How’d you get so cute?
How’d you get so sweet?
Did you poop? Are you poopers?
Is there any more in there?
You’re getting to be such a big boy/ girl!
Look how chubby you are!
Look how strong you are!
I’m going to go suck the snot out of her nose.
You can’t crawl over the other babies.
Thanks so much for spitting up on me.
WORD!
Only five more days until movie night!
I’m going to bike into town.
Hard to believe I'll only be saying/ hearing these things for one more day!
Please pray for:
-safe travel home on Monday.... kind of dreading the 24+ travel hours alone, but looking forward to seeing all my family and friends!
-safe travel for Kelsey and Leah (who leave Tuesday) and Cat (who leaves Wednesday)
-Meredith, Word, Showhwa, and Shr Mama, who will be here with the babies.
-Several of our babies who are sick
-an adoptive family flying in Tuesday night
-one of our babies who has her 3rd court date next month... pray that things will be worked out and that she will be able to go home to be with her forever family soon.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
The Power of Prayer
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
A few weeks ago, Ted preached about prayer. How many sermons have you heard on prayer? Probably many. You often hear sermons on prayer. Most I've heard are good, but Ted's sermon was so meaningful and made such an impression on me. Why? Because Ted lives it out in his everyday life. His first response when something happens with one of the kids is to pray. He stops whatever he is doing and prays. He prays on his bike rides in the morning. Prayer is a part of everything Ted does. Just a couple examples of prayer requests answered since I've been here:
-Three families have scheduled flights before their final paper was here (per Ted's ok, of course). He called them and told them to go ahead and schedule, and then we prayed. And guess what?! Papers arrived for all three of those families so they could get their babies on time.
-A couple weeks ago, Word went up to get more wipes and found that there were no more. We just had what was downstairs, which was not many. We rationed our wipes and we prayed. The other day, men came with a delivery and guess what it was! Diapers and WIPES!
God is so good! He provides for our every need, regardless of how small it may be.
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
A few weeks ago, Ted preached about prayer. How many sermons have you heard on prayer? Probably many. You often hear sermons on prayer. Most I've heard are good, but Ted's sermon was so meaningful and made such an impression on me. Why? Because Ted lives it out in his everyday life. His first response when something happens with one of the kids is to pray. He stops whatever he is doing and prays. He prays on his bike rides in the morning. Prayer is a part of everything Ted does. Just a couple examples of prayer requests answered since I've been here:
-Three families have scheduled flights before their final paper was here (per Ted's ok, of course). He called them and told them to go ahead and schedule, and then we prayed. And guess what?! Papers arrived for all three of those families so they could get their babies on time.
-A couple weeks ago, Word went up to get more wipes and found that there were no more. We just had what was downstairs, which was not many. We rationed our wipes and we prayed. The other day, men came with a delivery and guess what it was! Diapers and WIPES!
God is so good! He provides for our every need, regardless of how small it may be.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Thursday off
Thursday each week are our days off. This past week, we spent a day out on the town and we had a blast!
First, we stopped so Kelsey and Cat could get some new glasses.... everyone tried some on!
Cat and Kelsey's cost 20NT less than Leah's and mine..... still don't understand why!
Leah, happy with the end result and loving that we had this opportunity.We all enjoyed it! A must-do if you are ever in Taiwan!
After picking up our tea, we headed for the Christian bookstore. We were unsure of exactly where it was, but when we were wondering if we were headed in the right direction, we saw our friend, Gwo Hwei, and he pointed us in the right direction..... thank You, God! We made it there without any further problems and enjoyed doing a little shopping.
By this time, we were all pretty hungry, so we went to a local pizza place. We were all pretty excited about our pizza lunch! .
We couldn't miss out on possibly a last chance to get mango bing, so we headed across the street and through the park to the mango bing place, but were distracted by these creatures made entirely out of kitchen pots, pans, and utensils.... pretty impressive, right?!
And since we were taking pictures anyway, we had to get a group picture!
We finally arrived and got our mango bing. It was absolutely delicious!
Another must-have if you're ever in Taiwan!!!!!
Blessings from the past week:
-Final papers arrived for one of our little ones, and her parents are coming to get her on August 2!
-One of our babies was allocated and has a new name.
-It is beautiful here.... I'm continually blessed by the beauty I see on walks and bike rides. It's a great reminder of how great our God is!
-Jun Jun, Renee, and Meredith, who faithfully come out on Thursdays, so we can have a day off. What a blessing they are!
Prayer Requests:
-Paperwork to move more quickly... it has been much slower than last summer.
-The older kids at camp this week.
-A couple of our babies, who are still struggling with coughs/colds
-A situation with one of our babies
-Birth mothers- it is such an act of love on their part to give up their little ones. They know they can't take care of their babies and and they want a better life for them.... what a terribly difficult decision to have to make!
First, we stopped so Kelsey and Cat could get some new glasses.... everyone tried some on!
Next, we went to get our hair shampooed and head massaged.....it was definitely worth the less than $5 we paid!
Then, we went to get Mango tea, which was good, and even great if you actually like tea....
After picking up our tea, we headed for the Christian bookstore. We were unsure of exactly where it was, but when we were wondering if we were headed in the right direction, we saw our friend, Gwo Hwei, and he pointed us in the right direction..... thank You, God! We made it there without any further problems and enjoyed doing a little shopping.
By this time, we were all pretty hungry, so we went to a local pizza place. We were all pretty excited about our pizza lunch! .
We couldn't miss out on possibly a last chance to get mango bing, so we headed across the street and through the park to the mango bing place, but were distracted by these creatures made entirely out of kitchen pots, pans, and utensils.... pretty impressive, right?!
And since we were taking pictures anyway, we had to get a group picture!
We finally arrived and got our mango bing. It was absolutely delicious!
Another must-have if you're ever in Taiwan!!!!!
As much as we enjoy our days off, we always look forward to getting back to the Home to love on the babies.... they are missed on our days out!
Blessings from the past week:
-Final papers arrived for one of our little ones, and her parents are coming to get her on August 2!
-One of our babies was allocated and has a new name.
-It is beautiful here.... I'm continually blessed by the beauty I see on walks and bike rides. It's a great reminder of how great our God is!
-Jun Jun, Renee, and Meredith, who faithfully come out on Thursdays, so we can have a day off. What a blessing they are!
Prayer Requests:
-Paperwork to move more quickly... it has been much slower than last summer.
-The older kids at camp this week.
-A couple of our babies, who are still struggling with coughs/colds
-A situation with one of our babies
-Birth mothers- it is such an act of love on their part to give up their little ones. They know they can't take care of their babies and and they want a better life for them.... what a terribly difficult decision to have to make!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Random pictures
In my last post, you got random posts.... this post will be random pictures!
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I love baby feet!
Last week we celebrated Showhwa's birthday! She got cards from all the babies!
Taiwan is beautiful!
Don't you agree?
I love when the babies hold hands!
Did I mention that I love baby feet?!
We took a boat ride on Showhwa's birthday!
Mango waffles are amazing!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Random thoughts....
I'm lying in bed unable to sleep for the third time this week because of the random thoughts in my head. These include, but are not limited to:
-Maybe I shouldn't have had coffee this afternoon.
-Why would I want to add my blood type to my facebook profile?
-I love watching Ted interract with the kids.... he is a fantastic father to all these little ones!
-I'm really going to miss David and his family as they travel home tomorrow, but I'm so happy for them!
-I miss my family and look forward to seeing them in a couple weeks.... can't wait for pizza and pinochle!
-Praying for a situation with one of our little ones.... God's will be done.
-Hoping all the babies with colds will feel better soon and that I'll have the energy to give them extra love, hugs, kisses, and patience
-Wishing I could let God be in control instead of worrying and getting upset about little things. Why is my first reaction not prayer every time? God is so faithful, yet He is far to often not the first one I turn to.
-Glad Matt, Chrissy, and Mira are able to spend time with family, but I would love some pictures sometime soon (hint, hint!)
-Why is the fruit here so much better than the fruit in America?
-I work with some pretty awesome people (both here and at home!)
-The internet is working right now and that makes me incredibly happy.
-How can I only have two weeks left here?! Mixed emotions about that.... I am so excited to see everyone at home and looking forward to a new school year, but I am going to miss everyone here and I will definitely be going through baby withdrawl!
-I sure hope sleep comes soon- 5:30 comes so early!
What thoughts are running through your head?
-Maybe I shouldn't have had coffee this afternoon.
-Why would I want to add my blood type to my facebook profile?
-I love watching Ted interract with the kids.... he is a fantastic father to all these little ones!
-I'm really going to miss David and his family as they travel home tomorrow, but I'm so happy for them!
-I miss my family and look forward to seeing them in a couple weeks.... can't wait for pizza and pinochle!
-Praying for a situation with one of our little ones.... God's will be done.
-Hoping all the babies with colds will feel better soon and that I'll have the energy to give them extra love, hugs, kisses, and patience
-Wishing I could let God be in control instead of worrying and getting upset about little things. Why is my first reaction not prayer every time? God is so faithful, yet He is far to often not the first one I turn to.
-Glad Matt, Chrissy, and Mira are able to spend time with family, but I would love some pictures sometime soon (hint, hint!)
-Why is the fruit here so much better than the fruit in America?
-I work with some pretty awesome people (both here and at home!)
-The internet is working right now and that makes me incredibly happy.
-How can I only have two weeks left here?! Mixed emotions about that.... I am so excited to see everyone at home and looking forward to a new school year, but I am going to miss everyone here and I will definitely be going through baby withdrawl!
-I sure hope sleep comes soon- 5:30 comes so early!
What thoughts are running through your head?
Friday, July 15, 2011
Verses on the wall....
One of the other volunteers, Meredith, is gone for the month of July to do some language study (She is staying at THOGL for a whole year and has been here since January). While she is gone, I am sleeping in her bed. My first morning here, I discovered that Meredith had posted verses by her bed. These verses are the first thing I see each morning when I wake up and they are such an encouragement to me, so I thought I'd share some of them with you.
"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." 1 Peter 3:8
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7
"Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8
"Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:7
"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalm 51:10
"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." 1 Peter 3:8
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7
"Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8
"Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:7
"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalm 51:10
Monday, July 11, 2011
Introducing....
I love the other volunteers here and thought I'd introduce them:
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Word- the only male volunteer. I don't think he quite knows what to do with all of us girls all the time, but he puts up with us. I really think he's going to miss us when we all leave. Word is devoting a full year to THOGL, so he is staying until next May!
Leah is the life of the party! She keeps things interesting and fun. Leah is an encourager and stays positive.
Cat is my roommate. She is shorter than me, which is amazing! It's nice to not be the shortest one here :-) Cat has an amazing internal clock that wakes her up on time!
I have now had the amazing opportunity to work with Kelsey for two summers! Kelsey is now working nights, so we don't get to see her quite as much :-( I get to spend about an hour with her each morning and I love our conversations!
Praises
-A family came in to pick up their little boy!
-We got a new baby!
-Our little boy who was in the hospital is now home!
Prayer Requests
-Colds are being passed around, so a lot of our little ones are sick.
-Papers to come in quickly... it seems like they are so slow!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Praises and Prayer Requests
Praises
-Paperwork came in for two of our babies which means their parents can come pick them up soon!
-We had a lovely day off yesterday, complete with shopping and lunch at the Potato.
-A new volunteer came in Wednesday to stay for a week or so. This means all the babies get more individual attention.
-A family comes in tomorrow (Saturday!) to get their little boy!
Prayer Requests
-One of our baby boys is in the hospital.
-Ted, Bev, and Anna- safe travel back from TMF
-Safe travel for the family that is coming in tomorrow.
-Unity among the volunteers- please pray we can build each other up and encourage each other, even on long days when we are tired.
-Paperwork came in for two of our babies which means their parents can come pick them up soon!
-We had a lovely day off yesterday, complete with shopping and lunch at the Potato.
-A new volunteer came in Wednesday to stay for a week or so. This means all the babies get more individual attention.
-A family comes in tomorrow (Saturday!) to get their little boy!
Prayer Requests
-One of our baby boys is in the hospital.
-Ted, Bev, and Anna- safe travel back from TMF
-Safe travel for the family that is coming in tomorrow.
-Unity among the volunteers- please pray we can build each other up and encourage each other, even on long days when we are tired.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
An earthquake, a mountain, and the Bear
I feel like time goes by so fast and I just posted yesterday; however, I believe it has been a few days since I posted. A lot has happened!
1. Thursday was our day off! We spent the morning hiking up a mountain! I was pretty sure I was going to die before I reached the top, since that was more exercise than I have done in the whole past year, but I guess God wanted me to see the BEAUTIFUL view from the top of the mountain! IT WAS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! Pictures do not even begin to display how beautiful it was! So worth the long trip up the mountain. Thank you, God, for the beautiful earth You gave and the opportunity you gave me to view it from the mountain.
After we stumbled down the mountain, we went to eat at the Bear. This has to be one of the most hilarious experiences I have had in Taiwan so far. Four American girls who don't know Chinese trying to order food in a restaurant where nobody speaks English. The waiter finally disappeared, communicating to us that he would be back in a minute. Five to ten minutes later, he returned with a phone in hand- he had called someone to translate! We ended up with rice, chicken curry, and a salad. A little spicy, but very good, and completely worth the experience!
2. Friday turned into a busy day. Our little one who was in the hospital came home!!!!! We are so glad she is back and have enjoyed loving on her a little extra over the past couple days. PRAISE GOD!
An adoptive family came in to pick up their baby.... always a happy day!
Babies were allocated and given new names :-)
Movie night- We watched "Like Dandelion Dust." Loved the movie, but definitely held back tears most of the way through.
3. Today we felt an earthquake. Last year I thought it would be cool to feel a SMALL earthquake. This year, I think they are just terrifying, regardless of how small they are. Praising the Lord for His protection.
1. Thursday was our day off! We spent the morning hiking up a mountain! I was pretty sure I was going to die before I reached the top, since that was more exercise than I have done in the whole past year, but I guess God wanted me to see the BEAUTIFUL view from the top of the mountain! IT WAS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! Pictures do not even begin to display how beautiful it was! So worth the long trip up the mountain. Thank you, God, for the beautiful earth You gave and the opportunity you gave me to view it from the mountain.
After we stumbled down the mountain, we went to eat at the Bear. This has to be one of the most hilarious experiences I have had in Taiwan so far. Four American girls who don't know Chinese trying to order food in a restaurant where nobody speaks English. The waiter finally disappeared, communicating to us that he would be back in a minute. Five to ten minutes later, he returned with a phone in hand- he had called someone to translate! We ended up with rice, chicken curry, and a salad. A little spicy, but very good, and completely worth the experience!
2. Friday turned into a busy day. Our little one who was in the hospital came home!!!!! We are so glad she is back and have enjoyed loving on her a little extra over the past couple days. PRAISE GOD!
An adoptive family came in to pick up their baby.... always a happy day!
Babies were allocated and given new names :-)
Movie night- We watched "Like Dandelion Dust." Loved the movie, but definitely held back tears most of the way through.
3. Today we felt an earthquake. Last year I thought it would be cool to feel a SMALL earthquake. This year, I think they are just terrifying, regardless of how small they are. Praising the Lord for His protection.
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