Day 1- SFCV

We had a busy today! We got a few hours of sleep and woke up just before 6 am wide awake and ready to go. We started out the morning with a tour of the Clinic. This is where the sickest babies are kept. Dr. Moody introduced us to some of the children and we spent time loving on the babies.

There is one baby in particular that really got our attention. Her name is Leah and she is NOT a newborn (age unknown- thought to be 6 months) but is so fragile. She is not thriving. You can see her bones through her skin and her skin hangs from her body. She takes short breaths and her eyes will roll back when she is falling asleep. I hate to say it, but it feels like she is dying. I have never held a child like this and it was a bit overwhelming. Please include her in your prayers.

After the clinic we went to the House of Blessings where we got to spend time with some more adorable children. I played games with Robert and Josiah (they are home from VBS with the chicken pox) and Mitzi, Kyle, and Jamie went upstairs to love on some babies. After lunch, we were given the task of cleaning the therapy room. We disinfected all of the toys and wiped down the floors, mats, and equipment. It was a big job, but it looked great when we were finished. (It smelled really clean, too!)

We were allowed back in the children's homes after nap, so we headed straight for the clinic. The babies there are all so precious, but in need of so much care. We loved, hugged and cuddled the babies for an hour. Kyle held Leah for an hour which was great! I have a feeling we will be at this house everyday.

 This is Isabella. She is 2 and half years old and needs a family. She has been through 4 or 5 major surgeries and it is a miracle she is still alive! She is a little firecracker and made sure to let me know exactly what she wanted (or didn't want!)

This is Leah.

We finished our evening with a trip to Agape house. It is amazing!!! Clay and Jewel Floch used to work at SFCV and left in the fall of 2011 to become house parents at Agape House. It is a foster home for children with Brittle Bone disease. It was such a joy to hear Clay speak about what they are doing and to tour the 5 houses. Please visit them on facebook or go to their website to see all the amazing things they are doing. They have 5 girls who are older and learning life skills to support themselves. They started a bakery and sell various goods. We bought 2 pizzas for dinner and loaded up on cookies and carrot cake. The pizza was delicious! We called Clay last minute and he was so kind to come and pick us up, give us a tour and bring us back to SFCV. It was a memorable trip, and I hope that we can raise awareness of Agape house and help them to find more sponsors for the children.

It was a wonderful day full of many sweet children. It was a reminder to me that no matter the special need, the greatest need of all is to know the love of a family.

**it is difficult to upload pictures, so I will try again tomorrow.

We made it!

We made it to Shepherd's Field Children's Village! We had a perfect travel schedule and made it without any hiccups along the way. We started out with a delay in Louisville, but we made our connecting flight OK in Detroit. Our flight landed about 20 minutes early in Beijing and since it was midnight, there were not many people. We got our baggage right away and found our drivers and made it out to the village in about an hour.

It is an overwhelming feeling to be back in the place where I met my daughter. It is a feeling I can't describe. I can't wait to get into the children's home today and love on the babies. I will post later tonight with pictures of our day!

Happy Birthday Andrew!

Andrew is 7! I can't believe how fast this guy is growing up. He wanted to have 5 friends over to play, so we made them light sabers out of swim noodles and sent them out in the backyard. They had a blast! We are very proud of you, Andrew and the young man you are becoming! 

Some things to remember about our 7 year old:

*He LOVES legos, star wars, transformers, and anything that fights.

*Junk food is his favorite! He loves chips, chocolate, cookies, and coke.

*He loves to play baseball and is learning so much in his new league.

*He LOVES to read, I can't keep enough books in the house. 

*He is obsessed with the Titanic and the story around it.

*He is our chess champ! He is now better than both his parents and he loves to compete! 

*Smart, smart boy. You only have to tell him once, and he's got it! His favorite subjects are math and science (just like his daddy!)

Matthew, the Graduate

My sweet Matthew is now a preschool graduate! We are very thankful for his preschool and the staff at the CDC. He had a great experience. Everyday I dropped him off, he would run in with a big smile. I am a bit sad that this little guy is growing so fast, but so excited to have him at school with me next year! I can't believe my little man is now in Kindergarten! 

(Timmy would not get in the picture- anyone surprised?)

Emma' Referral Day

On May 21, 2010 we got an email from China saying we were matched with Liu Rong Jia. We had 72 hours to decide, but we knew immediately she would be our daughter. I will never forget that night. I was on my way to bed, depressed that another shared list had come and gone and we were still not matched. It was 3 days after the list came out, so we would have to wait another month. But, little did I know that someone from our agency in Beijing had to go into work on a Saturday morning to check something. While there, he decided to check the shared list to see if any children were released. And there she was... our Emma Grace. And there we were... at the top of the list and next in line. God hid her for us for the first 72 hours until we were next in line, lucky us. Can't believe I have been staring at that face for 2 years. We love you, Emma Grace!  

KINDLE WINNER

B. Ennis is the winner of our KINDLE. Thanks to everyone who played! We made $333 to go towards our trip. THANK YOU!!!!!

Her Story

We are reading The Story at church. It goes in the chronological order of the Bible, but it is told in a story format. Every week, the message is the same. The first message is that God uses the most unlikely characters to fulfill his plans. He does this so that HE gets the glory. Second, God can use anyone to do anything at anytime. Week after week, my thoughts go toward this little girl when I am sitting in church:

This is my Emma Grace. Once an orphan, abandoned on a busy street in Fuzhou City in the south of China. We will never know why, but we can guess that it had to do with her needs, or her appearance. Whether her parents were unable to care for her or simply did not want to take a chance, she was left. A tiny newborn baby set out on the street and seen by many as trash. Now I know that God said, "You know what, I will use her. This orphan, this child with a facial deformity and a less than perfect heart, I am going to use her to do great things." Boy has HE decided to use her!

Through her life, she has changed me and our entire family. I love in a completely different way. My children ask if they can have siblings from China or Africa because they know there are kids just like Emma who are waiting. I know that the hearts of my boys will always be broken for the orphan.

She has changed the lives of those she meets. She has opened eyes to consider adoption AND she has opened eyes to consider a special needs adoption. Everyone that meets her falls in love with her.  

She introduced us to Shepherd's Field where we now sponsor 4 children and give to the medical fund monthly. That is 4 lives that are directly impacted from her life. 

Through her life, we learned about her China roommate, who traveled with her from Fuzhou City to Shepherd's Field... the only constant person in her life. Once we learned about him, we advocated for him! An email that I wrote pleading for his adoption was read and he now HAS A FAMILY. 

God used Emma to lead 4 women back to China this summer to volunteer at Shepherd's Field. Because of this mission trip, we had the opportunity to speak at a local church where hearts were stirred as even more people learned about the orphans at Shepherd's Field. The ripple effects of this trip will be countless. 

Emma's life will be used to bring another child home. Our family has been so blessed by adoption that we will do it again. 

God continues to use my little girl, that orphan abandoned on the street, to do great things and we certainly give Him all the glory and credit. 

She is only 2... we are just getting started!