A Rare Find

Pictures of me with one of our sweet children!



This is "Michael" from the Butterfly House.  He is such a sweet, smart little boy!  Our whole team loved meeting him and interacting with him.  We are super excited that he is going to have a family of his own soon.  He is sure going to be a blessing!




Since I'm always the one behind the camera I was surprised when I found these pictures. Apparently someone picked up my camera and snapped a few shots.  So here you go, proof that I do more than take pictures when we visit orphanages!  :)

Little Faces...

Re-entry back in to normal life can be difficult after a trip like the one I just returned from.  I am so glad to be back among all of the familiar things.  I'm glad to be with my family, in my house, where I belong.  But, again, I'm changed.  And the little faces I've seen are engraved on my heart.



All day, every day, I  think of them.  The twelve year old boy who seemed so much more nervous and awkward than he was last year.  The four year old girl who was so sweet and quiet.  The baby who was sick.  The little boys who loved kicking balls.  The precious little faces of children as we delivered packages from their parents waiting to bring them home.   All of them, on my heart, all of the time.




Soon I will get organized enough to begin sharing their stories with you.  Right now I'm trying to wrap my mind around going on with normal life while always remembering the precious little faces that fill my mind night and day.


 

Silence

I am sitting in a silent house.  Hannah and I arrived home after mid-night last night.  Our crazy delays and adventures will make a great blog post sometime, but right now the house is quiet.  My mind is not.  Keith and the children have not yet arrived back home from the trip they took while I was gone.  Bless Keith, I know he will be glad to get home too!

I got up a bit ago and made some food.  I was so hungry after the long day traveling.  I brought it back to bed and am lounging here intermittently eating, thinking, and writing.  my mind wanders back through the days.  I smile at some memories, I cry at others.  But my mind keeps coming back to one day, one child, one moment.  It was such an overwhelming moment for me that haven't been able to tell you about it, but...

I think I'm ready to tell you about "Samson".  We met him last year.  He was so tiny and helpless, he was struggling to live with a serious heart condition.  The memory of handing him back to his nanny and walking away is forever seared in to my memory.  None of us expected him to survive long enough to get the surgery he so desperately needed.  We got little updates for a while.  We knew that Gongzhan got him moved to a hospital in Shanghai.  But then we didn't really hear much.  We asked, but there were no clear answers.  I prayed for this baby.  As I lay on the sofa sick I prayed for him.  When I couldn't sleep at night I prayed for him.  And I loved him from afar, comforting myself that he mattered to someone.  We heard that they had been unable to operate on his heart, I prepared myself to hear that he didn't survive the year.



Soon after we walked in to the orphanage where he lives, they carried a baby boy in.  He was tiny and frail looking.  Could it be him?!  I didn't even want to hope.  I tried to piece his information together the whole time we were there.  He had a scar from a heart surgery, he was the right age, etc., etc.  Finally it was his turn to be evaluated.  It was him!  My miracle boy!




I always try not to cry in orphanages no matter what I see, the children don't need the added burden of a weeping adult.  But that time I cried.  And I cried again as I once more handed him back to the nanny.  He is still frail.  He needs a family.  He needs medical care.  But he is alive, and that is enough for now!



We were talking about what advocacy name to give him, and Mark Melson suggested Samson.  We all thought it was so fitting for this little one!  God has certainly been this little one's strength!  Will you join me in praying for his health and safety?

I Think the Stories...



Will takes months to tell.  I haven't been keeping up with blogging very well.  By the end of the day if I can get my hundreds of photos downloaded and one or two sent to anxiously waiting parents before falling in to bed I think I've done pretty well.  Some days I haven't even gotten that much done.




But I've been well, miraculously well really.  This trip was a leap of faith for me.  I knew how exhausting and stressful this trip can be and I knew that I don't always handle that type of schedule well.  {For those who don't know, I have Lupus.}  OK, who am I kidding?  I never handle this type of schedule well.  But again, God has been so gracious in giving me strength and health to be here and do hat I love to do.  I believe it not only shows God's great love for me, but also for the sweet children I am here to serve.




So I will have to just keep telling you all the memories and stories after I get home.  For now, how about a few photos?

We are going to an orphanage again this morning for the last time.  Then fly home tomorrow.  Please keep praying for us.

{Guest Post by Hannah}




So this is my first time on the SuperKids trip,and not only that but Also my first time in China! I have had a lot of exciting new experiences-trying to fumble food into my mouth with chopsticks, dodging the motorcycles on the sidewalks, watching people work in their rice patties with the water buffalo, interacting with the sweet children that we flew around the world  to see. It is so rewarding to see the kids' faces light up! Who says you have to speak the same language to have fun?! We pull out the balls,bubbles,mirrors,hair bows, and fruit snacks and before you know it we are having a party!



But then there are always the ones that hang back and are not quite as quick to jump in on all the activity and fun. I cannot describe the thrill I get when one of those sober little faces finally crack into a smile. Or when they finally mold into your arms and lay their sweet head on your shoulder. This is when I am reminded that each child no matter how withdrawn or outgoing or tiny or sick or handicapped each child has a purpose and value.



I am so excited to think about the potential and opportunities some of these kids will have when they find their families and can love and be loved and have the chance that all children should have.



On To The Jiangxi Province

Today we spent the morning seeing more children in the Hunan province.  I keep mentioning the children that was saw last year and again this year, but we also met a bunch of new sweeties.  One of the things we like about the orphanage is that the children really know how to play, this is somewhat unusual and shows that they are exposed to play activities.  Each morning the nannies gathered children around a little table just outside of the room we were in and did various activities with them.  It was so good to see this type of interaction!




This afternoon we got in a van and drove to our first stop in the Jiangxi province.



We again saw some kiddos we met last year as well as some new babies.  What a bunch of cuties!  We got to cuddle a little girl who was only about 3 weeks old!  We all watched in the awe the tiny babies inspire as she yawned, sneezed, and hiccuped. Why is it that only babies can make those thing look so cute?!



We also had the experience of presenting a walker to a girl who needed it rather badly, but I'm pretty sure Pat will want to tell everyone about that!



As I lie here on the bed after another delicious dinner (OK.  Not the soup.  I wasn't sure if Rocky said it was duck or donkey we were eating, but Hannah found a knuckle that looked pretty duck-ish and I found things that pointed more toward donkey, so I decided maybe it was both...)  I am listening to the constant blowing of the horns and trying to figure out how we are going to actually sleep tonight.  Hannah just laughed when I suggested running the noisy shower all night.  Admittedly the drain isn't the greatest, so not the best idea.  So now I'm going to try to find white noise on the TV.  It is pretty hot in here and the AC shows no signs of correcting that any time soon.  The bed is hard, and ash trays and matches are provided in a "non-smoking" room. And...

I just can't get over how blessed I am to be here.  To meet these amazing children, to have moments that will be memories I will cherish for a life time.  Most people don't get to do what I am doing.  And I am truly thankful!


Impressions

I came back to the hotel over lunch time and thought I would take the time to record a few of  my impressions from the morning. Again many of the children I recognized from last year.  It is such an amazing privilege to be allowed to go in to the orphanage and take so many pictures and to kiss and cuddle babies and hear the older children express their desire to belong to a family.

Well, I didn't get far with my impressions over lunch time.  It is now evening.  We are finished for the day and back in our room.

First I just have to say how much I am enjoying having my little sister with us this year.  She is such a huge blessing!  She has jumped right in and is making herself part of the team.  The children love her.  And it is so fun for me to watch her interacting with and loving on the kiddos!



I wish I could tell you all about so many special little moments of this day.  Today I was less busy than I was yesterday and had more time to hold little ones. There is just no feeling like recognizing a child you have thought about all year then taking them in to your arms and hugging and kissing them!



This morning Chelsea and I weren't needed in the room for a bit and went exploring.  We ended up seeing a little boy who seemed sad so went in to play with him.  He was in a wheelchair and really just wanted some interaction so we played with him for awhile and were soon joined by another little boy who wanted to join in the fun.  Neither could walk, but they ran Chelsea ragged with the game they invented with a ball.  We printed pictures for them and generally enjoyed interacting with them.

Please keep praying for us and for the children we meet!