Day 2: Hard work brings a great reward!

After a much needed night of sleep, we were ready to love on some more children. After breakfast we went to the House of Peace. We had a great time playing with Clarissa, Teddy and Maya. My family sponsors Maya, so it was very sweet to hold her and spend time with her this morning. Clarissa loved to look at the pictures on our cameras. I decided to take a chance and try to communicate with the ayis, since this was the house where Emma lived. I went back to the Inn to grab my phone and a picture of Emma that is hanging on the wall in the inn. All I said was "JiaJia" (Emma's Chinese name) and the ayis face lit up. I showed her the picture of what she looked like then, and a video of her now. The excitement was SO amazing to watch. The ayi had a big smile on her face and they were talking (loudly) to each other. I caught the word "JiaJia" and "mama" and they kept smiling at me. It was a sweet moment that I will never forget!

After lunch we went to find Dr. Ana Moody to see what we could clean today. Her response.... "I don't turn down mothers who like to clean." We tackled the storage room in the clinic. We organized the bins and cleaned the shelves. Although that seems like an easy enough task, it took several hours (and many laughs). Dr. Ana is a hoot. We learned that she doesn't like to throw anything away and that she has many projects she would like to do. She also shared many personal stories about SFCV that I really needed to hear. She opened my eyes to the many wonderful parts of the village but shared some concerns that she asked us to pray about. Operating in a foreign country brings many challenges with the culture. They do their best, but some things are still a struggle.

During our 2 hour cleaning spree, we really got to know Dr. Ana. When we were finished I felt comfortable enough to ask if we could have a few of the babies from upstairs (the sickest children in the village) to walk in strollers. She said YES!!!! She called her son to come over and translate to the ayis that we were going to take 3 of the children on walks. We took Vincent, Heather and Isabella on a walk. Jamie also took Debbie outside to play.You would not believe the comments we got!

"How did you get the babies out of the clinic?"

"Oh my goodness, is that Vincent?"

"This is the first time I have seen Isabella outside!"

All 4 of the children clearly enjoyed themselves! Vincent was opening his hands and reaching towards the sky. We gave each child a toy (from our stash in the room) and that was a huge hit! Isabella carried a baby doll that she loved, Heather fell in love with a monkey and Vincent also had a monkey. When we passed by the clinic Dr. Ana said ..."I don't think you should come back yet, keep walking." We walked and then stopped to let the kids enjoy the air outside. We ended up staying outside for an hour and a half. Isabella clearly loved her baby and was trying to hide her from me so I wouldn't take it back. She did not want to come back in and started crying. Heather planted her body in the stroller and also refused to go in. Both girls took their new toys back to the room with them. Please pray that the ayis do not take the toys away from the girls. The ayis do not like a lot of toys around.

Yesterday, Jamie was not able to get Debbie to put weight on her feet. Today, she kept trying. While outside, Jamie was able to get her to stand with support... a huge change from yesterday!

Isabella does not like people, especially strangers. She loved going on a walk and responded to the flowers and the dogs she saw. I tried several times to hold her but she always told me NO! Jamie finally walked up to her and asked to hold her and she said YES! Jamie walked her around and sang "Jesus loves me" to her. She was not only happy, she wanted more. Our walk and time outside with the kids was a huge blessing. The changes we saw in the kids in that short time was amazing. We know that the hard work and bonding with Dr. Ana helped us to have this special time with the kids. It was a wonderful afternoon.

We went out to eat with Dr. Moody and his sons. Unfortunately, Dr. Ana was too tired from our day of cleaning! We had a wonderful authentic Chinese meal. The Moody sons are fluent in Chinese so we let him order everything. He did a great job with his meal choices! I was so proud of myself... I actually tried the pork and ate with chopsticks (OK, mostly my fingers...)

It was a great day full of meaningful work and conversations. I am excited to see what tomorrow will bring!

This is Maya, one of our sponsor children. She will never know the love of a family because she has been labeled as "unadoptable." Thankfully, she has SFCV to be her family and knows that she has a Father in Heaven! She was very responsive and smiled at us. She loved to be held.

This is baby Liam from the clinic. He is a sweet boy. He fell asleep in Kyle's arms

This is Mitzi with Clarissa. She is a smart and beautiful young lady. In a family, I have no doubt this young lady would blossom. She is a treasure!

I am having a hard time getting pictures to load, so I will try again later!