Prayers for Ping

Nearly 2 weeks ago, I got a video of Ping that showed that her medical condition had deteriorated & she clearly needed some intervention. It was heart breaking; so difficult to watch. Miraculously, Cheryl Graham from IAAP was able to find a place for her & on Christmas Day, she was transferred to Maria's Big House of Hope where her medical, physical, emotional & spiritual needs may be met. I was concerned that she may be in pain & I am just so thankful that she's in a place where she will receive care & if she is in pain, it will be managed. I would've gotten on a plane that day & gone to her if I could but the best we can all do at the moment is pray for her.  Please keep her in your prayers! Happy New Year, & God bless you, little Ping!

A Home For The Holidays

There is a special that comes on at Christmas every year that I love to watch. It usually is on TV around Dec 21st but this year it is on the 19th. Unfortunately, we won't be home to watch it. :( Various music artists perform & the show highlights children that have been adopted from the US Foster Care System. At the end of the show, they typically spotlight a few waiting children.

It makes me think of children everywhere who will experience Christmas this year not knowing if they will have a family at Christmas time next year. Some are too young to really understand that, like my little Ping waiting in China. She doesn't know yet that life in an orphanage is not the way most people live or what being in a family feels like. By next Christmas, Lord willing, she will know the love of a family. There are so many more that will hope for a family but will never get one.

From Steven Curtis Chapman's song, "All I Really Want" : All I really want for Christmas is someone to tuck me in A shoulder to cry on if I lose, shoulders to ride on if I win There's so much I could ask for but there's just one thing I need All I really want for Christmas is a family.

http://www.songlyrics.com/steven-curtis-chapman/all-i-really-want-lyrics/

Pray for foster children, orphaned & abandoned children all around the world this Christmas!

It Takes A Village....

I can't believe it is nearly Thanksgiving already! I am thankful for so much. This weekend, I have experienced yet again the joy of watching my kids being encouraged & doted on by friends. We have been at church quite a bit for Glorious Christmas Nights rehearsals. Even in their most restless moments, our church family has been nothing short of encouraging to them & to me. There were some funny moments, as well, like when the music indicating the scene change didn't start quite as quickly as expected & Marcie blurted out something like, "where's the music?" (Or was it, "we need the music?"). Marcie had a ball at a sleepover with one of her friends last night & then we had the joy of taking this little girl with us to Sweet Frog while Charlie rehearsed with the youth. This little girl is full of joy & spunk & just a delight to be around. While at Sweet Frog, we saw some other friends from church & just had a nice time with them. Friday night while Charlie was rehearsing, Marcie was at her sleepover & Kyle & Joanna were quietly playing their DSI XLs, I enjoyed being able to sit & talk with another friend -- it was so nice to be able to talk with another adult, relaxing, with the kids quiet. I really appreciated that time & the support & encouragement especially for my newest adoption quest. I am truly blessed with friends who are so actively involved in my kids' lives & my life both in my community & at church. They don't understand yet the value of having so many caring adults in their lives but I do & I appreciate each & every one of you. Thank you!

Orphan Sunday

Orphan Sunday is coming to a close. Churches all around the U.S. had sermons & other activities to bring the plight of orphans to the forefront of people's minds. My church also did the same thing, beginning with a wonderful video that included the names & pictures of some of the adopted children in our church. I was so moved by the presentation, especially with seeing my children in the video! James 1:27 is one of the most widely shared scripture verses that calls attention to the responsibility of Christians with regard to orphans. Seeing the verse in the video along with some statistics about orphans is haunting. I've seen several numbers: 143 million, 147 million, 160 million.... staggering numbers of children who may have a name but no identity other than "orphan." The babies don't know they are orphans & maybe even some of the 4 & 5 year old children don't know that other children actually have parents and may have siblings but generally do not live in a home with large rooms lined with cribs or beds. Just think about how it would feel to lie down at night without knowing that someone really loves you, is committed to you, wants to sing happy birthday to you... wants to give you his or her last name. A name. A name that identifies you as someone's child, a part of a family. Some of the Chinese orphans have last names that are the names of the orphanages they are in. Sad. I find it really hard to get the little faces that I see on websites out of my mind every night. I don't know what it's like to be an orphan, to have no sense of belonging to a family, to not know how it feels to be tucked in at night by your mom or your dad. But, there are a lot of kids out there who do know those things & the numbers grow daily. We must pray for God's mercy on those children who wait, hoping for a new name, to be able to call out "Mom" or "Dad" & know there will be an answer to that call. May God bless them!

His Eye Is On The Sparrow

I actually never thought I would be going back to China for another adoption. I thought if I did go back, it would be to take Joanna back to her birth country & of course, bring the other kids for an educational trip. However, I couldn't get this little face out of my mind and when it was clear that a family was not coming forward for her, I had to ask. It seems that the Lord had me in mind as miraculously, the Chinese adoption authority gave me pre-approval to adopt her.

The Lord truly works in mysterious ways. Out of the millions of families in the world, He picks mine for this little special needs orphan and for her, a miracle. He will be plucking her out of an orphanage and uniting her with a family half a world away. Amazing!

She seems to have some physical disability in that she reportedly doesn't move and she does have club feet. So, why her? Why me? I don't know the answer to those questions. But I do know this, that God has His eyes on her, He knows her needs and He knows my family. And, now, He is putting us together. My kids are really excited and Charlie has been giving me his loose change to apply to the adoption costs. So sweet!

It will be a long process getting her here.... lots of paperwork and $. I will be doing some fundraising and also applying for adoption grants. The greatest expense is in getting her here and I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't firmly believe that I am walking in God's will. As the scriptures say, we walk by faith and not by sight! So, I have to take a deep breath, jump in and get rolling on this paperwork.... and pray a lot! Please keep us all in your prayers!

A Stranger to My Blog

Unbelievable! It has been more than 2 years since I have written a blog post. Guess that's what facebook will do for you! I haven't written a lot because, well, anyone who knows me knows what I have been up to! The kids are growing like crazy. It seems like only yesterday that they were preschoolers & now they are well into their school-age years. Charlie started middle school & has actually survived the 1st 3 days. He says he likes it & is enjoying having chorus as an elective. Marcie I think would actually be happier if she could go ahead & do her senior year of high school. She is clearly not thrilled with the kids who sit around her & really would like her friends to be in her "pod." I told her that her teacher was smarter than that! Kyle & Joanna have enjoyed getting back into the routine of school. Kyle was actually ready to go back to school several weeks ago. Look out CCPS -- here they come!