somehow we made it with just a few minutes to spare!

Bo and I got separated from the group on one of the bus rides from terminal to terminal so we had a chance to talk. He asked me if I was a Christian too, I of course said yes, and then he asked if I liked being a Christian… I thought this was kind of a funny question and really was unsure of what to say, but I said well yes I love being a Christian. Then we talked about our families, and got onto the subject of adoption. He then started to ask me something else and bluntly said you’re probably not going to like this. He had just asked me what I was studying in school, I told him social work, and he said, so basically this what youre doing now. And I told him I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it yet, that I had not had enough time to figure out and decide, but I might want to work with adoptions, family and children. We were just really glad that he was so willing to help us because we would have been in trouble if he hadn’t.

So far its going really well, we are finally in Chenzhou and I cant wait to go see the kids tomorrow!! I feel like God has a lot of awesome things in store for the next two weeks, so please keep on praying!