My Weekend

What a lovely weekend it was. As much as I am liking my new job, it is always hard to get back into the routine after having a day off. Since today was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I had a three day weekend! I will not rub it in how gorgeous the weather was this weekend (sorry NY friends!), but let's just say it was lovely.

Saturday I stopped in the leasing office to pick up some pictures I had ordered and the kind office lady insisted I take some of the leftover donuts. On Saturday's, our leasing office has donuts and coffee which I have yet to make it too. Since I can't say "no" to anything sweet and they were so pretty (I knew they would photograph well), I took them home. 

Do donuts freeze? I guess we will find out. Since I did not want to be tempted to eat all four in one sitting, I ate one and froze the rest. We will see how they turn out!

 Sunday was Church, lunch with my co-worker, laundry, and catching up on the phone with a few friends.

Today was another gorgeous okay day and so I decided to check out a local park and trail along the river.

It was beautiful, so peaceful, and I will definitely visit again.

Would you all just look at that HILL?!?! Yes, there ARE hills in Oklahoma!

Happy Martin Luther King Day and Happy Monday!

Sunday Snapshot: Mid-Autumn Festival

The moon cakes are in the stores and the lanterns are hung. It must be that time of year again...

"What time is that?" you may ask. Why the Mid-Autumn Festival, of course.

This year I'll be missing it as I am leaving for Malaysia in the morning.

Hmmmm, I think I'll survive.

But I DO love the decorations...... do they look Chinese or what?

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Ni Hao Yall

Sunday Snapshot: 4th of July... on the 7th!

Happy 4th of July (a few days late) to all my American friends! This is my 2nd year of not being home for the 4th of July and for some reason this year it hit me harder than in the past. 4th of July announces the beginning of summer. Picnics, swimming, fireworks, etc.

I decided to make the most of my 4th of July here in China too. My plan on Thursday was to take the afternoon off and  hit the pool! However, my plans were changed when we got a call about a recently abandoned baby boy. Since I wasn't able to celebrate the 4th on the 4th, decided to celebrate on the 7th. After all, this is China. Didn't feel like the 4th of July anyways so didn't matter that I would celebrate a few days late!

My morning started out with a nice cup (or two) of coffee and an omelet. Very American right?

Then it was time to "hit the pool." It rains just about every day here but will clear up just as fast and then the sun will be out. I saw the clouds rolling in and figured that once it stopped, I'd be good to go! It stopped, I headed to the pool, was in for just a few months when.... this happened. 

I sat for a while "waiting it out," but it just kept raining harder and harder with no blue sky in site. This was my feeling on the situation...

 Decided rather than waiting for the rain to stop, which may never stop, I headed home, popped some popcorn and watched a movie.

Later in the evening, it was time for my "4th of July" dinner. Of course there was watermelon... after all, would it be the 4th (or 7th) of July without it?

 Corn on the cob, asparagus, and chicken.

 And "American" chips. The bag even says so!

Thursday morning during preschool we actually were able to make our 4th of July craft. Aren't the stars cute?

Praying you all had a wonderful 4th of July!

For those of you following along with the Psalm 139 with me, here is today's verse:

"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?" (Psalm 139:7)

Ni Hao Yall

Broken

I remember months leading up to my move to China, I would pray for God to "break my heart for what breaks His." When we pray this, do we really want Him to break our hearts for what breaks His? Because that breaking can be very, very painful. Right now, I'm thinking, "why did I ever pray that?"

It's hard. Holding a one-month old baby boy who was abandoned just hours earlier is hard. Really, really hard. He was in the arms of his mother that morning with a name, birthday, identity and in my arms that night with a name and birthday recently given to him by the orphanage and no background information.

I'm broken. My heart is broken. I cannot wrap my mind around the fact that this precious baby boy was abandoned Thursday morning. Thursday. when I was most likely lounging in my pj's, drinking coffee, excited about my 4th of July plans. The last thing on my mind was that a baby was being abandoned at that very moment. I was planning on taking the afternoon off on the 4th and relaxing.

My plans for Thursday changed. I was going to go swimming and cook an "American dinner" of bar-b-q chicken, chips, watermelon, corn on the cob, ice cream, etc. It was going to be an afternoon / evening to just "veg." All that changed when we got a call from one of the orphanages we work with. A baby boy abandoned. One month old. Similar condition to one of our current children.

Rather than having my little 4th of July celebration, I hopped on a bus at 7:30 p.m. with our Medical Coordinator, heading to the Guangzhou Hospital to meet this little treasure. My 4th of July will have to be post-poned to later this weekend. It's worth it. Holding that precious baby and telling him he is loved and cherished was worth it.

My heart breaks. It breaks for what breaks His. "Why would I ever pray that?"

I'm a little behind with my Psalm 139 reading. Today's verse is found in verse 6:

"Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain." 

Father's Day

Yesterday was Father's Day. A day to celebrate our Dads. Those who are young, old, future fathers, or just a "father figure" in our lives.

I work with orphans. Children who currently have no father. They have a birth father and they will have an adoptive father.

 Several of our children are matched with forever families of their very own. I decided what better way to celebrate that than to make Father's Day cards for their new daddy's?

 My kiddos worked so hard on their cards. Coloring, putting on stickers, and putting love into ever stroke, every sticker.

 These children have lots of "mamas" in their life but very few "baba's." However, they have a Heavenly Father who loves them so very much and has an amazing plan for their life.

You can't have a better father than that.

Sunday Snapshot: Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there! 

And not only those of you who are mother's, but to young woman and those who are not mothers. 

Many of you may be a mother in another way.

This Mother's Day, I am so blessed to be home to spend it with my Mother.

She is wonderful and such a blessing to me.

She is an incredible role model of what it means to be a godly woman and she encourages me to go where God is calling me, even when that means living on the other side of the world (which is where I happen to be living most of the  year!).

It's not easy for her to have me so far away, but she loves, supports, and encourages me.

Mothering has got to be one of the hardest jobs in the world.

Trusting God with your children when you have done all that you can do to raise them.

When you reach that point where there is nothing else but to give them to Him.

And trust that He will lead and guide them.

That He will continue beckoning them to Him, when it seems hopeless.

When getting on your knees night after night is the only thing you can do.

"Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it."

(Proverbs 22:6)

 During our worship service this morning, I was in tears several times and for several different reasons.

The first was when they had the men stand around the outside of the sanctuary and pray over the women and girls.

My heart broke as I began thinking of the many birth mothers in China who had to give up a child.

 I thought of Kiah and all my kids birth mothers.

Their mothers gave them up so that they might have life.

A chance to live.

Now that is unselfish love.

Mother's lead, guide, and mentor us.

You will always need your Mom.

Thanks Mom for being such an amazing role model for me.

Ni Hao Yall

Sunday Snapshot: Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day.

Can't say it's my favorite day of the year.

However, I do love candy.

And pink.

And hearts.

So I guess it's not all bad, even if it reminds me that I'm single.

 In honor of this holiday, we made valentines in preschool today.

 The kids loved gluing on the red and pink hearts.

 This craft will be put away in their file with all their other crafts.

To give to their forever families one day.

 This Valentine's Day, yes, I'm reminded that I'm single.

But I'm also reminded how loved I am by family and friends.

And most importantly by my Heavenly Father.

And how His plans are good.

They are always, always good.

Deck the Halls in Picture Form

 Sorry for the lack of posting the last few days. Honestly it has been an exciting but emotionally draining and tough few days. Since I really don't have it in me to write a deep, heart felt post (I'm sure that will come soon), decided to leave you all with some pictures of my lovely Christmas decorated room. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here (minus the snow of cours)!



 

The only "snow" I'll be seeing this winter.

 

 

 The "reason for the season."

 

 



 Garlands makes everything mor "Christmassy."

 

 

Aren't they cute?

 

 

 My stocking (thanks Laura!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wreath the kids helped me make. It's their handprints!

 

 

 Also their "mitten prints."

 

 

And what brings it all together.... the tree. Isn't it adorable?