China 2008

Back from Luoyang

2008-10-20T10:02:00.015-05:00

I have arrived safely back in Beijing! I sucessfully took at 10 hours train ride both ways and made it back in one piece! I am so glad that I went too. While there, I met some amazing people doing amazing things for the orphans of this country. Here are some photos of my adventure and the rest will be on facebook soon...

This is the outside of Maria's House of Hope. Funny story about this paint job. Basically the director of the local orphanage has a room painted like this in his building, someone told him that it looked nice, and he decided to paint this whole building to look like that room, a big blue sky with big puffy clouds. Hehe.

Inside Maria's House.

Sweet girls. The one in the orange didn't have an English name, so I named her Melina b/c her smile reminded me of my little sis Melina! The one on the right is Lane, who was already given an English name by Michael.

My new friend Michael with some of the kids that he works with.

Off to Luoyang

2008-10-15T02:23:00.007-05:00

I didn't think I was going to have time to pull this off, so I had pretty much decided to not go. Last Saturday, I walked into a travel office just to see how much tickets were, and since they were so much cheaper than I thought they were going to be, I walked out with one :)

Am I really as random a person as I sound? Probably so.

So tonight I am leaving on the night train and will arrive in Luoyang early in the morning. The plan is to see Maria's House of Hope and a local orphanage there. I'll be back early Saturday morning!

While I am here and am thinking of it, let me ask you a few q's....

-what are some things that you would want to know about living here?

-what would you ask a nanny if you were here?

-if you could ask a child in an orphanage anything, what would you ask them?

-what perceptions do you have of China?

-if you could travel to China, where in China would you go?

If you are reading this, please consider these questions. I want to tell you all I can about this grand place!

P.S. Sweet little Drew fell asleep on me the other day :)

P.P.S. I bet that all of you thought that I was over in China, but actually I have been in Nashville the entire time!

It's a Small World After All

2008-10-09T08:19:00.009-05:00

Remember how I was saying what a small world it is???

Well in case you have forgotten, let me add another story to further confirm just how teeny tiny this world is.

How I ended up in China the first time is kind of a long story for another time, but the first time I came to China was the summer of 2005. During that trip I met some great new friends, one of whom is my best friend Samantha! On this trip I also met a little girl named Anna. Anna was at that time matched to a family in New York.

A few weeks ago a woman named Dawn from New York arrived here to teach. She is also my new roommate. Throughout the last few weeks she has been talking about her friend Marilyn that has a little girl from China named Anna. I saw some pictures of her two daughters from China that Dawn had brought with her. There are so many kids in China and kids adopted from here that my mind didn't even think of these children being ones I may have met before.

Today as we were playing with some of the kids in the House of Blessings (my fav house!), there was a little boy named Nick in there. Nick has a deformed ear that has caused his hearing to be less than ideal. Dawn then mentioned that her friend Marilyn's little girl has an ear similar to Nick's. And then a light came on in my head.

"Her name is Anna right? And she lives in New York....what orphanage is she from...? Hmmmm........I KNOW HER!!!!

I am continually amazed at all the random connections that have unfolded throughout this trip! And there are probably more that I don't even know of yet! Dawn thinks this means that I am supposed to work in or do something with adoption, which I would like very much to do, so if you know of anything, anywhere-let me know!!

Anna is now 5 years old. This is us in July 2005.

ALREADY OCTOBER?!

2008-10-01T06:13:00.004-05:00

Wow...I can't believe it is October 1st today! Do you know what that means?

That means that I only have 23 more days here. That is crazy. So much to do in such little time.

I wanted to share with you 2 short videos that I recently uploaded of Jamison and Grady singing. Check em out!!!

Jamison

Grady

Follow-up photos of haircuts :)

2008-09-30T08:25:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the children after their haircuts per request!

At least it will grow back fast!

Cuttin' Up.

2008-09-26T09:37:00.000-05:00

Most kids don't enjoy haircuts, which is probably why so many of them decide to take it upon themselves to cut their own new 'do. Don't worry, the kids here at Shepherd's Field didn't try to cut their own hair, but some barbers did come in to give them some trims. I love shaggy hair on boys, so I was sad when they started shaving all their heads, and little Drew was clinging to me as if he was saying...

"Save me, I don't want to be bald!"

I tried my best to stop them...

They kicked. They screamed. They didn't want it done, and I don't blame them, but it happened anyway. Look below to see how much they didn't like it!

Moses is very animated all the time, but this picture cracks me up!

Poor Cole REALLY didn't like his haircut.

Christopher just looks really angry!

Mei yo tofa! (no hair!)

Lucas is the only one that actually enjoyed his haircut!

Abandoned and alone.

2008-09-24T09:31:00.002-05:00

Around 3:30 on the morning of September 13 there was a little baby girl that was left at the gate. 6 days old with a cleft lip and palate, her parents left her with blankets, a piece of paper with her name (Jin Qiu) on it, and 200 RMB, which is about 30 US Dollars, and quite a bit to most village people. Most likely they just couldn't take care of her and were probably too poor to pay for her surgery. She was only with us for 3 days and was then taken to the local orphanage because of new rules regarding child abandonment in the area. Hopefully she can come back to us. Isn't she beautiful?

Another thing was left here recently that is becoming all too common... more puppies. Yes, you read that right. 2 days ago, somebody decided to leave 3 puppies yet again. These are at least a little older than the first bunch and aren't quite as high maintenance.

Drew

2008-09-20T07:39:00.013-05:00

When people come here to see the kiddos, typically one or two will stand out to each person. Throughout the time that I have been here, I have seen people drawn to every kid here. Last year when I was here, the child that immediately caught my eye was baby Drew. Baby Drew is no longer a baby this year.

Of course, you probably already know that I love this little boy! Drew just turned 2 at the beginning of this month. Since I first met this little guy, I was completely crazy about him. Drew was born with clubbed feet, and has already had surgery to correct this. I believe that he may have to have another surgery at a later date. I am just tickled that Drew and so many of the little ones here have loving Christian homes waiting for them in the States and in other places in the world. When Drew is adopted his name will be Andrew Hayden Anmin Shelton. A beautiful name for a beautiful little boy!

To learn more about Drew, see one of my earlier posts! Isn't he just the most precious?

Drew waving with his ayi.

What can I say, I love him!

Olympics Video!

2008-09-17T09:30:00.001-05:00

As I am sure you have noticed by now, the internet is extremely frustrating here. Without fail, every time I try to load a video, I lose the connection half way through. Most videos take about 4 hours, or longer to load here.

With that being said, yesterday I was finally able to load the PHF Olympic video that I have been trying to post for quiet some time. You can view it below :)

Meanwhile, I am sitting here right now watching something about AIG being bailed out with 85bil from the gov. I also heard that gas is nearing $5.00 a gallon and oil prices just started going up again... Yikes! Do I really need to come back there??

Also, I know many of you have been following the Irwins as they are adopting, but for those of you who are unaware there is a family from Franklin that is adopting a little girl from southern China right now. She is very sick and is in the hospital on oxygen machines and previously had a bubble over her head. The hospital conditions are less than ideal and really don't sound too good at all. They are having problems with the adoption, getting custody of her, and many other problems because of her condition. She needs to get medical care that she just can't get here, but they can't convince the right people that she needs to leave. Please pray that they will be able to get her out of the hospital ASAP, get her paperwork filed including her visa and passport, and most importantly that they can get legal custody of her and get her to somewhere that can care for her properly.

Grady

2008-09-16T09:00:00.004-05:00

The last few posts I have done have been about kids that have families waiting for them. Today I want to feature a child that does not yet have a family and is running out of time, so I feel that it is necessary to tell you a little bit about him. Today I have decided to feature Grady.

Grady is very persistent in asking when he is going to get a family. He is thirteen years old, and according to Chinese law will age out of the system and will no longer be eligible to be adopted in a year. The cutoff age is 14. Grady really wants a family that can help him fix his back. He has scoliosis which has caused his spine to grow crooked, which makes him have to walk bent over. This has also caused him to be much shorter than he would be otherwise. All of his weight is on one leg, and I have been told that he cannot feel that side of his body. He walks with crutch-like canes and can get around pretty well, but longs to be able to run around and stand up straight like the other kids. He desperately needs to get adopted because the surgery he needs cannot be done here.

It is believed that his family used him for begging on the streets because of his condition before he was orphaned. I was very surprised to learn this. He isn't a selfish child, or one that hoards his belongings like I would expect a street child to do because they grew up with nothing. He shares everything, even small pieces of candy that are given to him. Grady is a very smart child and is learning some English in school. His favorite phrase is "See you tomorrow!" I will tell him "See you tomorrow" in Chinese, and then he will say it in English. When he first sees you he will say, "Hallo! What es yo namuh?" He also loves showing people the watch on his arm, and telling them that it is a watch. If you know anyone that is interested in adopting an older child, please tell them about Grady!

Doesn't he have the BEST smile?

Grady and Elijah are great friends. This is them at the Olympics.

Vira

2008-09-13T01:45:00.000-05:00

I am back from Hong Kong! It was a fun time, got the visa all straightened out once again, and got to experience another great city. Of course, someday I will go back as there was way too much to see and so little time.

The next family that contacted me was Vira's family, so I will be featuring her today.

Vira is a little girl that I also met here last year. She was born with a condition called congenital limb deletion, meaning that she was born with part of her arm missing. She doesn't seem to miss it though! She carries on just like the other kids and loves to play outside. I remember last year she would crawl around on the floor using her arm just like a hand, and this seemed to concern the nannies, but she thought nothing of it. And this year she is running around just like everybody else! When she is adopted her name will be Grace :)

This is a picture of Vira and I last year.

Vira at the Olympic celebration at PHF (on the left).

Getting in trouble for playing in the water in the plants :)

Time for another adventure....to Hong Kong!

2008-09-05T09:32:00.002-05:00

Hello All!

I am going to have to make this brief as my computer battery is about to die and I need to go to sleep anyways. I am not a fan of getting up early. Never have been and never will be. But tomorrow I get to go on an adventure, and I will get up anytime of day for an adventure. I have to travel for my visa one more time during this trip, so tomorrow morning I am leaving for Hong Kong. Seems like a pretty cool looking city so it should be fun...it is, after all- "Jackie Chan's city". So how could it not be cool?

I will return in a few days hopefully with some fun stories of Hong Kong!

I will be without internet until Tuesday, but will respond to my emails when I return!

Shia

2008-09-04T09:09:00.000-05:00

I couldn't decide what order to feature the kids in who's parents have recently found my blog, so I thought I would feature them in the order that I heard from them. That makes little Shia the first one!

I hear that her name will be Kate when she is adopted :) She looks like a Kate to me already.

I met Shia (Kate) when I was here last year. She arrived during the last month of my trip. I went over to the House of Peace to play with her often and push her in the swing. This is her in the swing last year.

When I saw Shia this year I was so surprised because she looks so different! I had to do a double take! You see, last year when she arrived she had a hamangioma (mass) on the left side of her face. This year the mass in nearly completely gone! She has not needed anymore treatments since March and is doing great! She is a very quiet, sweet, and reserved little girl. Hopefully she will meet her family shortly as I know they are very anxious to meet her!

My next feature will be Vira, so I will leave you with a few pictures of Vira and Shia together. They weren't too excited about this little photoshoot, so we'll have to try again later ;)

This is awesome...

2008-09-02T10:16:00.002-05:00

The past few days have been pretty cool. And why, you ask? Because in the past three days I have had five adoptive families contact me via email and this blog, four of whom have kids right here where I am! If this isn't exciting enough, one of them is the family of my sweet Drew!

They say there are 6 degrees of separation between everybody in the world. In other words, you know somebody, that knows somebody, that knows somebody, that knows somebody, that knows somebody, that knows "X" person. And the whole human population is connected in this way. Sometimes I wonder if it is in reality even a 6 degree separation, and not a 3 or 4 degree separation. Maybe this is because I can't meet somebody in Nashville without having 5 friends in common, or maybe I have just been there too long. But I have even met people in China that know people I know in Nashville and in other places in the states...and that is just weird to think about.

It is so awesome to hear from these families that are all connected through PHF and adoption agencies and blogs about the new and anxiously awaited additions to their families, to hear about how God moved in their lives, and to hear their stories of how they came to be the parents of Shia, Vira, Jackie, and Drew! Another family from Tennessee has contacted me and is traveling this month for their little girl, as well as a family from my church who is adopting an older girl from Luoyang. I can't wait to see them and to hopefully meet all of these families.

With all of this, I found it only fitting to feature these kids next in my blog so stay tuned for info on these precious children!

On another note, (well not really another note but I couldn't think of a good transition), if you are an adoptive mom, dad, family member, etc and are reading this I would love to hear from you!

Joseph

2008-09-01T02:11:00.017-05:00

During August the older kids here at PHF got to go to the Olympics. I got to take Joseph to volleyball.

This is Joseph. He is 9 years old, though he told some people that we met at the Olympics he was 12...A lot of the older boys will try to tell you that they are older than they actually are, but they don't realize that age is not on their side, for they age out of the system at age 14. Joseph has more time than some of the others here, but even still, older children are harder to place in families.

Joseph has a heart condition and has already had one surgery. At this time, his second surgery has been postponed and he is being followed closely by the heart surgeons. He continues to do well, though he is somewhat pale and frail looking. He also has a problem with his voice due to Velo-Cardio-Facial-Syndrome. The little hangy-ball at the back of his throat is not long enough, which causes most of what he says to sound like mumbling. He has a high pitched nasal sounding voice. He can get a surgery that will correct his voice problem, but it cannot be done until after his second heart surgery.

He was hungry, so we stopped at KFC before the game.

Riding the subway.

Outside the venue.

Joseph and I at the Volleyball matches.

End of a long, but fun day.

A little more Olympic fun...

2008-08-29T10:56:00.025-05:00

Do you know how proud China is of their Gold medals? I imagine you do unless you have been living in a cardboard box...I stumbled across this in the Sanlitun area of Beijing, which is one of the more "Western" areas of Beijing. I joked that there must be somebody waiting inside the Adidas building (the awesome black glass building behind the "gold medalist") waiting with the next number to dart out and change it, basking with pride and joy as he adds yet another gold medal to China's medal count....this joke, I soon realized- is probably not too far from the truth. With their obsession of accumulating Golds, this should be no surprise.

At this point, the count was at 45. I wonder how many of those little numbers they made...?

Regarding all sporting events, I have found that there are generally 3 kinds of fans.....

The SUPER cRaZy kind that go all out. Everybody knows why they are there, who they are cheering on, and where they are from ....I'll give you 1 guess where this guy is from!

The ones that still get into but aren't quite as crazy. They might not paint their faces lime green, but you still know who they're rooting for....

And those that are more conservative and not so flashy. These people like sports and want to showcase who they would like to win, but prefer not to draw all the attention onto themselves. They are content with a t-shirt...

Aaaaaaand, one more thing about the Olympics....I still think the Fuwas are weird. Only China could have gotten away with these mascots.

The INSIDE scoop on the Olympics...or something :)

2008-08-28T09:08:00.000-05:00

I have never really been much of a sports fan, unless it involves something dangerous (aka extreme sports). I like dare-devils, what can I say…but being around all the Olympic hype and excitement of this country, I decided to be a part of this historic moment for China, and in the process decided that going to see sports is pretty fun. I still don’t like watching them on TV though.

On the 18th, Leah and I snuck onto the Olympic Green (hehe) and watched the taping of the Today Show and saw Micahel Phelps, and apparently I was on TV!

There he is!

The cast of the Today Show.

I like soccer (what is known to the rest of the world as football) so after much searching I was able to find tickets to a semi-final game, and it happened to be the US playing Japan, so that was exciting…especially since the US won. And by the way, these were the tickets I was concerned about possibly being fake, and they were REAL! YAY!

I tried to go see the BMX motocross (back to the dare-devil in me) but it was rained out, so I saw the mountain biking instead. Not quiet as exhilarating, but it was still fun to watch and I got some cool pictures.

The BMX venue.

In front of the "rained out" sign.

Go USA!!

The photographers, how lazy are they? I had to work for my pics!
In fact, I think I worked harder than any of these “photo guys” sitting on the ground to get my pictures (being squished against and fence and nearly passing out from the heat), so enjoy!

The medalists!

I love this because of all the Chinese people peeking between the plants.

House of Love Video

2008-08-24T09:13:00.004-05:00

Hello Everyone! Here is the video of the Opening of the House of Love here at Shepherd's Field earlier this month....

Jamison

2008-08-11T22:46:00.010-05:00

As most of you know, PHF houses not only younger children, but some older ones as well. Today I wanted to feature an older one that is one of the most severe case here...

This is Jamison.

Jamison is 10 years old. He was previously in a family until about a year ago when his father was killed in a gas explosion at his work. Jamison was also in the explosion and suffered severe burns all over his face, causing him to be blind. His mother took him to the hospital, but had to abandon him when his medical bills were too much for her to pay. Shortly after this he arrived here at PHF and has had a few surgeries. The most recent one was reconstruction of his nose where they are taking skin from his arm that will eventually be the skin they use to repair his face. Below you can see how his arm is attached to his nose so that the skin can grow to make this possible. Since he has been back, it has gotten longer! It is amazing was technology and medicine can do!

His arm will have to stay like this for a few more weeks until enough skin has grown for the operation.

Jamison is fascinated by the guitar and has a beautiful singing voice. He seems so happy, like many of these kids do, even though he has been through so much.His friends in the House of Love help him walk to different places and keep him company as he recovers.

A Glimpse into Beijing

2008-08-11T01:25:00.017-05:00

As I was in Beijing yesterday, in some areas it was the quietest I have ever heard the city. Seemingly unusual due to the massive events currently taking place there...and then I remembered the new rules about honking during the Olympics, and the even numbered license plates that were taken off the road that day...and it all made sense.

In my previous post, I forgot to mention that on Friday, everybody in Beijing (and maybe all of China, not sure) was off work. It was sort of a "holiday" since the Olympics were opening that day. During the 2 1/2 months that I have been here, the Chinese people have had more holidays from work than most people in the US have in an entire year. They work to live and it seems that we live to work. Most if not all other countries have months of vacation during a year compared to our 2 weeks. Why exactly do we work ourselves into the ground? Thoughts?

I tried to chase down the road cycling race to watch it, but it was pretty hard to maneuver through the city with traffic, and everytime I got to a place it was going through, they had already gone by. So I gave up and went to Olympic City instead.

Here are a few pictures of the stadium from yesterday...

The stadium with a Chinese touch, a kite flying high.

The torch.

One of the many reasons I love China. The people always ask to get pictures with you and it's so funny!

8/8/2008

2008-08-08T00:26:00.017-05:00

Some people are way too excited about the Olympics, like this guy....

The countdown clocks have been counting down for years. If you walk into any store in Beijing and the surrounding areas, you are likely to hear the song "Beijing Welcomes You," the song of the Olympics. I could sing you the whole thing in Chinese I have heard it so many times. After much anticipation, years of preparation, weeks of media coverage (some good and some not so good), the 2008 Beijing Olympics have arrived. Pollution, protests, and politics have surrounded these Olympic games, and it is exciting to be right here when it is all happening. Two Sundays ago was the clearest day Beijing has seen in years. Today, it is quite smoggy and of much concern to athletes and spectators here.

In case you were unaware, today is 8/8/08.

8 is a lucky number to to the Chinese, therefore double 8's mean "Double Luck" so today is a very special and lucky day. 8 is lucky in China mainly because of the word for the number 8. It is pronounced "ba" in Chinese and sounds like the word for prosperity, which is pronounced "fa". The Chinese have to pay extra to have the number 8 on their license plates and phone numbers. 888 is to the Chinese as 777 is to the Americans and how we associate getting rich with these numbers.

So obviously, it would only make sense that the games would start at 8:08 PM. 7:08 AM for most of you reading this, but you can always watch them on TV!

With all this talk about the number 8, I must point out that interestingly enough, 888 is "Jesus" in the Greek.

I have been fortunate to witness the excitement of the Chinese and the countdown clocks throughout the years here in Beijing throughout my travels...

The countdown clock in 2005. 1,191 days to go.

Me and the clock at the zoo last year. 356 days to go.

It's almost here!!!! 1 more day!

So as we watch these games with excitement and joy, may these games do in China what they did for Seoul, Korea in 1988, and change the nation forever, not just temporarily while the world is watching.

Josiah

2008-08-07T03:51:00.003-05:00

This is Josiah. He was recently living in the Samaritan's House/Clinic, but was moved to the House of Blessings to make room for some new arrivals with more severe conditions. He has a complex heart problem, but you would never know looking at him and his smiling face. He has a Glenn Shunt. He is a little cyanotic, but not to the extent of little Mei Mei. He is capable of running around and playing, unlike some of the other heart babies. He should have a heart recheck Oct.08.

Here you can clearly see the scar from his heart surgery.

how bout them puppies?!

2008-07-29T21:34:00.008-05:00

Just a little update on the little puppies we found a few weeks ago....

They are all alive and doing well. One has been adopted and we are still trying to get the other two homes...in other words, your time is running out if you want one of these little guys!

Don't worry. I am not bringing one of them home with me. If I bring back something with me, it is going to be....

These little guys!!

Joy (Ting Ting)

2008-07-28T09:18:00.004-05:00

I know I said I would try to feature a kid and day, and I realize that was a couple weeks ago, but this month has just flown by! My birthday completely snuck up on me, and the month is nearly over. It is hard to believe that I have already been here as long as I was here last year total.

Firstly, I am happy to report that Mei Mei is doing much better! She is still a very weak little girl, but she wanted to try to walk the other day so we tried. It made her so happy!

AND NOW IT'S TIME TO MEET ANOTHER KID!!!!
Today I want you to meet Ting Ting. Here English name is Joy, and that she is full of for sure, but I prefer to call her by her Chinese name.

Ting Ting was abandoned at the gate of Lang Fang Children's Village (the location of PHF before Shepherd's Field was built) on July 27, 2005. A passerby had discovered her at around 5 a.m. and knocked on the door of the sleeping quarters. Joy was wrapped in a red blanket with a hat covering her face. Inserted in the fold of the blanket was her picture that had her Chinese name, TingTing, and her birthday, January 26, 2005 written on the back of it. Somebody just turned 3!

Joy had cerebral paralysis and received surgery in November if 2005. Before this, she could hardly see. When she was abandoned here, her head was huge due to hydrocephalus. They inserted a shunt to help drain the water in her brain. She has such light hair for a Chinese person, and lighter skin as well. She is very smart and loves to count the tiles on the Hands of Hope wall outside. One of her favorite things is playing outside.

25 on the 25th!

2008-07-26T00:05:00.011-05:00

That's right. I just turned 25 on the 25th. Apparently this means that this year is my golden year. What does that mean exactly? I don't have a clue, but I am looking forward to finding out! This is the second year in a row that I have celebrated my birthday in China, and it's fun because it's pretty much my birthday for 2 days. Aww yeah.

Last year we went KTVing (Karaoke). And my bestest friend Samantha was here and it was close to her birthday too! Sadly, Samantha did not come along for the adventure this year, but I did have some fun people here to hang out with. You become friends with people pretty quickly here and it's awesome because you immediately have China and an interst in orphans in common. In case you somehow missed the photos from last year, here's a taste of what the big 2-4 looked like...

If you know me at all, you know that I love music, so I decided to go to the Hard Rock Cafe in Beijing for my birthday dinner. There was live music (yay) and they even made the TV screens say Happy Birthday and beat on pans and sang Happy Birthday in Chinese really loud. AND to finish it off, they smashed some of the cake on my face! Good times.

Then we went to the movies and saw a Chinese film called "Red Cliff." Don't worry, there were subtitles, but I totally could have understood the entire movie without them ;) This movie was actually really good and was part one of a 2 part epic. January 2009 the epic continues. Basically, this movie was the Chinese version of the movie 300, in my opinion. Check it out below...

So I had a great birthday here. Thanks for all the ecards and birthday wishes! Love and miss you all!

Golden year, Here I Come!

4th of July Video

2008-07-20T00:16:00.000-05:00

Here is a short video from the 4th of July here at PHF. Unfortunately, I ran out of battery while taping this because it was the same day I taped another event, so there wasn't very much footage to work with.

I GOT SEOUL.....Korea

2008-07-17T22:29:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I had to take an unplanned and unexpected trip to South Korea for visa purposes. Usually you can renew your visa in Beijing and Hong Kong, but because of the Olympics they are not currently allowing this. I am on a 60 day visa, which means that I am going to have to leave the country every 60 days. I decided to go to Korea because it was the least expensive, and also because I wanted to see where my sisters came from. Korea was a great experience and I will for sure go back there many more times.

My roommate and I got our tickets to go on Thursday, and left on Friday morning. If you have ever wondered if you could plan a trip that quickly, knowing very little about your destination, and having no plan as to where you are going to stay or what you are going to do, I would just like to report that it can be done! It definitely makes it more of an adventure that's for sure. I looked up some hostels before we went, so we at least had options as to where to stay. After we found one that had an available room, we found some brochures, a subway map, and a map of the city and planned a few things to do there. Simple as that. :)

I LOVE KOREA! The people that we met along the way were all so nice and helpful. We had no plan once we got there, nowhere to stay, not even a map. We took a bus from the airport to the middle of Seoul and obtained a map. Once we had that, all we had to do was pull it out and the locals would ask if they could help us. At least 6 people in the first hour asked if they could help. Now, would that ever happen in New York City, or any city in the US?? I don't think so! My impression of the city is that it is very clean and not nearly as polluted as Beijing. The traffic wasn't too bad at all, especially since it is the most populated city in the world. Many people ride motorcycles and the subway system is amazing and so easy to use. Seoul is much more Westernized than Beijing, and honestly, it would be much easier to live there. But, for this time, I am where I am supposed to be...right here in China.

While in Korea, we got to do a Taekwondo class at Kukkiwon, the Taekwondo capital of the world. This was really fun. I even kicked a board in half! We also found an interesting tour where you can go to the demilitarized zone at the border of the two Koreas. This isn't really the safest thing to do, but it was way cool! I didn't realize there were two different tours, and there is actually one that takes you a little closer than mine did, all the way to "the bridge of no return." My new Polish friend Peter I met there had to sign a "If death shall occur, nobody is responsible" paper before going on this tour. Next time, I will go on this one. Dad, I think you would have enjoyed this :) The story of the Korean War is much more traumatizing than I had realized, with the divide sudden and numerous families separated and unable to have any contact. On the tour I also got to see the Freedom Bridge that links the two Koreas, fenced off. This is a location where families have recently been allowed to visit, once a year. They can only reunite at this spot and the mini-theme park right next to this bridge. To my understanding, they cannot leave this area. I also got to walk down a tunnel that North Korea built for "Peaceful purposes" called the 3rd tunnel. They built 16 tunnels like this one, and only 4 have been found. In this particular tunnel, 30,000 troops could fill it within an hour. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take pictures inside the tunnel.

Freedom Bridge

Amusement Park

Living in America, I don't think many of us realize how great it is to be free. We have the oppotunity to be, say, do anything we want. When I got on the plane to come to South Korea, I thought it was going to be much like China since it is also an Asian country. To my surprise, it was quite different. Immediately upon unboarding the plane, I noticed a difference. There was something different about the people and their attitudes towards life. They were not an oppressed people, but they were free people. And you could just tell. They could do what they wanted to do, travel to where they wanted to go, own property (making everything much cleaner because people take better care of things that they can have ownership of), have children without penalty, practice religion of their preference, and just simply live. It was a night and day difference that I wasn't expecting to see, maybe because I didn't realize how something as simple as a freedom that I have always known can affect everything so drastically. This is something I am really wrestling with now that I am back. I don't really know how to put it into words, but I hope that someday the Chinese people can feel that freedom.

Luckily, I didn't have any problems getting back into China and am now back into the swing of things here! I am now inspired to learn Korean in addition to Chinese. I think it would be so much easier to learn than Chinese. For one thing, Korean is phonetic and has an alphabet. Chinese does not. Korean is not tonal, Chinese has four tones. Will I want to learn the language of every country I visit, or am I just drawn to Asia? I guess I will have to visit France someday to find out!

Islands flying into Korea.

Street food we ate.

Me and some of the Korean Taekwondo Black Belts. Yep.

Changing of the guards.

Traditional Korean clothes!

LOVED Piano Street.

Korean kiddos having fun.

Poisonous Korean bug?

Bout time to renew the ole visa...

2008-07-10T09:23:00.005-05:00

In less than 7 hours I will be on a plane to South Korea. My roommate and I got tickets today to leave tomorrow. This whole process was a random adventure that I will have to write about when I return. We are having to leave the country after 60 days of being here, because our visas are multiple entry 60 day visas. Never did I ever think that a trip could be pulled together so quickly, but that definitely makes it more of an adventure. This is exciting because this is where my little sisters are from!

A lot of people have been having problems with visas getting into China as I'm sure you have probably seen in the news due to the upcoming Olympics. Please pray that we will be able to get back into China when we come back on Monday. There is still so much I need to do here!

So, tomorrow it is. Early tomorrow.

Mei Mei

2008-07-08T09:03:00.005-05:00

In an effort for you all to feel like you can know the kids here like I do, I am going to start featuring a kid a day on here, so that you can meet them all. I want to start with a very special little girl who is in need of much prayer.

This is Tiffany, also known as Mei Mei (pronounced May May).

She has very severe medical problems primarily dealing with her heart. She has one ventricle instead of two, and a number of other heart problems that cause her to have perfect posture, usually something a kid wouldn't have. She has a hard time breathing if she is not sitting up straight. Her fingers are also very long and thin, but they are bigger where the nail is. This is another effect of her condition. Numerous doctors have said there is nothing they can do, and she is considered to be a hospice situation. Many are saying that it is a wonder she has lived as long as she has.

She has had a fever the past few days, and the doctors thnk it is a temporary sickness, but please pray for Mei Mei that she will quickly recover, as she is already very weak, and that her heart will be miraculously healed.

Farewell Cadence and Jackie!

2008-07-07T09:10:00.004-05:00

Two of my favorite little girls here left PHF today to go back to their home orphanage where they will remain until their families come to pick them up. Cadence and Jackie are from the same orphanage, and are going back together. Jackie's family will be here in 10 days, and Cadence's will be here in 3 weeks. I met them both here last year.

Unfortunately, the families will not be coming to visit PHF like I had hoped they would. The rules are getting tighter with the Olympics quickly approaching and they don't want adoptive families flying out of Beijing anymore. We had 2 boys adopted two weeks ago that were able to be picked up here, and that was really great because the families got to see where their children have spent the majority of their lives. They could always come back and visit another time, but it's not the same. If they came now they could meet some friends of their child, but there's nothing we can do about that now.

It is a very special thing to see a mother and father meet their child for the first time. It is usually quite emotional for everyone; the parents, the child, and of course...the nanny that took care of the child since his or her arrival here. I have seen a few nannies have to do this, and it comes with the job description, but it seems like it would be so hard to do. One nanny recently had to say goodbye to all 3 of her kids within a short period of time. And then she will get more kids and start the process all over again, knowing that she will also have to say goodbye to them as well...the way they typically do the "hand-off" is the parents will be waiting in the office area and the nanny will carry the child into the building. There will often times be another nanny that will be the inbetween person who will take the child from it's nanny and hand him to his parents. I suppose this method makes it a little easier for the nanny rather than for her to have to pass the child to the parents herself. Though, it seems to upset them either way.

I was really looking forward to meeting the families of these two girls. They are two of my favorite subjects here to photograph and I have probably hundreds of pictures of them. I was told that Jackie's family has a blog with some of the pictures I have taken on it, but I don't know the address yet.

Cadence

Jackie

Blue Skies in China really do exist!!

2008-07-06T08:30:00.010-05:00

I know there are a few of you reading this that have been to Beijing recently, and noted the heavy pollution in the city. I just want you to know that the sky was BLUE today in Beijing! Not gray, not smoggy or foggy, but crystal clear blue. I felt like I was in Florida! They recently stopped allowing trucks into the city within the last few days, but I am not sure that would have made such a drastic difference so quickly...I have seen one other day like this a couple weeks ago, and it was also a Sunday. I would guess that there is a 98% chance that tomorrow it will be back to it's normal overcast color.

Because the trucks are no longer allowed in the city, they are for some reason camping out on the sides of back roads, like the roads close to me...

Check out the pics!

PHF with a blue backdrop.

Look! The sky is blue in Beijing!

The awesome "toothpaste tube" building in Beijing.

Trucks waiting until they can go into the city again.

Great times, Great friends.

2008-07-03T21:12:00.024-05:00

China is a place so far away from home that you don't expect to get to see anyone that you know here...so I was excited when I recently got to see some friends from Nashville that were going up to the same orphanage I went to in Hohhot Mongolia last year! I took a taxi into Beijing to meet up with them, and it took me a while to find them because I thought by taxi driver and Lily, their tour guide (who is the same one I had last year) had communicated on where to drop me off so I could easily find them, which was apparently not the case. After what I think was about an hour, I finally found them! We went on a tour of the Hutong alleys in Beijing. This is one of the oldest areas in Beijing that used to be very poor, and now very wealthy people live here. It has been fixed up a lot in the past few years. We rode rickshaws through the alleys, and got to go inside a local's home and learn how to make dumplings. This was an interesting tour that I have never been on, and got to experience twice because the Washington team that was here went on it the next day. The tours were not the same though. The second day we went to the top of the drum tower, inside another local's home where we met a bird that kept saying "Nihao", to a tea tasting, and through the "happiness tunnel." It was great to see them and I know they had a lot of fun in Hohhot!

Eve, Me, and Shannon at the BICF

The Bell Tower and Hutong Alley of Beijing

The happiness tunnel in the Hutong. Look at how happy it made me!

More Hutong.

I was also excited when I got to see my friend Andrew from the states last weekend. He lives in Texas, but is working in Shanghai for a bit, so we got to hang out. I went into Beijing on Friday night, and my taxi broke down once I got into the city, so I had to get another one. In China you just never know what’s going to happen. We did the tourist thing and went to Tiannamen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, CCTV tower, Olympic City, the Great Wall, and an Acrobat show. I got to ride my first subway ever! We learned how to tell taxi drivers that they are good drivers, when, in fact, usually they are not. They just like you better if you say that. We learned a few more random phrases, and I realized that I would learn the language so much faster if I lived in the city. At the end of the weekend, I somehow successfully managed to buy a train ticket back to Lang Fang, get on the right train despite EVERYTHING in the train station being in Chinese, get off at the right stop, and tell a taxi to take me to Shepard's Field.

Olympic City.

Temple of Heaven.

Some men singing at the Temple of Heaven.

Andrew and I on a cable car at the Great Wall.

It was really foggy that day, but the Great Wall is always awesome.

So who else wants to come visit and have a China adventure?

2008-07-02T11:35:00.008-05:00

The Washington team has now left and things are very quiet around here. Since they have been here the past 2 weeks, it was an emotional good-bye. When you come to a place like this, you are affected forever. How awesome for Tim, the man behind the operation, to see so many people come in and be affected by all these kids. Many of them will return for another visit, but it is still hard to leave the kids behind when you bond with them.

The Washington team about to leave on their bus.

Last night we found 3 teeny tiny puppies outside the door of the inn. They look like they were just born. We couldn’t just leave them outside to die, so we looked up how to take care of abandoned puppies, and they are very high maintenance! They have to be fed every 3 hours, kept pretty warm, plus you have to make them go to the bathroom.

It would seem that some people have started dropping of puppies and kittens in addition to the children that we are initially here to serve. We already have a dog named Stevie that randomly showed up and follows me everywhere I go, and an older puppy that came at the beginning of this week. Carrie, one of the therapists here, has saved many of the animals that have been left here. So we told her we had a present for her, and her reaction was priceless...

“NOOOOO!!! NO MORE!!!!”

Still she can’t say no, so we have all been taking care of them.

Anybody want a puppy? The adoption process should be significantly shorter…

Right when we found the puppies outside our door.

Did you know I am going to be the next president?!

2008-07-01T12:11:00.002-05:00

This has nothing to do with China, but did you know I'm going to be the next president??

2008-06-30T23:58:00.001-05:00

I know I am horrible in writing in this on a regular basis, but I promise I will get better. Things are really quiet around here today, so I have a chance to write. Lots of stuff has happened in the past few weeks. We have had a few teams come in and help out, and our final one until after the Olympics leaves tomorrow morning, so things are going to be calming down a lot. Here are a few highlight pictures from the past week...

This is Anha, Jackie, and me taking a ride through Shepard's field.

Me and some of the kids in the House of Love.

Me and Jackie.

Children's Day VIDEO

2008-06-18T09:59:00.002-05:00

Finally I was able to get an internet connection long enough to post a vid! Check it out!

Thanks for all your encouraging comments and emails! I like getting mail so keep them coming please!

Camping on the Wall of Greatness

2008-06-14T04:23:00.004-05:00

Camping on the Great Wall...something I have always wanted to do. Now I have done it. And I would do it again. We started at the JinShanLing section of the wall and hiked to the Simitai section. Hands down, this is the BEST section of the wall. I still have a few more sections to go to before I can say with utmost certainty, but this is far less touristy and not as restored (some of it is even unrestored and looks like its ready to fall down) as the other, more touristy, crowded sections.

This was definitely an interesting experience. My lovely roommate here, who is great by the way, invited me to come along on the trip with her and some friends from her church. She goes to a Mormon church, likewise, I was the only non-mormon there.

Mormonism is something I find fascinating. I don't know a whole lot about it though. I know enough to know that what I believe is very different than them. Before I left for China, I taped a 4 hour special on it and didn't find time to watch it. Believe me, I have been kicking myself for this.

Needless to say, the situation left me a slightly uncomfortable, but then I realized those are the situations we are supposed to put ourselves in every day. To live comfortably and safely in no way benefits anyone. That would be a boring and meaningless life. You do things that scare you and stretch you to grow as a person. We need to step out of the box of everyday life and embrace people that need embracing. They may not want it, but offer your hand anyway. Somebody will eventually grab it.

My Favorite House

2008-06-12T03:52:00.002-05:00

I just got back from being in one of my favorite houses, the House of Blessings. This is my favorite house because my little baby Drew lives in there (see previous post), and Cadence lives in there too. Though, neither of them are really babies anymore…I fell in love with Drew last year the first day I saw him, both of his legs in full casts. I smiled as he pulled himself across the floor dragging his casts along like they were no big deal. They didn’t seem to bother him one bit. So everyday I try to sneak over to one of the houses and take a break from “work” and chill with the kids. The past few days have been so funny.

I mean, usually the kids like me, but lately they have been fighting over me and hitting each other over the head to try to get me to hold them. I walked into the house today, and 10 Asian kids come charging at me, all grabbing my legs to the point where I can no longer walk. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining at all. I LOVE it!! Some of them say “Mama” or “Jia Jia” (big sister) as they reach up their little arms in hopes that they will be the one that I pick up first. If I had 10 arms, I would pick them all up, but I was only blessed with two (which is probably a good thing, otherwise I might look a little strange.)

The one little boy I came in there particularly to see is looking on as he plays with his toy. He’s not really one to fight I have observed. The other day he was playing with something and another kid came and took it away, Drew started to look a little sad, the nanny came and took the toy and gave it back to Drew, the other boy started crying, and Drew looks at him, quite stunned, and handed the toy back to him. He’s a little sweetheart and I love him. If I was 30, and met the extensive list of requirements, I would adopt him right now, but most of you have already heard me say that a number of times ☺ Alas, until I am 30, and married, and have money, and whatever else I need to do, I will pray that he, and all the children here get adopted into loving homes, preferably close to my home so I can come visit everyday. FREE BABYSITTER PEOPLE!
After a little while of being smothered by little ones, I stood up and walked over to Drew and scooped him up, with still 3 kids clinging to my pantlegs. We went to look at the dog, which seems to be one of his favorite things. One of my favorite things too, how about that! If it was a cat though, we would’ve had to have a long talk....

Childrens' Day

2008-06-03T01:26:00.003-05:00

So has anybody ever heard of this thing called International Children’s Day? Well neither have I; you are not alone. Anyways, it is a pretty big deal here in China.

Children’s day is celebrated all throughout China (and apparently the rest of the world as well) on June 1st. We celebrated a little early since June 1st falls on a Sunday this year. We had all kinds of activities for the kids (water balloons, riding cars, obstacle courses, face painting, and a big blowup bouncing thing. At the end of the day, they all got to eat McDonalad’s. They LOVED it. All the children were completely quiet as they ate their first ever McDonalds meal. Just picture all these cute little Asian kids eating French fries with expressions of shear delight (and ketchup) plastered all over their faces…

There were a lot of guests here from the US to help us celebrate, some here for a short time, others living in different parts of China . Met some cool people, but they have all returned home now, and things are very quiet around here. Hmmm…let me rephrase that, things are quiet around here except for 6am when all the kids wake up and are yelling. Yes, that would be more accurate.

And now I am off to take more pictures and shoot video because, well…that is what I do!

2008-06-01T08:28:00.002-05:00

I have now been here for almost 2 weeks. This is my third time to this country, and I seem to stay longer each time I come, so has been the trend thus far. Many people say to me “Oh you are so brave for moving there alone and doing that.” I have never really looked at it that way. I just decided to do it one day. It's not something I'm doing just for fun nor is it something to do to cross off my agenda of things I want to do (though I do have a fairly extensive list of places to go and crazy things I want to do, I do not classify living among and helping orphans as one of those things.) This is more of something I NEED to do. People need to know about these orphans, and need to know that there are 10,000 ORPHANAGES here, and need to know how they can help if they feel so inclined, and if I can make videos to show people how to do this, then that’s all there is to it really. Bravery kicks in at number 39 on my list..

39. Jump out of an airplane (skydiving.) Yikes!***

It is not really a question of whether or not you are afraid to do something or whether or not you should or shouldn’t be doing it. Some people say, “Oh, wow…China! There are so many other things you could be doing.” I ask you what exactly are those other things? Well, I could work a nine to five, come home and cook dinner, go to bed and do it all over again. But why? I could climb up the corporate ladder, which has never really appealed to me in the first place. Sure, there are lots of things I COULD do. Oddly enough, this seems more practical. What will I do come November? I really have no idea. Maybe I’ll feel compelled to stay here and continue doing this, maybe I’ll come home, or go back to school, or maybe I’ll move to Antarctica and study penguins. If it’s what I feel that I am supposed to be doing, that is what I will do.

I believe that in this life we are called to love people, wherever we are, whatever we do. And we are told to love the least of these (the orphans and the widows) in their afflictions. I wish you could all be here to love them with me, but I also know that you can love them from afar. But, I will say this: After holding them in your arms, there is no way you could not love them, especially those that are the most frail and weak.

***Something did just occur to me. You do need to be brave to cross the streets here!

Stumbled upon treasure...

2008-05-31T03:07:00.003-05:00

Don't have much time, but I wanted to briefly share with you a photo that was stumbled upon here the other day. It is a photo of Steven Curtis with Maria here at PHF, most likely during the trip that he first met her. When I saw this, I cried, then I smiled. She is in Heaven now. What a cute picture!

2008-05-29T01:57:00.005-05:00

I have now been here in China for a week. Sometimes it just seems that things are more complicated over here. Getting from place to place and trying to communicate in a language without an alphabet aside, I am speaking of a much simpler issue: writing a blog. Apparently, many blogging sites are blocked here. I have been trying to start one since I got here and was finally able to, only to discover that it wouldn't let me upload photos. Seeing as how this is one of the main reasons to have a blog in the first place, I decided to find another way. Thanks to a good friend who is computer savvy, I learned how to "conceal" myself in the internet world and I now have a blog. Thanks Phil!

A lot has happened this first week. It is so cool to be back here and see some of the same kids and how much they have grown. Many of the same ones are still here, many have been adopted and new ones have come in, and unfortunately, 3 that I knew from last year passed away due to health problems.

One of my favorite things about being at PHF (besides the ministry and the kids) is all the interesting people that come through here to visit. Already there has been a group from Chicago that live in a development called the Jesus People USA. The people that live there basically share everything and pool all their resources, share cars, and live together in community as a big family. I have never heard of this before! Another interesting group is a family from Canada. They are on a 6-month trip around the world (England, New Zealand, Fiji, Uganda, etc.) and had to stop in China because they have an 8-year old daughter adopted from China. They went to visit the orphanage she came from before stopping at PHF and have been here this week. The 8 year old girl is so cute with all the orphans and her favorite is Tristan, who is 6 months old, has a cleft lip and pallet, and is also missing a part of his arm (his hand is attached close to one of his elbows). That's so cool that they can do that and take their kids to all these different places! Now that is how to live!

I will have some pictures on here soon, but until then here is a picture of me and Drew last year, and this year :)

Greetings from China!

2008-05-24T08:36:00.003-05:00

It is currently Saturday evening here, Saturday morning for most of you reading this. I left for China on Wed. at 10:30 AM with a delayed flight out of Nashville. I had to run to my connecting flight in Chicago, and a shuttle bus ride and a few terminals later, I made it to the gate as they were boarding. I arrived in Beijing on Thursday afternoon around 3pm, went grocery shopping, and then made my way to PHF.

Upon my arrival, I was sadden to hear the news about Maria Chapman. I have a brief video from last Friday of her saying hello to the people at PHF (where she lived before she was adopted). Pictured is Maria and her cousin Tommy a few weeks ago.