I am writing this from the airport in Tokyo. I made it safely here and have two more flights till I reach home in St. Louis sometime this evening. I can't believe I'm sitting here waiting for my plane and that six months has already passed. My last night at the Home was as perfect as could be. Because it was also Ted's birthday, a bunch of the older kids that are in college or living elsewhere on the island came home to celebrate. It was a celebration even bigger than Chinese New Year. So many gifts, so much food and laughter, such a great testament to how much Ted has blessed the children and how much they love him.
So my last day was filled with celebration and thanksgiving. Jhong Hau was home and he took me on a scooter ride up to the tea fields on the other side of the mountain. Every turn he made, he leaned back and asked if I was scared. :) He also didn't have a helmet for me, so he told me not to tell my father because he might be angry at him. :)
After devotions, I gave cards/letters that I had made out to all the kids and got to watch more birthday festivities for Ted. The littlest girls put on a song/dance combo for him and the night ended with a ton of pictures and everyone spanking Ted's bottom- a birthday tradition at the Home.
Of course, I cried when saying goodbye to Show Hwa and to Meredith, but they were tears of joy as well as sadness. One of the older girls, Chyou Rho made me a card and gave me a milk tea for my ride to the airport the next morning. Such a sweet girl!
I have been so blessed by my experience here in Taiwan. Memories I will cherish forever and heart changes that I pray will last as I figure out the next steps for my life. Leaving the Home, I can say with a full heart that some day I will be back there again.
Looking forward to seeing all of my friends and family in a few hours and in the upcoming weeks!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
David's Birthday!!!
I didn't have time to write yesterday, but yesterday was David's 1st birthday!!!!! Oh, what a wonderful blessing and joy he has been to me. If I could take these little babies home, I would! We celebrated by having all the babies come to a special party for David, where as the guest of honor, he got to sit in the middle of the circle and wear a really cool paper hat. Shr Mama made him a little blueberry muffin and we lit one candle for him to blow out. We sang and he made a wish! We also made a wish for him, which was to be home with his family as soon as possible. Their paper work is going so slowly and there has been lots of mix-ups with it being sent back to Taiwan, so please be praying for God's guidance and hand to move the papers where they need to be quickly. Here is a video of David's party. Enjoy. :)
Thursday, March 3, 2011
PRAY!
Please pray that God would change Chiou's and En Chr and Yu Ping's birth moms' hearts. That God would give them wisdom and a selfless heart to give their children up, so that the babies can have a better life and go to a home where they can be loved and provided for. Pray for God's will and protection over these two babies and girl. Pray against pride and wrong motives to take their babies back. Pray that God's love would cover everything.
Thank you, God for these wonderful babies whom you love so much. Thank you for their smiles and the breath you have given them. I praise you for the work you are doing here in Taiwan at The Home of God's Love. We know you are sovereign and that you want only good for these babies. Please change their birth mothers' hearts, so that they may still be adopted into wonderful, loving families that will teach them about you and your love. I trust that you are working and thank you for getting to be a part of these children's lives. In Jesus' powerful name. Amen.
We also got two new babies today. Chen Hwei Jen is four and a half months and Ou Dz An is five days!
Thank you, God for these wonderful babies whom you love so much. Thank you for their smiles and the breath you have given them. I praise you for the work you are doing here in Taiwan at The Home of God's Love. We know you are sovereign and that you want only good for these babies. Please change their birth mothers' hearts, so that they may still be adopted into wonderful, loving families that will teach them about you and your love. I trust that you are working and thank you for getting to be a part of these children's lives. In Jesus' powerful name. Amen.
We also got two new babies today. Chen Hwei Jen is four and a half months and Ou Dz An is five days!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Nearing the End
I have two weeks left here at The Home of God's Love. I think it really just hit me tonight that when I leave here I won't wake up the next morning and get to peek in on Ethan Matthew and get his first smile of the morning or see David Jeremiah's sleepy, confused morning face. I am not yet ready to leave the people that I love here- the babies, Show Hwa, Ted and Bev, Anna, Meredith, and all the older kids. I haven't been keeping track of how many days I have left, mostly because the only reason I will be happy to leave is to get to see my family and friends in America, not because I want to leave here. I wish I could have both my family/friends in America and the babies/kids/friends here in Taiwan in the same place. Gwo Hwei told me yesterday that I only have fourteen days left. He told me that when I leave his heart is going to cry. Isn't that so sweet? He's been a really good friend while I've been here. And he is such a good helper, feeding and holding the babies when he stops by. There are so many great people and kids here that I wish I could still have as a part of my every day life. I wish I could get to see all the babies I've helped care for grow up. I wish I could continue being an older sister to all the girls on the other side of the orphanage. Ya Wen told me the other day that she is going to cry when I leave, too. It broke my heart. Bah......no more talking about it. Such great people, such great memories I'll cherish forever.
To stay on a sad note......Baby Chiou (Timothy Joel) is being taken back by his birth mom. This is the second baby for his adoptive parents to lose (Baby Shih was the first), so please be praying for comfort and encouragement for them as the find out the news and continue back at square one with their adoption process. I am really sad that Timothy won't be going to them because they seemed like wonderful, wonderful people. Sometimes when adoptive parents lose a baby because the birth parents take him back, they keep the same name they had picked out for the next baby the are allocated. When Timothy's parents found out that Baby Shih (Elisha) was being taken back and that they were now allocated Chiou, they wanted to choose a new name so that they could keep praying for Elisha.
Happier news......We are getting two new babies this Thursday! One is a newborn, and the other is a four month old. Also, all they other babies are doing well. Ethan Luke rolled over for the first time, En Chr got a hair cut, David is able to put some weight through his legs and stand up with help, Rylyn is working on more teeth and eating better, Ethan Matthew has been less fussy and much more giggly, Mia and Maleeya are growing soooooo much, Brecken and Tristan are doing better with tummy time, James is still super cute, and David Jeremiah is smiling more and wanting more conversation.
Other good news......Meredith and I have enjoyed two wonderful days off in the past two weeks. Last week, we went into town with Anna and got new glasses and helped her run errands. Then, Meredith and I ate lunch at a new little restaurant by the lake. They serve really good waffles! This week, we went into Luodong and ate at a Chinese place and then got bings, Meredith's first! Later that day, we went on a walk with Jong Hau around the lake and then I got to play basketball with him and some of the other kids. I also got to hang out a little bit with Ya Wen and some of the littler girls. One of my favorite moments of the day was when Yu Ping, Ying Ju, and the social worker's daughter ran up to me calling, "Jie Jie (older sister)!" because they wanted to play. Best day off yet!
I need to get to bed, since I'm on early morning shift and it's almost midnight here. Thanks for caring about me and my time here. Thanks for your prayers!
Prayer requests:
- God to watch over Baby Chiou as he goes back with his birth mom
- That Rylyn's adoption would go through, that the case worker would be able to find her birth mom, so that the paperwork process can continue.
- For James' diaper rash
- Rest for Bev and healing for a lump on her eye
- For eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart that can see God's heart and love here
-Strength to finish my time here with even more love each day for the babies and people I with whom I work
- God to be preparing my heart to come back to America and ending my time here in joy and thanksgiving
To stay on a sad note......Baby Chiou (Timothy Joel) is being taken back by his birth mom. This is the second baby for his adoptive parents to lose (Baby Shih was the first), so please be praying for comfort and encouragement for them as the find out the news and continue back at square one with their adoption process. I am really sad that Timothy won't be going to them because they seemed like wonderful, wonderful people. Sometimes when adoptive parents lose a baby because the birth parents take him back, they keep the same name they had picked out for the next baby the are allocated. When Timothy's parents found out that Baby Shih (Elisha) was being taken back and that they were now allocated Chiou, they wanted to choose a new name so that they could keep praying for Elisha.
Happier news......We are getting two new babies this Thursday! One is a newborn, and the other is a four month old. Also, all they other babies are doing well. Ethan Luke rolled over for the first time, En Chr got a hair cut, David is able to put some weight through his legs and stand up with help, Rylyn is working on more teeth and eating better, Ethan Matthew has been less fussy and much more giggly, Mia and Maleeya are growing soooooo much, Brecken and Tristan are doing better with tummy time, James is still super cute, and David Jeremiah is smiling more and wanting more conversation.
Other good news......Meredith and I have enjoyed two wonderful days off in the past two weeks. Last week, we went into town with Anna and got new glasses and helped her run errands. Then, Meredith and I ate lunch at a new little restaurant by the lake. They serve really good waffles! This week, we went into Luodong and ate at a Chinese place and then got bings, Meredith's first! Later that day, we went on a walk with Jong Hau around the lake and then I got to play basketball with him and some of the other kids. I also got to hang out a little bit with Ya Wen and some of the littler girls. One of my favorite moments of the day was when Yu Ping, Ying Ju, and the social worker's daughter ran up to me calling, "Jie Jie (older sister)!" because they wanted to play. Best day off yet!
I need to get to bed, since I'm on early morning shift and it's almost midnight here. Thanks for caring about me and my time here. Thanks for your prayers!
Prayer requests:
- God to watch over Baby Chiou as he goes back with his birth mom
- That Rylyn's adoption would go through, that the case worker would be able to find her birth mom, so that the paperwork process can continue.
- For James' diaper rash
- Rest for Bev and healing for a lump on her eye
- For eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart that can see God's heart and love here
-Strength to finish my time here with even more love each day for the babies and people I with whom I work
- God to be preparing my heart to come back to America and ending my time here in joy and thanksgiving
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