Monday, November 29

Hi everyone,
I am pretty worn out tonight and my patience is waning. One baby stops crying and another begins. After this 15 hour shift, I hopefully will get some much needed rest. A few things from today:

- The mother of the 5 month old and the 5 year old that I wrote about about a month ago decided to give them up again today, so they arrived here thus afternoon. The baby boy is now six months old. He and his sister are both really cute. His name is En Chr and he looks like he is already 8 months old. He is a big boy. He was pretty scared at first, who wouldn't be surrounded by a huge group of people in your face, none of which is your mom. But he gas done well tonight. They both will be up for adoption together.
-There are a lot of health issues affecting everyone here, so please pray that the Lord would provide good health and healing to the kids, babies, and us.
-Elijah left today. It had me, Show Hwa, and both his mom and dad crying. I am going to miss him!!! Also they missed their flight out to Tokyo due o a mix up in what airport they were flying out of, so Ted and them are all spending the night in Taipei and the Lewis's are hoping for a flight out tomorrow to get them to where they need to be. They came from Spain, but now have to fly back to the states to get Elijah's U.S citizenship. After a few days there, they will fly back home to Spain.

Good night

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!! So much to be thankful for- babies, friends, parents, foreign countries, pumpkin pie. :)

Yesterday, I was feeling a bit homesick, missing friends and family around the holidays. Talking to people from back home and knowing everyone is getting to be together made me wish I could be there, too. While it is still bitter sweet being away during the holidays, I am surrounded by just as much love here. Part of the missionary families who are celebrating Thanksgiving at the Home with us arrived today. A lot of the people who came are missionaries I met the first time I came to Taiwan- the Pagels and the Edwards. Tomorrow Angela Jones, a friend from Truman who also came to Taiwan with me the first time, Jennifer Reynolds and Peter Bennett, two of the other missionaries are coming down as well. It has been so good seeing familiar faces and catching up with them. The Pagels and the Edwards both have daughters that are about 14 who like to help us with the babies. Tomorrow we will have a whole American Thanksgiving meal for lunch- turkey, pie, cranberries, sweet potatoes! Having them all here and eating great food helps ease the homesickness!

Here are some things I forgot to write in the last post:
-The twins were allocated and are now named Brecken Maddox and Tristan Lennox. They are doing well and have both grown so much. Tristan is still bigger, but they both are looking much more healthy and much cuter!
-We got a new baby GIRL today!!! Her name is Peng Shr Tong and she is two weeks old.
-Jennifer made a video of her first 3 months here and although it is not my video, she said I could post the link for you all to view it. It is of her experience and has lots of pictures of the babies and what we do while we serve. Here is the link- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgKbEnRcqw0
-Ted has the older kids memorize a Bible verse every week. They say it every night before the eat dinner. Jennifer and I have been trying to learn them as well, in Chinese! So far I know Psalm 144:3 and 135:5!

So thankful for all of you who are praying for me, the babies, and the Home. Thank you, God, that I have parents who have loved and cared for me my whole life (Thanks, Mom and Dad!). Thank you, God, that I have people who I can call friend and brother. Thank you that I get to be here loving these children. Thank you that you are good and want us to know you. Thank you that you provide and care for us. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for giving me this wonderful experience. Thank you that you are in control.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Babies, Babies, and more Babies!

Sorry I haven't been able to post in awhile. We are busier and finding time to sit down and type is getting harder.

This week's theme has been adjusting to change. With Rebecca leaving at the end of last week, we knew we would have a little bit more work among all of us, especially with caring for the twins who eat more often than the other babies. Then we got two more babies- Mr. G (now allocated as Ethan Luke Ebbling) and Mr. Feng.

Ethan Luke came last Monday and is a month and a half old. He has a very special and sad story. His is a Vietnamese baby. His mother got pregnant before she met a man from Taiwan while he was on a business trip to Vietnam. They got married quickly, so she could move back to Taiwan with him. After the baby was born, they did DNA testing to see if the baby was the husband's or not. Because it was not, the man's parents are making the couple give him up. Both the mother and her husband love this baby and did not want to give him up for adoption, but knew that was their only option to appease his family. Now after they gave the baby up, the parents of the husband are making the husband send his wife back to Vietnam. Such a sad story. Ethan Luke is so cute with a head full of hair that naturally goes into s little mohawk. He is still getting used to us and hasn't quite warmed up. He did finally coo and smile a little in the past few days.

We got Mr. Feng on Wednesday when he was just four days old. He was already bigger than the twins. :) Now Feng is a little over a week old and is adjusting really well. He is a pretty content baby who loves to eat. He almost doesn't look Asian. He has the biggest brown eyes and does not yet seem to have the flat nose the is characteristic of Chinese people. Probably one of the cutest babies I ever seen, although I could be a little bit partial.

Then on Friday a little one and a half year old girl,  Liou Jr Chien, came. Before Ted got back from picking her up, we weren't sure whether or not she would be on our side or with the Aiye's on the older kids side. Ted arrived and right away we knew our answer. She was terrified of all of us white people, speaking sounds that were foreign to her. Since she is already a year and a half, she has been doing much better adjusting to being away from her mother by being surrounded by familiar looking faces and familiar language. The older kids have done really well with her. Even Ying Ju, the youngest older girl (5), has taken to comforting her and playing really well with her.

So last week was crazy. It seemed like God was just going to keep sending babies to us and we didn't know when it would stop. Every other day there was a call that another baby was going to be picked up. I love getting new babies and getting to know and care for them, but last week wore me out. Since we have twelve babies now with five under two months, either Gabrielle or I stay up to help Jennifer with the 11:00pm feeding. Whoever stays up gets to sleep in until 8:00am in the morning, while the other takes the earlier morning shift at 7:00am. We are on a weekly rotation, so this is my week to get up early. I actually like being the one who gets up early because even though it's hard getting up some days, I can go to bed by 9:00pm if I chose to. Being on the 11:00pm shift last week was so hard. I could tell I was crabbier during the days and could hardly ever find a little bit of alone time.

During the days, it feels like we are constantly feeding. I am not getting to play with the older babies as much as I used to be able to, which is sad but understandable with less help and more babies. We had a record day of feedings last week since I'd been here- 106 feedings in one day!! That's almost 90 diaper changes as well! I wouldn't change it for the world!

Last week we took the babies Christmas pictures. After their bath on Monday, we dressed them in red, green, and white outfits and took their pictures to send to their adoptive parents. We even had a Santa Claus hat for them to wear. They were all pretty adorable!

Food adventures for the week was trying fried squid. It was actually delicious, a little chewy. The second new food was an ice cream treat we bought at the vendor by the lake. I don't actually know what it was called, but it was a crepe-like shell filled with peanut candy shavings and three scoops of ice cream. I got mine with pineapple, chocolate, and milk flavored ice cream. Surprisingly, pineapple was my favorite with the peanut candy- Never thought those two flavors meshed well together!

I don't think I ever remember to write about the bread truck. If I have sorry for repeating myself. There is a local bakery that donates their extra pastries and breads to the orphanage. The bread truck comes late at night and is always a treat! It doesn't come on a set schedule. It's just random, so it's extra special and exciting on nights when it does come. Their breads are SO good! I like them so much, I am having trouble fitting into my jeans! :) The bread seems sweeter than bread back home. The ones I like best are filled with a type of coconut shaving.


The last thing to share in this entry is that Elijah's parents are here!!! Praise God for his papers being ready in time! Of course I teared up when they saw him for the first time. I love that part! This meeting was especially special for me because Elijah and I have really bonded over the time I've been here. I love him so much and His parents seem great. Their little family is a little world of culture. They are from the States, but are missionaries in Spain working with African immigrants, and now parents to a little Taiwanese baby! So cool.

I am blessed. God cares.

The babies

So as not to be confusing, I am going to write down the babies that we have currently because i have written a lot about getting new babies and expecting new babies, but some that we have been expecting are not coming anymore. So here is the current list in order by oldest to youngest:

-David (8 months)
-Elijah (8 months)
-Cade (8 months)
-Kwen (5 months)
-Caleb (4 months)
-Logan (3 1/2 months)
-Rylyn (3 1/2 months)
-Ethan (1 month)
-You Ren (2 weeks)
-You Ai (2 weeks)

Prayer Requests:
- That communication would continue to be open and good between everyone in the house
- Please pray for energy, love, patience, and a common goal for all of the workers
-We have a government inspection on the 22nd of November. Please pray for everything to go smoothly, for Ted and Bev not to be overwhelmed.
-Good health for al of the babies, especially the new twins
- I am starting to realize I need to be thinking a little bit about what I am going to do when I return in March to the States- grad school, find a job? Please pray for guidance from God and for God to use this process of deciding the next step to show me the reality of his relationship with me.

Day Off Adventures

Today was the most exciting day off we've had so far. We started by going to the Childhood Steak House restaurant for lunch. One of the older boys, Eli (Wei Jye), works as a waiter there. He speaks pretty good English and is always jumping at the chance to practice, so when we walked in he got a huge grin on his face. We know how to say the word for chicken, pork, and fish, but didn't even have to use them becuase he came over and asked, "Steak, fish, or chick?" :) David, Rebecca's brother, got the steak and all of us girls ordered the chicken. We had no idea what else he would bring out. But it was pretty nice to just say chicken and then be greeted with a whole four course meal. First we had the "salad", which was more like a wrap with carrots, cabbage, tofu, cilantro, cucumbers, peanut powder, and some sort of meat. Next, was the main meat course, also served with a sunny side up egg, green leafy vegetable and noodles. Third, was a corn soup with a flaky crust over the top of it kind of like a chicken pot pie. The pastry part of it I really liked, but I wasn't too fond of the actual soup. Last, they brought us a type of cold pudding in milk and maybe an orange-ish flavor. Everything was very good. Another plus of eating at a restaurant in Taiwan is that they bring you tea for free!

After lunch, we set off to find the movie theater. We knew it was "near" where we ate, and had gotten verbal directions from Bev, but putting words to places in real life wasn't quite as easy as we'd thought it's be. After stopping at a vendor and then a 7-Eleven and then another 7-Eleven, getting directions at each one, we ended up on the complete opposite side of town. Apparently, three movie theaters were listed on our tickets and each place was taking us to a different one. A worker at the second 7-Eleven was nice enough to call a cab for us to take us where we needed to go. We were home free.....

Or so we thought. The taxi driver was very nice and dropped us off at the theater. We got out and looked around and all of us had an inkling that this might not be the right place. It was a movie theater, but a very shady looking one. A stand out front of a building was set up and three movie posters were hung behind it. The movie we were going to see was not among them. The rest of the building almost looked like a storage unit. All the men at the stand had disgustingly red mouths and a mouth full of rotten teeth from chewing beetle-nut, a type of nut filled with something that gives you a buzz. I asked them where a telephone was a one of them lead us to it. We called the Home to speak to get Show Hwa to speak to someone there to figure out where we needed to be. Turns out the place wasn't a sketchy as it looked and it was one of the movie theaters listed on our ticket (three in all), but not the one we wanted to go to. So we hopped into another taxi....

The second taxi took us right where we needed to be, to the movie theater back very close to the restaurant.  We realized that when we were walking to find the theater in the first place, we had just turned one street to early, and if we would have listened to the first vendor we stopped at for directions we probably would have found our way. I personally didn't mind getting lost. It was a gorgeous day outside (sunshine with no humidity), definitely gave us some adventure, and we made it to our destination just as the movie was beginning!

The movie we saw was Unstoppable and was a really exciting thriller. I'd recommend it, but beware you might not want to ride on a train ever again.


Other highlights of the day:
-Successfully asking "Where is the bathroom?" and "Telephone?" in Chinese
-Getting bings in the market after the movie. This time I tried a milk shaved ice with strawberry sauce. Rebecca got a strawberry shaved ice with mulberries, David a strawberry with chocolate sauce, and Jennifer and Gabrielle mango shaved ice. Next time I want to try a peanut shaved ice with chocolate sauce! And maybe then I'll be brave enough to try a taro root shaved ice...we"ll have to see about that one. I wouldn't want to waste a perfectly good and rare occasion to get a bing.
-Getting to hug Caleb when I got back to the Home

Twins!

Ted and Bev went to Tainan yesterday (which is on the southwestern side of the island) to pick up our new, seven day old, IDENTICAL twin boys! You (pronounced "yo") Ren was born first and is 4 lbs. 6 oz., and You Ai (pronounced "eye"), pulled out second is 5 lbs. Their names, given by Ted and Bev, both mean "to have love". I was the first to feed and change You Ai when he got here. I couldn't believe how tiny he was! They make Mr. Jang, who is now almost a month old, look big, which he really isn't.

The five month old and five year old siblings who were supposed to come today, did not. Their mother decided to give them up, then decided to take them back, then give them up again all within the span of a few days. They did not come today, so we are assuming she is deciding to keep them again. The mother seems very unstable. I can't imagine giving up your little girl after raising her for five years! Please be praying that God would make sure that the best thing for the children will be done.

We also are not receiving the  two month old baby boy. His mother is going to jail and has decided to take him with her. In Taiwan the women are allowed to care for the baby in jail until the child is one year old. I don't really know how that works, but my opinion is that a jail is not the best place to raise a baby. I don't know why the mother is in jail or for how long her sentence is. But continue to pray for this baby, as well, that the doors for him to come here would still be open.

Although those babies will not be coming to the home, we got news today that a baby girl was born today and will be here on Thursday or Friday. We knew we were getting her, but didn't expect her to be born so soon. Her mother got pregnant while her husband was away for an extended sailing trip. She did not tell him she was pregnant when he returned. Instead she told him she had a tumor! I don't know about you husbands out there, but I'm pretty sure you would not fall for that one, especially if you already had three children by her. He soon found out the truth about the bump on her stomach, and responded opposite of what we all thought. He was so gracious and agreed to sign the papers even though it is not his child.

More exciting news is that Mr. Jang and Ju Ju (who we actually just call mei mei ("little sister")) have been allocated. Mr. Jang is now Ethan Michael Behrens and Mei Mei is Rylyn Mackenzie Darley. Their process of being adopted is under way! 

Tomorrow we get the day off and are going to go see a movie. It's our last day off with Rebecca before she leaves. :(

Before I go, a HUGE thank you to my parents, Matt and Melody Mahder, and Leah Bergsten. It was like Christmas today!! I got two packages with lots of goodies and a letter! Now, I am supplied with candy, beautiful pictures of the fall leaves and landscapes of Kirksville, actual pressed leaves, fig newton's, and ingredients to make oatmeal cookies and a pecan pie!!! :)

Thursday, Nov. 3

Right now the babies are taking their afternoon nap and I am eating my lunch of rice, pumpkin, bamboo, and an orange. I realize I haven't been talking recently about the culture/food differences of my every day life, so I'll try and remember to add in those things. I am also taking a nice little break from downstairs, while Gabrielle is down there,  and listening to music in my room. Gabrielle and I are also going to take a bike ride into town this afternoon, so she can get some money out. It'll be a fun little outing.

Rebecca's brother is visiting this week and then they are both leaving to travel the country for another week before flying back to Canada. It will be really sad to see her go. We are all going to miss her. With her gone Gabrielle, Show Hwa, and I will have our work cut out for us, as we are getting newborn twin boys, a 2 month old boy, and a five month old boy on Monday!

I got a treat last night. Jennifer went out to eat with her Chinese teacher and they brought us back DONUTS!!!! Their donut place is called Mister Donut and they taste pretty much like a Dunkin' Donuts in America with a few different flavors. I was so excited and have really been trying to exercise my self-discipline and not eat them all. :)

Good news- The little boy, You Chyang, who cracked his wrist is completely healed. After his first x-ray, the doctor said it would take 3 months to heal, but he went back again and they couldn't find the crack again. They already took the cast off and now they said he only has to wait 10 days before playing ball again. I asked him at dinner last night if it still hurt and he said no. Praise God for healing!

Also, a missionary family from Taichung came and visited the orphanage yesterday. They have a fifteen year old boy who has Down Syndrome. The mom was so excited to meet our David!! When she picked David up he made his wonderful happy screech and she said she knew that beautiful sound. She helped us understand a little bit more about Down's and is going to send us some therapy exercises for him! This has been something I have been praying for. Praise God!

BAD NEWS- I might have a boil on my leg. I have been watching the spot for about three days now and it is continuing to get worse. Bev and Anna don't think it really looks like a boil, but it is raised, red, hard, and has a head on it. It also is very painful to touch. Please be praying for it to go away!

Happy Halloween!

So we don't celebrate Halloween here, but i'm sure a lot of you guys did back home. It's normally one of my favorite things to hand candy out to all the little trick-or-treaters and see their cute costumes. I did have the pleasure of seeing one adorable little ladybug here. Ava's parents dressed her up for a few pictures this morning before they left. It was a black and red polka dotted sleeper with a hood that had ears on it. She looked so cute!

Also, now that Ava is in Taipei with her parents and will be flying home to the states tomorrow, you get the privilege of seeing pictures of her! Here she is:

The happy family meeting for the first time!

This was taken about 2 1/2 weeks after I got here.

Me holding Ava my second day here.

Ava ready to go home to the States with her parents!

Now with Ava gone, we have eight babies again. Caleb has a really bad ear infection, so please be praying for the pain to go away and for it to heal. Jennifer has been having some difficult times at nights because Mr. Jang and Lin have their days and nights mixed up. They are both angels during the day, but have been staying up a lot of the night with Jennifer. Please pray for us as their caretakers to have wisdom and patience with all of the babies and to know when to let them cry and when not to.

Please continue to pray for David and his development! I found myself getting frustrated with him because it is hard to see improvement when you are with him everyday. I want so badly for him to be able to kick his legs and hold his own head up, but I forget that he wants that, too, but can't do anything about it. After all he is just a baby! In the past few days, I found myself getting aggravated at Kwen, too, for not being able to hold onto his toys. I was frustrated with myself for getting frustrated at the babies, so I skyped my mom and asked her advice. I wanted to know if she ever got frustrated with Tyler and me when she was trying to teach us something and we just weren't getting it. Helping me not feel like the meanest person in the world, she said all mothers go through that, and that I have to remember that they are only babies and can't help spitting up, or crying a lot, or not being able to do things. Wow, what a concept, right? :) I feel like that should've been common sense. But, I guess it's my perfectionism in me or my selfishness that comes out in wanting the babies to do what I think they should be able to do or what I want them to do that needs to die. Who knew loving even the cutest babies could be so hard sometimes! It has been a good lesson this week to learn that loving them means to want good for them whether or not that means convenience or happiness for me. I must love them where they are at and have patience with them, understanding that they are only babies. 

Here are some other tidbits of my life:

- I got to play a game of basketball with the older kids last weekend. It was all the girls and Jong Hau (Bob) verse all the boys.

-Elijah stood up by himself for the first time! (He's almost 8 months)

- Kwen lost his hair, so he looks bald and like he is a little marine with a crew cute. Even cuter than before!

-Logan has been talking a lot and is nothing but smiles if you talk to him.

-I learned how to suction out the snot from Ju Ju's nose. I weirdly enjoy doing it.

- Mr. Jang got his first bath today!

-One of the older boys, who is eleven,  cracked a bone in his wrist and had to get a soft cast put on.

- Both Pei Lewyn and Gwo Hwei said my perm was beautiful :)

-Finished reading through Ruth and am on to 1 Samuel. Learned from Judges that it's not okay do have everyone just do as he sees fit. We must look to God.

-Got to talk to Lindsey and Matt Bartlett on skype!!

Love to everyone! Ai.