We began our day with the addition of 2 team members -Judy and Tamara came back to PhF because they missed the kids. But after today we know that the L. had some special plans for them!
We were picked up by Lily at 9am and dropped off Tamara and Judy with some toys that i bought at IKEA yesterday at Harmony House to play and be "santa"... The others (including me) went to the new location to clean and attempt to hang some blinds and curtains and Damon and TAmara had to run to some stores to get a few things in order to install some fixtures etc... We all met back up for lunch at Harmony House - as soon as i walked in the door - Judy and tamara shared that they were just floored about how loving the nannies are and the children are jsut awesome kids!! And that the H.S is definately there! Judy even began to cry at how much she was moved there! WOW!!! We all sat down for a wonderful lunch the nannies had prepared and we insisted that they join us - they did. We P. for them and Judy continued to talk with them - well, about 15 minutes later 4 nannies decided to ask JC in thier heart! We all said the p. together with them - i got it on video:) - and yes - you can p. with your eyes open!!! it was a beautiful sight and we were all in tears!!! including the nannies! Soon after that we all needed to get back to work! So, the team MADE me stay at H.H. to play and help the nannies - darnit!! ::)LOL I had a fabulous time - i just LOVE all those kids so much - they all have such kind hearts and it truly feels like a family there. Half of the team went to finish clean and the others went to Walmart to buy some supplies for H.H. - it was so amazing watching them carry huge arm loads of diapers, formula, wipes, bibs and a few free keyboards - very cool - the even cooler thing is this: Before Steve left for Beijing, he gave Damon the $$ for Wini to go and buy a sewing machine for Pam Baker to bless her - which was a wonderful gift - Wini only used a small portion of it - soooo... we had in our head to spend about 3000 yuan at walmart for the supplies and that is exactly what the supplies equaled - isn't that amazing - it was definately G. plan for us to use the extra to bless H.H.! With the other half of the team gone - we werent' sure if it would be okay to dip into our "reserves" but we didn't have to!!!! so aweesome!!! The nannies were so extremely happy! Thank you G.
OUr evening ended with going to McD's (yeah!!) at the university district and now we are off to bed to get up for our day in Beijing tomorrw! We have a busy day planned - 7:30 am to see Tiannenmen square, Forbidden city, hutong tour and a show - we aren't supposed to get home until 11pm!! so you won't hear from me for awhile!
Thanks for your love and P's!!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Nov. 11
We had a great day! Melanie stayed here at PHF to help Dr. Moody with a few things and helped Leah with taking some pics. Melanie (Bonnie's daughter) is a great photographer... Wini (from Spokane) went shopping with Pam Baker to bless her with a new sewing machine... The rest of us went to Harmony House. I was expecting to help clean the new location but Lily pulled up to the old location and asked who wanted to stay and help the nannies - everyone nominated me!! I was thrilled!!! I felt kinda guilty having so much fun and know the others were slaving away! So, when I arrived at the Harmony House a few kids were kind of standoffish but they quickly warmed up - and the nannieswere soooo sooo welcoming and were eager for me to help - I loved it! We played in the family room for awhile and Savannah kept her eye on me but kind of kept some distance. We went outside for a little while - I took tons of pics and some video. I'm not sure when I can post them - maybe later... Savannah really opened up to me while we were outside - it was precious. She had her hood on and it kept falling off so i would keep putting it back on her - I noticed that she was purposely taking it off and then coming to me to have me put it back on - it was fun - on the way back into the house Savannah took my hand - just precious!! Then I got to help the nannies feed the kiddos - Savannah could feed herself but she wanted me to feed her - too cute!!! I was then able to help the nannies change diapers and put the kids to bed - the little sleeping bags were very cool but too hard to try to explain... We had a delicious lunch and then Lily took Brooke and I to IKEA in Beijing to get some blinds and some light fixtures for the new location. We came back to meet the others - they had been cleaning the new location and it is looking great! H.H. is hoping to move in after the government turns on the heat on Nov. 15 - right now it is very cold!! We picked up our team and then met the Baker's for dinner - it was great fun~!! The Baker's are really great people! Tim is leaving in the morning to go to CA to speak at a church... So, that's our day.... we just found out that 3 people are returning to PHF tomorrow beause they miss the kids - not surprised... they are precious!! I definitely am falling in love with Savannah, but I am pretty sure that she is already matched - I am asking for prayers for her file to be found and for us to lock it in... or for G. direction on where our daughter is... It's kinda crazy though - there are sooo many more kids here at PHF but none of them has caught my heart... not sure why... Well, I am off to bed soon and will try to send some pics - tomorrow we are planning on finishing up at the H.H.
Love and hugs to all!
Love and hugs to all!
Nov. 11 Pictures
This is Savannah and Christopher. Christopher is a very precious little 6 year old boy who just had surgery on his club foot - he really is very precious - loves art, writing and is very smart!!! He is paperwork ready and has NOT been matched!!! If anyone is praying about adopting a 6 year old boy - He might be the one for you!!! We all have really enjoyed playing with him at the H.H. let me know if you want more info...
Savannah and Oliver (or William - I get them confused) running to see Phoebe - it is really wonderful to see how much the kids absolutely love each other and the nannies too~
A precious Harmony house girl - I can't remember her name (I think she has Cerebral palsy)
Kids outside playing with flowers
SavannahMonday, November 10, 2008
Nov. 10
It was great leisurely morning... many slept in which was much needed! There is another man staying here with us for the next few days - he is adopting a child that used to be here at PHF but was in a foster home. He is here by himself - his wife had to stay at home with their other children. I am so glad that we are here for him and were able to pray with him before he left - we got home late tonight so I am not sure how the union went...
John Bentley arrived around lunch time and we visited with him for a few hours before we went to Harmony House. He shared MANY things with us including his recent help with an orphanage in Inland China - he is "adopting" it to provide support for the orphanage which is ran by a man who has taken in 36 children - it has recently had a fire. His vision is to help it get back on its feet - and to get it functionable (cribs, and supplies) then to try to get sponsors for the children so it can has some sort of constant support. He also shared with us that they are moving the Harmony House into another location - the gov't is making him move:( So, our task here in the next few days is to clean up the new home and try to fix it up to get ready for the children. I am really excited about this but we are pr.ng about how we are going to provide the $ for this... with half of our team in Beijing, we are sure if they are in agreement - so please help us pr. to figure this out by the morning. After lunch, we visited the "new" location and the current location. I just LOVED seeing the children - they are soo sooo precious - i REALLY fell in love with them. Jessica was the first child i saw sitting in the high chair - (it was fun to be able to immediately recognize them by their picture) they are doing further testing but they are thinking that she may have leukemia - she is adorable!! The other little girl that i am really praying about is Savannah - she is almost 2 and has a repaired cleft lip - although it looks like she may still need some additional surgery - she is SOSO cute - i held her most of the time - she just tried to figure me out - she smelled soo good - like Johnson's baby shampoo - her cheeks were soo kissable and i did not want to put her down - I've asked Lily about her and she is telling me not to get my hopes up because she does not want what happend with Kay to happen with Savannah - but i will pray about it and if the L. closes doors then i will know:) Phoebe is also very precious! I could snatch her up in my suitase too - I played with her for awhile too:) We'll see where the L. leads us... We then went to Walmart and purchased some cleaning supplies for our job tomorrow. After that we went out to dinner with John, Wayne (a Board of Director who just recently moved out here), and the owner of the land where the new location of the Harmony House will be - we were building "Guanxi" (aka good relations) with them. We ate at a Szechuan-type restaurant and I think that I probably ate several foods that I have NO idea what they were! I think I ate chicken joints again - ugh:( I didn't know it until I took abite:( There was sooo much food and we had to be on our best behavior and have really good etiquette and "try" to use chopsticks (for some reason - this is extremely hard for me!!) The dinner seemed to go really well and I'm glad that we were able to help the Harmony House with this relationship building.
Tomorrow we have alot of work to do: some are staying at PHF to finish up some stuff here; some are going to clean Harmony house; and some may be going shopping to purchase some blinds, light fixtures, and bathroom fixtures...
Thanks for your P's!!!
John Bentley arrived around lunch time and we visited with him for a few hours before we went to Harmony House. He shared MANY things with us including his recent help with an orphanage in Inland China - he is "adopting" it to provide support for the orphanage which is ran by a man who has taken in 36 children - it has recently had a fire. His vision is to help it get back on its feet - and to get it functionable (cribs, and supplies) then to try to get sponsors for the children so it can has some sort of constant support. He also shared with us that they are moving the Harmony House into another location - the gov't is making him move:( So, our task here in the next few days is to clean up the new home and try to fix it up to get ready for the children. I am really excited about this but we are pr.ng about how we are going to provide the $ for this... with half of our team in Beijing, we are sure if they are in agreement - so please help us pr. to figure this out by the morning. After lunch, we visited the "new" location and the current location. I just LOVED seeing the children - they are soo sooo precious - i REALLY fell in love with them. Jessica was the first child i saw sitting in the high chair - (it was fun to be able to immediately recognize them by their picture) they are doing further testing but they are thinking that she may have leukemia - she is adorable!! The other little girl that i am really praying about is Savannah - she is almost 2 and has a repaired cleft lip - although it looks like she may still need some additional surgery - she is SOSO cute - i held her most of the time - she just tried to figure me out - she smelled soo good - like Johnson's baby shampoo - her cheeks were soo kissable and i did not want to put her down - I've asked Lily about her and she is telling me not to get my hopes up because she does not want what happend with Kay to happen with Savannah - but i will pray about it and if the L. closes doors then i will know:) Phoebe is also very precious! I could snatch her up in my suitase too - I played with her for awhile too:) We'll see where the L. leads us... We then went to Walmart and purchased some cleaning supplies for our job tomorrow. After that we went out to dinner with John, Wayne (a Board of Director who just recently moved out here), and the owner of the land where the new location of the Harmony House will be - we were building "Guanxi" (aka good relations) with them. We ate at a Szechuan-type restaurant and I think that I probably ate several foods that I have NO idea what they were! I think I ate chicken joints again - ugh:( I didn't know it until I took abite:( There was sooo much food and we had to be on our best behavior and have really good etiquette and "try" to use chopsticks (for some reason - this is extremely hard for me!!) The dinner seemed to go really well and I'm glad that we were able to help the Harmony House with this relationship building.
Tomorrow we have alot of work to do: some are staying at PHF to finish up some stuff here; some are going to clean Harmony house; and some may be going shopping to purchase some blinds, light fixtures, and bathroom fixtures...
Thanks for your P's!!!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Nov. 9
We had an amazing weekend - I already told you about Sat.... So, here goes Sun.:) We woke up at the crack of dawn to leave PHF by 6am! We drove several hrs. to the Great Wall at Mutiyanu (sp?) The sights were fun to see:) We actually saw a wedding processional - about 5 black cars with red flowers all over them (it must have been a good day to marry b/c we saw 3 different processionals). Judy expained to us that the groom and his family/wedding party drive to the bride's home to pick her up and take her to the ceremony - very fun to learn and see about this Chinese Wedding tradition. We finally made it to the Wall and took a ski lift to the top - very fun but not if you're afraid of heights - i tried not to think about it and look down:) We took some group pics and then went walking - it was the "greatest work out" ever! Holy cow!!! And such amazing sights!! We had a few girls also want to take their pics with us - kinda fun being "celebrities" LOL The best part was the "bob sled" type of ride down - we flew! it was great until we ran into a VERY slow old man:( oh well:)
Then we had a 3hr. drive to the "Dirt Market" - I hadn't been here before... it is kind of like and organized garage sale of Chinese stuff! I think we got some good deals on stuff and I am thinking that I am done shopping! We have mastered the bartering for the best price!! Thanks to Steve's advice we us the "F.E.L.T" method - F=flirt with the person - E=examine the item - L=low ball - T=take a walk. It works every time! It is especially fun when you take a walk and they keep following you and then give you the price you want:) Although, it's fun -it can be exhausting and I'm glad that I am done shopping! I did get some cute pics of some little boys in split pants - so precious:):)
After our experience at the Dirt Market - we rode the Subway to the Nite Market! It was quite the experience - i never thought that i would ride a subway all over Beijing!! We got the the Nite Market safely and the first thing that we did was eat at McDonalds - it was WONDERFUL! Just like at home:) Never thought that I'd be excited to eat there! But it did give us a little bit of home:) The area that we went to is the Wangfujing area - we actually stayed very close by there the last time we were in Beijing -but 3 yrs. ago we never ventured out - and i think i am glad - i would have been nervous with the boys... This area had some neat/nice stores and also the "fun" area - where they had scorpions and starfish on a stick - as well as other meat "item" on a stick... A few team members were adventurous (Damon & Whitney) and tried the scorpions!! NO THANKS! They said that it tasted like crunchy cajun spice... We spent a few hours in this area and topped off the evening with an ice cream cone from McD's! - wonderfully yummy!!
Then it was back on the subway to drop off 8 members of our team (Steve, Andrew, Jessica, Judy, Whitney, Jeff, Joel & Tamara) with Evzn and Christy - E. and C are "student's" here from Steve's Valley forth mem Ch. - so they are going to be doing some E. in the University district - On the subway earlier in the evening - we actually met about 3 people that was just coming home from thier Home ch. - so we gave them a "book" and took their # - I think the team is hoping to meet up with them!
Then it was a 1 1/2 hr. drive home - and wouldn't you know it the bus ran out of gas 1 mile from PHF and it was 11pm!! Luckily we were able to call for help and quickly make it home:)
We are meeting John from Harmony today - please P. that the L. uses us and that we have our eyes and hearts open to what we are supposed todo for him - we havent gotten clear direction on our purpose for this week:)
Love and hugs to all - maybe pics later!!
Then we had a 3hr. drive to the "Dirt Market" - I hadn't been here before... it is kind of like and organized garage sale of Chinese stuff! I think we got some good deals on stuff and I am thinking that I am done shopping! We have mastered the bartering for the best price!! Thanks to Steve's advice we us the "F.E.L.T" method - F=flirt with the person - E=examine the item - L=low ball - T=take a walk. It works every time! It is especially fun when you take a walk and they keep following you and then give you the price you want:) Although, it's fun -it can be exhausting and I'm glad that I am done shopping! I did get some cute pics of some little boys in split pants - so precious:):)
After our experience at the Dirt Market - we rode the Subway to the Nite Market! It was quite the experience - i never thought that i would ride a subway all over Beijing!! We got the the Nite Market safely and the first thing that we did was eat at McDonalds - it was WONDERFUL! Just like at home:) Never thought that I'd be excited to eat there! But it did give us a little bit of home:) The area that we went to is the Wangfujing area - we actually stayed very close by there the last time we were in Beijing -but 3 yrs. ago we never ventured out - and i think i am glad - i would have been nervous with the boys... This area had some neat/nice stores and also the "fun" area - where they had scorpions and starfish on a stick - as well as other meat "item" on a stick... A few team members were adventurous (Damon & Whitney) and tried the scorpions!! NO THANKS! They said that it tasted like crunchy cajun spice... We spent a few hours in this area and topped off the evening with an ice cream cone from McD's! - wonderfully yummy!!
Then it was back on the subway to drop off 8 members of our team (Steve, Andrew, Jessica, Judy, Whitney, Jeff, Joel & Tamara) with Evzn and Christy - E. and C are "student's" here from Steve's Valley forth mem Ch. - so they are going to be doing some E. in the University district - On the subway earlier in the evening - we actually met about 3 people that was just coming home from thier Home ch. - so we gave them a "book" and took their # - I think the team is hoping to meet up with them!
Then it was a 1 1/2 hr. drive home - and wouldn't you know it the bus ran out of gas 1 mile from PHF and it was 11pm!! Luckily we were able to call for help and quickly make it home:)
We are meeting John from Harmony today - please P. that the L. uses us and that we have our eyes and hearts open to what we are supposed todo for him - we havent gotten clear direction on our purpose for this week:)
Love and hugs to all - maybe pics later!!
Nov. 8 Pictures
Lives scorpions on a stick!!! crazy!! their little tales were moving - it was crazy!
The dirt market in Beijing
The Great Wall bobsled ride down to the bottom of the hill
Shelby (PHF coordinator) and Dawn (Teacher at PHF) - very fun and great gals!!! It has been a pleasure getting to know them!
The Calvary Chapel team! It has been a BLAST getting to know each other so much better! We are going to miss each other when it comes time to go home. Luckily, most of us can see each other a couple times a week!
The Great Wall - The entire team from the Northwest.
A very flexible lady!!
Acrobat show - these girls rode unicylces and caught these bowls on their heads - There was several other types of acrobats too...
Man selling meat on a stick - including squid which several people ate - NOT ME!!!
I'm at the center of the Universe!!
Brooke and I at the Temple of Heaven
Ribbon dancing at the temple of Heaven.We had a great time - i will post more about the experience later!!!
We are off to The great wall - Dirt Market - and TEa House show!!
We are off to The great wall - Dirt Market - and TEa House show!!
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