Ole Twinkle Toes

Man+pedicure+NFL=Great Blog Post

It seems to take away the sting of watching your masculinity fly out the window before your eyes if you watch football while you are getting your pedicure.  Jadyn started out with just a nail file and then it was all down hill.  She put her little finger in the air and said "I get my pink" which is what she calls nail polish of any color.  Pat new he was in for it when that statement was made.

And he cannot tell her no.

It was actually quite funny, however, his right foot looked as though he had got it stuck under the lawnmower.  We all know that could never happen though ! I love him for the "tea" he drinks out of the little pink disney princess cups and for letting our little girl paint his toenails.  However, I spent the next 30 minutes with the remover and cotton getting the "pink" off his nails and feet.  I think he enjoyed it. Me, not so much.

Here are some pictures from the occasion.

To Lose a Friend

Seldom in life do you meet someone who leaves an imprint on your soul of the way people are supposed to be in this world.  Someone who touches your life unlike anyone you have ever known or met.  Someone who you know you can trust, who is an example for you to follow and who causes you to evaluate yourself more closely than ever before.

Jacquie Franklin did that for me.

On Saturday night, while still in China, Pat and I learned of the passing of a sweet friend.  At 3:00 a.m. on Saturday morning in Smyrna, Jac met face to face, the One whom she loved.  I know that she walked hand in hand with her Savior into eternity, because I believe He receives each one of His children home like that.  I don't believe He allows us to walk that journey alone.  I believe that He is with us every step of the way.  In learning of our loss, Pat and I held each other and cried.  I am so very grateful to a God that orchestrates every move that He allowed our paths to cross and fully believe that not a single event was by accident.  Looking back over the past few years, it's so very easy to see the hand of God in so many things.

Friend.

Simply put, Jacquie was my friend.  She made me want to be a better person just by being around her, isn't that what friends are for?  She always left you feeling loved and valued.  I love people that give value to your very existence.  And she did.  She made you feel like you were on the top of her list of favorite people, from the homeless men at Room at the Inn that she didn't know personally, to Mike and Ryan.   And, those of us that were priviledged to fall somewhere in between.  She gave value and worth to your life, just by being her.  She was never without a compliment, always saw the good in people, and thought my cobbler was the best ever!  Sweet memories that bring a smile to my tear stained face.  It's taken me a few days to collect my thoughts, but it took only a matter or seconds to begin the self-examination of my life.  In feeling the sting of death of a loved one once again, I looked at my feeble attempt to make a difference in this world.  Perhaps, moreso than ever before.  I don't know for sure, but I suspect several of us that knew and loved Jac are doing the same.  That is the legacy of Jacquie Franklin.  That is what she left behind, a trail of people in her wake that are now looking at their own lives and wondering what impression they are leaving on this world.  At least I know that I am.  Thank you for being my friend, for I am blessed by having known you.

Servant.

On Tuesday, before Jac's homegoing on Saturday, she asked to paint the toenails of a friend.  After a bit of persuading, Susan allowed Jac to paint her toenails.  It was a struggle, and weakness and fatigue were the enemy at this point of her life.  After finishing her final masterpiece, she was tired and went to lie down.  She never got up again, at least not in her earthly body.  Her last earthly task was "washing the feet" of a friend.  A true servant's heart if ever there was one.  Her final act of servanthood on this earth was complete, that of making a difference in each and every life that she touched.  What an example!

Daughter of the King.

Without a doubt, watching the spiritual growth take place in the life of Jacquie has been a great joy in my life.  Even when facing the dark days that she knew would soon come, she pressed on.  Oh, it was not without tears, for we shed many, many tears over her illness, lousy test results and fear of the unknown.  But, she completely trusted her Creator.  The One who knit her together in her Mothers womb, the one that ordained each one of her days to be, even before the very foundations of the world were laid.  You see, Jacquie knew Him personally and loved Him with all her heart.  She walked with Him, talked with Him, and relied on Him for her strength and perseverance in the face of her failing health. "It's all good" came across Jac's lips many, many times.  Even then,  she trusted Him.  She looked to Him in the good times and in the bad times.   Oh, how grateful I am for that summer evening when Jac walked across my yard and struck up a conversation, part of which included "what time does your church start"?  It was just the beginning of a bunch of puzzle pieces that were about to fit together.

Whole.

I never stopped praying for Jacquie and I never stopped asking God to heal her.  More than ever before, I boldly stood before the Throne and asked my God to heal Jacquie, EVERY time I prayed for her.  I repeatedly claimed scripture and I fully believe that if He has chosen to do so, He could have healed her body of that terrible disease.  Did God fail no answer my prayer?  No.  For, you see, Jacquie IS healed.  She is more whole that she has ever been in her life.  God answered my prayer, just not the way that I would have chosen for it to be answered.  I am thankful that there is no more cancer, no more tears, and no medications.  It just stinks for the rest of us.  But, I am thankful that we were blessed with many, many good times with Jacquie even after that terrible day in February when she was diagnosed.  I am thankful, most of all, that she is whole.  Not broken anymore, but whole.  God, you are good.  

Jacquie, my friend, thank you for making a difference in both life and death.  I will miss your sweet face, your kind words and your servants heart.  I will miss you, sweet friend.

"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord

is to be praised.  Give her the reward she has earned..."

Proverbs 31:29-31a

 

Until we praise Him together again,

We Are Home!

Thank you, Jesus, we are home!  I so enjoyed our time in China, but it is ALWAYS good to be home.  It is wonderful to be able to freely say what I want to say and freely type what I choose.  We had to be so very careful with what we wrote while we were in China.  The internet is monitored VERY closely in China and anything you write or say could endanger the families that live there and attempt to demonstrate the love of God to the people of China.

Man, what an amazing work that these M families have going on.  Let me just tell you, God is alive and well in China.  Christianity is growing at a rapid rate and this makes the government very nervous.  I have so very many stories to tell, including more detail on the visits that we made and attending a service at an underground church.  What an experience.  I always knew they existed, but never thought that I would actually attend one myself.  The people of China are hungry for the truth, they desire to know the one true and living God.  As a team, we laughed, we cried and all emotions in between.  There is just so much to tell.  Where do I begin?

It's 3:00 a.m. and I am beat.  It's been a tough couple of days since returning home.  Pat and I lost a very special person in our lives, Jacquie Franklin.  Today, the world is less one great woman.  A woman that we were honored to know and love the past several years.  What a blessing she was to our lives.  Check back soon.  

Thanks for reading,

Lasting Impressions

What are the things that keep you up at night? If you have ever read any of my blog, you know what those things are for me. You know that I normally do most of my blogging in the middle of the night. Well, China is no exception.

It's the images of the things that I have seen that has me up at 3:53 a.m. trying to process everything. I am sorry, I told you that I would post about the Tianjin SWI the other night, but I have had complications getting logged it. It wasn't that I couldn't log in, in fact, we have really had no problems with internet connections which is very unusual. The last time the team was here, they had access to NOTHING, except skype. Seems weird to have someone "tell" you what you can view on the internet, huh?

I have always been one to have trouble shutting my mind down. What's weird is that I go to sleep very quickly, but soon wake up and the race is on.. Often times, the face of that little boy that sat in my lap the whole time we were at the Langfang SWI was what I see. I could hear him, in a very sweet, mild voice, turn to me and say "Ni hao" about ever minute or so. Tonight/this morning is no exception. We traveled to Tianjin, which is a coastal municipality on the Yellow Sea. It's a very large, beautiful city and took us about 2 hours from Langfang. We arrived at the Tianjin SWI and were met with 2 beautiful, professional looking ladies and escorted to a conference room up stairs. I was AMAZED at this facility from the walk in the front door, up to the conference room.

We were served tea and were told that the children were napping and we could hang out for just a bit until nap time is over. So, we sipped our jasmine tea and waited. One of the ladies returned and began to give us a short presentation about the SWI through an interpreter. She told us all about the SWI, the school, the care that the children received etc. What a facility. We then began our tour. I ask the M that was with is if this SWI did adoptions out of it and he said yes. As we walked about the freshly painted halls, peered into the windows of the class rooms, play rooms filled with toys and books and saw a few of the children that were living there, it became evident to me that this place was certainly not the norm. After all, I have visited SWI's before, wow, no comparison. It was clean, smelled nice, the children were clean (most all were SN), the rooms were filled with toys, colorful mats on the floors, the nannies were dressed in nice uniforms and many, many other things. They have multiple buildings on the campus and they even took us into the building for the children with the most severe SN. The M said out of all the times he had been there, he had never got to go into this building.

In this building, there were rooms that had about 10 cots on the floor and the children were nestled all snug in their cots and were down for their naps. Most all of the children had CP which was moderate to severe, most being severe. Each room had 3-4 ayi and a smile was on everyone's face. All of the children in this building were not considered adoptable. As we left the building, I ended up at the back of the group walking beside the M. He quietly made the statement that this SWI was not like this 6 months ago. Everything was completely different, from the fresh paint to the multiple playgrounds filled with colorful playground equipment. That statement spoke volumes to me and if you know much about this culture, it should to you too.

The lady that is the house parent of the foster home that is run by the M family that we stayed with had to come to Tianjin to meet the couple that is adopting Caleb, one of the children that lived at their foster home in Langfang. He was a naughty, 6 year old that was all boy that was being adopted by a Chinese family. He did not have a left hand. He left to go be with his forever family while we were here. It was interesting to see how things work in China as far as adoptions go. The paperwork looked much the same.

One of the rooms that we went into was a baby room that had about 20 or so babies and probably 15 ayi with them. All of the ayi had a baby on their lap and they were laughing and playing. They had boppy cushions and play gyms and lots of toys. The babies that were not on the lap of an aye was asleep in a bouncy seat right beside of one. Pat and I were bent over playing with the most beautiful little girl with a cleft lip/cleft palate. The ayi handed her to Pat and I held off as long as I could and took her away from him. She was beautiful and was so sweet. She smelled so good and was dressed in clean clothes - no rag with a bungee cord - and felt like she had on a diaper. (I didn't look to see for sure) Imagine that. The M said that in all the years that he had been coming here that he had never seen anyone get to hold one of the children. I cried those silent tears and prd over this child and the others in the room.

We found out that that particular facility has, at present, 749 children. This facility had been completely redone in the last 6 months and I knew the reason for it. The world has been watching. I am sure that many, many tours have been done in this SWI to show the world how wonderful the SWI system is in China. To let other people see how well the children are cared for in China, especially those little ones with disabilities. To let the visitors from all over the world that want to see a Chinese orphanage get a glimpse. Millions of people have watched this part of the world in the last few weeks. They were relieved to see how well children are cared for. What I had just seen was a showcase orphanage - one that officials want the world to see. But, I kept thinking to myself, why Tianjin? The reason for that can be found if you google Tianjin. Make sense? I hope so. Because of my current location, I can't elaborate much more. But, if you have been around Chinese adoptions at all, you probably get the picture.

That was probably more information than you wanted and I am sorry that the post is so long. It's hard for me to condense everything I'm thinking into manuscripts smaller than War & Peace. I have so much more to tell you, but if I tell you now, you will be reading for days. Good night from China and I will see you soon.

Amy

I'd Do It All Over Again

Sorry that I haven't updated in a while, we have been quite busy and it takes me a bit to process the things that I have seen. I go over and over these things in my mind. This is such a humbling place to be. It is different for Pat, Leslie, Sarah and myself because we have such a strong connection to this place. I love the culture and the people, I could totally see us living here. It's so hard to explain with just words, especially when you are typing those words.

On Tuesday we went to a small local orphanage, the Langfang SWI. We visited this orphanage when we were here in 2007 getting Jadyn, so Pat and I somewhat knew what to expect. The men had gone to the SWI the night before to take one of the children that was visiting the foster home back there because that's where she lives and they went in and visited it briefly that night. The next morning, the director would not allow all 9 of us to visit, so only the ladies and Ting (a MK) went. The men let us out and went to Walmart (which, in China is an adventure all by itself).

We spent about an hour at the SWI just playing with and loving on children. Not all of the children are SN, but most of them are. They had 4 infants and the rest were toddlers and preschool/school age children. The children were in the courtyard when we arrived and were so excited to see us. We sat in the courtyard, those of you who have been before know exactly what I am talking about, and loved on those children. There was a little boy, about 7 who took up with me and became my best friend while I was there. He held my had the whole time, either on or both of them. He was such a precious, precious little boy. We were told later by the M that he was one time kept in a cage, literally. We actually saw a couple of others in this condition while we were there. This little boy that stole my heart was taken to foster by an american family and discovered he had a gluten allergy. After they figured this out and removed it from his diet, he begin to transform. Now, by human standards, he's far from "normal", but are any of us?

About every 30 seconds he would turn and so sweetly say "ni hao" . It was almost as if he was looking to make sure that I was still there. I would just ask that you speak to my Dad on his behalf. While he sat on my lap, I just rubbed his back, the human touch was like a soothing balm to his spirit. He was so calm and sweet and loving. I told Pat, that I would pay for this trip again, just to come and spend 45 minutes with that child. When we returned to the van, we spent about an hour in silence, crying those silent tears. Sometimes, it's more than you can handle or at lease it is for me. I have so much more to tell you, but you are winding down your evening and I am just beginning my day. I will post tonight about our visit to the SWI in Tianjin. Currently, they have 749 children. So, look for that post in the morning! Continue to think about us. We love you all!

Good Morning from China

You are probably heading to bed and we are up and ready to begin our day. We had an incredible day yesterday. We visited a special school that is a boarding school for special needs children. I was so impressed for the director and his heart for the children. The school is funded by the government and it is an amazing place. The children that attend are deaf, blind, several forms of MR and around 50 or so orphans. They are so well cared for and I can't wait to post a few pictures. The children LOVE having someone visit them. We handed out stickers and won their hearts.

China is an amazing place. The hearts of the people that are with our group are truly touched. We are headed to two orphanages today and then into Beijing tonight. One of the orphanages that we are visiting is the Langfang SWI, which we visited last time. It is a small, local orphanage with mostly special needs children. The other orphanage is about an hour and a half out of Langfang and is a very large orphanage or about 600 children. You cannot come to this place and not be changed. We are so blessed by being with the M family and the children of Agape house.

Continue to think about us, the team, and for our families who are at home. Love to you all and I'll check back soon!

Ni Hao from China

Hello all,

Believe it or not, we have internet access. We are well. Everyone weathered the LONG flight very well and we have hit the ground running. We had a wonderful dinner of chicken feet and fried crickets last night with a high ranking government official. I kid you not about the official or the grasshoppers and chicken feet. Some of us at more than others. Me, not so much. You all that know me well know that I don't eat chicken wings, much less feet. But it was a really cool experience.

We slept well, got to talk to Jadyn via skype last night and everyone looked to be holding up pretty well. Jadyn was pretty much just wanting Mommy and Zac said that she didn't want anything to do with anyone, only Mommy. We talked via skype for several minutes and by the time we hung up, she seemed to be coming out of it a little. She was laughing and talking. So, pray for her and for her Mommy. :)

Hopefully, I'll be able to check in periodically. Love to you all!

China Bound!

Wait a second, I thought you were adopting from Ethiopia.

Well, you're right, we are, but bright and early in the morning we are boarding a plane headed for China.  Pat and I will be going on a M trip this time, back to the area that we visited a couple of days before we met the rest of the travel group in Beijing.  We will be traveling to Langfang.

Jadyn and the boys will be staying with Nana and Papoo (as Jadyn so fondly calls Papaw) here at the house.  Pray for Jadyn especially, this will be the first time she has ever been away from Mommy.  Pray for Mommy, that I will actually get on that plane in the morning.  Right now, it's not looking too promising! :)

It's much harder than I ever thought it would be, but it's important that we do this trip.  World msns is such a part of who we are and we are excited.  It's just tough to leave my babies behind, especially the two year old.  We probably won't be able to blog while we're gone, but I promise to check in when I return.  I know that my posts have been few and far between, but I've been terribly busy!

Love to you all and we'll be home the night of October 12.  Oh, and BTW, pray for Seth as he will be boarding a plane bound for India on October 10.  He will be doing the same type trip as we are going on.  He is very excited also!  He will be in India before we actually leave China.  Wow, we are a traveling family.

Oh, and pray for our dear friends Brad and Alison and their sweet baby Norah.  Go here and see why and make a donation to their paypal account!  Go ahead, be a part of something great!

Love you all!